Sunday, December 29, 2013

Looking For Cousins: My DNA Results from Ancestry.com & 23andme, Yvette Porter Moore

On May 12, 2012, I did a post on my RootDigger Blog presenting my DNA Ancestry Composition results.  If you would like to look at this post go to What Are My Maternal Genes Saying About Me?  The percentages of ancestry revealed were:  48% European, 33% Africa, and 18% Asia.  The percentages have changed somewhat over time, as more and more people having their DNA submitted, making the details of the percentages become more and more precise.


My purpose of wanting to do DNA is to link with my ancestor's descendants.  I was adopted, so when I was successful in my reunion on my maternal and paternal lines, I still had many more questions, of which have not been readily answered or available.  

Recently, it has been revealed to me that my maternal grandmother Esther Munoz Espinoza's biological father was not a Fernando M Munoz.  The story is that Fernando married Maria Zavala sometime after Maria's husband Leonardo Manuel Hernandez left her to go visit his mother, and never returned.  It was also told that Leonardo did not go to visit his mother who lived in Texas but went or stayed in Los Angeles where his other family resided.  Leonardo's mothers name is not known and neither are the wives he may have had.  I am hoping that the DNA matches may lead me to family in Los Angeles with the Hernandez surname.  It is possible that Leonardo was born in the 1890's.

This by no means has stopped me from researching the Munoz' ancestry as many of my cousins have the Munoz ancestry.  Whatever information I can document will be beneficial for my family and the next generations.

Below I am showing my speculative report.  There are two other reports such as conservative and standard.  I believe speculative is most likely the more accurate picture of my DNA report...I have always hung out on the edge and have not been very conservative.  Also the Speculative report tends to match up more accurately with my Ancestry.com, so this one will be the one I share.



Yvette Porter Moore
Speculative DNA Report
23andme.com
so my percentages came out to:37.4% European with a breakdown as to the various types of European.  I was intrigued by the 11.1% Iberian. The test also revealed 36.2% Sub-Saharan African...of which 36% from West African and 0.3% from Nonspecific Sub-Saharan African, and then 22.9% East Asian & Native American. There is a 0.1% Middle Eastern & North African and 3.4% unassigned.  I tend to believe that the 3.4% is Native American.



My Chromosome View [Speculative]


Chromosome View
23andme
Yvette Porter Moore


My Ancestry.com results were:

39% Africa, 23% Native American, & 36% European


Yvette Porter Moore Ancestry
Ancestry.com











The Countries that my Genome's covered are below.  I would have assumed that the percentage of Mexico would have been greater as my maternal ancestry is in the Old & New Mexico areas [Arizona, California & New Mexico].







Mexico
UK
Chile
Cuba
Norway
Guatemala
Denmark




Please: If there is anyone out there that knows of a similar story about a Leonardo Manuel Hernandez, please contact me.  The areas in which he may have lived are, California, Arizona and Texas.  

Friday, December 27, 2013

Osborne Ambrose Cully: A Senior of Worcester Trade School 1917

Adopted Maternal Ancestry

I have specific goals when it comes to researching my genealogy.  One of those goals is to identify my Great Grandparent's Ambrose E. Cully and Nora Ann Gilliam's children.  So far, I have identified and documented 13 of them. They are (William, Sydney, Catherine, Hannah, Zara, Osborne, Agnes, Wendell, Ralph, Raymond, Nora Ann Jr., and two Male Stillborn children born 1902 & 1910.   The Story handed down from my grandmother Agnes Mae, who is one of the children, stated that there are varying stories of there being 10 to 20 of them. Not all of them survived.  Some died in childbirth, miscarriages, and also early in life. Agnes was not the oldest, nor was she the youngest.  Agnes and her brother Osborne were very close as they were about fourteen months apart.



Osborne & Agnes Cully
Worcester, Mass.

I never had the opportunity to meet my grandmother nor my grand Uncle.  Osborne was born in 1899 and died in 1937. Agnes was born in 1900 and died in 1965.

One of the things I do on a semi-regular basis is to google various family members or look them up on Ancestry, Family Search or some of the other online databases.  I do this often as things are added daily and when I do find more information, it allows me to develop my ancestor's stories.

