Category: Whiting

If we disregard the A.B. matches in our equations, the probability tools available very clearly point to Clyde as James’ father:

So, what is going on with A.B., and could that provide a different hypothesis?

A.B. is a documented Whiting-McCray descendant through their daughter Louvernia – Samuel Fletcher’s sister. Louvernia married Frank Davis, and their brother Robert Stuart married Frank’s sister Mary Jane, making the children of these couples double cousins to each other. Despite the genealogical stereotype of Appalachia, this is the only, even mildly out-of-the-ordinary relationship that is identified, by documentation, among the Whiting-McCray descendant testers.

Descendants within A.B.’s collateral lines were searched for potential matches, or any indication that there may be a different or additional relationship to be considered, but exhaustive tests across the various DNA platforms revealed no such matches that were within the cM ranges to be expected for the cousin relationship.¹

Reviewing the shared centiMorgans, the time frame, and the proximity of A.B.’s family to the ancestors of the Samuel Fletcher Whiting-descendant testers, we hypothesized Samuel Fletcher Whiting as the ancestor of A.B. in place of the grandfather attributed by documentation.

Recall, if you will, that Samuel Fletcher’s wife Sarah had died in April 1895. The direct ascendant of A.B., where the issue might lay, was born in May 1896. One can speculate as to all sorts of reasons there would be a mis-attributed paternity event here (the lonely widower, the remarried widow who may be unhappy in her marriage, etc.), but unless a diary or journal escapes from the woodwork, any explanation is only conjecture.

However, regardless of reasons, the statistical results were striking; the “math begins mathing” if Samuel Fletcher Whiting is the ancestor of A.B., as well as carrying the genes expected in the documented relationship through Louvernia Whiting:

But, DNA match results such as these, while compelling, cannot be relied upon solely to confirm relationships. There has been no chain-of-custody in the genealogical DNA testing process; are we certain the name associated with the test is the relative we (or they!) have assigned to them? The variance in shared centiMorgans means the relationship could be one of several possibilities; what other evidence confirms the tree placement of the test results? Are there potential other or additional relationships that could affect the results? Is the suspected relationship possible when considering such things as biological age or physical proximity?

Remember this map, displayed to indicate the proximity of Lee or Clyde (blue star) to Demma Williams (somewhere near the purple underscored land holders)? That red star is where Malinda Ellyson Brannon Radabaugh resided, and Samuel Fletcher Whiting was near the blue star.

In 1895, Samuel Fletcher was a 44-year-old widow, while Malinda was his 28-year-old neighbor. Samuel Fletcher Whiting remarried in 1900 and fathered two more children: Robert McCray Whiting when he was 54, and Mary Gertrude Whiting at 56. Malinda had three daughters: 10-year-old Matella Brannon, and Ethel and Maude Radabaugh, six and three, respectively; and would go on to have two children, ten and eleven years later. Thus, biological capability and proximity are proven.

A review of each party’s personal history and physical evidence (documentation claims, notwithstanding) along with analysis of shared DNA among and between 74 descendants of Robert Whiting and Sarah McCray, provides, in my view, the following conclusions to our original mysteries:

• K.I. is a second cousin, once-removed, to me and my siblings. Our MRCA (most recent common ancestor) is the Samuel Fletcher Whiting-Sarah Wade ancestral couple.
• A.B. is a third cousin (historical method) as well as a half-first cousin, once-removed to me and my siblings. At the third cousin level, our MRCA is the Robert Whiting-Sarah McCray ancestral couple. Additionally, I propose the DNA evidence indicates that Samuel Fletcher Whiting is the MRCA at the half-first cousin, once removed level.
• Adoptees C.B. and M.F. are also second cousins, once-removed, to me and my siblings. Our MRCA (most recent common ancestor) is the Samuel Fletcher Whiting-Sarah Wade ancestral couple. C.B. and M.F. are half first cousins to K.I. and their siblings with James R Whiting as their MRCA.

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Navigation

Return to the first post in this series, here.

If you have questions, comments, or corrections, please get in touch with me!

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Footnotes

1. Blaine T. Bettinger, “The Shared cM Project Version 4.0 (March 2020),” The Genetic Genealogist (thegeneticgenealogist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Shared-cM-Project-Version-4.pdf), or https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4. ↩︎

Our single, unknown match from the early days of test results (K.I.) has grown into another family full of testers matching me and my siblings: K.I.’s parent, their siblings, and several among the generation descendant to them. We are also able to include their genetic cousins C.B. and M.F. who, due to adoption, could not be assigned any particular place in my, or K.I.’s, tree.

As we fine-tuned our view and scope with the (delayed for this subscriber!) introduction of Ancestry Pro Tools Enhanced Shared Matches, all the Whiting-McCray shared matches above 60 cM, as well as some well-documented and identifiable below that limit, were charted:

The Whiting-Wade matches of P.Br., K.I., etc. (red ovals with yellow highlights) effectively narrowed the Whiting-McCray descendant involved to a descendant of Samuel Fletcher Whiting and his first wife, Sarah E Wade. The two Wade testers had verifiable trees, and this, as well as geographical location, made any other relationship extremely unlikely. That P.Br., et al. had such significant Wade matches and shared with our SFW-proven and known descendants indicated that Sarah E. Wade was also in their ancestor tree.

The lower matches to the elder generation testers (the two noted at level 3 from Whiting-McCray in the far left column), who are not Whiting-Wade descendants also pointed in the same direction in that there was no corresponding line to whom the difference could be attributed; they simply didn’t have that “chunk” to share with the Whiting-Davis or Davis-Whiting descendants.

Then, finally, an Everett French Whiting descendant – though without trees, recent log-in, or response to correspondence – but who could nevertheless be confidently assigned to their position in the tree with Pro Tools shared matches, statistically eliminated EFW as being involved in the paternity of James R Whiting. This descendant had modest cM sharing only with M.F. and C.B. and did not meet Pro Tools criteria to match at all with P.Br., when the hypothesized EFW relationship has a clear designated range of shared centiMorgans (cM).¹

Samuel Fletcher’s sons

Samuel Fletcher Whiting and Sarah Wade had two sons survive to adulthood: Lee Roy, born in 1877; and, Clyde Boyd, born in 1889. Both resided in the DeKalb area in 1913 (conception window for James R. Whiting), and within a very short distance of Demma Williams.²

Lee resided with his wife and their two children. His household also included his half-brother Robert, whom Lee cared for after the death of Samuel Fletcher and his second wife, Gertrude Fishback, in 1910 and 1916, respectively. Lee was running the farm, working the timber, and serving as administrator of Samuel Fletcher’s estate after his death in 1910, which was not completed until sometime after 1915.

Clyde had still resided with Samuel Fletcher and Gertrude in the 1910 census as a single 21-year-old. That household also included the two infant children of Samuel Fletcher and Gertrude: Robert (mentioned above) and Mary. It is presumed that after the death of Samuel in October 1910, Clyde resided with Lee for some time, on the Whiting farm, although he would soon be the age of majority (21).

Clyde is next located in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He attended parties described on the society pages of The Daily Telegram in 1914 and 1916; the latter party also lists as an attendee Esta Holt. On his WWI registration card, it is confirmed he was then residing with his elder sister, Jessie Rutherford, at 206 McDowell Street, and working at the glass company. He is listed as single, age 27, which would date the card to about 1916.

An aside: When Clyde’s mother, Sarah Elizabeth Wade, died in 1895, he and the younger children were young, and the elder siblings stepped up to assist in their care. The eldest daughter, Esta, remained in the Samuel Fletcher household along with her husband Bert, and their son. Then, when Samuel remarried in 1905, she took at least one of the younger sisters (Hallie) with her and she and Bert moved to their own home in Glenville. After Samuel died in 1910, and again after his second wife and mother to the two younger children – half siblings to the others, died in 1916, the siblings again gathered those they could care for: Clyde with his sister Jessie; Hallie and her family raised young half-sister Mary; and, Lee and his wife raised young half-brother Robert. (This was despite the will that Gertrude’s brother presented for probate, appointing him as guardian to the two children.) That baby brother Clyde was shortly off to war in the midst of all this upheaval was, no doubt, quite worrisome to the family, and thus these “trench art” mementos Clyde brought home from France have been held in the family for over 100 years:

After his return from the European front during World War I, Clyde is next found on a marriage license application of 9 Feb 1920 to fellow Gilmer County native, Esta May Holt, both of whom now reside in Harrison County. He is 30 years of age and she is 28.

Clyde and Esta, prior to the 1930 census, moved to Streator, Illinois, where a better glass company position was available for Clyde, and they remained there for the rest of their lives.

So, there is evidence that both Lee and Clyde were in the neighboring area to Demma in 1914, and both were, apparently, of biological capability of procreation at that time (Lee’s youngest child with his wife, Hattie, was born in 1911, and Clyde was young man of about 25.)

Clyde and Esta had only one daughter; that daughter had three children, at least one of whom is since deceased, and there is no documentary evidence of any further descendants nor any DNA testers that can be attributed to this union.

Among Lee’s descendants, however, there are several testers, and those shared match numbers were entered into WATO along with the additional Whiting-McCray cousins, including the Whiting-Davis double-cousin relationships, to determine the most likely paternity candidate. Frustratingly, the results indicated “No Possible Hypotheses.”

So, I separated the trees for validation into those documented as Lee’s descendants, the Whiting-Wade descendants, and the Whiting-Davis double-cousin descendants using BanyanDNA. The results indicated proper placement, until we brought in A.B.’s numbers. There had to be an additional or unknown relationship we were missing, so we set that aside for a bit and went back to James.

The Timeline

With no matches appearing to indicate a maternal line relationship, we rough-drafted a tree assuming James had relationships with both Barbara and Sally. Was that possible given the chronology of events? James had been, after all, documented as having been in Virginia in 1950, when the The Virginian-Pilot, and others, reported on his petition for writ. Further, the Suffolk News-Herald of 30 Sept 1962, reporting on a second attempt for writ, had summarized the earlier attempt with:

Court action was put off several times because Whiting was ill, and in August, 1950, it was dropped altogether when he was paroled.

Given our M.F./C.B. mother allegedly born in September 1951, in Richmond, Virginia, we gathered additional evidence in attempt to determine where James was in December 1950.

