The Genealogy of William Mortensen Vaughan

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Merle's Final Family Reunion, September 7, 2024

www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/uov6u7y79v87595w3oqky/20240907-Merles_Final_Family_Reunion.mp4

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Introduction

For those who would rather do their own research than trust anything I have to say, I, William Mortensen Vaughan, am the son of William Knowlton Vaughan-3998 (KWJ6-DCK) and Merle Allen (née Mortensen) (G7GC-JBG). My FamilyTreeDNA Kit Number is 157904. My GEDmatch Kit Number is FC6733318, and my ID 1369118. My searchable AncestryDNA ID is William Mortensen Vaughan.

My DNA Tests:

I have had the following tests done on my DNA:

    * Autosomal (AncestryDNA and FamilyTreeDNA's Family Finder)
    * Mitochondrial (FamilyTreeDNA's mtFull)
    * Y-DNA (FamilyTreeDNA's Big Y-700)

I have also had FamilyTreeDNA's FamilyFinder, mtFull, and Big Y-700 tests done on patrilineal descendants of both of my great-grandfathers on my mother's side: a Mormon polygamist, Morten Peder Andersen-5202 (KWJD-SYX), and a Pony Express Rider, Erastus Julius Smith (Sørensen-4804)(KWCL-TJW).

How Are We Related?

If you're reading this introduction, it is, I presume, because you want to know how I'm related to you or someone you know. The information above should give you a few good places to look for those answers.

We Are All Related!

How often have you heard someone say something such as, "He's not kin to me!" or "We're not related!"?

As far as I'm concerned, all creatures in the Animal Kingdom are related; if we are all related to reptiles, we are all certainly related to each other, so the question is not "Are we related?" The obvious answer to that question is "Yes." The questions are "How closely are we related?" and "How well can we prove it?" The answers to these questions change as technology advances, and more information becomes available.

Labels

In this blog, I intend to write and publish the following kinds of posts:

Biographies (labeled "Biographies")
Reviews of Genealogical Websites (labeled "Reviews")
Walk-Throughs (labeled "Walk-Thrus")

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

My Big Y-700 Results by William Mortensen Vaughan

(This post was originally posted in 2023.)

At first, none of my Big Y-700 matches were surnamed "Vaughan," nor any name remotely resembling "Vaughan," so I assume that I am descended from at least one adulterer.

I had FamilyTreeDNA conduct my Big Y-700 test in 2021. I also ordered an upgrade to my Y-DNA test, as well as their Family Finder and mitochondrial DNA tests, in 2020, and they had me resubmit a fresh sample of saliva, so the sample used for the Big Y test was only about a year old.

According to FamilyTreeDNA, as of February 1, 2023, I had twenty-one Big Y-700 DNA matches, none of whom were surnamed "Vaughan," or anything remotely resembling "Vaughan."* Their surnames were as follows:

Boyd,
Freeman,
Henson,
James,
Jones (five matches),
Mattox,
Mayfield,
McClain (three matches),
McKoy,
Phillips,
Walter,
Watkins (two matches),
Wright, and
Yarbrough

Of these, the one that interested me the most was James. That's because the FamilyTreeDNA Vaughan Project Website Y-DNA Classic Chart showed only one match among their members who had the same confirmed Y-DNA Haplogroup as mine, which was R-Z17300, and that match is surnamed James. Presumably, it's the same person listed among my closest Big Y-700 matches. I have also discovered that men surnamed "James" were in Fauquier County, Virginia, circa 1800, when my great-great-great-grandfather, Joseph Vaughan (L6VH-346) and his wife, Eleanor O'Bannon (LKY8-NNJ), were born and/or married there.

Also of interest was my only exact Big Y-DNA match on MyTrueAncestry, which was Orm de Abernathy (ca. 1170-1260). MyTrueAncestry informed me that Haplogroup R-Z17300 is also known as the phylogenetic Haplogroup R1b1a1b1a1a2c1a.†

WikiTree indicates that Orm and I are both descended from one couple:

Malcolm Dunkeld and Saint Margaret, King and Queen of Scots.