Well, both my Grandmother Agnes and Grand Uncle Osborne were educated in trade schools.  It was the thing to do in the middle 1910's and 1920's.  Agnes went to Worcester Girls Trade School for dressmaking and Osborne attended The Worcester Boys Trade School  for electrician. Osborne was in attendance between 1914-1917.

The Worcester Trade School for Boys was developed by Milton Prince Higgins. He dedicated the last years of his life to educate boys and to get them ready for the world.  He was considered the Father of the Public School Trade Movement of America.  My Cully family worked for the Higgins household. I believe Milton Higgins and then later one of his sons. Ambrose was the head servant for the household.  The oldest daughters of the Cully family, Zara and Catherine worked in the household and were considered the family "pets." They both were given considerable monies until they both married.

My Uncle Wendell attended Commerce H.S., where the Higgins had a considerable amount of influence.  They were instrumental to Wendell's education and to his early development in music.  I believe my Grand Aunt Nora attended there also as I saw a photo with my Uncle in the Orchestra and a young girl sitting in a chair that was identified as a pianist.  During this time in 1924 or 1925..There were no Black children in attendance at Commerce H.S.  I believe Wendell and his sister were the first one's that attended.

Father of the Trade School for Boys

My Uncle Osborne "Ozzie" was one of my mother's favorite uncles.  I was on Ancestry.com and discovered a Year Book for the Worcester Trade School for Boys of 1917.  I went through every page of the year book and found more than I had expected.



Blue & Grey, Page 51

[Abstracted]


Electrician                OSBORNE A. CULLY           Worcester, Mass.
                                             "Banker"   "Cully"
Track 4: Inter-department Basketball 2, 3; Banquet Speaker 4; Aftermath
"Don't bother me now, can't you see I'm busy?"  When you hear that, then you know you are talking to Cully.  Always ready to do his share in the school activities and to help a classmate, a combination which any school is glad to obtain.  Osborne is a very popular fellow, always wearing a perpetual smile on his face and spinning a new one every ten minutes.  As an electrician he has reached the maximum standard, and although not seen in the shop all the time because of "Banker's" hours, we may rest assured that he is either utilizing his surplus strength on the wireless key or taking in a new show outside of scholastic work.  Osborne takes a liking to athletics, having very few competitors in the mile, playing a sterling game at back on the Electricians' basketball team, and showed the makings of a football player in his senior year had he stayed out the entire season with the squad.  As graduation opens the doors to the world Osborne will be remembered by his classmates a loyal student and supporter and we wish him success in whatever he undertakes.

 Below is a photo of The Worcester Trade School building.  It was most likely taken in 1916 or 1917.  My uncle spent at least four years here.


Page 17
Here is a photo of the Graduating Class of 1917.  My Uncle Osborne is front and almost center.  He was the only African American in the School and his trade was Electrician.


Page 27

I always knew that Osborne played some instrument, most likely the piano, as all of the children of the Cully family played the piano and had other talents that went along with their musical talents.  Osborne's father Ambrose was the music director of the Zion AME Church of Worcester.  In the Yearbook, something else was revealed to me about "Ozzie"  He played the Trombone...See below and the abstract.


Page 37
[Abstract]
 I was at rest but a few moments when the strains of sweet music struck my ear like a ton of brick.  Music that bespoke of fearless musicians.  The refrain carried to me by some unkind wind, seemed to be an echo of the workings of a stone crusher, accompanied by sweet tinklings that arise from a herd of wild boars.
As the band came by the street I noticed the flag of the Salvation Army at its head carried by Brig. Vice Admiral Herbert Johnson.  The drum major, Joseph Bodreau, chosen by reason of his height, was twirling a large baton, when the beastly thing slipped and knocked the chief harmonica player James J. McDermott of his feet right through the bass drum played by Brother Cormier.
Just as the procession crawled by my position of observation Reggie Lepire, the second piano player in the band lost his music and had to retire from the parade.
The other members of the honorable organization were Osborne Cully, who was playing his trombone backwards so as to keep the dust out of the horn, and Fridolf Carlson who seemed to be slightly off pitch with his jews harp, but later I found he was playing in a different key.  Clifford Stott carried the bass drum in a manner which covered himself with mud.