Record requests were submitted to the Archives and History Library of the State of West Virginia regarding the Moundsville residency of 1935 mentioned in James’ 1940 census record; and, to the Library of Virginia regarding his stint in the Virginia State Penitentiary and any dates of release. An independent researcher was also contracted to obtain the prison register regarding the James R. Whiting, No. 100114, Box 511, Columbus 16, Ohio, (the usual protocol for Ohio State Penitentiary inmate mail), who had written to the Federal court in Norfolk, as reported in the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch and the Portsmouth Star, Norfolk, Virginia, of 21 Sep 1960.³

The findings, in timeline form, can be summarized as follows:

• 1914 – February 21 is the overwhelmingly decided birthdate for James R Whiting, although some records reflect he claimed to be five years younger, born in 1919. No official birth record has been located despite extensive search.
• 1927 – His FBI transcript dated 19 Jul 1938 indicates James served 15 months in the West Virginia State Industrial School for truancy in about 1927. He is not located in the 1930 census of the facility.
• 1931 – He was arrested in Grafton, Taylor County, West Virginia, on auto theft charges and sentenced to two years in the State penitentiary (Moundsville); inmate #20871; received at the penitiary on 16 Jul 1931 – age 17; marital status is listed as single.
• 1932 – James was discharged on expiration of sentence on November 19. His discharge paper reports his next relative is Sarah Williams of Fairmont, West Virginia.
• 1933 – In January, James was arrested in Marion County, West Virginia, on a charge of breaking and entering. His case went before the Grand Jury where he was indicted and subsequently confessed to breaking and entering. He received a term of five years; it is noted he would be eligible for parole consideration on 26 Nov 1933. He was received from the Marion County jail at the State Penitentiary, on March 24, and assigned inmate #23089. He is listed as age 19 and married. He was discharged on 24 Dec 1937 at the expiration of his sentence. His reported next relative is Sarah Williams, 206-10th Street, Fairmont, West Virginia. The intake form further describes his “Eyes Bad,” height as 5’7″, weight as 152, blue eyes, and a “[j]agged scar above and in right eyebrow. Oblique scar upper lip. Tattoo right forearm outer – name Ruth. Tattoo right forearm inner two daggers piercing heart. Tattoo left forearm out initials J W.” No marriage record has been located in West Virginia for James R Whiting, and there has been no further evidence uncovered as to the identity of “Ruth.”
• 1938 – Arrest in Suffolk, Virginia, for robbery and two charges of attempted murder. He was sentenced to 40 years in the Virginia State Penitentiary.

• 1950 – Newspaper accounts indicate James was released on parole in August 1950, although the Library of Virginia could not locate a release record during 1950.⁴
• 1951 – September – Purported mother of M.F. and C.B. born in Richmond, Virginia, to Barbara Lee Kidd.⁵
• 1953 – James R Whiting is arrested in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on June 6, 1953, on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon. “He was convicted June 9, 1953, and was fined $50 and $7 costs. A 30-day jail sentence listed in court records was probably suspended, according to the court clerk.” (Footnote 1, infra.)
• 1955 – James Whiting, 36, of 1886 E 82nd Street, has been arrested in Cleveland, Ohio, for robbery, six counts, and awaits the grand jury. “Whiting has told police he was addicted to drinking paregoric.”⁶
• 1956 – Mr & Mrs James Whiting are listed in birth announcements as parents of a newborn daughter, published Saturday, Feb. 11, 1956, in The Cleveland Press. The DNA match identified as P.Br. has a birthdate of 2 Feb 1956.
• 1956 – On March 15 it is reported that upon being found guilty of the robbery charges (see above), and being sentenced to the Ohio State Penitentiary for 10 to 25 years, James R Whiting inquired of the court if he could return to Virginia, where he “still has 28 years to serve.”⁷ His request was declined, and he was received in the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus on 19 Mar 1956.

• 1957 – The Cleveland Press reports that Sally [redacted] Whiting, 22, of 2326 E 22nd St has charged her brother James [redacted], 20, of the same residence, with injuring her 11-month-old child (putting the child’s date of birth in approximately February 1956).⁸
• 1960-1962 – Whiting begins filing writs and petitions from the Ohio State Penitentiary, and according to the register, above, a Warrant to Detain was received from the Parole Board in Richmond, Virginia on 28 Mar 1956. James was paroled from the OSP on 6 September 1962. He was returned to Virginia on the parole violation and is, in the VSP register, marked as received the same date, maintaining Prisoner #39926.

• 1963 – James Whiting was removed to the Nansemond County jail on his pending writ hearing. Initial (January) reports indicated the writ would not be issued, and Whiting would be returned to the penitentiary. Then, with aid of counsel Frank Watkins, the same judge, James C Godwin, ordered his release on Tuesday, May 28, 1963.

• 1964 – James has returned to Cleveland, Ohio, where he and Sally make application for a marriage license in February.⁹
• 1972 – A 15-year-old boy identified as a foster son of “James and Sally Whiting,” and having “three foster sisters and one foster brother,” drowned near Perkins Beach in Cleveland. His residential address was reported as 8393 Bellevue Ave., Cleveland.
• 1974 – James and Sally are divorced on September 12. The decree lists the grounds as Gross Neglect/Extreme Cruelty with the divorce awarded to Sally. The marriage is described as having a 10-year duration, and four minor children are in the household. The 1974 Cleveland City Directory lists: Whiting James R (Sally A) h8303 Bellevue Av.¹⁰
• 1980 – On December 8, James is arrested on five charges of uttering/forgery and one of receiving stolen property. On December 14, Sally dies at Cleveland Metro Health.
• 1981 – James entered a plea on the 1980 charges in August 1981, was referred for probation, and the case was closed on December 29, 1981.
• 1986 – James dies on April 5, reportedly in Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia. (SSDI provides that as last residence.) The ashes of James (and Sally) are interred at Riverside Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio, on May 3, 1986.¹¹

In careful and exhaustive review of the criminal records and newspaper accounts in the area, there was no direct documentation located as to James R Whiting’s whereabouts in December 1950 (about nine months prior to the birth of Barbara Lee Kidd’s daughter in September 1951). Barbara Lee Kidd had already born two children she attributed to James Garland Purdy, prior to the 1951 birth (also registered with the surname Purdy).

Recall, however, that James Garland Purdy’s mother, Mildred Purdy, was in the business of offering furnished rooms for rent in Richmond¹²; in fact, in JGP’s arrest records, he alternates between addresses within the block of his mother’s work and Barbara Lee Kidd’s mother’s address. Both of these addresses were within walking distance of the old Virginia State Penitentiary. One can imagine that James R Whiting may have found a room on his own, or, through the prison grapevine, heard from James Garland Purdy about a nearby landlord that may be sympathetic to the recently incarcerated and have found a room in her properties in August 1950, whereupon he happened to meet Barbara Lee Kidd.

By 1952, James Garland Purdy has been released on his latest charges, and is listed as residing at his mother’s Grace Street address on another larceny charge. James Garland Purdy and Barbara marry in March of 1953 and have a child in November of that year, but Barbara sues for divorce in April 1954 which is finalized in September. Barbara heads west, and moves on to a new life, new long-term spouse (by all accounts), and more children. James Garland Purdy is sentenced to 30 years in 1956 as a habitual offender. He gains release, but is arrested again in 1966, after which, his trail goes cold until reports of his death in 2013.

In summary, review of the documentary evidence indicates that James R Whiting was in Richmond, Virginia, in 1950, and in Cleveland, Ohio, by 1955. A BanyanDNA tree visualizing the proposed hypotheses of James R Whiting descendants, with descendants in both the Richmond area and the Cleveland area between Barbara and Sally, indicates all the shared cMs were within 1.4 of the standard deviation for the relationship proposed. The tree was statistically probable and could not be disproven by other evidence.

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Footnotes

1. Blaine T. Bettinger, JD, PhD, “The Shared cM Project Version 4.0 (March 2020),” The Genetic Genealogist (thegeneticgenealogist.com/wp-content-uploads/2020/03/Shared-cM-Project-Version-4.pdf). ↩︎
2. Year: 1910; Census Place: Center, Gilmer, West Virginia; Roll: T624_1680; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 0037; FHL microfilm: 1375693 ↩︎
3. Ledger-Star, September 21, 1960, Page 10. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/ledger-star-whiting-1960-federal-court-c/151475436/ : accessed March 21, 2026). ↩︎
4. Correspondence with Library of Virginia Archives Reference Services dated 20 Feb 2026; copy in author’s collection. ↩︎
5. Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, VA, USA; Virginia, Births, 1912-1923
   Source Information, for SFP born 21 Sep 1951; Richmond, Virginia; Certificate number 1951062692. Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Birth Records, 1912-2015, Delayed Birth Records, 1721-1920 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. ↩︎
6. The Plain Dealer, December 21, 1955, Page 6. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-plain-dealer-james-whiting-36-1886/160743393/ : accessed March 21, 2026). ↩︎
7. The Cleveland Press, March 15, 1956, Page 67. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cleveland-press-serve-in-oh-before-v/170027500/ : accessed March 21, 2026). ↩︎
8. The Cleveland Press, January 17, 1957, Page 1. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cleveland-press/189715175/ : accessed March 22, 2026). ↩︎
9. The Cleveland Press, February 24, 1964, Page 40. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cleveland-press-whiting-scott-marria/189703118/ : accessed March 21, 2026). ↩︎
10. Cleveland City Directory, 1974. Cleveland Directory Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland Public Library, Center for Local and Global History. Image credited to Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery at https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16014coll29/id/61264 : accessed March 22, 2026; in possession of author. ↩︎
11. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172043428/sally_ann-whiting: accessed March 21, 2026), memorial page for Sally Ann Scott Whiting (20 Apr 1934–14 Dec 1980), Find a Grave Memorial ID 172043428, citing Riverside Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA. ↩︎
12.  Richmond, Virginia, City Directory, 1951. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/12089965?pId=684922491 : accessed 23 Mar 2026.  ↩︎

Ancestry Pro Tools Enhanced shared matches, along with Full Text Search at FamilySearch.org for documentary evidence/information, improved the data analysis on these matches to an astonishing degree – said as someone who started this genealogical journey back in the SASE¹-by postal mail request age!

With these new tools, the K.I. family was easily “treed,” finding the DNA-conclusive spot for P.Br. (having earlier had a P.B. match; hence the Br.): P.Br. is K.I. and P.B. and S.F.’s parent!

During my correspondence with M.F. (and the name-hint on a great-grandmother), M.F. made no mention of C.B., with whom I’d corresponded ages earlier. But, it was revealed that they are, in fact, half-siblings; and, very close cousins to the P.B. family.

M.F.’s Ancestry tree had also been updated to reflect who was asserted to be their parents. The ethnicity of the paternal side excluded a match with the Whitings; the maternal-maternal side reflected the previously-mentioned name in our correspondence, but genetic and documentary genealogy eliminated any common ancestor within the period that was reflected by the centiMorgans and proposed relationships.

Newly listed, however, was the name of the purported maternal grandfather.

James Garland Purdy

James Garland Purdy was born in 1929, in North Carolina, to Mildred Pencie White and John W Purdy, but census records indicate he and his mother had relocated to Richmond, Virginia, by the time of the 1940 census (having listed residence of 1935 in Roanoke, Virginia)². Mildred Purdy neé White is listed as married, but John W Purdy remains in North Carolina with a son, daughter, and is enumerated with a different wife. Step-children are in the household, and it appears John and second wife Lula had a son, born about 1944, also named James per the 1950 census.

