DNA Spring Cleaning: Safeguard Your Data!

Warning Since October 2023
As we've mentioned, repeatedly, on the podcast and social media, all must safeguard their DNA data.  If you haven't been keeping up with 23andMe. The summary is they announced the filing of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on 23 Mar 2025. We've been waiting!

What Does This Mean to the Consumer
Your data will most likely be part of sell-off or financial recovery and it can be used for any purpose, not just genetic family DNA connections.

 Remember unlike medical, DNA companies' genetic data are not part of  HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws. This suggests that your data is not patient data but consumer data without federal "safeguards." If you did not' know this fact, you probably haven't listened to th Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen podcast episodes.  You will want to subscribe and join the fun, information and research tips!

Below, I have provided further information on how you can safeguard your 23andMe DNA and/or backup any of your DNA results. Once you back up the data you paid for on your personal computer device, you may wish to transfer this data for free to a more solvent DNA testing company/ 

California Attorney General issued a consumer alert on March 21 advising users to delete their data and destroy any stored genetic samples. “Given 23andMe’s reported financial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data,” Bonta said.

To delete your data, log in to your 23andMe account, navigate to “Settings,” click “View” under the “23andMe Data” section, and select “Permanently Delete Data.” Confirm the action via a link sent to your email. Users can also delete stored saliva samples and revoke research consent through their account settings.  Source 

Before deleting your 23andMe you may wish to keep the data. 

You should keep the data, if not for now, for later or for your children. 

If you have already tested at 23andme, you do not want to lose your 23andMe data, so download your Raw Data to your desktop or a safe space. Perhaps you didn't know that if you have paid for one DNA kit from ancestryDNA, MyHeritageDNA, 23andMe, FamilyFinder of FamilyTreeDNA or LivingDNA you can share those results for free on other DNA testing sites. So you pay for one, but can get up two of results. This results in two new testing databases (MyHeritage and FamilyFinder at FamilyTreeDNA , plus you will get tw new re-analysis of ethnicity regions/data, two sets of new cousins to analyze.

It's easy.
>Set up a free account on the new site
>Download the DNA Raw Data (DNA Data) from your paid kit to your computer. Don't open it, just download.
Need help finding RawData?ancestryDNA
23andMe
myHeritage
FamilyFinder, of FamilyTreeDNA

Upload your DNA Raw Data (DNA Data) from your paid kit to other sites following one of the instructions below. Why not? It's Easy and free.

Upload to Myheritage

Upload to FamilyTreeDNA

Upload to LivingDNA (strong in European connections)

Note: You cannot upload to ancestry.com or 23andme, but you can use the Raw data generated to upload to myHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, and LivingDNA. without purchasing another DNA test, but still have a connection with DNA cousins. 

Cancel 23andMe

Once you have downloaded your DNA Raw Data from 23andMe, don't forget this next step. this is most important if you only wanted your DNA - OTC kit for DNA genealogical research.It can also be used for other purposes, some nefarious. 

Therefore, some may wish to completely sever ties with 23andMe and have their sample of your DNA (yes they save them) deleted from their assets. However, you are the consumer here, so you must explicitly request that your account be deleted (do this after downloading raw data to your desktop).  Verify that you receive a confirmation email stating that your account has been removed.

Here's an earlier post dated 18 Mar 2024: Spring Cleaning Newsleter: DNA Must Do

As we expected this outcome for 23andMe, a3Genealogy since Oct 2023-early 2024, we have not been recommending that OTC (Over the Counter) DNA testing kit. So if you didn't take precautions then, now is the time to take heed to this recommended action. 

Take Action NOW

Kathleen Brandt

Looking for the Irish Kidnapping the Irish?

St. Cloud Democrat, Stearns County, Minn

12 .Jan 1860

Irish Sugar, Rum, Slaves, and Jail

So was there ever a real confirmed case of the Irish being sold into slavery or kidnapped as indentured servants?

Apparently, "YES." And, it didn't end until right before the Civil War. This occurred early in Ireland. We see at least one case in the newspapers. (See above). 

 

The Belfast Mercury or Freeman's Chronicle

23th September 1783, #48787

Well, we know in that timeframe, where there's Hispanola "sugar" the rum and slaves are not far behind.

July 1774 Belfast Charitable Society
image: Clifton House Belfast

So when I was commissioned to work on the Cunninghams Pre-Revolutionary War, I was prepared for anything pre-Revolutionary War up to the Civil War. Waddell Cunningham a Belfast ship owner was involved in the rum, sugar, and slaves trade between Belfast and British West Indies. However, it has not been confirmed that Waddell Cunningham was one in the same as William Cunningham noted for kidnapping Irish people to sell as indentured servants. 

