TWELVE ~ Mystery lady standing with MOM is my Aunt RITA!

RITA & LENORA Jennings for MOM's wedding in Chicago March 1953

Mystery woman with MOM @ her wedding is Aunt RITA!

For more than 50 years I wondered who the Pretty brunette was, standing with my mom when she married my father. One of my NEW found First cousins thought she knew who is was....when she sent me a Picture of my MOM's sister, there was NO doubt....I can not tell you how Exciting it is to know she was my "AUNT RITA"!!! Not some random person...but my mom's older sister!

Another FIRST cousin sent me documents of some of the children being placed in an orphanage after their mom died in 1933. They had been moved to Buffalo NY to live with an Aunt as their mother was dying. I read with interest about Aunt Rita and the many Life changes the children faced. She has the face of a kind young woman, wish I had a chance to know her.

The FAMILY Curse strikes again

After searching on a few Genealogy sites, I learned of Aunt Rita's death around 1957. The family history of Colon Cancer took Rita in her early 30's...gone too soon. It seems that even though Aunt Rita had a short life, she did find some Happiness. By all accounts her Marriage to Joseph was a Happy marriage and they had a son together. The Jennings family seems to have had more than their share of tragic family stories. Seems surreal to read what they had to endure.

MOM is still missing...I can't figure out why?

I have NOT been able to find out ANYTHNG ( NADA, ZIP, ZERO ) about my mom....I think there is a SLIVER of information that I lack,  in finding what happened to her. It just does NOT make sense that I have found SO many relatives, but NO one knows where my MOM went.  How is is possible to find who a Mystery woman is in her Wedding photo and NOT know what happened to my MOM? SOMEWHERE there is SOMEONE who knows where LENORA ANNE Veri / JENNINGS is. Guess that is my real challenge....finding a person who has the answers. The SEARCH is STILL on!!!

ELEVEN ~ "More" Maternal COUSINS ~ Yippeee

MOM (Lenora Anne Jennings VERI ) ab 1970 Chicago

The "Jennings Cousins" are Everywhere

This week MORE Jenning Cousins have been found. I was lucky enough to speak to 2 of them, and it has been a Thrill, but a bit of a let down....NO ONE has seen or heard from my mom since about 1972. The search is still on, but my head is tired from banging against a brick wall. BUT the cousins have shared new info about the family and fired up my interest again. My searches so far have found ALL my mom's siblings, neices and nephews...where are you mom?

ANCESTRY.ca gives a new lead

It was late at nite and I was tired of typing "SEARCH" without having any new information. Decided to look at various public Family Trees  for one of my mom's brothers. I found a Tree which had Vernard Jennings, so I wrote them a letter explaining Vernard was possibly an uncle. How exciting to find a reply the next day! Ends up the young lady who answered was the daughter of my First cousin!! She asked questions and called her aunts for the answers, then was sweet enough to provide emails to a few other First cousins...and next came a few phone calls. Most of the calls lasted an hour, one almost 90 minutes. It's amazing to have SO much to talk about when you do NOT know each other.  My cousins haven't heard from my mom since about 1970-71 but they shared a few stories of their "Aunt Lee" It was a surreal feeling, Hearing about a mother who I haven;t seen since 1965.

A Treasured but lousy picture of Mom

One of my cousins sent me the last picture she had of my mother. I did Not recognise the woman with Black eyes and eye brows with gawd aweful hair. My mom Lenora was always well dressed, coiffed hair and acting like a proper gentile lady (much like my sister Tina) When I asked the cousin what the heck happened to my mom, because she was Never like this in my life....well cousin chuckled and explained it all. Seems in the 70's the big thing there was wearing a wig to go out and party. Cousin said she had a picture of her own mother, with an equally Terrible wig. I sighed and decided to post the picture here on my Blog, since it is my Newest treasure.

TEN - Still can't find MOM, but I gained a First COUSIN!

TINA and I in Montreal...giddy in life, no worries about tomorrow 1980ish

"Some" PIECES are coming TOGETHER

There has been a bit of Progress but NO leads on my mom. I started corresponding with my 4th best DNA match from ANCESTRY.CA. At first the contact was cautious and strictly factual, but we seem to get along pretty well. I think we have exchanged over a dozen Long detailed emails. Knowing a bit of his family history, I was able to focus on tracing how we were connected. It was exactly the information I needed, since I started my search without ANY real facts other than my mother's name.

