Finding Eliza

St. John Road, 1981 – Sepia Saturday #178

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Kristin

The photograph below was taken in 1981 when we lived on St. John Road in Simpson County, Mississippi. You can read more about that time in this post P.O. Box 173 1/2. I was 35 and pregnant with my fifth child, who turned out to be my first son, James. Tulani and Ayanna (with a piece of gum hanging out of her mouth) are in the photo with me. My husband, Jim, was the photographer. He was about to go to Boston for an organizers workshop. He was working for the Woodcutters Union at the time and not making a living wage. My son seems to wear a similar expression sometimes. Maybe I passed it on. I’ve added a photo of my father and grandfather.

1981 – with two daughters.

That son 30 years later.

Me, at about 20, and my father, Albert B. Cleage Jr., 1966

My grandfather, Albert B. Cleage – 1909. About the time he graduated from Knoxville College.

Posted in Biography, sepia saturday | 28 Comments

My Daughter and Grandmother – 1972 – Wordless Wednesday

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Kristin

My grandmother, Fannie Turner Graham and my oldest daughter, Jilo. Detroit, 1972.

My grandmother, Fannie Turner Graham and my oldest daughter. Detroit, 1972.

My mother wrote about her mother’s life in these posts:

Posted in Photographs, Wordless Wednesday | 6 Comments

Generations of L3b MtDNA from Celia Rice Cleage

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Kristin

This chart is adapted from the 23andMe website.

Celia Rice Cleage Sherman is the earliest name I can call for this line. By the time I asked, nobody remembered her mother’s name. Celia Rice was born into slavery in Virginia about 1855. Sometime before freedom, she was taken to Tennessee. Celia had 4 sons, including my grandfather Albert, and 1 daughter, Josephine (also called Josie). MtDNA is passed from the mother, to the daughter, to the grandaughter to the great grandaughter in a straight line. Although sons receive their mothers MtDNA, they do not pass it on to their children. Their children will receive their own mother’s MtDNA. So, I am going to be talking about daughters of daughters in this post.

Celia Rice Cleage’s MtDNA passed through her daughter to her daughters, to their daughters and on and on and on.

Josephine married James Cleage, (from a different Cleage family) and had 5 children, 2 sons and 3 daughters, Henrietta, Lucille and Hattie Ruth. My cousin Felix, a descendent of Hattie Ruth, shared a chart of family members with me about five years ago. There are probably more family members out there since then. Additions and corrections welcome!

Henrietta had 1 son and 3 daughters, Margaret, Hortense and Ruth. I don’t have any information about their children. Lucille had 2 sons and 1 daughter, Mary, who had 1 son only. Hattie Ruth had 5 daughters, Vivian, Betty, Beverly, Marion and Erma.

Vivian had 2 daughters, Josephine and Laura. She had 7 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and 1 2xgreat grand at the time I received my list.. I don’t know how many were daughters. Josephine had 2 sons. Laura had 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls. She has at least 2 granddaughters.

Betty had 3 daughters, 2 lived to adulthood. Sandra had 3 daughters, Bernita, Jamiliah and Aisha. Bernita had 5 daughters. Jamiliah had 1 son and 3 daughters. Aisha had no children. Charlene had 2 daughters and 5 granddaughters.

Beverly had 1 son and 2 daughters, Tanya and Kim. Tanya has 1 daughter, Danelle. Kim has 2 daughters, Mahogany and Celeste.

Marion had 2 sons and 2 daughters, Alma and Ruth Anne. There were 5 grandchildren, but I don’t know how many were daughters of daughters.

Erma had 3 sons and 7 daughters, Beatrise, Marcella, Haleema, Fatima, Aleah, Ameena, Leshia. I don’t know the breakdown of her 16 grandchildren, but I know there were some granddaughters.

Special thanks to my cousin Denora for permission to use the header photograph of Hattie Ruth’s daughters, granddaughters and great grands. And to Felix for the information in the chart. And to Tanya for getting her DNA tested. Family makes it happen.

Posted in Cleages, DNA - Genetics | Tagged #Celia Rice Cleage, #Josephine Cleage | 8 Comments

Revisiting My 23andMe DNA Findings

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Kristin

I had my DNA tested at 23andMe in 2011. I wrote about it here. There were no big surprises in the results. No Native American showed up, despite everyone being sure there was some Indian in there somewhere. I haven’t found any new cousins, although they provide plenty of possible cousins, we haven’t been able to prove any of the connections.

I have found it interesting to compare results with people I already know are related to me. This chart shows the number of segments of DNA I share with each person and the % of DNA we share. The pink is MtDNA and the blue is the YDNA. It’s also interesting to see what DNA cousins from the same line share with me and with each other.

