I know, I know, I know. We are probably getting DNA overload. But something wonderful happened today and there is a good lesson in this for all of us....and some questions on how we input data into the NN tree on ancestry, with its limited ancestry. About 10 months ago, I was contacted by one Robert E. Avery, Jr., a descendant of one Robert Avery who was a slave of Joel M. Avery of Taylor County, Kentucky. Well. This was intriguing. I certainly knew who Joel M. Avery was, but I knew nothing about any slaves. I will skip the fascinating details, but at that chapter he took a Y-DNA test and was a perfect match to both white and black Avarys in GEORGIA. This is a different branch of the same Avary family, which originates with emigrant Yeo Avery of Cornwall, England who first shows up in Richmond County in 1707. (See list I sent to Jim earlier today for him). Here we have a proverbial three brothers story. Yeo Avery, emigrant, eventually moves to Amelia County, Virginia, and dies there in 1752, leaving one child and one child only--a son named George, who died in Brunswick County in 1801. George died at a very ripe old age leaving three sons and two daughters. Of the three sons--yes, here we go, but it's true!--one ends up in Columbia County, Georgia via Mecklenburg County, Virginia. One ends up in Greenville District, South Carolina via Brunswick County, Virginia. The third son--my ancestor, and Rob's too as it turns out--stayed in Amelia where he died in 1791. At that point, a virtual diaspora ensues going in all directions. The person of interest is one of his sons, Nathan Avary, who ends up in Green County, Kentucky and dies there in 1841. Here's the lesson: I have had a copy of Nathan Avary's will since 1993, and in my initial rush to prove he was the father of my guy who went to St. Louis County, Missouri, I completely overlooked one important sentence in this will: "I give and bequeath unto Joel M Avary's heirs to be held in trust by said Joel Avary for them negro man named Bob." Oh. We from the Union Civil War records of one of Bob's sons that he, the son, changed his name back to Avery as that was his father's name who had been a slave of Joel M. Avery. This son had been a slave another man named Russell when he enlisted, and he wanted his "real" name back. Joel Avary was the same age as Robert the slave, so that really only leaves one possibility as the paternity of Robert "Bob" Avary, and that is Nathan Avary himself. ---------- All that said, I have attempted to add this to the NN tree on ancestry. I notice there are so few options under "marriage" and "race" that this really needs to be explained in better detail in their notes. I am wondering how others have been handling these sorts of "it's complicated" relationships there. I am going to invite my new-found cousin Rob to the NN DNA project, as well as some others who have done some DNA work on the AVERY line. The reason why it could be very beneficial is that we know Yeo Avery married twice--both times in Richmond County, Virginia, and by the time-line it would seem his son George did also--and we do not know her name at all. So, long story short. DNA can and does open a lot of doors. But the paper trail is what sings the song. Craig