My DNA test

Last year, I decided to take a DNA test to help with my family history research. There are several companies that offer DNA testing, but Ancestry has by far the biggest database of DNA results (from more than 15 million people), so I chose them. I bought the test on Black Friday (23 November 2018), when the normal price of £79 was reduced to £49. There was also a £10 charge for shipping. More information about the test is at https://www.ancestrydna.co.uk/kits?&&pgrid=49763045925&ptaid=kwd-297622641345&s_kwcid=ancestry%20dna&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3s7Jgb-b4gIV65ztCh03cA_yEAAYASABEgLY__D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I received the test kit in the post soon after ordering it, but didn’t send off my sample (saliva) until January 2019. I was sent my results online about 6 weeks later. Ancestry provide a list of the names of DNA matches and the amount of DNA you share, under headings indicating how close the relationship is. I had 1 second cousin, 4 third cousins and 190 fourth cousins. Second cousins share a set of great grandparents, third cousins share a set of great, great grandparents, fourth cousins share a set of great, great, great grandparents. The list of matches is added to as more people are tested – I now have 2 second cousins, 7 third cousins and 231 fourth cousins.

In order to get the most benefit from a DNA test, you should enter the names and dates of your ancestors and link this information to your name on the Ancestry DNA site. If a DNA match has attached their family tree, the site will highlight surnames that are in your tree and their’s. It is then often apparent who the shared ancestor is. The system also lists the names of shared matches. If you know how a name on this list is related to you, then others on it are probably related via the same line. The system allows you to send a message to your DNA matches.

The results from my DNA test were not as useful as I hoped. I had previously made contact with 8 of my DNA matches before I got the results. Only 36% of other DNA matches that I contacted replied to my message to them. Only 15 to my closest 50 matches had attached a family tree that I could view. Consequently, I wasn’t able to establish how a lot of my DNA matches are related to me. However, I made some good contacts who have supplied me with information and pictures that I have added to my family history blogs.

There is a helpful article on what to do with your DNA results at  https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/wedding18.htm#Masterclass

There were 12 DNA matches where I was able to establish a definite Ivall link. 8 of them were descended from my ancestor David Ivall (1816-67) and 3 were descended from his brother Robert Thomas Ivall (1812-65).

The test also provides an ethnicity estimate, by comparing DNA results with those of people in various regions throughout the world. These estimates are of dubious value and accuracy. My ethnicity was estimated as 83% from England, Wales and Northwestern Europe, with most from the East of England, 9% from Sweden and 8% from Ireland and Scotland. All of the ancestors that I have found from my research were born in England, with quite a few born in Essex. I am not aware of any ancestors born in Sweden, Ireland or Scotland.

Painting by Hilda Ivall (1910-99)

This blog contains an item about the life of Hilda Annie Ivall (1910-99), who was an artist. Peter Prest owns a watercolour painting by Hilda and kindly sent me a photo of it.

“Bouquet” by Hilda Ivall

Dorothy Lucy Ivall (1895-1970)

Dorothy Lucy Ivall was a great grand-daughter of Robert Thomas Ivall (1812-65), who was a brother of my ancestor David Ivall (1816-67). This item about Dorothy’s life contains information kindly supplied by Richard, one of her sons.

Dorothy was born on 24 October 1895 in Chalvey, a village which is now a suburb of Slough in Berkshire. She was the eldest child of Walter George Ivall (1868-1953) and his wife Lily Mary Crabe Bartlett (1872-1915) who married on 1 January 1895 in St Mary’s, Slough. He was 26 and a school master. She was 23, the daughter of William Bartlett, a butler. They later had three other daughters Lily Victoria (1900-73), Margaret Olive (1902-59) and Katherine Mildred (1907-86). They also had two other children Mary (b1896) and Thomas (b1899) who died soon after birth. Electoral registers show that Walter lived at 6 Rose Cottages, Chalvey from 1897 to 1899.

The 1901 census shows Walter (aged 32, an assistant schoolmaster) living at 7 Castle View off Grove Road, Upton St Mary, Slough. Also listed at the address are his wife Lily Mary (22) and their daughters Dorothy (5) and Lily Victoria (5 months).

In 1911, Dorothy, aged 15, was living at 18 Robert Street, Grosvenor Square, London with three other single people. The census return shows them all as “Shop assistant, dairy”. Dorothy’s mother died of cancer in 1915, aged 43. Her father married Alice Cumber in 1921 and they had three children.