When I first got my results, they did not give me as much detail as there is available in the diagram below.

After I received my 23andMe results, I sent the extracted, zipped DNA file to Douglas McDonald (jdmcdona@illinois.edu) who analyses the results and sends a more specific interpretation via email. He does this at no cost. You can see mine below. I wondered what a Centromere was and looked it up and found that a centromere is a region on a chromosome that joins two sister chromatids.

Each line represents a different chromosome. You recieve half of each chromosome from each of your parents, that is why there are sometimes different colors on top and bottom. On each one I have bits that originated with ancestors from Africa, Europe and North Africa. The geographic areas are color coded with red for Europe and blue for Africa and violet for North Africa, etc. The dark brown parts are unidentified. The light brown parts are links between segments of the chromosome.

Doug McDonald wrote the following, along with the above:

Most likely fit is

54.8% (+- 1.3%) Europe (all Western Europe)
8.3% (+- 1.9%) Mideast (all North Africa)
36.9% (+- 0.7%) Africa (all West African)

The following are possible population sets and their fractions, most likely at the top

Irish= 0.531 Moroccan= 0.103 Mandenka= 0.366 or
English= 0.561 Mozabite= 0.062 Mandenka= 0.377 or
Irish= 0.557 Mozabite= 0.067 Mandenka= 0.376 or
Irish= 0.528 Moroccan= 0.115 Yoruba= 0.357 or
English= 0.559 Mozabite= 0.072 Yoruba= 0.369 or
Irish= 0.555 Mozabite= 0.077 Yoruba= 0.368

The Asian and American on the chromosomes are small and weak and likely not real. The North African may or may not be real; if real, its likely smaller than 10%.

Doug McDonald

Posted in DNA - Genetics | 6 Comments

Upside Down – Sepia Saturday #177

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Kristin

In my maternal grandparents yard there was a metal pipe swing frame that my grandfather had attached to the apple tree. There was a big swing three or more people could it in and there was a baby swing for one little person with a bar to hold them in, you can see it below to the right. And there were a pair of rings that my cousin Barbara was expert with. I don’t remember ever doing a flip or anything else.

In this photograph my Aunt Mary V. is helping her youngest daughter, my cousin Marilyn learn how to use the rings. Marilyn was the youngest of us 4 cousins by 6 years. She was often regulated to “go-ie wo-ie” during games.

Mary Vee helping Marilyn on the rings. June 1968.

My Aunt Mary Vee helping my cousin Marilyn on the rings. June 1958. Detroit.

My grandson Sean hanging by a thread.

My granddaughter Sydney upside down.

Click to see more Sepia Saturday posts.

For other posts featuring Poppy and Nanny’s yard -

Posted in Grahams, sepia saturday | 24 Comments

Seven Generations of L3e2a1b1 – My Grandmother Pearl’s MtDNA

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Kristin

Information chart from 23andMe MtDNA page.

Although I inherited DNA from my paternal Grandmother Pearl Reed Cleage, I did not inherit her MtDNA, which goes through the maternal line, from mother to daughter to granddaughter etc. I had to convince one of my father’s sisters to be tested. My Aunt Gladys agreed. Oral history told us that my Grandmother’s mother’s mother was a Cherokee Indian, however, her MtDNA L3e21b1, originates in Sub-Saharan Africa. No Native American DNA showed up at all.

Photographs and word cloud with names of all the known female descendents of Clara Hoskins.

Clara Hoskins is the first woman in this ancestral line that I can name. She was born about 1829 in Kentucky. Her daughter, Annie Allen, and her 5 granddaughters were also born in Kentucky. From there, the family moved to Indianapolis, IN and on to Benton Harbor and Detroit Michigan and spread out from there to California, Illinois, Windsor and Toronto.

Annie passed her mtDNA to all of her 8 children but because it passes from mother to daughter, only the five daughters passed it on to their daughters. The son’s children received their mother’s MtDNA. Those 5 daughters birthed 15 granddaughters, who birthed 12 known great granddaughters. Josephine’s daughter Bessie, disappeared so I don’t know if she had children. From those 12 great granddaughters I have 11 known 2x great granddaughters.

There are several lines that I lost about here. I can only vouch for 1 3x great granddaughter but there are possibly others from those 5 unknown to me lines. Hopefully, someone will let me know. This makes a total of 42 known descendents with Clara’s MtDNA.

Anna’s oldest daughter, Josephine, had one daughter, Bessie, who ran away from home in her youth and was never heard from again. Unfortunately, I don’t know Josephine’s married name so I can’t try and find Bessie. She last makes an appearance in the 1900 census living with her grandmother in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Louise Reed Shoemaker had a son and a daughter, Mildred, who had 1 son only.