Writing my DNA matches "again and again"

How many emails are enough without crossing the line of being obssessive and seeming too Needy? I am just not sure. When I saw my DNA matches I wrote to alot of them. When I didn't hear back, I wrote again. I wrote one last time, but No answer. Then my FB buddy found an email of my 2nd best DNA match! Tom had Googled her name thru many small counties in Illinois and BINGO there she was!!!! Tom called to make sure he was on the right track and spoke to her mom....YES my Mom's brother's ex-wife!!!! Tom then spoke to the daughter....my FIRST COUSIN!!!! Of course I could not dial their number fast enough. I spoke to my AUNT for 45 minutes, the next day I spoke to my FIRST COUSIN for an hour!!! I had so many questions, and I was writing her answers as fast as I could. My brain was fried after our phone call. I had to turn off the phone and the computer for 24 hours, there was just SO much to process. My ENTIRE life I had Never had any contact with my maternal side! EXCITING does not describe what I was feeling...maybe ELATED is a better word!

DNA matches MATCH!

The Wonderful thing about this journey is the unexpected. 
TOM was able to find my 2nd best DNA match listed in a Quilt Guild newsletter....it was CRAY, since I have been a quilter for almost 40 years!  My NEW cousin learned her love of quilting from her mother (my Aunt!) The next great surprise is my cousin has been researching the family history for many years. She said she made an ANCESTRY book for all her family, filled with all the family Goodies. Ann M plans to go thru her family photos and share some with me. Her mom mentioned that she had a photo of my Grandmother Anna Mae holding my mom as a child. I also learned they have a yearly Family Picnic...I must admit I am tempted and also nervous about the idea of joining them. I never imagined that I would find any other family on my mom's side. This search has opened new doors...but NO ONE has heard from my mom since the 60's. SO the search is still on, but I confess to feeling a bit defeated.

NINE - Finally added names in the JENNINGS Family Tree

LENORA JENNINGS photo retouched by "RANDOM ACTS of KINDNESS PHOTO GROUP" on Facebook

FAMILY MYSTERIES

Seems the FAMILY MYSTERY is never ending. IF I hadn't seen the documents to back this info up, I would never have figured this out...it's IMPOSSIBLE to dream this stuff up. TOM and LOU have been invaluable.This is what Appears to have happened to the JENNINGS.

ROY ELLIS Jennings has children....a Lot of children. 

1) Clarence James  / 2) Constance  / 3) Lennine Ruth ~  all died in their first year of life

4) Dolores 1916

5) Rita (Freda) 1922

6) Vernard (Bernard / Bernie) 1924

7) John Richard  1926

8) Vincent Edward  1930

9)  ANNE 1932 { MY MOM but where is Lenora}

The JENNINGS / ELLIS / BLOOMFIELD SAGA

Some of ROYs older children have ELLIS as last name, but ALL of them also use JENNINGS. When my mother was born, her father ROY died a few weeks after her birth. That is when the entire family virtually "Disappears" No one is found in Carrollton Kentucky or anywhere else in the USA

( now remember my mom mentioned she was raised by her Paternal aunt, that's how we found her )

Suddenly in Buffalo New York a "Frederick and Lenora BLOOMFIELD" have 5 children with the exact same names and Birth dates as the youngest 5 JENNINGS children! Coincidence - NOT

Dolores the oldest seems to be the only one Not listed on the census as a Bloomfield child. But she was 16 years old when her father died, so it's possible she moved on her own.

It is at this time my mother becomes "Lenora Anne" likely named after the Paternal aunt.

NO ONE left to tell the Tale

So far the research shows there is NO ONE left alive. It "IS" possible my mom Could be alive, but I can't find Anything to back that up. Now it's a search to hopefully find out what happened to her. Did she have more children, another marriage or two. Was my mother able to make a Happy life for herself....is there ANY ONE left talk to about Lenora Anne Jennings / Bloomfield / Veri???

STILL looking for the answers....must be Someone who knows Something!

EIGHT - Too MUCH information and NOT enough information, sort thru the BS

"NEW" MOM photo from CUSTODY COURT files 1966?