The 1950 census³ shows Mildred living at 1005 W Grace in Richmond, described as a widow; James Garland is not listed at her residence. A James G Purdy is found in the 1950 census, at least matching as to name and birth location: Purdy – James G, White male, age 31, married, born in North Carolina,⁴ is reported as an inmate in the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond. However, Mildred’s son James Garland, should be about 21 years old, so more research is needed.

A newspaper search indicates James Garland Purdy has had a series of run-ins with law enforcement by 1950: In 1948, 18-year-old James Garland Purdy…of 1000 block of West Grace St….was arrested on charges of hit-and-run and having possession of a stolen automobile.⁵ In May of 1948, he was sentenced two years in the penitentiary.⁶ In 1949, 22-year-old James Garland Purdy of the 2300 block of Grayland Avenue was sentenced to 30 days in jail on a reckless driving charge.⁷ By 1952, James Garland Purdy, 22, of the 1000 block of West Grace Street, received a 15-month sentence on five charges of stealing automobile tires. It appears from the preponderance of the evidence that this is the same James Garland Purdy in the Virginia State Penitentiary in April 1950 — at the same time James R Whiting should be listed in the census there.

A review of the genealogical documentary evidence and an extensive search through DNA matches to the SFW-descendant siblings (at Ancestry.com, FamilyTreeDNA.com, MyHeritage.com, 23andMe.com, as well as GEDmatch.com) located no possible common ancestors to Mildred Pencie White or John Purdy, so our attention turned back to the reported maternal grandmother, Barbara Lee Kidd (1932-2023).

Barbara Lee Kidd was the the third of four children and elder daughter of Doris Tremer and Walter B. Kidd. Barbara was born in June of 1932, and her father died in 1939. Doris is listed as an unemployed widow with her four young children in the 1940 census.⁸

In 1950, we find Doris and only her youngest child residing together (along with a boarder); they are living at 2327-A Grayland Avenue when they are enumerated on 14 April 1950. Barbara Kidd, about 18 years old at the time, is not enumerated on that date, nor at return visits to the apartments along Grayland Avenue through 19 April 1950, nor can she be located elsewhere in the federal census of 1950.

The person identified as M.B.’s mother (and Barbara’s daughter) in their tree was born in September 1951. Sadly, she had died in February 2023, and M.B.’s purported maternal grandmother, Barbara, died just a few weeks later.⁹ A review of the other children listed as siblings in the obituary was conducted; no other matches to the confirmed Whiting descendants was located.

Where were James Garland Purdy and James R Whiting in December 1950? And where could either, or both, be connected to the Whiting tree?

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Footnotes

1. Self-addressed, stamped envelope. E.g., https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-a-SASE-with-Pictures/ — this SASE is not Secure Access Server Edge. ↩︎
2. United States Federal Census. Year: 1940; Census Place: Richmond, Richmond City, Virginia; Roll: m-t0627-04325; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 118-176 ↩︎
3. 1950 United States Federal Census. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Richmond, Richmond, Virginia; Roll: 746; Page: 5; Enumeration District: 119-263 ↩︎
4. 1950 United States Federal Census. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Richmond, Richmond, Virginia; Roll: 874; Page: 21; Enumeration District: 119-129 ↩︎
5. Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 19, 1948, Page 11. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-purdy-on-hit-and/152122911/ : accessed March 19, 2026). ↩︎
6. The News and Advance, May 16, 1948, Page 15. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-advance/152122971/ : accessed March 19, 2026). ↩︎
7. The Richmond News Leader, August 4, 1949, Page 15. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-richmond-news-leader-grand-jury-to-r/190428393/ : accessed March 19, 2026). ↩︎
8. 1940 United States Federal Census. Year: 1940; Census Place: Richmond, Richmond City, Virginia; Roll: m-t0627-04319; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 118-8 ↩︎
9. Sullivan Funeral Homes; Publication Date: 2023; Publication Place: Hanover, Massachusetts, USA; URL: https://www.sullivanfuneralhomes.com/obituary/barbara-caswell : accessed March 19, 2026. ↩︎

As previously described, K.I. had traced their maternal/maternal lineage, and by match analysis available at GEDmatch, the leads provided appeared to be correct. Their reported grandmother is Sally. She is presumed to have had a relationship with “James R Whiting.”

Their tree indicated Sally was a resident of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, although she was born in Los Angeles, California, in about 1935. She was the eldest daughter and second of, ultimately, 12 children. A 1940 census search located just such a person and family description.¹ Sally is listed as five years of age, born in California. The 1 Apr 1935 reported residence for the family is, “Same Place,” (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio), as it is for every person over five enumerated on the sheet, not just the her family. Sally’s father is reported as working on a WPA park project as a laborer, and the family has six children at the time, with the eldest being seven years of age.

A California birth record was located describing:

Name	Sally Ann [redacted for privacy]
Birth Date	20 Apr 1934
Gender	Female
Mother’s Maiden Name	Sw***** [redacted for privacy]
Birth County	Los Angeles

In 1950, the family appears, again in Cuyahoga County, with 10 children in the household, but noticeably absent is Sally. The elder children otherwise appear as expected from the 1940 census: There are five with the ages reported as expected considering the 1940 census report, and five children have born in the interim.² Where is 15-16 year-old Sally?

Eventually, Sally is located and identified (same given name, middle initial, and last name; presumed age; same location of birth³) as a resident of over one year at the Columbus State School. An exhaustive online search located no court proceedings referencing her admission, so it is presumed to have been a voluntary parental admission. It is noted that the 15-year-old has completed only the third grade, but is attending school at the facility.

Four years later, the Cleveland City Directory of 1954 discloses now 20-year-old “[redacted], Sally A” is a saleswoman at Kresge’s, residing at 2435 W 4th Street.⁴ Her parents, “[parents names redacted],” are at 2455 W 4th Street. In 1955, Sally A is a waitress at Seaway Leader Drug, residing at 1221 E 12th Street; there is no listing that can be confirmed with her parents’ names.

There are multiple copies of very few photos of Sally appearing in trees that can be connected to K.I. or their family. Sally appears to be a very attractive and vibrant young woman, possibly pregnant in one photo, but no years or other identifying information is provided regarding the photos.

Further documentary search locates a newspaper notice of a marriage application made by “James Whitting [sic], 44, 1968 E. 70, to Sally [redacted], 29, 6316 Edna, published by The Cleveland Press, on Monday, February 24, 1964. Also located was a listing in the Ohio Divorce Index⁵ supporting a marriage to James Whiting which had lasted 10 years, ending on 12 Sep 1974, and reporting there are four minor children in the household.

The 1974 Cleveland City Directory reports “[Whiting] James R (Sally A) h8303 Bellevue Av⁶, about a mile from the Edna Avenue address reported on the 1964 marriage license application account.

Indeed, four children of the household can be identified, with three found in the Ohio Birth Index, 1908-1964⁷: a daughter born in early 1956; a daughter born in the spring of 1962; and, a son in late summer 1965. A third daughter, born in 1959, is surmised by other evidence, including social media. All the birth records located present the Whiting surname with Sally’s maiden name under “mother.”⁸

K.I.’s and others’ trees report that Sally died in Cuyahoga County, in 1980, at only 46 years of age and a corresponding death record was located⁹.

Meanwhile, in 1950s Richmond…

A line-by-line, page-by-page search of the Virginia State Penitentiary district of the 1950 census reveals no James Whiting among the 56 pages of names.¹⁰ The enumeration dates on the records are April 27-May 2, 1950.

A newspaper search of 1950 finds a report in the 19 Feb 1950 edition of The Virginian-Pilot that James R Whiting remains a prisoner in the State Penitentiary, and has filed suit regarding his 1938 conviction:

Whiting’s chief point, in a petition written in script, is the alleged failure of the court to advise him of his right to aid of counsel.¹¹

April news reports indicate his writ hearing — in Suffolk County — had been delayed due to health issues of Whiting; and, on 27 April 1950 (same date census reporting at the Richmond prison was begun, infra), it is reported Whiting’s writ proceedings have been dropped, without noting whether Whiting was present for the hearing; only his appointed attorney is named as present in the article.¹²

Wondering if, perhaps, his health issues warranted a transfer from the penitentiary to a health care facility, an exhaustive search in Virginia at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org did not reveal any 1950 Virginia census records indexed to James Whiting matching our James, nor across the nation. The only similar listing was none other than Robert Stuart’s son, James A Whiting, who is residing with his family, his father next door, and all in Maryland.

Newspaper accounts of James’ writ for habeas corpus proceedings support the supposition that he should be listed in the penitentiary census of April 1950:

• “l’Anson Designated” in the habeas corpus case of James Whiting against W. Frank Smyth, Jr., superintendent of the State penitentiary. The Richmond News Leader, Richmond, Virginia, March 29, 1950, page 29 : accessed 25 Jan 2026.
• “Writ Proceedings Killed for James S. Whiting” [sic] in which it is reported that Whiting’s attorney had informed him that the man had withdrawn his petition. Ledger-Star, Norfolk, Virginia, April 27, 1950, page 4 : accessed 25 Jan 2026.
• “Imprisoned Illegally in 1938, Man Claims,” in the Suffolk News-Herald of Suffolk, Virginia, reports on September 30, 1962, that James’ petition for writ of habeas corpus was first filed in November 1949, “…and in August 1950, it was dropped altogether when he was paroled.”

However, with his potential and reported change of locations – the Penitentiary, the Suffolk County jail, and possible health admission – it is possible he missed being enumerated in the 1950 census altogether.

