Friday 30 December 2016

KELLAM family DNA match

I have to say again that this genetic genealogy is a huge learning curve!

I think I have been lost for several months in FTDNA and GEDmatch websites trying to work out how I am related to those I share DNA with and watching for new matches.

I wrote about my first lucky break on matches to my KNIGHT family HERE AND HERE.

A few weeks later I sent an email to Ron who I later found out lives in Canada.
Ron and I shared a total of 25.7 centimorgans with me, the longest block being 20.5 centimorgans.
GEDmatch calculated our "Estimated number of generations to MRCA (most common recent ancestor) at 4.7

I was overjoyed at Ron's reply to my email in which I included my surname list.
He said "Hello Kerryn, how nice to hear from you, distant cousin! We scored!
Quick response is, it's the Kelhams, of Waltham on the Wolds, in North Leicestershire.
My paternal grand father's ancestors were Kelhams from there.  My grandfather and great grandfather came to Canada in 1905 from the Nottingham area in England. "

Ron attached a relationship chart.
We shared common 5th great grandparents.
My 3rd great grandmother, Mary KELLAM married Mark BIRD (although I have found no record of the marriage) They both died in 1834.

Their daughter, my 2nd great grandmother Catherine BIRD, emigrated to New Zealand with her first husband Thomas MUNTON and their two daughters.  Thomas died soon after arrival and Catherine remarried to my 2nd great grandfather William MUSSON.

Interestingly, Ron's 4th great grandfather Charles KELHAM married an Ann MUSSON at Waltham on the Wolds, Leicestershire in 1790.  I haven't yet found a link for Ann to my MUSSON line though.  Perhaps Ron and I are "double cousins".

My earlier paper trail genealogy research had found two other descendants of Mary KELLAM and Mark BIRD, Cathy and Corrinne, who share my passion for family history.
We have shared some great discoveries.



I would like to thank Corrinne for making it possible for me to take the FTDNA family finder test. XX

Tuesday 13 December 2016

Kiely family of Edi Upper

My Mum's paternal grand-aunt Amelia Agnes "Millie" HART married Edmund Wills (or Wells) KIELY in Victoria in 1901.

Millie was born in 1879 at Echuca, the sister of my Mum's grandmother, Margaret HART.  They were daughters of Peter HART, originally from Huntingdonshire, England, and Agnes MASON.

Millie and Edmund KIELY had 7 children all born in the Wangaratta region, Victoria where they farmed for many years.

One of the boys in 1912 swallowed strychnine and luckily survived.


Edmund Kiely died in 1935.


Millie KIELY nee HART died in 1971 at the grand age of 92 years.
Longevity seems to run in the family as Mum's grandmother also lived to her 90s as did many of the HART sisters.