Was it Waddell or William who proposed slavery in Belfast?  Was it Waddell or William who kidnapped the Irish in order to sell them as indentured servants in 1744? Which one had to go to "goal" [jail] for which crime? 

This note clearly states this was William, not Waddell Cunningham.  It has been proven that William Cunningham was in the slave trade. and we see a reference to him below as early as 1744.

Massachusetts. Miscellaneous Records 1620–1775, 

Customs Records 1620–1775, Migration Records 1620–1775

But was William and Waddell one in the same? (Status and/or answers below to these questions).

The Key?

Pull the originals or, at minimum, avoid extracts like that below, and get the full image copies. 

Ireland Bibliographies

Tracing Waddell was easy! He was known for being uber-rich thanks to his sugar, rum, and slave trading business. He was also known for being generations to charitable societies and churches. The newspapers loved him as early as the 1760s.  And he used them as his own personal social media platform. 

We first see Waddell when he tried to murder Thomas Forsey for, let's say, "defamation." This contract disagreement spilled over to public interest.

Waddell served time, had to put up a bond, and finally Robert Ross Waddell joined to support Waddell Cunningham. Well, as luck will have it, we are now connecting families.

"The Forsey Appeal" by Waddell Cunningham,  1765

There are volumes worth of court records and such for Waddell Cunningham, so be sure to use available indicies and abstracts to narrow your search.

Ireland. History Records, Miscellaneous Records,

Bibliographies, Reference Materials, Archive Records (image 824)

Waddell feeling slighted by Forsey led us to the earlier works of Waddell Cunningham, allowing us to uncover his trading business and business partner and my desire to use the various bibliographies. 

Great Place to Start

If your early rich Irish and Scots-Irish had dealings, you will want to use the bibliographies. They will lead you to the documents. And, in my case, quick answer: Is Waddell Cunningham and William Cunningham one in the same? Appears not! The early William Cunningham incident occurred in 1744 in Massachusetts. There were later William Cunningham, some were dated as late as 1846.  We know Waddell Cunningham was in business as early as 1760. So the 1744 William Cunningham will still need more research. 

Time to flesh out what we have, and what we know. 

Waddell Cunningham, of Belfast,  and the Spanish Sugars

Looking at the Original Questions?

Was it Waddell or William who proposed slavery in Belfast?  This was definitely Waddell. However, Belfast was anti-slavery and his proposal quickly failed.

Was it Waddell or William who kidnapped the Irish in order to sell them as indentured servants in 1744?

Supposedly it was William Cunningham.  However, as mentioned, it does not appear that Waddell Cunningham and William Cunningham are one in the same. More work is needed.

Which one had to go to "goal" [jail] for which crime? 

We know Waddell Cunningham was in "goal" (jail) for attacking T. Forsey.  

The New-Hampshire gazette and historical chronicle.
[volume] (Portsmouth, N.H.) 1763-1776, December 14, 1764, Image 3

You will note that I put full links and references in this article. Hopefully, it will add to your repertoire of resources. Again, originals must be pulled for the full story!

Happy Irish-American Heritage Month

Kathleen Brandt

a3genealogy@gmail.com

Researching Your Lynched Female Ancestors

Cattle Kate, WY, 1936

Did You Know Women (White and Black) Were Lynched? 

Juanita, 1903, CA

While lynching primarily targeted black men, both black and white women were also victims—often for speaking out, defending loved ones, or simply being accused without evidence. Approximately 200 women were lynched in the United States between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. The vast majority were Black women, though White, Latina, and Indigenous women were also lynched.

Lynching wasn’t just racial terror—it was also used to silence women.

While most lynching victims were men, women faced this brutal form of violence for various reasons, including:

Just to name a few of the women: 

• Mary Turner (1918, GA) – A black woman, 8 months pregnant, lynched for protesting her husband’s murder and speaking out against racial violence
• Laura Nelson (1911, OK) – A black woman and her teenage son lynched without trial or evidence
• Juanita (1903, CA), - A Mexican woman 
• Kate Townsend (1883, LA) – A white brothel owner, possibly lynched in a business dispute.
• Helen Stark (1893, CO) – A white woman accused of robbery, lynched alongside three men.
• Josefa Segovia (1851 CA) A Mexican Woman, same town as Juanita in 1903, Downieville, California,

History of US Lynchings
There are not clear statistics of the US lynchings prior to 1882. However, during the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, and up to the depression era at least 4743 people were lynched according to newspaper accounts, court records and church records. Perhaps the tension of the Civil War brought this activity into popularity, or the fear of losing power, or the anger toward sympathetics and abolitionists, but US lynchings affected every southern state. The open lands of the new frontier, even California, was not spared. Matter of fact, all but Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont recorded lynches.