Sarah Reed Busby had 5 daughters. Elleretta had 2 sons only. Margaret had 2 daughters, Sarah and Irene. I don’t know if they had daughters. Queen had 1 daughter, Elaine, who had 2 daughters, Marina and Lori. Lori had 1 son and 1 daughter, Alexis. Marina had 2 daughters, Sinclaire and Sidne. These daughters are all still in school. Sophia had 1 daughter, Bernadine, who had 1 son only. I have no children for Marie.

Minnie Reed Mullins had 5 daughters. Helen had 2 sons and 2 daughters, Patricia and Joyce. Patricia has 1 daughter, Anastasia. Joyce has 2 daughters, Elizabeth and Kristinia. I don’t know if either of them had children. Georgie Anna had 1 daughter, Barbara Anne. I don’t know if this daughter had any children. Hughie Marie had 1 daughter, Patrice, who has 1 daughter, Katherine. Minnie had 1 daughter, Deborah Anne. I don’t know if she had any daughters. Barbara Louise had 4 sons only.

My grandmother Pearl Reed Cleage had 3 daughters, Barbara, Gladys and Anna. Barbara has 1 son only. Gladys has 3 sons and 1 daughter, Jan. Jan has 1 son and 3 daughters, Shashu, Jann and Sadya. Shashu has 1 son and 1 daughter, Lyric. Lyric is too young to have children. Anna has 2 daughters, Anna and Maria. Anna has 2 sons and 2 daughters, Lillianna and Sophia. Maria has 2 adopted children.

Posted in Reeds | 7 Comments

Seven Generations of L3e3b – My Mtdna

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Kristin

This chart is adapted from the 23andMe website.

The mtdna that I received from my mother, who received it from her mother and on back to the beginning lost in the mists, is L3e3b. I have been told that I share this haplo group of L3e3b with the Mende people of Sierra Leone. You can read more in this post Stolen from Africa – Fearless Females.

Annie Williams is the first woman in this ancestral line that I can name. She was born about 1820 in Virginia. Her daughter, Eliza Williams Allen (who is the Eliza this blog is named after) and all of her children were born in Alabama. Eliza passed her mtdna to her 13 children. 5 died before adulthood. 2 were sons. Of her 6 daughters, I wondered, how many had daughters who had daughters, who had daughters?

Photographs and word cloud with names of all the known female descendents of Annie Williams.

Mary Allen McCall had 6 children, 2 sons and 3 daughters survived to adulthood. Two, Jeanette McCall McEwen and Alma Otilla McCall Howard, had sons only. Annabell McCall Martin had 7 children. 3 were sons and 3, daughters, Anna Marie Martin, Geneva Martin and Thelma Martin. So far I have been unable to trace them beyond the 1940 census in Detroit when they were unmarried, childless, teenagers, so I don’t know if they had daughters.

Anna Allen (oval picture) had no children.

Below Anna is Beulah Allen Pope who had 2 sons and 1 daughter. Her daughter, Annie Lee Pope Gilmer, had 1 son.

Willie Lee Allen Tulane had 3 daughters. Only 1, Naomi, survived to adulthood. Naomi Tulane Vincent had three daughters – Sylvia, Jacqui and Barbara. Sylvia and Barbara did not have any children. Jacqui had 2 sons.

Abbie Allen Brown had 2 sons.

My great grandmother, Jennie Virginia had three daughters. Daisy and Alice had no children. My grandmother, Fannie, had 4 children. Her 2 sons died in childhood. Her 2 daughters, my aunt Mary V. had 3 daughters. Barbara and Marilyn both had sons only. Dee Dee’s one daughter, Maricea, has no children.

My mother, Doris, had 2 daughters. I (Kristin) have 2 sons and 4 daughters. Jilo has 1 son and 2 daughters. Ife has 1 son and 1 daughter. Ayanna has no children. Tulani has 1 daughter. All of their daughters are still children. My sister Pearl had 1 daughter. Deignan has 1 son and 3 daughters, all still children.

I have the mtdna haplo group from my father’s mother and for my grandfather Cleage’s mother. I will be writing them up soon. I will also be writing about my total dna findings. Unfortunately, there are no men in my direct line alive to test for the Ydna.

Posted in Allen, Investigations | 17 Comments

Mother’s Day Telegram -1940

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Kristin

About 1940 my uncle Louis was in St. Louis as an intern at Homer G. Philips Hospital. He sent my grandmother in Detroit this telegram on Mother’s Day. These photographs were taken a few years later.

Dr. Louis J. Cleage

Pearl Reed Cleage

Posted in Cleages | 10 Comments

The Chemistry Lab – Sepia Saturday #176

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Kristin

Chemistry lab from my box of Cleage photos. No identifying information.