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Footnotes

1. “United States, Census, 1940”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KW5P-GS7 : Sun Jan 12 02:44:44 UTC 2025), Entry for Thomas H Scott and Kathryn R Scott, 1940. ↩︎
2. “United States, Census, 1950”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XBC-P9V6 : Mon Mar 17 18:04:47 UTC 2025), Entry for Thomas H Scott and Kathryne Scott, 1950. ↩︎
3. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: 5929; Enumeration District: 94-308 ↩︎
4. Cleveland Directory Co. Cleveland City Directory 1954. JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.32624216. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026. ↩︎
5. Ohio Department of Health; Columbus, Ohio; Ohio Divorce Index, 1962-1963, 1967-1971 and 1973-2007. via Ancestry.com https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2026/records/54523?tid=113452106&pid=320117163717&ssrc=pt : accessed 20 Jan 2026. ( ↩︎
6. Cleveland Directory Co. Cleveland City Directory 1974. Cleveland (Ohio) : Cleveland Directory Co. JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.32624258. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026. ↩︎
7. Ohio Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics; Columnbus, Ohio; Ohio Department of Health, Index to Annual Births. ↩︎
8. Record links withheld due to privacy concerns on living people; in possession of author. ↩︎
9. Ohio Department of Health; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007. ↩︎
10. Enumeration District: 119-129; Description: Richmond city – That part (Tract W – 3 – part), comprising State Convict Road Force and Virginia Penitentiary (Males) in Block 27 ↩︎
11. “Whiting Seek To Set Aside Early Penalty.” Norfolk-Virginian-Pilot, 29 Feb, 1950; Section six, Page one. Online archives. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-virginian-pilot-whiting-seeks-set-as/163341775/ : Accessed 20 Jan 2026. ↩︎
12. Ledger-Star, April 27, 1950, Page 4. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/ledger-star-whiting-proceedings-withdraw/163342427/ : accessed January 20, 2026) ↩︎

The COVID shutdown and workplace changes flooded my correspondence list with inquiries generated from several genealogy and DNA sites. The search to fit K.I. into our tree through James went to a back-burner while working on these other projects with new connections who were, during the pandemic era, available, interested, and even eager to collaborate.

My DNA file folder section marked “Solved” continued to grow, and the file folder marked “K.I.” languished until late 2023 when I sent another message to K.I., offering to help pick up the search, but without response. The file sat untouched, again, for several months.

When I returned to the K.I.-James mystery, the uploads to additional sites, and additional testers, helped to nearly immediately solve several questions as to K.I.’s siblings, children, and niblings. I noticed that some of the record findings I’d added to my working file on Ancestry had also been added to K.I.’s tree, indicating they were still at least occasionally interested.

However, there was a puzzling addition to some of the K.I.-relative trees that seemed a push-to-fit issue. A John P Whiting, born 1892 in Virginia, and his wife, Elizabeth, had been added as James R Whiting’s parents in one tree. And, “Margaret Ramey” — that elusive name added to James’ WWII registration card made while he was imprisoned in Virginia — had been added as a sister.

An exhaustive search of the Virginia records at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org found only records relating to a John P Whiting and Elizabeth who were listed in all records as “colored,” or Black. There are no ethnicity markers in the shared results at any of the DNA sites to indicate K.I. has any Black ethnicity.

There does seem to have been a Margaret Ramey who resided in Norfolk, Virginia, at the time James R Whiting was arrested on the 1938 robbery and attempted murder charges.¹ Some “quick and dirty” research indicates this Margaret’s maiden name was Ackley; she was born in Washington, D.C., resided during her adult life in the Norfolk-Portsmouth area, and died in 1958 following a stroke. Perhaps Margaret had been James’ landlord during his time in Portsmouth? Or, a neighbor, or just a friend? Regardless, there is no evidence there was any genealogical relationship between them.

During my break from this file, however, additional questions were raised by the placement of new matches and tests!

Adopted two thousand miles apart

Who are C.B., and M.F., whom we’d noticed and faintly connected to the Wade-Whiting ancestral line (Wade more strongly)? We’d had brief correspondence with C.B., who was adopted, some time earlier, and a quick run of matches at all the testing sites where I had or managed SFW-descendant tests, led me to suggest to C.B. that they may want to test or upload to MyHeritage for additional matches and chromosome information, but no further correspondence ensued.

M.F.’s response to our inquiry indicated another adoption, though in a distant part of the country from C.B., and names in their tree developed with knowledge of the biological mother’s identity included only one name with any familiarity to the central part of West Virginia. I could see no immediate connection with that name – and while not a common name, neither is it uncommon among northern European immigrants to the U.S.

Regardless, with new tools coming available, it seemed they might each figure just as prominently in the K.I. parade, so I continued to search possible shared matches, families, and collaterals.

May as well be John Doe

Then, there was P.Br., at that point #25 in my match list at Ancestry, highest match not placed, and while an obvious Wade-Whiting match, carried a very common name, no location or age provided in their profile, displayed a tree of four people all marked as living, and without a sign-in in over a year.

Something’s missing

And, finally, why does A.B. – whose identity I’m confident of – share so much DNA with me and my siblings compared to that expected by our documented relationship?

DNAPainter had added new tools, and GeneticAffairs was still able to do some site clustering, but DNAGedcom was resulting in endless gathering loops. The introduction of ProTools at Ancestry was on a countdown, and I worked to be prepared for it around interruptions from, you know, life and work!

My biases were still leading me toward Everett French Whiting’s involvement with the paternity of James, supported by age and proximity. However, few of EFW’s descendants were appearing in DNA match lists, and of those, they seemed to be at the appropriate level for third cousins or third cousins, once removed, to the known, placed, and tested SFW descendants, certainly compared to the matches with K.I. and family. Matches with K.I. or presumed close relatives of K.I. was information not available within the limits of shared matches at Ancestry, at that time.

Then, there were the Wade matches to consider. Only K.I., a K.I. sibling, and a K.I. niece had tested at MyHeritage (and only K.I. uploaded to GedMatch) where a chromosome browser still functioned. Shared matches there indicated the Wade match. A single test with the I. surname tested at 23andMe and also indicated a Wade match.

EFW’s paper tree indicated no immediate Wade relations that might explain this connection. However, considering the workings of shared match features at the time, there was still the possibility of a collateral relative of, for instance, Everett French’s maternal side to be related to the Wades as there were loads of Wades in the area and they were usually very prolific. So, based on matches, matches-of-matches, or ICW (in common with), the Everett French Whiting involvement could not yet be eliminated as none of his descendants had tests where a chromosome browser was available. (Not to mention the whole chromosome browser shut-down that occurred across platforms during this time as security procedures were reviewed or changed.)

Based on shared matches, only, this is where we were just prior to the launch of Ancestry ProTools²:

I was torn between which of these (the K.I. group, the P.Br. match, etc.) to give focus, so started researching some more on James. We had three, perhaps four, distinct locations and two, possibly three, generations involved. The DNA issues with the A.B. match also indicated that either or both of our extensive documentary genealogy was missing a critical factor so I also reviewed and reopened research on the Whitings.

The Whiting Family History

It is fitting, at this point, to again acknowledge the work of my late cousins, Doris and Mary Radabaugh. Doris and Mary had both been educators in the Parkersburg, West Virginia, school system, as well as part-time residents of the farm in DeKalb District, Gilmer County, West Virginia. They had long collected family histories, compiled several books on cemeteries in the Gilmer County area, and published the family narrative and group sheet book, pictured above³. It was, in part, their regular correspondence with family that continued to put the temptation of genealogy before me, over and over, after that initial pique of interest as a youngster.

Doris and Mary traced the descendants of the immigrant couple, Samuel Whiting and Sarah Lancaster, from England into West Virginia, and started the group sheets on the five children who survived to adulthood, including Robert Whiting who married Sarah Jane McCray. They kept these family sheets updated by contacting family regularly, and distributed them in booklet form at the Whiting-Davis reunions they often hosted at the Radabaugh farm on Cedar Creek.

Which Whiting neighbor?

According to our DNA results (above), via shared matches, ICW, and GEDmatch, it is the Whiting-McCray branch where our attention should be directed.

Reviewing the shared DNA and the documented family histories, we can eliminate Rebecca (who had no biological children, see here); Margaret Mercy aka “Maggie,” who died as a young adult without any evidence in documentation or DNA matches as having had children; and, Mathew, who “went west,” and, thus far, no further documentary evidence has been located to confirm his existence beyond the 1902 sale of his personal items in Webster county, nor are any DNA matches alleged or attributed to him.

Louvernia had several children who share matches with the SFW descendants, and K.I. and family, but none carry the Whiting surname. Her husband and Robert Stuart’s wife were siblings; the tested descendants’ DNA results are consistent with the double-cousin relationship in BanyanDNA analysis.⁴

Robert Stuart Whiting (EFW’s father) had several children, but few grandchildren, and very few younger generation members share reportable DNA with our tested SFW descendants, but at this time we cannot say they do not share with K.I. and family due to platform share restrictions.

Interestingly, Eliza (Lyda) only had two small matches to our SFW descendant testers, and one was discovered to be through her daughter Ola who was born prior to Lyda’s marriage to Theo. Stalnaker, so we are unable to eliminate any other relationships due to the unknown paternity, there. Some of the SFW descendants also have a Stalnaker connection, so these matches could be unrelated to the Whiting side.

Of SFW‘s children, most testers, at this date, were one to two generations removed from our sibling testing pool. The results available supported the documented relationships between the known SFW descendants and their expected placement on the family tree, but the presence or absence of a matched relationship to K.I. and their family (as known, at that point) could not be established with any degree of certainty.

And, thus stood our research and analysis prior to release of Ancestry’s Pro Tools: (1) a definitive Whiting-McCray descendant match to K.I. and their family; (2) findings leading to a Whiting-Wade match to C.B. and M.F. who, due to adoption, cannot be assigned more closely; and, (3) a significant discrepancy in the match amount between the SFW descendant siblings and A.B. and their family, given the documented relationship.⁵

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Footnotes

1. Norfolk, Virginia, City Directory, 1938. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/10941619?pId=566278399 : accessed 23 Mar 2026. ↩︎
2. Table formulated with data from Ancestry (https://ancestry.com), match lists for SFW descendants including the author and her full siblings who tested at Ancestry, uploads and original tests of author and her full siblings at FamilyTreeDNA, and uploads to MyHeritage and GEDmatch, K.I. and family tests at Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage, 23andMe (with author), and uploads to GEDmatch. ↩︎
3. Radabaugh, Doris M & Mary E. Radabaugh, compilers, The Families of Ephraim and Maria Conger Davis and Robert and Sarah Jane McCray Whiting. Parkersburg, West Virginia, D.M. Radabaugh, 2005. ↩︎
4. https://www.banyandna.com/docs/calculations ↩︎
5. For statistical averages and standard deviations of shared atDNA at specific relationship levels, see Blaine T. Bettinger, “The Shared cM Project, Version 4.0 (March 2020),” at dnapainter.com : last accessed 20 January 2026. ↩︎

My research revealed numerous news articles about the James Whiting, inmate 39926, enumerated at the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond on April 23, 1940, such as:

Suffolk News-Herald, Monday, June 27, 1938, p. 1.

In summary, James was arrested on April 18, 1938, following a “thrilling” – using the term of one newspaper account – robbery, police chase, and gun fight, in Suffolk, Virginia. The gun used by Whiting (also referred to with an aka as Whitten in an initial report) was obtained in an earlier attack on a Marine sentry at the Norfolk Navy Yard in which Whiting was accompanied by Raymond Segim, an ex-Marine. Segim claimed to have parted ways with Whiting prior to the robbery, police chase, and gun fight.

After his plea and sentencing, James was transferred to the State Penitentiary in Richmond on Tuesday, July 12, 1938, to begin serving his term.