America's Lynching Practices

Although over 90% of the victims were African American, there were also white victims, mostly transplants from the northern states. The majority of the victims in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi were carried out by lynch mobs. Of course, Florida, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky also had notable numbers. Lynching victims were not limited to men. A woman in California was lynched as early as 1851.

White lynching victims were often targeted for opposing mob violence, being accused of crimes, or being immigrants, particularly Italian, Irish, or Jewish people.

Seven Resources for Finding Lynched Female Ancestors

Letter from Colored Federated Clubs of Augusta to President Woodrow Wilson, 1918

1. Name Search

A comprehensive listing of lynched victims is not available. However, the following will get you started: The Finding Josephine blog post "Was My Ancestor Lynched?" lists several places to look for names.

2. Historical American Lynching: One of the better search sites for names, states and reason for being lynched is the  American Lynching  Data . This information is based on the NAACP Lynching Records that can be located at Tuskegee University.

3. Collections: Check with a local college/university collection. Be sure to ask the check the catalog of dissertations and search under the popular keywords. These dissertations may not be in the normal library catalog. A doctoral thesis, of let’s say within sociology, may take a more personal social approach analyzing activities using names and citing court records. In 2008 the University of Washington named 3000 known US lynch victims collected as a research project. This list of names is available.

Maria Delongoria wrote a dissertation, Stranger Fruit: The Lynching of Black Women, where she lists names of “Black Female Lynching Victims” between 1886-1957 on pages 160-164.

4. The Laws: Check to see if any anti-lynching laws were put into place, or special sentences. By reviewing these hearings, you may find the reason why a new law was implemented, and you may even find your ancestor’s name attached to it. I usually start with a database like Lexis Nexis for these types of legal searches.You may find the names of those incited lynch mobs, as well as victims.

5. Local Newspapers: Local black newspapers kept relatively good records of lynching activities in their area. Rural black news may be reported by the largest town’s paper, but this news was often carried by word of mouth, so I suggest double checking the accuracy. Church news, like the Star Zion of the AME Zion church, also reported these activities.

6. Lynch Mobs: If your lynched ancestor was a white sympathetic, or part of a lynch mob, be sure to check the Democratic paper. Remember the Democratic party was labeled rebels and Republican were considered progressive.  Most southern towns had competing Democratic and Republican newspapers; Those involved in lynch mobs were often hailed as heroes in the Democratic reporting. See Imagery of Lynching: Black Men, White Women, and the Mob

7. List of Lynching victims in the United States has 537cited sources.  

Remember in 2022, (yes, 3 years ago), the United States Congress passed the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act, making lynching a federal hate crime

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com
Accurate, accessible answers

Researching: Women Who Kept Maiden Names?

 

   

Women and Their Maiden Names

The idea that women universally adopted their husband’s surname only became more rigidly enforced in certain cultures over time. However, historical records prove that women have kept their maiden names for centuries, whether due to legal necessity, cultural tradition, or professional identity.

In 1866 the above article now as written Keeping Their Maiden Names in Addition to the Husbands' Surname, but know that evidence shows that this practice existed well before 1866.

When and Where?

Colonial America and the 18th Century

• Puritan and Legal Traditions. In Puritan New England, some women retained their maiden names in legal documents, wills, and property records. For example, Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672), the first published poet of colonial America, was often referred to by her maiden name in records and literary circles.
• Quaker Women and Gender Equality. Quakers, known for their progressive views on gender equality, frequently allowed women to retain their maiden names. Mary Dyer (c. 1611–1660), a Quaker martyr, was often referred to by her birth surname in historical records. Quaker women involved in business or land transactions also maintained their birth names in official documents.

Scotland, France, and Early American Women
In Scotland and France, it was customary for women to retain their maiden names legally, even after marriage. This tradition carried over to French and Scottish-descended women in colonial America and Canada.

• In America, women like Mercy Otis Warren (1728–1814), an influential writer and historian of the American Revolution, used their maiden names publicly and professionally. 
• Many women involved in business also continued to use their birth surnames in trade records and property agreements.

Legal and Property Rights (1700s-1800s)

San Francisco Bulletin

Tue, Oct 04, 1927 ·Page 11

• Legal records from the 18th and 19th centuries frequently show women keeping their maiden names in cases related to land ownership, inheritance, and business dealings. 
• In some Southern states, married women retained their maiden names in property records to clarify ownership, particularly in cases where they inherited land from their birth families.