Ideally, I would be able to trace a strictly paternal lineage all the way back to Orm or one of his forefathers, since Y-DNA is only passed from fathers to sons (the Y chromosome is what makes us male). However, and in spite of this, it remains apparent to me that I am more closely related to the Abernathies than any other clan, and to ancient Scottish royalty more than any other royal families.

_________________________________

* Since then, my Big Y-700 matches, including at least one surnamed "Vaughan," have come and, in some cases, "gone."

† Since then, FamilyTreeDNA has changed my Confirmed Y-DNA Haplogroup to R-FGC20646, which MyTrueAncestry has yet to recognize, but which ChatGPT has identified as R1b1a1b1a1a2c1a1a1a1. Closer matches than Orm de Abernathy have also appeared, especially since I have upgraded to MyTrueAncestry Levels; my current Level is 13, Valhalla.

Commentary by William Mortensen Vaughan

FamilyTreeDNA: How I Use It

This is how I use the DNA-related analysis and data provided to me by FamilyTreeDNA, based on my Big Y-700, Family Finder, and mtFull test results.

First of all, after logging into my FamilyTreeDNA account, I can see my "Badges," in the lower, right corner of my desktop computer monitor. (NOTE: The layouts of FamilyTreeDNA pages are customizable, after logging in, so locations may vary.) I have two Badges: a "Confirmed Y-DNA Haplogroup" badge, and a "Confirmed mtDNA Haplogroup" badge, which indicate that my Y-DNA and mtDNA fall into the R-Z17300 and J1c5 haplogroups, respectively.

The next areas that I look at are my matches, divided into "Family Finder Matches," "mtDNA Matches," and "Y-DNA Matches" - autosomal, maternal, and paternal, respectively. Y-DNA Matches have a subdivision called "Big Y Matches." Personally, I give the Big Y-700 test the greatest importance, because it provides the greatest specificity. It was also the most expensive.

Mitochondrial DNA is only passed from women to their offspring. Unlike Y-DNA, which is only passed from fathers to their sons, mitochondrial DNA is passed to children of either gender, but only by their mothers. My Confirmed mtDNA Haplogroup, J1c5, is, according to Haplogroup.org, between 8,300 and 13,000 years old, as of March 5, 2022.

FamilyTreeDNA's Family Finder test is autosomal. Autosomal DNA is passed by fathers AND mothers to their children of either gender. According to Vanderbuilt.edu, autosomal DNA tests "can only go back as far as 5-6 generations." However, AncestryDNA's ThruLines go back as far as seven generations, on Ancestry.com. I have also had my autosomal DNA tested by them.

Big Y-700 DNA confirmed that I belonged to a more specific Y-DNA haplogroup (R-Z17300) than the 12- and 37-STR marker tests, which I had previously taken, which indicated that I probably belonged to the R-M269 haplogroup, as did my blonde hair and blue eyes, since it's the most common European, Y-DNA haplogroup.

For more information about my Big Y-700 Results, follow the link in this paragraph.

Unfortunately, the list of my Big Y-700 matches did not, at first, include any of their pedigrees. Luckily, however, it did include the first, middle, and last names of eight of them.

So, the next thing I did, after realizing this, was to try Googling one of their names, which I will refrain from publishing, out of respect for their privacy. At first, I tried the full name in quotation marks, just to see if I would get a hit specific to that exact name, and I was in luck! I found that they were associated with a "James S. Mayfield (1808-1852) of Texas...

"One of James's descendants, [Mr.] Mayfield, has produced a well-written and well-documented article that was published in Stirpes..."

The link in this hit led to a Mayfield Family Genealogy.

This webpage gave me James' middle name (Shannon), and place of birth, (Williamson County, Tennessee), so I plugged Mr. Mayfield's forefather's name and years of birth and death, and place of birth, into the "Search" "Family Tree" engine at FamilySearch.org.