The census record of 1940, and the above newspaper account, both describe Whiting as a West Virginia native/resident, a “…25-year-old Fairmont, W. Va., printer…” This translates to an approximate year of birth of 1913.

We stepped back just a bit to find what we might locate in the 1930 U.S. census for Fairmont, West Virginia. Lo, and behold!

The Williams Connection Confirmed

At 109 Eleventh Street in Fairmont, we find 16-year-old James R Whiting, described as grandson and residing with head-of-household Sarah I Williams, a 57-year-old widow, and her daughter, Amy D Williams, age 18. It is reported that both of James’ parents were born in West Virginia, he has attended some school since September 1, 1929, is literate, and working as a printer at a printing office.

The evidence points to this being the same James Whiting arrested and imprisoned in Virginia, and, the evidence points to this being the same Sarah Ida Williams née Cain, formerly of Gilmer County, West Virginia, and mother of Demma, Retta, Maida, Rebecca, Irene, Daisy, and Amy Drusilla. What has gone on in the 20 years since that 1910 census with baby Roy Williams?¹

Continuing to work backward in time, we find a 1927 Fairmont City Directory in which the adults of the household are listed² (Amy Drusilla is not, legally, an adult in 1927, but out of school and working):

• Williams Daisy B lndrs r109 11th
• Williams Druzville [sic] lndrs Am Lndry Co r109 11th
• Williams Sarah (wid Harvey H) h109 11th

There is no Fairmont listing for either Roy Williams or Roy Edwards (estimated age 17 in 1927), nor a James Whiting/Williams (estimated age 13).

Sadly, Daisy Belle Williams, 18-year-old laundry worker, died on 28 April 1927 of pneumonia with diptheria.³ It is noted that her illness was contracted at Cook Hospital, but unconfirmed if that is where she was working in the laundry.

The 1925 Fairmont City Directory indicates Sarah was living at the 11th Street address. There is no listing found in the 1923 directory.

On 31 January 1920, the U.S. Federal Census indicates Sarah (Ida) Williams, age 50; Irene Williams, 13; Daisy B Williams, 11; and, Druzilla Williams, 8, were residing near Watson in rural Grant District of Marion County⁴ (Watson is reported as Sarah I Williams’ address in the 1920 City Directory), and in April of that year, the Fairmont Times-West Virginian carries a news item that Drusilla was struck by lightning while being seated near a window at the home “of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Williams.” Drusilla is reported to have received burns about her arms and legs resulting in hospitalization at Cook Hospital, but with a full recovery expected.

It is surmised that Sarah and her minor children removed to Fairmont from the Watson area of Grant District sometime between 1920-25 , and prior to that resided in the Lost Creek area of Harrison County, where Harvey Williams had been killed in a mine slate collapse on 31 Oct 1918.⁵ No records are located in Gilmer or Harrison counties to demonstrate when Sarah Ida and Harvey left Gilmer County or arrived in Harrison County, but that Harvey’s estate administration was filed in Harrison (along with the guardianships of the minor surviving children), indicates they had residence in Harrison, rather than Marion, County at the time of his death. ⁶

Daughter Demma had married George Edwards in Gilmer County on 15 Sept 1915⁷, and their son Willard⁸⁹, 1916, and daughter Eula¹⁰, 1918, reported on their delayed certificates of birth as having been born in Gilmer County. But, by 1920, Demma and George and their family were also in Grant District, Harrison County, West Virginia, with George also working in a coal mine.

A look at Demma & George’s 1920 census enumeration, indicates “stepson” Roy, 11 years old, is residing with them, and still carrying the Williams surname. (We don’t have evidence of when Sarah reported his birth in Gilmer County, but recall he is reported as being named Roy Edwards.)

There is no James, nor any five-to-seven year old male with Demma, or her mother Sarah, in the 1920 census.

It is of note that the Edwards’ household enumerator has Demma’s name misspelled, Willard’s name is practically illegible; and, daughter Eula is recorded as a son, Earl. Numerous scratches, marks, and over-writings indicate this was not an easy neighborhood for the enumerator, whose own signature is difficult to decipher, but appears to be A. Carl Workman. This does affect the quality of the census, overall, and should be factored in our consideration as to its completeness and accuracy.

A check of the other Williams sisters not residing with Sarah Ida for the presence of 1914-born James in the 1920 census reveals:

A. Retta, 27, is residing Fairmont, Ward 1, on Front Street (east side of the Monongahela) with second husband Lester Harris, son Von, 2, and newborn daughter, Jean. Lester is a driver for the American Laundry Company (per the 1923 City Directory) – Daisy and Amy Drusilla’s employer – further solidifying the family connections.

Retta and her first husband, Burton Parker, lost their son Davis in March 1913 at four months of age to “complications;” Burton then died from tuberculosis near Boothsville, Taylor county (at the Marion-Harrison-Taylor county lines intersection), where his father and stepmother were living, on 27 Dec 1913. Finally, Retta and Burton’s daughter, Clementine, died as an three-month-old infant. No birth record has been found on Clementine, but the death record of Marion county indicates she died on 17 Dec 1913¹¹. Her burial monument, however, was inscribed with a birth date of 24 Aug 1914 and death of 5 Dec 1914.¹² Either birth date eliminates the possibility of Retta/Rita being James’ mother, considering his birthdate of 21 Feb 1914. We are left with only Demma of child-bearing age in 1914 among Sarah and Harvey’s children.

B. Maida, 19, is married to John Reger, 29, and they are residing with John’s parents on Merchant Street in Fairmont, just a couple of blocks away from Retta. No James or other child of the age to be James is listed in their household.

C. Rebecca Genevieve (Jenerva Rebecca) is 16 and married to Frank Halle, age 21. Frank works as a driver and they are renting at 1101 Center Street, Fairmont (on the west side). No James or other children are listed in their residence.

So, where is James in 1920? And, conversely, Roy in 1930? Is he/they the James who was residing with Sarah Ida in the 1930 census, and described as her grandson? An exhaustive search of Gilmer, Marion, and Harrison county census reports for “James,” “James Whiting,” “Whiting,” of the appropriate age returned no results in 1920 that could be correlated to this James, nor for a Roy Williams or Roy Edwards in 1930.

“Ray Williams,” a 20-year-old boarder in St Mary’s, Pleasant County, West Virginia, in the 1930 census, is reported to be working as a bit-boy in the glass plant, but the similarity of name and age is the only indication this could be Roy Williams-Edwards.

The 1940 census and WWII registration records, however, reveal Roy Edwards residing in Fairmont, with Sarah Williams, where he is a gas station attendant. He is described as 5’11” tall and weighing 270 pounds. In the 1950 census records, Roy Edwards continues to reside with Sarah Ida Williams, remains single, described as Sarah’s grandson, and is now listed as a painter.

Sarah Ida Williams died in Marion County, West Virginia, in 1957, with the 10th Street address listed as her usual residence. She was buried in what was then called the Brick Church Cemetery in Lost Creek, Harrison County, West Virginia¹³. Her will leaves her property distributed with particularity and residual among her surviving daughters: Demma, Arretta, Madia, Rebecca, Irene, and Druzilla; and, some particular items to “my grandson Roy Bernard Edwards.¹⁴” There is no mention of James R Whiting in her will.

The Social Security Death Index reports a Roy Edwards, with a birthdate of April 8, 1910, and last reported residence in Fairmont, West Virginia, died in September 1975. So our Roy-James/James-Roy question is settled; they are, indeed, two separate people.

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Footnotes

1. We also find James with Sarah at the 11th Street address in the 1931 Fairmont Directory: Title: Fairmont, West Virginia, City Directory, 1931, pps. 406 and 409; Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011; and, with her at 206-10th Street (typesetter), in the 1933 Fairmont Directory: Fairmont, West Virginia, City Directory, 1933, pps. 352, 354. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. ↩︎
2. Fairmont, West Virginia, City Directory, 1927, p. 470-1. Source Information:
   Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Accessed 22 Dec 2025. ↩︎
3. Marion County, West Virginia, Death Certificates, Daisy Williamson [sic], 28 April 1927; digital images, West Virginia Vital Records Project (https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=1953330&frame=01950 : accessed 22 Dec 2025). ↩︎
4. Year: 1920; Census Place: Grant, Marion, West Virginia; Roll: T625_1962; Page: 25A; Enumeration District: 28 ↩︎
5. Harrison County, West Virginia, Death Certificates, Harvey H Williams 31 Oct 1918; digital images, West Virginia Vital Research Records Project (https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=1952759&frame=01061 : accessed 22 Dec 2025). ↩︎
6. Inventories, sale bills & settlements (Harrison County, West Virginia) : Vols. 52-54 1917-1919 (54 to 461) : Harvey H Williams, Sarah I Williams, administrator, final settlement, 4 Dec 1918. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89V1-S449?lang=en&i=715 : Accessed 22 Dec 2025). ↩︎
7. Gilmer County, West Virginia, Register of Marriages, George Edwards and Demma Williams 10 Sep 1915; digital images, West Virginia Vital Research Records Project (https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=808589&frame=00194 : accessed 9 Jan 2026). ↩︎
8. “West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3SY-S43X?view=explore : Jan 9, 2026), image 2225 of 3472; West Virginia. Division of Health. Vital Registration Office. Image Group Number: 008512907 ↩︎
9. “Harrison, West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89Z5-2XC8?view=explore : Jan 17, 2026), image 39 of 576; West Virginia. County Court (Harrison County).
   Image Group Number: 004012255 ↩︎
10. “West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3ST-6SRQ-Z?view=explore : Jan 9, 2026), image 2460 of 3475; West Virginia. Division of Health. Vital Registration Office. Image Group Number: 008512929 ↩︎
11. Marion County, West Virginia, Register of Deaths, Clematine Parker, 17 Dec 1913; digital images, West Virginia Vital Research Records Project (https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=834817&frame=00113 : accessed 16 Jan 2026). ↩︎
12. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89772405/clematine_alice-parker: accessed January 16, 2026), memorial page for Clematine Alice Parker (23 Aug 1914–5 Dec 1914), Find a Grave Memorial ID 89772405, citing Woodlawn Cemetery, Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia, USA; Maintained by S (contributor 47342597). ↩︎
13. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182271023/sarah_ida-williams: accessed March 23, 2026), memorial page for Sarah Ida Cain Williams (12 Nov 1870–16 May 1957), Find a Grave Memorial ID 182271023, citing Seventh Day Baptist Church Cemetery, Lost Creek, Harrison County, West Virginia, USA; Maintained by Ms. Shanny (contributor 48550075). ↩︎
14. “Marion, West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-HGSB-41?view=explore : Mar 23, 2026), image 383 of 684; West Virginia. County Court (Marion County).
    Image Group Number: 004715629 ↩︎

What we know, so far:

1. K.I. and the S.F. Whiting descendant siblings share DNA centiMorgans (cM) indicative of 2C-3C relationship¹, and the shared matches limit our shared relationship to the Whiting family, and may include S.F. Whiting’s first wife’s family, the Wades, in some manner.
2. GEDmatch analysis indicates K.I. has a 2C-3C relationship with descendants of the Williams-Cain family, both in shared cM reported and tree data presented.
3. K.I. reports a maternal grandfather’s name as “James Whiting,” ca. 1919-1986.
4. K.I.’s maternal-maternal line was traced by K.I.; GEDmatch tree analysis indicates what has been reported is substantially correct, and, there are no maternal-line matches which can be traced forward to the S.F. Whiting descendant siblings.
5. The location of the K.I. grandparent-couple relationship is presumed to be Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio (persistently the residence area of tested K.I. closely related, per documentation and social media research, matches).