Newspaper Mentions and Articles

Bryan-College Station Eagle

Bryan, Texas

Wed, Feb 12, 1896 · Page 2

• The Liberator (1830s-1860s) – This abolitionist newspaper frequently mentioned women activists, some of whom retained their maiden names. Women like Lydia Maria Child were often referred to by their birth names in advocacy work.

• The New-York Tribune (1850s) – Articles from this period show that women in business and publishing sometimes kept their maiden names to maintain recognition in their professions.

• Marriage and Legal Notices in 18th- and 19th-Century Newspapers

• Many marriage announcements list women by both maiden and married names, indicating the ongoing use of birth surnames in public records.

Happy Women's History Month

Kathleen Brandt

Ancestry DNA Spring Sale $39.00

 Did you Know?

By using this Ancestry DNA link, you purchase a DNA kit at an amazing rate.
And, the veterans get you!

Spring Sale: AncestryDNA is $39. Offer ends 3/17.

$2.00 of every kit is donated to the Tracing Ancestors' Eternal Valor Network project to support veterans. Read about the Eternal Valor Network .

Be sure to use the Tracing Ancestors Affiliate Link: Spring Sale: AncestryDNA is $39. 

Researching That Female Ancestor!

 

All were not boring!

Were they housewives and mothers, were they teachers or schoolmarms, were they wet nurses or midwives, were they the maids, the slaves, the cooks? Did they attend suffrage movements or civil rights movements? Were they abolitionists, prohibitionists, or fighting for unwed mothers?  

What were their secrets? Listen in on The Mystery of Cornelia Gray. A woman who could be framed in generations of folklore was an enigma. 

Or were they like my Aunt Bertha!

Her unconventional actions as a wife and mother were all in the paper. Could this possibly be the 2g-Aunt that I knew? She was stern, wise and a pillar of the society in her 90's. Glad, I didn't paint that as her life-story, because clearly she was not afraid to buck the system. Perhaps her goal was to change the "role of the woman"  narrative. Either way, the family folklore of her being a wonderful family matron and widow was easily debunked. It was in broad daylight and not in secrecy. Go Aunt Bird! (Yep that was her nickname). 

 The Pratt Union, Pratt, Kansas 30 Apr 1914 

Our female ancestors influenced change. When I felt disempowered at work or at home, my mother would proclaim “the woman is the neck, that turned the head.” 

The Missouri Republican, St. Louis, MO,25 Aug 1873, Page 1

When looking for women ancestors, though, it can be challenging. The majority changed their names, and their identity through marriage. But remember all did not! Was your female ancestor one of the married stage performers who proudly held their maiden name? 

Let us share tips for researching your female ancestors

1.  Women Organizations. 

 The National Association of Colored Women’s Club, Inc.
founded Washington, D.C. in July 1896

 These groups may have been for ethnic socializing, divided by class, or designed to promote “worldliness” like an education curriculum for women on par with men. They were for women to vent, mingle, chart out their children’s social circle, and to influence politics often through their husbands.

2.  Local community and political activities.

The Missouri Republican, St. Louis, MO,25 Aug 1873, Page 1

Be sure to plot out your female ancestor’s timeframe using community and political issues. It’s overwhelming how many women groups met in “secret” to fight for their agenda. These groups may have been an ethnic groups, divided by class, promoting “worldliness” like an education curriculum for women on par with men.

 3. Women School Records.

The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi) 7 Jul 1870, pg.1

Men didn’t seem to bulk at women reading the Bible and taking darning and sewing classes.  But often the line was drawn at philosophical, maths, and “brainy knowledge.” Although 1800 education was seen as a way of making women better wives and mothers, there were progressives that moved the educational rod to encourage education for women to be transformative. I’m a proud alumna of Stephens College, 1333, Columbia MO, a women’s college. By the way, they have an amazing archive filled with history. During WWII, they housed and educated orphan teenagers from across the nation - children of war veterans. 

4. Church Minutes / Records. 

Have you read these gossip-filled accounts of the congregants?  Oh my…we have found records from Quakers, the women, who held important positions in conducting the Underground Railroad, to the public shaming of those in infidelity in the German churches of Missouri. Contrary to common belief, these records are not just filled with sacraments dates.   

5.  Immigrant Societies. 

Women were activists.  They helped with the immigrant societies. This was not just in port cities, but inland also. They were active in the Volga – Germans, Irish, German, Italian, etc. communities.  Again, scour the society books for familiar names. Review newspaper articles on the local immigrant societies. Discover which roles the women played. They were like matchmakers of old.  They connected wives and children to housing. They were thanked for holiday meals and performances. They fought for the poor and admonished “the wicked!”