Dorothy married Frank de Betham Hart on 16 September 1918 in Hampstead. She was aged 22, he was 32. When Dorothy and Frank first met she was a cook in a wartime canteen and he was a chartered Electrical Engineer. She was an extremely good cook and a very lively personality.  She had a very good (and pure) soprano voice, Frank was an accomplished baritone.  Both were more or less dedicated to musicals popular in that period and particularly to the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. They had six children, four sons and two daughters.

Dorothy with one of her children

Lily, Dorothy’s sister, lived with the family. Lily was crippled – not badly and it transpired very late in life that her handicap was the result of a dislocated ankle during childhood. Medical advice was expensive in the Edwardian era and a schoolmaster’s salary did not run to a consultation. Lily became Dorothy’s helpmate and the children’s nursemaid. Dorothy did the housekeeping – i.e. shopping and cooking. Lily did everything else, for most of this employment at half a crown a week wages (plus ‘keep') !

Lily Victoria Ivall

Frank joined Tom Callenders Electrical and Cables Company, which later became B.I.C.C.  (British Insulated Callenders Cable Company).  Mostly he worked as a Field Engineer, particularly in Spain, France, Germany and Hungary, before becoming largely responsible for the construction of the National Grid System in the U.K.  He was promoted to the Board of B.I.C.C. and made Managing Director of BICC’s construction company, until his retirement in the mid-1950s.

The 1939 register lists Frank de Betham Hart, a chartered electrical engineer, living at 116 South Hill Park, Hampstead with Dorothy and their eldest son. 116 South Hill Park received a direct hit plus 2 incendiary bombs during the war, severely damaging part of the property. Dorothy endured a period of alcoholism, partly as a result of the London Blitz, but had by the late 1950s cured herself by strength of will.

Frank became ill with a bowel complaint in early 1963. After a period of treatment in the Middlesex Hospital he was taken to convalesce in Upholland, near Wigan, where his daughter lived with her husband, the vicar. Unfortunately Frank had a relapse and died shortly afterwards in Wigan hospital of pneumonia on 13 August 1963 aged 76.   

Dorothy suffered from diabetes. An unfortunate gift of a box of chocolates coincided with a temporary loss of will power. She scoffed the lot and suffered a stroke, from which she never recovered. She died a few weeks later in Hampstead Hospital on 10 March 1970 aged 74. Probate records give her home address as 116 South Hill Park, London NW3. Administration of  her estate (£332) was granted. 

Randall G Ivall : Lieutenant Colonel in USAF

An article in the Piatt County Journal-Republican https://www.journal-republican.com/news/monticello-military-man-promoted/article_254c2850-5558-11e9-8c0d-e7faac558181.html  describes the career of Randall G Ivall and records his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. 

Randall comes from the town of Monticello in Illinois, USA. He is a grandson of George Marcos Ivolitis (1902-61), who emigrated from Greece to America in 1921 and changed his surname to Ivall. An item about George's life is on this blog.

Fred Gregory Bampton in the Royal Navy

Carol has kindly sent me information about Fred Gregory Bampton's service in the Royal Navy between 1907 and 1910. I have added this to the item about his life on this blog.

Henry Frank Ivall Photos

Helen, a granddaughter-in-law of Henry Frank Ivall (1896-1962), has kindly sent me photos of him, his daughter Mary Lilian (1932-2015) and sister Lilian Alice (1901-84). I have added these photos to the item on Henry’s life https://ivall.blogspot.com/search/label/Henry%20Frank%20Ivall%20%281896-1962%29 on this blog.

George Ivall (1888-1931): Canadian killed with a shotgun.

George Ivall was a grandson of Alexander “Sandy” Ival (1831-1911), who emigrated to Canada from Scotland in about 1837. George’s parents were Alexander’s third son, also called Alexander (1855-1922) and his wife Sarah nee Baldwin (1859-1941). My third cousin Val (who lives in Canada) helped me with the research for this item.

In 1983, Margaret Ivall Bymoen compiled a family history of the Ivall family in Canada. This says that George was born on January 17^th 1888 in the Mille Isle municipality of Quebec, a rural area about 50 miles NW of Montreal. The 1891 census showed Alexander Ival, aged 36, a farmer, living in Morin Flats (now called Morin Heights), near Mille Isle, with his wife Sarah (28) and children Joseph (11), James (6), George (3) and Thomas (1 month). George’s family moved to Rainy River, a small town in NW Ontario, near the US border, sometime between 1891 and 1907. Many Canadians moved westwards in the early 1900s to farm previously uncultivated land.