FAN is a long-used investigatory process (though my recollection is first hearing it as “FNA – Friends, Neighbors, Associates,” from my father) that considers the currently-required physical requirements for completion of a process, and who else might have information about that process.  If the suspected burglar has absconded via automobile, who might know what type of auto is involved? The relative who recently sold it to the suspect? The mechanic who worked on it and might know what condition the auto is in? The neighbor who may notice the vehicle’s presence or absence? And, who is in their network to whom the burglar might look for refuge? etc.

Prior to in-vitro fertilization, both parties needed to be in the same location to achieve a fertilized egg. Except, perhaps, in the case of assault (which should never not be considered or discounted), the parties may have had some in-common friends or associates. How would they know one another? Was it likely, or even possible, to travel between their locations in the pertinent timeframe? Some neighborhoods may even reveal a Gladys Kravitz-type who acted as an instigator, witness, storyteller, or community news agent!

The Whiting Family

Samuel E Whiting (1776-1856) and his wife, Sarah Lancaster (1781-1826), were born and married in Sussex County, England. They’d had six children when they immigrated to America, arriving in New York on 12 May 1823:

It has been reported for many years (with no documentation located) that they remained in the New York area for a couple of years, then made their way to Gilmer County, West Virginia (no documentation of this initial foray has been located, either), before moving to the Bath County, Virginia, area. That Sarah Lancaster “died in her chair” at Elk Mountain in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, is only documented in family biographies². Samuel then married Jane Hannah in Pocahontas County, in 1831.

Samuel and Sarah’s daughter Ann Whiting (b. 1809) is presumed to have died sometime between their arrival in New York and prior to the 1840 census when one male age 20-29, and one female 15-19, are living with Samuel and Jane. Son Ebenezer is known to have remained in Pocahontas County with Samuel, and would match the age range for the male 20-29; daughter Mary may have been over 20, by some accounts, and because she did not marry Thomas Sleeth until, reportedly, 1851, we presume she is the younger female reported in the household.

By the mid-1850s, four of the five surviving children (and spouses, if married) were present in the central West Virginia area: Mercy, who married Elias Varner; Samuel, who married Mary Susanna Varner; Robert, who married Sarah Jane McCray; and, Mary, who married Thomas J Sleeth.

Based on the cM matches with K.I., upon review of the shared cM estimates in the literature, particularly the Shared cM Tool (and subsequent revisions), it seems our shared MRCA – Most Recent Common Ancestor – would be among the children of Robert Whiting/Sarah Jane McCray, and, even more likely, one of their grandchildren considering our average shared cM of 125, which fits quite nicely next to the average of 123 cM for 2C1R:

	K.I.	Sib 1	Sib 2	Sib 3	Sib 4
K.I.		178.6	126.4	104.0	93.5
Sib 1	178.6		2524.0	2677.2	2670.0
Sib 2	126.4	2524.0		2696.1	2488.5
Sib 3	104.0	2677.2	2696.1		2680.6
Sib 4	93.5	2670.0	2488.5	2680.6

So, our focus narrowed to the children of Robert Whiting and Sarah McCray. Given the Whiting surname in the query from K.I., and a potential birth date in the early 20th century, we focused on the Whiting-McCray sons – Samuel (1851-1910), Robert (1853-1944), and Mathew (1860-?) – and their sons, first.

Whiting-McCray Sons

No record was located of a relationship or marriage for the youngest son, Mathew. In fact, the biographies written of the family indicate that in his 20s, Mathew, “…went west and was never heard from again.” He had served on a jury in Gilmer County in 1884,³ and in 1890, his siblings quit-claim to him the deed on 140 acres on Cedar Creek, Gilmer County, West Virginia, as heirs to the estate of their father, Robert Whiting.⁴ By 1895, however, M.H. Whiting is surrendering this property to trustee John Withers in debtor’s proceedings.⁵

Mathew is not found in the Gilmer County 1900 census record. The available evidence directs us to a Mathew Whiting who was found in a 1900 census record from Webster County, West Virginia (not west of the Gilmer area; did someone mis-speak or was mis-heard as west for Webster?). This record indicates Mathew — who matches our Mathew’s description as having been born January 1860, single, with a father born in England and mother in West Virginia — was working as a log camp manager.⁶

In August 1900, “M.H. Whiting” is appointed as an estimator in a timber dispute⁷ in Webster County; Mathew, brother Samuel F., and father Robert were all heavily involved in the timber business in Gilmer County and along the Little Kanawha River so this would have been an area of extensive experience for Mathew H. Whiting.

Then, “M.H. Whiting” sold his horses, gear, camp set-up, and other household goods to Henry Spies in Webster County, on 9 April 1902,⁸ and no further records are located, either in West Virginia or a general nationwide search, that can be confidently associated with the West Virginia Mathew H Whiting.

Robert and Sarah’s middle son, Robert Stuart Whiting (1853-1944), married Mary Jane Davis and had a family of ten children, with only one reported childhood death; six sons and three daughters survived to adulthood. Their eldest, John Edward, was born in 1873, and their youngest child, Clark Mathew Whiting, was born in 1892.

After Mary Jane died in 1895, Robert Stuart had a short, unsuccessful marriage which produced no children. The census records indicate he resumed his status as a widower (though the second wife survived) by 1910. He was likely physically capable of procreation in 1910-1920, being 57-67 years of age, and listed as working on his own farm in the 1920 census, but no reference to or record of fathering any children after Clark is located.

All of Robert’s sons except Clark would have been adults by 1910, so let’s scroll back to that 1910 census record…and check where Robert’s sons were at the time.

Eldest son John Edward married Gay Danley, of another DeKalb family, in 1905 and they had made their home in Camden-on-Gauley, Webster Counter, through the 1920 census.

David Ivan Whiting was in Brooklyn in 1900, working as a bookkeeper and living on Lafayette Avenue (one block from DeKalb Street!). He married in New York in 1904 and his two sons were born there, in 1906 and 1907. A 1910 census record has not yet been located, but by the date of his World War I registration card (12 Sep 1918), David, his wife Sadie, and their sons Stuart and Morison had relocated to Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia, where David was a foreman in the glass plant. He remained in the Clarksburg area.

Charles Franklin Whiting, in 1910, is a 33-year-old father of one, married and living in Clarksburg, Harrison County, as a tanner. He and wife Bertha Beall (another DeKalb family) had lost their eldest child, Ruby, sometime between her Jan 1905 birth and the census date.

Meanwhile, back in Gilmer county, in DeKalb household 323 (family 325) is Robert’s son, Everett French Whiting, who, in 1910, was a twenty-six year old head of family who has been married for two years to Nora Curry. French and Nora on 13 May 1910 are residing with Nora’s mother, Sarah Curry (66). Also included in the household is their daughter, Virginia, who is reported to be 1-3/12 years old.

Five households away from Everett French Whiting’s place, in household 318, is the Harvey Williams family, including daughter Demma, age 19, and newborn grandson, Roy Williams.

Roy Williams : James Whiting

K.I. inquired about, and reported in an Ancestry tree, James R Whiting with a birth year of 1919. His death was reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1986, but he apparently died in Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia. (Death certificates from 1986 are not yet available to researchers; a cemetery card on K.I.’s tree indicates James was cremated in Washington, Pennsylvania, which may have been the nearest crematorium to Lewis County in 1986.) Still, we ask: Is Roy, James? Is James, Roy?

We returned to our research, moved on to 1920, and re-checked the family listings.

Everett French Whiting is now a 36-year-old farmer, with wife Nora (33), as well as mother-in-law Sarah Curry living in the household. (Amazingly, Sarah has aged 20 years in the ten-year-timespan between the 1910 and 1920 census – now reported as 87 years old and reminding us how fluid ages can be on census records!) Little Virginia named on the 1910 census had not survived, but by 1920, French and Nora had added Floy Kathleen (1911), James Almond (1914), Robert Curry (1916), and Raymond Marie (1918) to their family.

Oh, wait! What’s that? James Almond Whiting born in 1914? Let’s check that out!

French reported James Almond’s birth as having occurred on 7 Feb 1914, and Eda Nora (Curry) Whiting as the mother. It is noted there are no other Whiting births reported in Gilmer County during 1914, a time when birth reports were dependent upon doctors or midwives (if used), but usually family members, making the report to the County Clerk’s office.

Regardless, at this point, James Almond Whiting, born 1914, seems the most similar possibility within the known Whiting descendants to the James Whiting, born ca. 1919, being sought by K.I. So, a forward record search commenced.

On his 16 Oct 1940 registration with the Department of Selective Service, James Almond Whiting is residing in Laurel, Howard County, Maryland, working at Highland Farms, and lists as his contact his brother Raymond M Whiting who is also in Laurel: James A Whiting is employed by Highland Farmes [sic], reported as 5′ 11″ in height, 175 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

James had married Pauline P Ash, a native of Doddridge County, West Virginia, in Richmond with a Frederick County, Virginia, license, on 27 April 1940. At that time, he reported his occupation at the time as “laborer.” Raymond is listed with their father, French, in Doddridge County, on the 1940 U.S. census report of April, but, James and Pauline have not been located in Doddridge County or Howard County, Maryland, or surrounding areas in the 1940 census.

Continuing our forward search, we learn that James Almond Whiting and Pauline Ash had several children, and remained in Maryland for the duration of their married life. James, his father, and his brother Raymond all report being employed in racing; James and his father are residing next door to each other in 1950. The occupation, familial, and residential history do not support James Almond being able to be involved with another family located a 10-12 hour drive away in the mid-late 1950s to early 1970s time period, but stranger things have happened (and do!).

In another interesting twist of events, James Almond Whiting also expired in 1986 (cited by K.I. as the year-of-death for the James Whiting in their search), but in November of that year, and in Olney, Maryland. This does not match the April 5, 1986, death in Lewis County, West Virginia, reported by K.I..