6.  Delayed birth records of the community. 

         

At a brick wall? Try reviewing early birth records, especially delayed birth records of the community. We have uncovered over a half dozen female ancestors for clients as they were midwives.  Yes, you have to conduct the research, but if Louise was her name, be sure to uncover "Louise" named midwives on birth and delayed birth records. Delayed birth records come with affidavits that may assist in identifying your “Louise.”  

Other Readings:
Genealogists Can Reconstruct the Lives of Female Ancestors
The Daily Herald, Mar 26, 1998 , pg 39

Fewer Records Available for Women Ancestors
Victoria Advocate, Apr 06, 2003 ·Page 396 Tips to Researching Female Ancestor

Be Historically Correct

Kathleen Brandt

a3genealogy.com

Accurate Accessible Answers

a3genealogy@gmail.com 

Revised posts: 28 Mar 2022

6 Tips to Researching Female Ancestors

 

Women Legally Voted in Revolutionary Era

Writer/Poet Hannah Griffitts 1727-1817, reprint, and image: a3Genealogy

Revolutionary Era Female Ancestors Voted

Suffrage, the right to vote in political elections, is a term people use, but not sure what it means or how it applies to our ancestors. Suffragists” during the woman suffrage movement were"anyone—male or female—who supported extending the right to vote (suffrage) to women." Read: National Archive Pieces of History- What is Suffrage?

We often go straight to the 1865 petition to explain it. But, women voted before 1865.

Petition for an amendment of the Constitution:
Prohibits the states from disfranchising any of citizens on the basis of sex, 1865.
(National Archives Identifier 306684)

Many are unaware that during the Revolutionary Era America women legally voted. One hundred and sixty-three (163) women, four of them free Black women, voted in New Jersey between 1800-1807 following the Revolutionary War. So when I tell you the relationship of suffrage as it applies to women has always been an on again- off-again topic; it really has. 

The Myth: Women couldn’t vote before the 19th Amendment

For a more in-depth exploration of this topic, visit the Museum of the American Revolution's virtual exhibit: When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story.

Married and Loss of Freedom: Not This Again!

American Revolutionary Museum 

Abigal Adams, wife of John Adams stated: Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.” You must know Abigal, wife of John Adams. She opposed slavery and supported women's education. Read more about the correspondence between this power couple here: National Women's History Museum.

And, she was right. When they tried to remove women's rights due to marital status women rethought marriage as seen earlier in the poetry of Hannah Griffitts. 

 In early United States, the right to vote was a privilege largely reserved for property-owning white men. However, during the Revolutionary era from 1776 to 1807, the NJ state's constitution granted voting rights to "all inhabitants" who met certain property requirements. This phrasing inadvertently enfranchised women and free people of color. This progressive stance made New Jersey the first state to explicitly include women in the electorate. Read more: The American Revolution Museum.

Electoral Fraud: We've Seen This Before!
The concern of electoral fraud is almost always used to disenfranchise women and people of color for political gain.

 In 1807, facing political pressure and claims of electoral fraud, New Jersey's legislature revised the voting laws, restricting suffrage to tax-paying, white male citizens. This change effectively disenfranchised women and free people of color, rescinding the rights they had briefly held.

The loss of voting rights in New Jersey reflected a broader national trend of limiting suffrage. In the early 19th century, as states drafted new constitutions, many explicitly restricted voting to white men, erasing the gains made by women and minorities during the Revolutionary period. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the movement for women's suffrage began to regain momentum. 

Our Ancestors Left a Roadmap
The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 marked a pivotal moment, where activists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott formally demanded equal political rights for women, including the right to vote. Read more: American Bar Association

The struggle for women's suffrage continued for decades, facing numerous challenges and opposition. It wasn't until the early 20th century that the movement saw significant progress. The tireless efforts of suffragists culminated in the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, which prohibited states from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. This monumental achievement restored voting rights to women nationwide, more than a century after they had been rescinded in places like New Jersey. Learn more here: National Archives: Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment. 

If we don't learn from history, there will be another opportunity to get it right. No one is surprised, we now get to crawl through the Save Act, bill, H.R. 22, the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” (SAVE Act). 

As many as 69 million American women lack access to valid birth certificates. Estimated number of female citizens ages 15 and older in each state whose names do not match their birth certificate due to last name change or hyphenation upon marriage I just wonder what outcome is expected for them.

CAP, Image and Article, 69 million American women

Wonder how it will affect married women citizens and name changes due to marital status. We will learn since this trend of suppressing the woman's vote started in 2024. It's no surprise women who have legally changed their names are part of the intended victim package on this bill. It's always intentional.

Kathleen Brandt
a3genealogy@gmail.com