I knew I couldn’t take a break on genealogy/DNA. My mind is always thinking. The who, what, where, and when. I watch too many cops and robbers shows. It’s the blood hound in me. I will find my man aka person.

This morning at breakfast with the girls I showed them my stack (no kidding) of papers clipped together that I’d been researching. I have a common last name (Mattocks) with two third cousins and two fourth cousins on Ancestry DNA. They all have the same great, great, grandparents, Daniel and Prudence Mattocks. The two third cousins even go further and have the same great, grandparents of Daniel and Cordellia Mattocks. The fourth cousins have Daniel’s brother Peter as their great, grandparent. WHEW!

So, here is what I’ve done. I’ve taken Daniel and Prudence and wrote the names of their children, birthdates, death, marriage, and their children. Then, I’ve taken the children who they married and their children and who they married. You see where I’m going here.

They started out in New Jersey, went to Pennsylvania, then on to Iowa. From Iowa some branched out to Minnesota, California, and Idaho. A few stayed in Pennsylvania. I’m tracing the ones who went to Iowa and Minnesota.

I’m looking for a male born around 1919 or 1920 who went to Austin, Minnesota. So far no such luck. I will keep looking. A white board like the police have so I can write it down and follow the dots, people, would be nice. Maybe stickies all over my office wall.

I could wait until a second cousin pops up on my DNA so it would be easier, maybe. Guess I’ll go check my DNA and see if someone new has come up. Will keep you posted.

Until then…………………