Despite the obvious similarities, these are significant discrepancies, and no evidence to indicate that James Almond Whiting was the James R Whiting who allegedly fathered a child in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1950s.

But wait, there’s more!

During the study of James Almond Whiting, a 1940 census report for another West Virginia-native James Whiting was uncovered.

Line 29, page 3 of 28 of the census made at the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond, Virginia, on April 23, 1940, reads:

  NAME         RELA.  S  R  AGE MS SCH GRD  POB   RESIDENCE, APRIL 1, 1935
Whiting, James 39926  M  W  25  S   No  3   W.Va. Moundsville  West Virginia

This is the first “other” James Whiting to have such similar demographics, so the research into there being a real, second James — not James A, nor Roy B — started up.

I admit that my imagination concocted all sorts of connections and stories.

Perhaps French and Nora, particularly in light of the loss of Virginia – and a mother-in-law living with them <spoken as a mother-in-law!> – had some troubles. Did French seek comfort elsewhere and find both his wife and his paramour expecting sons in the same month?

Is this James found in the Virginia penitentiary even related to K.I.’s James? Can we find a Whiting family in Moundsville or the general area in the 1930 census or 1935 directory who had a 15-year-old son named James? Moundsville, being in the Ohio-Pennsylvania panhandle of West Virginia, is certainly nearer the Cleveland area that might lead to contacts and connections. It is also home to the West Virginia State Penitentiary.

Have we eliminated the possibility of Roy Williams later using the name James? Where are Roy and the James-es between 1910 and 1940? Are there enough testers in the extended family to include or exclude French as the potential ancestor to K.I. within the match list limitations at Ancestry or My Heritage?

At this point, it’s been over four years since the initial K.I. correspondence was received and responded to, with lots of changes at the testing and research sites, as well as the launch, and occasional demise, of DNA-tool sites — and new, related, but as-of-yet-unidentified, testers. But, attempts to reconnect with K.I. to share research strategies have been left unanswered.

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Footnotes

1. Blaine T. Bettinger, JD, PhD, “The Shared cM Project 4.0 tool v4,” DNA Painter (https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4).
   Bettinger provided the Shared cM data, self-reported by (and likely to contain some errors) from actual test taker data. Blaine T. Bettinger, “The Shared cM Project, Version 4.0 (March 2020),” The Genetic Genealogist, PDF online (https://thegeneticgenealogist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Shared-cM-Project-Version-4.pdf). Also see “AncestryDNA Matching White Paper,” AncestryDNA, 31 March 2016 (https://www.ancestry.com/dna/resource/whitePaper/AncestryDNA-Matching-White-Paper). ↩︎
2. Bicentennial Biographies, Gilmer County, West Virginia. Edited by The Gilmer County Historical Society, Copyright 1976: Gilmer County Historical Society,
   Glenville, W.Va. Samuel Whiting submission by Clay Whiting, descendant: Samuel, Sr. and his wife, Sarah, moved to Jackson River in Bath County, Virginia, and then to Elk near Big Springs where Mrs. Whiting died unexpectedly. ↩︎
3. “Gilmer, West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C34Z-Q341-Q?view=explore : Dec 18, 2025), image 612 of 778; .
   Image Group Number: 008614418 ↩︎
4. “Gilmer, West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-8QZJ-6?view=explore : Dec 18, 2025), image 381 of 555; .
   Image Group Number: 008293329 ↩︎
5. “Gilmer, West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37T-LTV?view=explore : Dec 19, 2025), image 86 of 559; .
   Image Group Number: 008589434 ↩︎
6. Year: 1900; Census Place: Hacker Valley, Webster, West Virginia; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 0136; FHL microfilm: 1241776 ↩︎
7. “Webster, West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89VT-CKNH?view=explore : Dec 19, 2025), image 369 of 824; .
   Image Group Number: 007616858 ↩︎
8. “Webster, West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37T-9K6M?view=explore : Dec 19, 2025), image 124 of 289; .
   Image Group Number: 008589058 ↩︎

K.I. tested at Ancestry, and uploaded or tested at MyHeritage, and also uploaded results to GEDmatch. Close family members to K.I. also tested at Ancestry and tested and/or uploaded to FamilyTreeDNA. Comparison and available triangulation tools indicated a relationship between K.I. and their family with my family through our Whiting ancestors, almost assuredly a child or grandchild of Robert Whiting (1813-1872). The Whiting lineage has been extensively documented by myself, other near and distant cousins, and particularly cousins and fellow immigrant-Whiting descendant sisters Mary and Doris Radabaugh¹ . However, a meticulous review of these works and documents found no historically documented relationship which would lead to K.I.

GEDmatch comparisons also indicated a K.I. relationship with a child of Harvey H Williams and Sarah Ida Cain, also of the DeKalb area of Gilmer County, West Virginia, so research into these connections commenced.

Ida and Harvey were married in Gilmer County, West Virginia, in September 1899, had daughter Demma May in December 1890, and a second daughter, Areeta (also known/seen as Arreta, Aretta, and, eventually Rita) Gay, in October 1892.

However, married life seems to have soured over the next couple of years as suits were then filed for divorce. Sarah Ida was granted leave to file an amended bill in “Ida Williams vs. H H Williams” on 5 Oct 1894, but, Ida’s suit was eventually dismissed without prejudice or charges on 12 Feb 1895 as the Court found itself unable to grant the relief requested.

Harvey continued to pursue the matter and was granted a divorce, along with custody of the girls, on 3 Oct 1895:

In an interesting turn of events, Harvey and Ida were soon back together, and on 30 Aug 1899, were remarried in Gilmer County:

By the time of the 1900 census, Harvey and Ida were residing on Crooked Run, Gilmer County, with their two daughters – Demma M, age 9; and, Arreta G, age 7. Harvey’s reported occupation was that of groceries merchant:

The Williams’ family neighbors on the 1900 census were the Carders, Hersman, and Hinzman families on one side; with James Furr, Samuel Kelly, and John Wright their neighbors on the other, all enumerated on the 23rd day of June, 1900, in the Eastern District of Crooked Run Precinct, Gilmer County, West Virginia, specifically Enumeration District 29, by Luther E Roberts.

ED 29 is described as, “Center dist (pt), all of dist in the Cedarville voting pct and that part in Crooked Run pct east of and above the Glenville, Ripley and Ohio Turnpike.” That road is now U.S. Route 33/119, and Crooked Run is a tributary to Cedar Creek about 3.5 miles (as the crow flies) upstream from the Cedar Creek mouth at DeKalb into the Little Kanawha River.

Harvey and Ida continued to add daughters to their family, including Maida Pearl (1900), Rebecca Jenerva (1904), Irene (1906), Daisy Bell (1909), and Amy Druzilla (1911).

The 1910 census indicates the Williams family were then on a rented farm and were the neighbors of the William Westfall and Floyd Furr families on one side, and the William Cain, Enoch Furr, John McDonald, Charles Wiant, and French Whiting families on the other. R.F. Westfall enumerated the area on the 12th day of May, 1910, described as Part of the Center Magisterial District of Gilmer County, West Virginia, specifically Enumeration District 37; page 17. ED 37 comprised the, “Center Magisterial dist (pt), Cedarville Pct, Letter Gap Pct.”

The 1910 Williams detailed household listing reports²:

(page 33/35 – Sheet 17A)
31/320 – Williams, Harvy [sic?] H – Head – M W 57 M1 21 Farmer on Gen. farm, Renter
—, Ida – Wife – F W 38 M1 21 6 ch born 6 ch living
—, Demma – Daughter – F W 19 S [nothing noted in maternity boxes]
—, Madie – Daughter – F W 9 S
—, Rebecca – Daughter – F W 6 S
(page 34/35 – Sheet 17B)
—, Irene – Daughter F W 3 S
—, Belle – Daughter F W 1 S
—, Roy – Grandson – M W 0/12 S

Assuming Mr. Westfall was well-versed with, and following, the Enumerator Instructions for the 1910 form, an age of 0/12 would mean that Roy – described as a grandson – had been born within the month prior to Census Day, April 15, 1910.

Only Demma or Arreta are of age to bear a grandchild to Harvey and Sarah Ida. Demma is accounted for in the census, but is listed as single, and no response is provided in the blanks asking about childbirth (although the information was inquired of and reported on Sarah Ida). So, where is Aretta?

A comprehensive search of the West Virginia census reports found “Aretia Williams,” a single female of 17, working as a servant for the Wilber S Mayers family in Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia. In fact she was enumerated in their household on the third day of May, 1910, by Rufus E Morgan. Aretia was reported has having been born in West Virginia, as were her parents, and that she is literate. She is listed as single, but, again, without any response to the maternity questions of the 1910 census. Aretta Williams, daughter of Sarah and Harvey, was reported as seven years of age in the 1900 census; the 17 years of age reported on Aretia in the 1910 census form correlates with that.

While it seems unlikely a seventeen-year-old would be at residential work many miles away from her home just a few weeks after giving birth, it’s not unimaginable, so further documentation on this grandson Roy Williams was sought.

A record³ of Roy’s birth was found in Gilmer County. It is out of order, and only found within the transcribed, typewritten record books without original images or evidence of a delayed certificate issued (which might cite supporting evidence). At some point in time, Sarah I. Williams, “grandmother,” reported the single, live birth of a white male named Roy Bernard Edwards as having occurred on 8 Apr 1910 in Glenville, and reported his parents as “George Wesley Edwards, father,” and “Demma May Williams Edwards” as his mother.

In the meantime, a tree uploaded by K.I. indicated their grandfather was “James Whiting,” who passed away in Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia, in 1986, and I was soon contacted by K.I. inquiring as to any information I could share about a James Whiting, ca. 1919-1986, who died in West Virginia.

Was Roy actually James? Or, James actually Roy? Was his/their father an Edwards or a Whiting? Where would the connection be? K.I.’s match was pretty strongly hinting at a 2C-3C group relationship.

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Footnotes

1. The families of Ephraim and Maria Conger Davis and Robert and Sarah Jane McCray Whiting, compiled by Doris A Radabaugh and Mary E Radabaugh. Rev. May 2005. https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/113849/?offset=3&return=1#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q= ↩︎
2. Year: 1910; Census Place: Center, Gilmer, West Virginia; Roll: T624_1680; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 0037; FHL microfilm: 1375693 ↩︎
3. Gilmer County, West Virginia, Register of Births, Roy Bernard Edwards 8 Apr 1910; digital images, West Virginia Vital Research Records Project (https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=808256&frame=00393 : accessed 16 Jan 2026). ↩︎

As we began branching out <ha! pun intended!> with incorporating DNA alongside traditional genealogy methods, several members of our families were interested in testing, or, at minimum, agreed to test under our management. So, by early 2017, we had nearly a dozen tests with which to work, and had confirmed, genetically, branches to whom we’d previously assigned genealogical relationships by historical methods.

