John Elston’s Lincolnshire roots

Genealogy is a practice of patience that may never pay off. Chasing the high of the last breakthrough while secretly wondering if you’ve already turned over every possible stone.

In 2017, I put together a possible tree of John’s ancestry based on DNA connections that lead to a particular John Elston, and it remains my strongest lead to his parentage:

This John Elston was baptized on July 9, 1927, in East Halton, Lincolnshire, to Susannah Elston:

Baptism record for John Elston, 9 Jul 1827 at East Halton. Illegitimate son of Susannah Elston, spinster. (Lincolnshire parish registers)

In 1841, he was living with John and Elizabeth Jackson (née Elston) in East Halton:

John Elston in the household of John Jackson, King Street, East Halton, Lincolnshire. (1841 UK census)

While I believe (due to these DNA connections as well as a few more recent ones) that Susannah and Elizabeth are sisters (both daughters of Robert Elston and Johanah Robinson), I have not been able to find birth or other records to prove these relationships so far. Frustratingly, the East Halton parish records are absent for a few years around 1800.

St. Peter’s Church, East Halton. Photo by Keith Havercroft, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9245935

This John Elston does not appear on any further records in the UK as far as I have been able to find (neither with John Jackson and family nor any other East Halton Elston connections, nor with his future wife’s family, nor as a lodger nearby). This could potentially support his move to Canada in 1851/52.

John’s parents: Susannah Elston and… ?

John is noted as having been born illegitimate (so glad we no longer use that term) to Susannah Elston in 1827. I have found no instance of request for support from Susannah Elston or any other key person so far that seems a possible father to John, but it remains a top research goal. Y-DNA is leading me to the surname “Brooks”, but that’s material for another post.

In 1829, Susannah married Robert Stephenson of Barton upon Humber:

Marriage record of Robert Stephenson and Susannah Elston, East Halton. (Lincolnshire parish registers)

They went on to have a daughter, Mary, born in 1832 in Barton-upon-Humber. Mary went on to marry John Judd in 1852, and eventually moved to Doncaster, Yorkshire.

Susannah appears on the censuses from 1841 to 1881 in Barton upon Humber. In 1871 and 1881 her birthplace is noted as East Halton.

Susannah died March 3, 1883, in Doncaster, Yorkshire.

John’s grandparents: Robert Elston and Johanah (Joney) Robinson

Robert Elston married Johanah (spelling varies–Joney? Joan? Joannah?) Robinson in East Halton on May 21, 1793.

Robert was born in about 1766. I believe he was born in East Halton to William Elston and Mary Dannat, who were married in East Halton on September 22, 1761.

Johanah was born in East Halton in 1769 to Francis Robinson (1769 – 1819) and Faith Malkinson or Maukinson (1738 – 1782).

Together, they appear to have had 5 children:

• Mary Robinson, born 1792
• Elizabeth Elston, born 1798*
• Susannah Elston, born 1802*
• Dinah Elston, born 1806
• Sarah Elston, born 1812

^{*–no birth records are available to confirm these parent-child relationships}

Johanah appears to have died before 1822, when a widowed Robert married Hannah Peck.

In 1841, John’s (likely) grandfather was also living on King Street in East Halton, with his second wife Hannah. Robert is listed as 75 years old, Hannah as 55. Their son Robert, 15, is listed as a labourer with farmer John Smithson at Marsh House in East Halton.

Robert Elston (Sr.) died in 1847 in East Halton:

Burial record for Robert Elston from 8 Mar 1847 in East Halton, age 78. (Lincolnshire parish registers)

Related:

• Descendants of John Elston and Mary Martin
• John Elston in Oxford/Brant (ca. 1851 – 1861)
• Who was John Elston?
• Who wasn’t John Elston?

How DNA is (finally) helping me break down brick walls

When I first got my Ancestry DNA match results, the list of people I matched was pretty overwhelming. My two closest matches were estimated third cousins to me. Everyone else was estimated to be a fourth cousin or more distant. Unfortunately, I wasn’t part of any shared ancestor circles either, and am enough of a european mutt that Ancestry couldn’t even link me to a narrowed-down geographic region.

Based on others’ experiences I’d read about, I had this idea that I would be able to scroll through my matches and see a bunch of surnames in common with my tree. Nope! I’m not sure if I am just unlucky but the only common surnames I am able to find without major data analysis are surnames that are TOO common. Jacksons, Robinsons, Stephensons, Bakers, Martins, Smiths, Blacks, Greens, Browns, and Joneses–you get the idea. Even less common names like Thorpe or Saunders seem common enough that just seeing them in a match’s tree doesn’t necessarily mean that surname is your connection point.

So I began the laborious process of building out trees for folks that I shared the most DNA with, in hopes of finding some time/place commonalities.

Do you know how many people came to Ontario from upstate New York between 1790 and 1820?

Anyway.

My first Elston breakthrough came unexpectedly the other day, mostly thanks to coincidence.

I had just created a list of people that match both my grandfather and one of his closest matches, writing down a list of email addresses and kit numbers. One of the people had a gedcom uploaded so I checked it out. There were some Lincolnshire people in it, so I opened up Google and started down that rabbit hole.