My chemistry career is hazy. I took the required 1 year of classes in high school. I remember the periodic table on the wall, the bunsen burner and the smell of the room. I don’t remember who my teachers were. Maybe it was Mrs. Peterson for the second semester. I know that she was my homeroom teacher for my senior year. We had home room at some point during the day, not at the beginning or the end because we all came to school and finished our day at different times, depending on our schedule.

That is me in the middle of the middle row. This is a photo of the National Honor Society. Mrs. Jones was our sponsor.

I didn’t like Ms. Peterson. I can’t remember what she looked like. When I try, I see Ms Jones in the photo above. I didn’t like her either. At some point Peterson asked if she could call me “Kirsten” because she liked that better than “Kristin”. I said no, she could not.

Early in my senior year, I decided not to go to my graduation and not to get graduation pictures and therefore not to pay the senior fees. As the year ended, Peterson told me that if I didn’t pay the fees, she was going to put me out of her senior homeroom and I would have to go to the auditorium instead. For reasons I don’t remember, I must have cared because I paid the fee and went to my graduation. That made my Grandmother Cleage happy. It was past time for senior photos by then, but I was in the year book for a few group photos – the one above and another one for the Library staff. I enjoyed my high school career as much as I look like I did in this photo.

I took 1.5 quarters of chemistry in college. At the end of my freshman year ,I decided to go into nursing so that I would always be able to find work in the far off places I was going to live in. Chemistry was a television class with a day or two of lab work a week. My experiments never came out right. I worked in a hospital that summer and didn’t feel drawn to the medical field after all. I started off the fall semester taking the second quarter of chemistry but the day of the mid-term, I dropped both chemistry and biology. Such a feeling of relief. I changed to liberal arts and decided to be totally impractically and major in art.

For more chemistry related photos or memories, click.

Posted in Biography, sepia saturday | 41 Comments

Fancy Free In The Hollywood Bowl – 1944

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Kristin

“The air was cool at night. I stretched out my arms in the moonlight and flew. I raced and raced in the cool night expanse, on the largest stage in the world. Around me the mountains ribbed the sky. Under my feet lay the beat of a full symphony orchestra.”

— Agnes De Mille, Dance To The Piper, pg 174

The Hollywood Bowl.

This excerpt below is from a letter written by my father to his parents and siblings in Detroit. You can see my mother hanging up clothes and my father smoking during that same time, up in the header photo.

2130 South Hobart Blvd. #4
Los Angeles, 7, California
September 2, 1944

Hi Folks:

It’s Sunday afternoon…hot as usual…Everything goes along about as usual (the poor get poorer and the rich get richer)…

We went to the Hollywood Bowl last night to see the incomparable “Ballet Theater”…Russian Ballet by S. Hurok. The Bowl is way out in “West h—” from were we live. It took over an hour on the street car to get there… and the last mile took about half of the time… the street-car would move about an inch and wait for ten minutes and then move another inch. We were late…as usual… but in plenty of time to see all we cared to see. The Bowl is a dished out place down in between some mountains…with thousands of seats rising up the mountain sides in front of the stage. The place was jammed! We had the cheapest seats, naturally, which Doris purchased through the Red Cross for a slight reduction…but by climbing over the backs of the seats…very undignified…we managed to sneak into the next higher priced section..where we could see the performers… after a fashion…the section where we belonged …ran on and on…up the mountain…and the people on the stage must have looked like little ants or something…which was just as well…considering the nature of the performance. The dancing was about what you would expect Pee Wee, Gladys and Barbara to put on after a week-end of rehearsal out in the barn. Romeo and J. went on and on for hours…The people sitting next to us…who apparently had never heard of Shakespeare…decided the dance must be about an Egyptian princess or something. “Fancy Free” which was supposed to be terrific…dragged on and on and on…long after the dance was finished. All in all it was quite an evening. We left before the last extravaganza in order to catch a street car before the mob…ran a block and a half…and finally caught what they humorously call street cars out here..and made our way home…

The Hollywood Bowl

About Fancy Free

Posted in Cleages, Letters | Tagged #Albert B. Cleage Jr, #Los Angeles | 4 Comments

St. John Road, 1981 – Sepia Saturday #178

My Daughter and Grandmother – 1972 – Wordless Wednesday

Generations of L3b MtDNA from Celia Rice Cleage

Revisiting My 23andMe DNA Findings

Upside Down – Sepia Saturday #177

Seven Generations of L3e2a1b1 – My Grandmother Pearl’s MtDNA

Seven Generations of L3e3b – My Mtdna

Mother’s Day Telegram -1940

The Chemistry Lab – Sepia Saturday #176

Fancy Free In The Hollywood Bowl – 1944

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