We began noting, too, those who could not be placed in the family tree, at least as understood, historically. One in particular, K.I. (and their immediate relatives), had tested at Ancestry and also uploaded results or re-tested at additional sites: MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, and GEDMatch. By mid-2017, K.I. constituted the largest match to my siblings and me yet unplaced, and except for brief periods by since-solved matches, K.I. and their immediate relatives have held that position.

Ancestry’s Pro Tools Enhanced shared match features, along with analyses through WATO, BanyanDNA, and DNA-Sci, have certainly – within the limits of the science and statistics currently available – solved my K.I. riddle, as well as additional, related mystery matches uncovered, and this series is my informal, cited, narrative proof summary.

DeKalb, West Virginia

The little village of DeKalb, West Virginia, was home to the Stalnaker Plantation and it was assumed, in 1845, DeKalb was going to be the county seat for the newly-created Gilmer County (carved out from parts of Lewis and Kanawha counties). The village of Glenville, however, was selected. In addition to the old Native American migration trail (now, State Rt. 5), the U.S. 33/119 route, aka the “Glenville-Ripley-Ohio Turnpike,” also went through Glenville, providing access to the seat of government from more areas of the county to Glenville than DeKalb.

However, Glenville had no court facilities or jail, so DeKalb remained the de facto seat, if not the official seat, and reportedly lobbied to have the decision reconsidered. At some point, the official records were “spirited out of DeKalb under the cover of darkness,” and taken to Glenville, and the county seat issue was concluded.

The village of DeKalb then began to decline. The population and resources in the area dwindled, and DeKalb eventually lost even its U.S. post office in 1941.

The Families of the Neighborhood

Among those at the confluence of Enumeration Districts 37, 38, and 39 of the DeKalb and Center Districts in the 1910 U.S. Federal census¹ were the Samuel Fletcher Whiting family (see an intro to SFW, here), the Ernest L. Radabaugh family, the Beall/Bell and Davis families, several Cain families, and Harvey H Williams, who had married Sarah E Cain – twice – and their family.

Samuel Fletcher Whiting (1851-1910) was first married on 5 Nov 1874² to Sarah Elizabeth Wade (1858-1895), one of at least ten children of Dennis O Wade and Lucinda Jane Townsend. SFW and Sarah E. had seven children: Estella (“Esta”) in 1875, Lee Roy in 1877, Devery in 1878 (who died prior to the 1880 census), Daisy in 1879, Jessie in 1884, Hallie in 1888, and Clyde in 1889.  There may have been other children, given the gaps between, for instance, Daisy and Jessie, but no records confirming any other births have been located. Sarah Elizabeth Wade Whiting died on the ninth day of April, 1895, at 36 years of age.³

The 1900 census⁴ indicates SFW, widower, was head of the Whiting household which included his eldest daughter, Esta, and her husband of five years, Bert, and their son – SFW’s three-year-old grandson – Herbert; SFW’s eldest son, Lee, with his wife, Hattie, and their six-month-old daughter, Lillian; as well as the three youngest children of SFW and Sarah: Jessie, Hallie, and Clyde. Daughter Daisy had married Mack Danley, a teamster, and their household was near the John S Bell household in the DeKalb district.

The next property upstream, along the same side of Cedar Creek, from SFW was that of his eldest sister, Rebecca, her husband, Charles Wiant, and their adopted son, Carl. Carl’s biological mother was SFW’s sister-in-law, Martha Wade, who died during childbirth at age 18. Her widower, Granville Miller, allowed the Wiants to adopt baby Carl.

Across Cedar Creek from SFW’s land was the residence of Malinda Ellyson (1866-1951) and her second husband, Ernest L. Radabaugh (1868-1911).

Malinda was the daughter of Sarah Woodford and John Ellyson of Sinking Creek. 18-year-old Malinda had married 34-year-old William Henry Brannon (1850-1886) on 12 Mar 1885⁵. W.H. Brannon reported the death of their unnamed female infant on 21 Aug 1885⁶, and Malinda reported the birth of their daughter Matella on 19 June 1886 at Cedar Creek, into the Gilmer County records.

William Henry, commonly called Henry, was a descendant of the Brannon and Beall families of the area, his father being Henry Bascom Brannon and his mother Jemima Permelia Beall; both the Brannon and Beall families lived in the immediate DeKalb area. Henry Bascom Beall and Jemima Permelia Bell are household 8 in the 1870 U.S. Census of DeKalb District, while Robert Whiting and Sarah J McCray, the parents of Samuel Fletcher Whiting, et al., are household 9.⁷

William Henry Brannon’s property had been settled by the Joseph Hardman family in 1817. They established the first mill in the DeKalb district near the mouth of, what else, Mill Hollow Run.

According to Minnie Kendall Lowther’s History of Ritchie County, the Hardmans arrived in Lewis (Gilmer) County with three children and⁸ the last two – Benjamin and George Washington Hardman – were born on Cedar Creek. The Hardman children migrated to Calhoun, Roane and Ritchie Counties. … James H. and Christena Beall Cain later lived in the Hardman house with their five children.

William Henry Brannon bought the Cain property, and this is where he brought his bride, Malinda Ellyson upon their marriage, where they lost their first infant, and where their daughter Matella was born in June 1886⁹.

In September 1886, William Henry Brannon died suddenly at 36 years of age. The Gilmer County Banner of September 24, 1886, is reported as having published on page three of its issue number 16 of Volume III¹⁰:

William Henry Brannon died Monday evening of paralysis. He had just passed through a severe spell of fever. One day last week he went from his home on Cedar Creek to his father-in-law's, John Ellyson, on Sinking Creek, and was there stricken down with paralysis from which he died Monday evening about six o'clock.

John Ellyson signed as Malinda’s surety on her administratrix and guardian bonds ($400 each) at the Glenville courthouse in November 1887¹¹.

Ernest L. Radabaugh (1868-1911) was a native of Barbour County, West Virginia, who arrived, with his parents and his siblings, in Gilmer County sometime between the 1870 and 1880 U.S. federal censuses. They lived in the Trace Fork area northeast of the village of DeKalb.

On 17 March 1889, Ernest married the young widow Malinda Ellyson Brannon (1866-1951)¹² and they proceeded to keep house at the Cedar Creek property. By all evidence, Malinda’s daughter, Matella (“May”) Brannon, continued to reside with Malinda’s parents after her re-marriage, rather than her mother and Ernest.¹³

Malinda’s mother, Sarah, reported the births of Ethel Radabaugh on 25 Dec 1889, and, of Maud Radabaugh on 27 Aug 1892. The 9 May 1896 birth of Oren Radabaugh to Malinda Ellyson and Ernest Lee Radabaugh was registered in the books of Gilmer County by an unknown source.¹⁴ Sarah, again, registered the birth of Thelma Paulina of 16 Sept 1904. Hoy B’s 11 Sept 1907 birth was registered by his father, E.L. Radabaugh.

Malinda and Ernest’s son Oren Radabaugh married another DeKalb native, Evelyn Elizabeth Davis, who was a Beall/Bell descendant through her maternal grandfather Alfred Beall. Evelyn was also a Whiting relative through her paternal grandmother, Louvernia Whiting (1848-1942), another sister of SFW. This made Evelyn a 2C1R to her husband Oren’s half-sister, Matella, but no historic genealogical relation to Oren.

The Mysteries

The tools available at the DNA sites at the time left us with three mysterious matches:

• Where does K.I. and their kin fit into this scenario?
• Why does A.B. [name disguised], who, according to their DNA kit manager, is a descendant of Oren and Evelyn, match the descendants of Samuel and Sarah at such significant amounts – 276cM on average, rather than an expected amount of 73cM – based on the tree associated with the kit?
• Adoptees C.B. and M.F. also have shared matches within this group, but how?

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Footnotes

1. “United States, Census, 1910,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPJC-WQW : Sun Oct 19 13:47:12 UTC 2025), Entry for S Fletcher Whiting and Gertrude Whiting, 1910. ↩︎
2. “Gilmer County, West Virginia, Marriage Record No. 1 and 2 – Copy,” p. 20, S.F. Whiting-Sarah E. Wade, 5 Nov 1874; digital images, West Virginia Vital Records Research, https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=808589&frame=00116 ↩︎
3. “Find a Grave Index”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVL1-K2KZ : Wed Apr 02 16:14:40 UTC 2025), Entry for Sarah Elizabeth Wade Whiting. Also, Whiting Family Traditions, Jo Craddock, compiler (MSS notes, ca. 1969-2005); private held by Craddock, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Hallie Whiting Craddock’s mother died when she was six years of age, reported by Hallie Whiting Craddock, ca. 1969. ↩︎
4. “United States, Census, 1900”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9CN-C81 : Thu May 29 17:47:07 UTC 2025), Entry for Samuel F Whiting and Estella Withers, 1900. ↩︎
5. “Gilmer County, West Virginia, Marriage Records,” Brannon – Ellyson, 12 Mar 1885; digital images, West Virginia Vital Records Research, https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=808589&frame=00131 ↩︎
6. “Gilmer County, West Virginia, Death Records,” Brannon, ——-, 12 Aug 1885; digital images, West Virginia Vital Records Research, https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=808255&frame=00013. ↩︎
7. Year: 1870; Census Place: De Kalb, Gilmer, West Virginia; Roll: M593_1686; Page: 198B; Family History Library Film: 553185 ↩︎
8. Radabaugh, Doris M & Mary E. Radabaugh, compilers, The Families of Ephraim and Maria Conger Davis and Robert and Sarah Jane McCray Whiting. Parkersburg, West Virginia, D.M. Radabaugh, 2005. ↩︎
9. “Gilmer County, West Virginia, Birth Records,” p. 19E, Brannon, Matella, female live birth, 19 Jun 1886; digital images, West Virginia Vital Records Research, https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=808256&frame=00038 ↩︎
10. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131317096/william-henry-brannon ↩︎
11. “Gilmer, West Virginia, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99K9-BDQY?view=explore : Mar 23, 2026), image 62 of 376; .
    Image Group Number: 007618719 ↩︎
12. “Gilmer County, West Virginia, Marriage Record No. 1 and 2 – Copy,” p. 41, Ernest Radabaugh-Malinda Brannon, 17 Mar 1889; digital images, West Virginia Vital Records Research, https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=808589&frame=00137 ↩︎
13. “United States, Census, 1900,” Census Place: De Kalb, Gilmer, West Virginia; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 0030; FHL microfilm: 1241758. Page 38A, entry for May Brannon, 1900. ↩︎
14. “Gilmer County, West Virginia, Birth Records,” p. 141F, Oren Radabaugh, 9 May 1896; digital images, West Virginia Vital Records Research, https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=808256&frame=00231 ↩︎