“I must admit that I have always been a bit embarrassed to admit that I cannot prove the origins of my own surname. I have been researching my family tree for more than thirty years and have found most of my ancestors back into the 1700s with quite a few families traced even further back. Yet there has always been one glaring exception: the origins of my EASTMAN ancestors.”
So begins this interesting article by Dick Eastman (of Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter fame). Dick had researched the brick wall in his paternal line for years without much luck, but recently peered through the brick wall with the help of genetic genealogy. The answer to his mystery was hiding in every cell of his body.
After learning of Dick’s brick wall, Katherine Hope Borges of ISOGG volunteered to start the Eastman DNA Project to help him and others learn more about the surname. Through that project, Dick learned that he is related to “the others who are known descendants of Roger Eastman, the 1638 immigrant.” Although the exact line of descent is unclear, he is now able to focus his research to save both time and money.
In addition to Dick’s article, Katherine has a write-up of the story at the Southern California Genealogical Society.
I have three sites but since I met Dick and he shared his story with me and we are kin I wanted to share this with others. I had that problem with my JONES lineage but YDNA solved the major problem even though a grandfather name is missing. My lineage and letters proved link but the father’s name was not stated on letter only the grandfathers. So YDNA can link and I had a link on the MTDNA on Mom’s side also what a shock that was. I only did it for the Lost Colony potential link but was lucky and found another relative, though distant.
http://susischattyperformances.blogspot.com/
http://www.ourfamilyhistories.com/hsdurbin/