 I learned that Osborne was a good enough speaker, which seemed to be something that all the Cully's did very well.  Osborne spoke at his Senior Banquet.  He is in the back and standing up.


Page 74
 
Page 75




The Senior Banquet
This gay repast was held at the Hotel Pleasant on the evening of February the eighth.  Nearly all the class, many with lady friends, several of the faculty, and a few outside speakers, were present making a total of about one hundred.  The committee in charge were, James Kelley chairman, assisted by William Lawson and Ralph Taft, with our faculty advisor, Mr. Casey, as toastmaster.
After all had satisfied their appetites our director, Mr. Jameson, gave an address on "Ideals," followed by Miss Metcalf on "Reminiscences." Our president, Robert Butler, spoke on  "Nineteen seventeen," a year always to be remembered by us, as the year of our graduation.  Following this was a piano solo by Miss Adams, and a talk on "Class Spirit" by Raymond O'Malley.  The speaker next on the program was Frank Ryan, president of our alumni, who gave a very interesting talk on the alumni of the past expressing his desire for our co-operation in the future.  Here Leo Deery gave a talk taking us back over the four years of school life.  The final speech, a very interesting one, was by Osborne Cully on "Loyalty."

 Another fact about Osborne, which I mentioned earlier, is that he was on the track team.  


Page 96


I feel very fortunate to have been able to have a little more insight into Osborne's life.  He seemed to be well liked.  The attitude of the 1917's concerning Blacks was not favorable, however, it seems that Ozzie was able to have a successful High School Career regardless of how Blacks were stereotyped.
Massachusetts was a Mecha for Blacks during slavery and during Reconstruction.  It also had a place in history that was not favorable for Blacks.  There was a time when Blacks were very politically active in Mass., but as the KKK took their stand in Worcester and other cities of Mass., the struggle for Blacks became more difficult.  Blacks during the 1930's began to leave to other States to find better opportunities.  I hope to discover if the "First Fruits" of the next generation after Slavery and the next few generations afterwards were able to realize their dreams of "Moving on Up," to greater opportunities of freedom and equality.
[Advice]

To every genealogist and family researcher: It is important to go through each page of year books of your ancestors as you may find things that may not have been indexed 100% online.  This is what happened when I was researching Osborne.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Zara Cully Brown of The Jeffersons: Thankful Thursday

Adopted Maternal Ancestry


Over the years, I have found that fellow genealogists and family historians are some of the kindest people.  They are very giving and most of the time very helpful.  I am very thankful for my fellow family historians, as I have gotten further ahead in my research because of their spirit of giving.  I have also been able to have my research embellished with photos, and other items that I may not have had unless my friends had not kept their eyes open for particular items.  I also enjoy doing the same for others.

Today, I want to thank my genealogy friend G. Johnson, whom I have never met, for purchasing a copy on ebay and sending me an Ebony Magazine from January 1976 Issue with a picture of my Grand Aunt Zara Cully Brown on the front cover.  

I have seen this particular issue, and I believe that it was in my mother's possession years ago, however we lost many of our old Ebony magazines from water damage.

This is a copy of the cover below:

Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Zara Cully Brown
Ebony Magazine, January 1976 Issue
The Jefferson's

Zara Cully Brown was my Grand Aunt [My grandmother's sister.]  She was the daughter of Nora Ann Gilliam & Ambrose Osborne Cully, born in Worcester, MA on January 26, 1892.  Zara was the second to the eldest of 13 children.  She was raised in a family of performers.  She played the piano, however her specialty was reciting poetry and performing in plays.  

She was a elocutionist and an actress.  She performed at a very early age and it had been her desire to become an actress in Hollywood, which she accomplished in her Winter years.  

Zara gave birth to four children, of which 3 survived.  They were James, Jr. , Mary Gale & Emerson.  She was married to James M. Brown, Sr.

Zara died from Cancer on February 28, 1978.

Zara was the hope of her parents, a product of the First Fruits after the Reconstruction period.  It was a time of moving forward and making way for a better life after Slavery.  I believe that Zara, fulfilled that hope in her life...and just as the Jefferson's theme song is "Moving On Up!"  I believe Zara moved on up and made it happen in her life and I can clearly see it in the life of her descendants.