ORGANIZATION only goes so far, I need HELP!

It's a challenge to SEARCH, read, save, and also "think outside the box". It's been Hours, days, weeks and now Months which have not provided any Real clues about my mother. My New FACEBOOK friend LOU has been my motivator, always saying "Don't give up" I guess all the years she taught Genealogy, she used that mantra on her students. Still, I was NOT getting anywhere and I think even Lou was feeling a bit frustrated because we were Not finding any new direction. 

I even read about and set up a"MIRROR" Family Tree on Ancestry.ca ~ the theory is IF you have a close DNA match, and you "think" some of their Family Tree members Could be your mutual family, you ADD them to your tree. You will get HINTS from Ancestry, which COULD lead to information you don't know exists. You wouldn't even Know what questions to ask. It HAS been helpful, but still nothing concrete - NOW WHAT?

The COURT files on the1965 - 1969 CUSTODY battle between my parents brought new information, but Lou and I weren't able to formulate any new leads....and then it Happened...Lou posted some questions on a Facebook KENTUCKY U.S.A. Search site. One person who kept replying to her posts was "TOM". He had a few ideas and after helping us for awhile, wanted to join our search!!!! BONUS!!!!

NEW BLOOD Transfusion

TOM brings a new element to the search, he is Great with "sounds like" names. If his search showes him RITA, he can read about FREDA and tell it's the same person, HOLY CRAP! TOM is also a pro at searching for anyone or anything to do with the military. TOM lives in Kentucky and has a good feel for the area and knows the special places to look. I use GRAVE SEARCH, well Not Tom...he searches the Burial plots in the area and has found graves for some of my mom's siblings who died veri young. These were Not listed on any of the standards Grave search sites!

The BIGGEST find that our pal Tom found....he searched the Kentucky Illinois "Births" He matched up my MIRROR matches to actual Birth and death announcements. Tom also found information on WWI Private "ROY JENNINGS", who it appears died when his Fishing skiff overturned in the OHIO River in 1932 ~ it was a AH HA moment! Mt mother said her mom died during child birth and her father died a few weeks before her birth on May 9 1032.  Things were pointing to this "might" be my grandfather...this was the shot in the arm I was hoping for!

Another BIT of help from a FACEBOOK Ancestry search site

I was fortunate to also have another young man STEVE from a Facebook Ancestry site, put his touch on the "Search for Lenora Jennings"  I have NO idea how he found the newspaper article about my Grandfathers drowning death in 1932. To see the Newspaper clip detailing how the storm had over turned his skiff, how a stranger towed the body back to shore for Identification and burial....AMAZING! Even a few of my DNA matches provided names, and when we checked them out, they turned into Leads. There is NO way I could have discovered the things I have so far, without the help I have recieved. My brain could Never have thought of all the quirks that the others were able to connect. I am amazed that Anyone is able to trace their Heritage!

SEVEN - Becoming an Ancestry DNA Detective

LENORA Anne JENNINGS 1957 Toronto Ontario

Becoming an ANCESTRY DNA Detective

The last ten days have been a FLURRY of BRAIN CELL activity! SO much to do with the Ancestry DNA results.  I read everything I could to make sure I covered all the bases. I must say I am quite Happy with my Minimal success. A few months ago I knew "Nothing", now I know there are DNA matches out there - some how it feels like progress.

Some of the DNA matches on ANCESTRY have family trees attached to their DNA results. I scoured over them, looking for any JENNINGS....not much to find. Then I had a DUHHHH moment and realized that there Could VERI well be someone who IS a Jennings, but got married and is now a Smith or ?  So then my plan of action was Researching every single name on someones Family Tree to see if some where in the Past there was a Jennings. Almost always, there was NOT!!!! This wasn't going to easy - EEEEK

WHY do I need GEDmatch?

 

I watched "YOUtube" videos, joined FACEBOOK Ancestry groups and even checked out a bunch of "PINterest" for suggestions on what to do next. I learned about GEDmatch, a docking place for your DNA results....regardless of what company you took your test from. Once you Upload your DNA results, you can Compare them with whomever has their DNA results on GEDmatch.