Oddly, this gave me two hits for men named "James Shannon Mayfield":

James Shannon Mayfield (9Z4N-X3B)

James Shannon Mayfield (L27B-J1Y)

Unfortunately, neither of them were allegedly born in 1808; instead, they were born circa 1838 and 1875, respectively.

Besides their identical first, middle, and last names, they were both born in Texas, which makes sense, since Mr. Mayfield indicates that his great granduncle (note the discrepancy between this remark and someone else's introduction) was well known in Texas, but unknown in Tennessee, where he (James Shannon Mayfield) was born. Another significant name Mr. Mayfield mentions, is "Crutcher." Mr. Mayfield also indicates that these people had a tendency to use maiden names as middle names; J1Y's father was, allegedly, Dr. John Crutcher Mayfield, so I feel confident that he is among Mr. Mayfield's relatives.

Unfortunately, FamilySearch indicates that J1Y's closest relationship to me is via my marriage to Libertad Green. This makes him what I call a "Scotch Tom," because I've determined that my wife and both of her maternal grandparents are blood relatives of Scotch Tom Nelson, who migrated from Penrith, Cumberland, England, to Yorktown, Virginia, circa 1700.

Wikitree's Relationship Finder also indicates that I am related to Scotch Tom only via marriage, but Wikitree+ shows a blood trail between my father and Scotch Tom, which leads straight "upstream" to Sarah E. James (née Mason). From there it diverges to a brother and his daughter, et al.

With regard to my Big Y-700 Results, the surname "James" is of particular interest to me, especially with regard to men by that surname, in Virginia, circa 1800, when my great-great-great grandfather, Joseph Vaughan was born and married there.

Wikitree alleges that Sarah E. Mason had two husbands, both of whom she married in Overwharton Parish, Staffordshire, Virginia, circa 1700:

Andrew Barbee

Thomas James

Joseph Vaughan's wife, Eleanor O'Bannon, is, allegedly, descended from people surnamed "Barbee." Based on the information above, derived from this exercise for the sake of this blog post, I believe that I have discovered a connection between me and the Jameses of Virginia; I believe that Eleanor O'Bannon descended from Thomas James instead of Andrew Barbee, and something else happened at or near this juncture of my family tree, which would explain why I have a Big Y-700 match surnamed "James," but not "Vaughan."

By the way, FamilySearch shows no relationship between me and X3B.

According to Wikitree, my descent from Sarah E. Mason is as follows:

Sarah and Andrew Barbee had a son named Thomas Barbee.

Thomas Barbee and Margaret Williams had a daughter names Sarah Barbee.

Sarah Barbee and John Foley O'Bannon, Sr. had a son named Benjamin O'Bannon.

Benjamin O'Bannon and Eleanor Ash had a daughter named Eleanor O'Bannon.

Ideally, all of the men in this lineage would be surnamed "Vaughan." However, since one of my closest Big Y-700 matches is surnamed "James," I believe that Sarah's husband, Thomas James, is one of my paternal forefathers. I believe that Sarah Mason named her son, Thomas Barbee, after him, although his father was allegedly Andrew Barbee.

The Y-DNA trail from Thomas James to me should only include men, since Y-DNA is only passed from fathers to sons, so it appears that the fathers "upstream" from Joseph Vaughan and Eleanor O'Bannon are not the men indicated.

According to man named Dennis Ray Vaughn, who wrote a book about Joseph Vaughan, Joseph's father was a poor man named "William Vaughan," who worked for the wealthier O'Bannons. I suspect that one of William's male employers had an extramarital affair with William's wife, which resulted in the birth of Joseph.

Perhaps Sarah Barbee's father, Thomas Barbee, had an extramarital affair with the mother of her husband, John Foley O'Bannon, Sr., which resulted in John's birth.

These are the most logical explanations for how I seem to be descended from a man surnamed "James," but not, upstream from Joseph, a man surnamed "Vaughan."

