Do you unknowingly have the same person in your tree twice? I have to admit that I likely have several duplicates in my tree.

I recently read a blog post about a different approach to tackling descendancy research. In the post, Keeping on Track with DNA, in Jacqi Stevens A Family Tapestry blog, she comments about how she is using DNA to guide her descendancy research.

That’s why I’ve developed a second, faster approach to provide information up front as needed. Rather than researching every single line of every sibling in each generation, I’ve used my DNA matches as my guide.

After reading this post, I decided to try this with some of my unidentified common ancestor matches. I share 84 cM across 4 segments with one of those matches. When I look at how Ancestry suggests we are related, it goes back to Mary Buckles as a common ancestor.

Mary Rogers married my ancestor, John Reed in 1822 in Jennings County, Indiana. Over the years, I’ve been able to document that Mary Rogers was the widow of John Rogers and that her maiden name was BUCKLES. Mary Buckles is my 4th great grandmother. The fact that we share 84 cM suggests that we are more closely related than a half 4th cousin once removed relationship thru Mary Buckles.

Since this particular match only has 7 people in their tree, figuring out how we are actually related might prove difficult. However, Ancestry is providing a HINT that likely helps figure out our relationship.

While I did have Hannah Earl in my file as the daughter of Ann Rogers and Edward Earl, I did not have a husband attached to her. But the surname of Hannah’s son caught my attention: Gallimore. One of my other 4th great grandparents is Isom Gallimore. And I seem to have inherited more than my share of Gallimore DNA since I have 106 Gallimore matches on ThruLines.

Using the James F. Gallimore hint, I found I had a Hannah E Earl in my tree married to Elisha Gallimore. I have a James F. Gallimore as one of their children.

Knowing that I had to find sources to support Hannah Earl, daughter of Ann Rogers being the wife of Elisha Gallimore, I started working my way thru hints for Hannah Earl, Elisha Gallimore and James F Gallimore. Since the 1880 census places 11 year old James F. Gallimore in the household of James Rogers and his wife Arrilda, I have support for Hannah Earl being both the granddaughter of Mary Buckles Rogers and wife of Elisha Gallimore.

James Rogers, the head of this 1880 household is the nephew of Ann Rogers Earl and thus a first cousin to Hannah Earl Gallimore. This census record suggests that James Rogers took in his niece and nephew, Sarah and James F. Gallimore.

Based on the records found, I have concluded that the Hannah Earl, daughter of Anne Rogers and Edward Earl in my database is the same person as Hannah Earl, wife of Elisha Gallimore. Thus, I am merging the two women named Hannah Earl together.

While I might have discovered this duplication in my tree thru my regular descendancy research, it is doubtful. I believe it was this suggested DNA relationship that helped me discover the need to merge these two Hannah Earls.