My challenge

As my regular readers know, I have had three challenges in my family history.

My great great grandmother Rebecca Jackson, tried in 1847 in Lifford, Donegal , Ireland and sent out to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) for the crime of larceny – stealing wearing apparel. Here are links to her stories. Convict background, her husband, visiting Ireland and National Archives, Donegal Outrage papers, Lifford Gaol, Archives at Lifford, Newspaper reports,

My second challenge was my great great grandfather Captain William Smith, a half Samoan whaling captain born around 1840 in the Navigator Islands according to some documents I found. He was given the name William Smith when he arrived in Hobart Town as a young teenager on a whaling ship. Here is a link to a slide show I presented at a family history society meeting about the captain.

My third and on going challenge is finding out about my paternal grandfather, Alan William Wyatt, and his parents. My father is my problem relative with very little known about his father and his relatives; Dad’s mother’s father is not who we thought he was hence now not related to the Samoan whaling captain and Dad’s grandmother also has unknown heritage.

According to Ancestry DNA dad has 180 4th cousins or closer – I have only identified 11 of them.

According to MyHeritage, he has over 3000 matches – I have identified 7 – five of which are kits I manage.

According to FTDNA, he has 196 matches – I have identified 5 – four of which are kits I manage.

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