The spelling of the family surname in Canada seems to have changed from Ival to Ivall over the years. In the 19th century, Ival is the most common spelling in records that have survived. In the 20th century, the name is normally (but not always) recorded as Ivall.

I can’t find George or his parents in the 1901 census of Canada. The 1911 census shows George as a lodger, aged 22, living at Rainy Lake in the district of Rainy River, Ontario. The census return can be viewed (for free) at the Library and Archives Canada website but the image is poor quality and so some of it is difficult to read. He was a labourer in a lumber camp. He was paid $550 for 50 weeks work in 1910.

On 4^th April 1916, aged 28, George signed on to join the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. He would have done this voluntarily, as compulsory enlistment was not introduced in Canada until 1917. His service record can be viewed (free) on the Library and Archives Canada website. The attestation form gives his address as Rainy River, Ontario, he was a farmer and not married. He had previously served for 2 years in the 96^th Regiment. It seems that George could not write, as he did not sign the form, but a cross and the words “his mark” have been added. His army record gives his height as 5ft 8ins, weight 170lbs, physical development good, complexion fair, eyes blue, hair brown.

George was assigned to the 141^st Battalion at Fort Frances, Ontario as a Private. His record shows that he was soon breaking army rules. On separate occasions in May 1916 he forfeited a day’s pay for being absent without leave, was fined for drunkenness and detained for 24 hours for bringing liquor into barracks. He was absent without leave times four times in July 1916. He left the barracks without permission on 17^th August 1916 and did not return. On September 13^th 1916 he was discharged from the army for “Being illegally absent for a period of 21 days and struck off the strength as a deserter by Court of Enquiry.” It seems that he did not complete his training and did not travel to Europe to fight in the war. George’s discharge papers were not signed by him and his army record makes no mention of a punishment for his desertion. It seems likely that he was not caught by the army – perhaps he crossed the border into the USA ?

The USA declared war on Germany on April 6^th 1917 and The Selective Service Act (enacted May 18th, 1917) authorized the United States federal government to raise a national army for service in World War I through conscription. On June 5th, 1917 all men between the ages of 21 and 30, were registered. Another registration was held on September 12th 1918, for men aged 18 to 45. There is a registration card, dated September 12th 1918 for George Ivall. He registered in Lakota, Nelson County, North Dakota (220 miles from Rainy River). The card gives his age as 33 and his date of birth as January 16 1885. He was actually born in 1888 and probably gave an incorrect year of birth to avoid being included in the first registration (when he was 29). George is listed as a farm labourer. His nearest relative is shown as Alex Ivall (his father) of Rainy River. World War 1 ended soon afterwards (on November 11 1918), so it is unlikely that George was required to serve in the US Army.

I can’t find George in the 1920 US census, but the 1921 Canada census shows George, aged 30 (he was actually 33), living in the town of Rainy River, Ontario with his parents Alec (60) and Sarah (55) as well as his brother Joseph (41) and his adopted sister Mary (5). Their surname is given as Ival. Some of the census return has been overwritten making these parts hard to decipher. The house that the family lived in was owned by them. It was a detached, wooden building with 4 rooms. George was unmarried. He could speak English and French. His religion was C of E. According to the census, he could read and write. George was a labourer in a saw mill and had earned $1,000 in the previous 12 months.

George died on 5 October 1931 aged 43 in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, after being shot by a farmer called August Lickteig. The circumstances are described in an item dated 5 October 1931, printed in The Bismarck Tribune.

A further item, dated the following day, was printed in the same newspaper after the inquest into George's death.

George was buried in an unmarked grave in Potter’s Field, Grand Forks, North Dakota. This is an area the local government provided for graves of strangers, poor, elderly and ill people who died without any relatives to pay for their burial.

A relative of George has contacted me with the following comment : "I read with interest the account of George Ivall's murder.  He was my dad's uncle. The account in our family is that he went there to collect wages owed to him and was murdered by the farmer who owed him back wages. Unfortunately he was dead so the story line was left to the murderer. An interesting sideline to the story is that his mother Sarah Baldwin Ivall knew he was dead and told people before the official notification.  She was the last in our family to speak Gaelic."