It took a few days before I was able to do a comparison of "ONE to MANY"  Basically it is ONE (my DNA) compared to MANY (all other DNA submissions) There is SO many to see. I read Everything I could on the GEDmatch site, and it really helped. When I looked at the page it didn't seem like there was any order, but clicking the arrows on the headings I was able to use the chart better. All my highest DNA matches were first, and the cMs and segments were easier to see.

The Best thing about GEDmatch is the emails they provide, so you can contact your DNA matches. They suggest to do a thorough comparison on their site to make sure Before emailing. It was easy enough to do, so I double checked my entries before sending an email. I noticed some of my best matches were also the same people from ANCESTRY.CA  I felt more confident writing to the matches using the information confirming our connection from TWO sites.  Amazing feeling to write to distant "family" just do NOT expect alot of replies. YES I even read about "HOW" to properly address your DNA matches. You have to dangle a bit of information you have gathered, without spilling all the beans. You definetely do NOT want to say "hey I'm looking for my mother Lenora" WHY, because maybe they Know her and she does Not want to be found. 
Take it nice and slow Grasshopper - Patience in a Virtue!

GEDmatch Tier 1

SO, I'm on GEDmatch, reading, comparing, and not really getting a feeling for what I am looking at. I notice off to the side on the page is an offer for their Upgraded "TIER 1" membership. It's $10 a month OR you can choose a One time $10, which seemed like a super fair deal. WOW, the $10 was worth every penny. With the Tier 1, you can click on 3D or 2D comparisons with the matches of your choice. The colored visual really seemed to tell the tale. You can even see the different Segments of your DNA and compare them to whom ever you want. You get a glimpse into the Crazy world of DNA brainiacs....I didn't understand it all, but the colors helped my brain accept the facts.

Bet you are wondering about my replies....patience Grasshopper - LOL

SIX - Ancestry DNA arrives a month early!

Maria Yvette VERI ( ME! ) 1956 Toronto Ontario

ANCESTRY DNA test arrives a month early!

OMGawd....ANCESTRY DNA Test arrived and I haven't had a chance to watch all the videos to learn what the test is going to tell me!!!! I stayed up til 3:30am because I was SO excited and Hopeful and afraid to expect any miracles....but secretly praying there Would be some!

I went to the ANCESTRY.CA site and was pleasantly surprised at all the info they provided. The charts showed where my relatives originated from, and also the migration to the United States. Oh the colors, the diagrams and best of all the little stories, which you could click for every 25 years starting about the 1600's. I'm quite impressed, Ancestry did a good job.

Hold my BREATH and CLICK to see my DNA matches - Yikes

You would think a full grown woman would be "Veri" laid back about hitting the button to see who matches my DNA....but NO! Instead I was a bit afraid, because what if my MOM was there and had been all these years...just waiting for me to search in the right place? Worse case is if there is NO matches, or maybe only matches on my fathere's side, which would be NO help in finding my mom. Well OF COURSE I clicked and then had the confusion of reading something I did not understand. Good thing there is ANCESTRY "help" and then GOOGLE and of course YouTube videos. With all the extra help I was able to make sense of it a bit more.

I found a match of 1411 cMs ( Centimorgans for you Newbies - LOL ) Across 57 DNA segments.

( Extreme High chance we share an Aunt, Uncle, Grandparent OR could be HALF-SIBLING )

Another match was 1110 cMs across 42 segments

( First or Second cousin or share a Grandparent - Extremely High chance )

A 500 cMs across 27 segments

( Extreme High chance of second cousin, neice, nephew, aunt, uncle or share G.G. Grandmother)

Finally a bunch in the 350 and Below cMs

There was over 1,000 DNA MATCHES! Just AMAZING!

SO WHAT DO I DO NOW WITH ALL THESE DNA Matches???

Guess what is the kicker of all this fancy DNA stuff. "Many" of my matches have their User names as Initials (not names)  Many have NOT been on Ancestry for Years, and MANY have NO interest is exchanging information. I have learned there is alot of people who took the test to learn about their HISTORY, where their Ancestors originated from and what different Nationalities run thru their veins. They already Know who their family is, and aren't interested in finding any extras.

I have wrote to almost 50 DNA matches. The largest response has been from people who are ADOPTED and LOOKING FOR BIRTH FAMILY.  I answered all I could on my father's side, but of course I couldn't help with anything on my mom's side. 

FINGERS CROSSED that One day I WILL be able to share her information!