At some point I searched for the names of all of the people in the family one of my possible John Elstons was living with at the time of the 1841 UK census. I turned up an old post on rootsweb, asking if anyone had any information on this family. I looked at the user name, and it seemed familiar.

I had just written down an email address that started the same way. It was one of the other matches in the group I had just created.

Two emails later and I have my first real John Elston lead in England. My grandfather and I are related by DNA to someone who is descended from the family a John Elston was living with in 1841, when he was an adolescent. Further research showed me that Elizabeth Jackson, the wife, was born Elizabeth Elston.

Within a day I had penciled in a theoretical tree that placed three other matches from that group:

I don’t think DNA alone is enough to conclude anything–but tell me this isn’t a great way of finding new leads.

The mystery photo album

I found a photo album full of cabinet card photos of Elston family and friends from about 1880-1910–unfortunately only two were labeled with names. It is possible the album belonged to Nellie Elston, since one of the photos is signed to her from “Mary”.

I suspect most of the Huron County photos are Elstons. The Brant pictures are likely Martins and/or Plumsteads, and Aurora, Illinois, are Plumsteads. Detroit photos are probably Fannie Elston’s Hubbard family and/or friends.

Can you identify someone? Please note the photo number and get in touch!

Photo 1: standing woman. Photographer Horace Foster, Clinton, Ontario.

Photo 2: seated man with moustache. Elston similarities. Photographer Brockenshire, Beaver Block, Wingham, Ontario.

Photo 3: Standing woman. Photographer Park & Co., Colborne St., Brantford, Ontario.

Photo 4: Standing woman. Elston similarities. Photographer McMichael Hughes, 210-212 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI. Possibly Fannie Elston Hubbard.

Photo 5a: Portrait of a woman. Photographer Horace Foster, Clinton, Ontario (see 5b reverse).

Photo 5b: Reverse side of photo 5a. Isn’t this gorgeous?

Photo 6: Two seated women and a standing man. Photographer Brockenshire, Beaver Block, Wingham, Ontario.

Photo 7: Two seated women, one seated man, one standing man. Photographer: Brockenshire, Beaver Block, Wingham, Ontario.

Photo 8: Portrait of a man with glasses and a moustache. Photographer Chandler Sheetz, 1433 Chestnut Street / 828 Arch Street, Philadelphia.

Photo 9: Standing man with scroll. Photographer Cochran, Brantford, Ontario.

Photo 10: Portrait of a woman. Photographer Shannon, Stratford, Ontario.

Photo 11: Portrait of a woman. Photographer Dick, 423 & 425 Dundas St., Woodstock, Ontario.

Photo 12: Portrait of a woman. Photographer Brockenshire, Beaver Block, Wingham.

Photo 13a: “Mary”. Photographer Brockenshire, Beaver Block, Wingham. See 13b for note on reverse.

Photo 13b: Reverse of photo 13a. “to Nellie Elston from Mary. With best wishes.”

Photo 14: A couple. Photographer Millard, 224-226 Woodward Ave, Detroit.

Photo 15: Standing man. Photographer Baunslaugh, Paris, Ontario.

Photo 16a: William F. Thayer? Photographer A. C. Pratt, Aurora, Illinois. See 16b for reverse.

Photo 16b: Reverse side of photo 16b. Photographer A. C. Pratt, Aurora, Illinois.

Photo 17: Portrait of a woman. Likely Fannie Elston Hubbard (as identified by my grandfather). Photographer Horace Foster, Clinton, Ontario.

Photo 18: Edwin Elston Hubbard, age 5 months (as per handwritten note on reverse). Photographer unknown.

Photo 19: A couple. Photographer McMichael & Hughes, 210-212 Woodward Ave, Detroit.

Photo 20: Seated man. Photographer T. Banslaugh, Artist, Paris (Ontario).

Photo 21: Four men. Photographer and location unknown.

Photo 22a: Standing young man. Photographer Park & Co., Brantford, Ontario. See 22b for reverse.

Photo 22b: Reverse of photo 22a. Photographer Park & Co, Brantford, Ontario.

Photo 23b: Reverse side of John Elston’s portrait at the Wingham Fall Fair.

Photo 24: Susan and James Plumstead? Photographer and location unknown.

Photo 25: Three girls and one boy. Same imprint as John Elston’s photo from the Wingham Fall Fair. Possibly four of his Elston children. Photographer W. Langdale, Wingham, Ontario. See 23b for reverse.

Photo 26a: William F. Thayer? Photographer D? C. Pratt, 48 Broadway, Aurora, Illinois. See 26b for reverse.

Photo 26b: Reverse of photo 26a. Photographer D? C. Pratt, 48 Broadway, Aurora, Illinois.

Photo 27: Seated woman. Photographer Geo. Stewart, Cor. Hamilton St. & Square, Goderich, Ontario.

Photo 28: Portrait of a man. Found with album, loose inside cover. Photographer and location unknown.

Photo 29: Seated woman. Found loose inside cover of album. Photographer difficult to read, “A. C. Bellamiy, Broadway”?