________________________________________________________________________

Post by William Mortensen Vaughan

Saturday, August 6, 2022

The Biography of Doctor Charlotte Allaben Vaughan by William Mortensen Vaughan as of 06 AUG 2022

Epitaph

Charlotte Jane Allaben
(1924-2020)
Cornell University Professor from Aurora, Illinois

Basic Data

Full Name at Birth: Charlotte Jane Allaben

Relationship to Me: Aunt (my father's brother's wife)

WikiTree ID: N/A

FamilySearch ID: LB4X-T8C

Alias: Char

Date of Birth: 4 November 1924

Place of Birth: Aurora, Illinois

Gender: female

U.S. Military Service Number: N/A

Father: Judge Max Fenimore Allaben

Mother: Flora Elizabeth Solfisburg

Siblings*: Maxine Allaben

Husband: Sidney Knowlton Vaughan

Date of Marriage: 13 April 1946

Place of Marriage:
Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Offspring**:
David Sidney Vaughan
Warren Charles Vaughan

Date of Death: 5 September 2020

Place of Death: Riverside Assisted Living Community, Kankakee, Illinois

Place of Burial: Mt. Vernon Cemetery in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

NOTE: Before she died, Charlotte's name and date of birth were inscribed on her husband's tombstone, at the Mount Vernon Cemetery, in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa. However, her obituary states that "Cremation rites [were to be] accorded. There [would] be no public visitation or services. Inurnment [would] be held at Mt. Vernon Cemetery in Mt. Vernon, Iowa." Presumably, CoVID-19 prevented the visitation and services.

Biography

Charlotte Allaben was born on November 4, 1924, in Aurora, Illinois, to Max Fenimore Allaben and Flora Elizabeth Solfisburg. She had one sister, Maxine Allaben, who had already been born, circa 1915.

During the U.S. Census of 1930, "Sidney K. Vaughn," at age 6, was found living with his parents, "William S. Vaughn," age 50; and "Maud K. Vaughn," age 37; and his brother, "Willian (sic) K. Vaughan," age 8, in "Milton, DuPage, Illinois, United States ."

During the U.S. Census of 1940, "Sidney K. Vaughn," at age 16, was found living with his parents, "William Vaughan," age 60; and "Maud K. Vaughan," age 47; and his brother, "William K. Vaughan," age 18, in "Glen Ellyn, Milton Township, DuPage, Illinois, United States."

Char graduated from high school in Glen Ellyn, Illinois (presumably, in 1941 or 1942, when she was approximately 17 or 18 years old).

She received a Bachelore of Arts degree from Northwestern University, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago.

Char married Sidney Knowlton Vaughan, the son of William Swift Vaughan and Maud Osborn Knowlton, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, on April 13, 1946, when she was approximately 22 years old, and he was approximately 23 years old, after (or near the end of) his military service. They only had two children, David Sidney Vaughan and Warren Charles Vaughan.

Char died on September 5, 2020, while residing at the Riverside Assisted Living Community in Kankakee, Illinois.

She was preceded in death by both of her parents, her husband, and both of her sons. Her survivors included five grandchildren: Jasmine R. & Randy Cieszynski of Manteno, Illinois; Adam L. & Stephanie Vaughan of Evanston, Illinois; Jena R. & Steve Doerr of Lake Mills, Wisconsin; Alexander D. Vaughan of Alexandria, Virginia; and Elliott N. Vaughan of St. Louis, Missouri; two step-granddaughters: Lisa & Jon Sandretti of St. Louis, Missouri; and Laura Marsh of Alexandria, Virginia; six great-grandchildren; and two step-great-grandchildren; one daughter-in-law, Paula Satkamp, of Bourbonnais, Illinois; her sister-in-law, Merle Allen; and her sister-in-law's only child, William Mortensen Vaughan.

Research Notes

To the best of my knowledge, Sidney and Char only had two children.

According to ... T O B E C O N T I N U E D . . .

Mistaken Identities

T.B.D.

Discrepancies