.

Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Our Life on Signal Heights, Rapid City. 1959-1965

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Sitting atop a small range of hills in the center of Rapid City is a neighborhood called Signal Heights. Charles and Luella purchase a two bedroom, one bath duplex at 39 East Signal Drive on Signal Heights. Our small family of four had outgrown their trailer parked outside of town near Black Hawk. Charles had a stable job with the South Dakota Dept. of Transportation so renting in Rapid City seemed like a good move for our growing family.

Today for our digital gathering, I've posted pictures from the time we spent on Signal Heights. My first memories come from this small home on a dusty hill.

Victor, June 1959

Here are two pictures from my first birthday. Luella says I wasn't much of a cuddlier. I'd push her away whenever she solicited an unwanted hug and kiss. There was only so much of that kind of thing I could stomach. I guess you could say my tolerance with familiarity was set at a very low threshold.


A learning moment captured on film for all time. See flame, think flame is pretty, put finger in flame to touch, get burned, cry buckets of tears, first birthday ruined...... all captured on film


Kim and Victor. June 1959

Kim and I are playing in our driveway at 39 East Signal Drive. Kim appears confused; she had every reason to be. Even at her young age, she knew the proper way to hold a baby bottle. I was a trial to her patience as seen in the photo above.

Have bottle, hold upside down, attempt to drink. I'm wondering if my mother thought I was a bit slow. Was that the nagging thought that kept her up at night?

I pleased to see I mastered the technique of riding a late 1950's model baby scooter. I needed it to get away from my sister. She could walk and run far better than me.

Charles, Kim, Luella, Victor and Grandma Elda. 1959

A family portrait taken in 1959. Charles was 23. Luella was 20. I'm sure Grandpa wanted me to look at the camera but my grandmother's whimsical faces were more interesting. Charles was her only child. We were her only grandchildren so we were the recipients of her undivided attention when she visited from New Mexico.


This picture was taken in the summer of 1960. We were on vacation in Bismarck, North Dakota.
This picture was taken outside the home of Grandpa Liessman's sister. Kim and I are the two younglings on the front row sitting with our parents and grandparents.

Bismarck, North Dakota. Summer 1960

I'm two years old. Kim is three. We're sitting with our mother and grandmother. I loved those zip up pajamas. I wonder if they come in my size today? Step in, pull up, put your arms through and zip up - instant comfort and security. The soles of the pajama feet are an added benefit for the older person. They have little plastic grips to prevent slipping? I'm told it's nearly impossible to buy me gifts - well there you have it. Take me back to 1960, get me a pair of yellow zip up pajamas with plastic anti slip grips.



August 13, 1963. A day that will live in Infamy. Janice and Jonathan Williamson joined our family. In one birthing our family grew from five to seven! Luella was only 24 years old. Janice is on the left (the elongated tongue gave her away).

I still remember that reddish leaf patterned carpet. It had zero plush so God help you if you ever fell out of your high chair. It was adequate to keep your feet from freezing on a cold South Dakota winter day.

You're looking down our duplex's one hallway. Charles and Luella had the first bedroom to the right. Kim, Kevin and I had the second bedroom on the right. The only door on the left was the bathroom. The accordion doors opened to a closet.

It's a wonder any of us survived to adulthood given the lack of scientific design in our early 1960's child car carriers. We'd strap the twins in the carriers, take them to the car and dump them onto the back seat. There was no need to buckle them in. Our 1958 blue Rambler Station wagon didn't have seatbelts. In those days we put our trust in God and hoped for the best. A plastic St. Christopher statue glued to the dashboard was an added amulet meant to garner additional heavenly protection for the road. Such a display of idolatry wouldn't bod well for our young family, having converted to Mormonism in 1958. Faith, prayer and a well placed trust in our mother's quick reactions and eye to hand coordination kept us safe until we bought our first car with belts and workable locks!

Jon and Janice. Summer 1963.

Is it just me or do these two look like an old elderly couple? Picture them out of their child restraints and in rocking chairs on a front porch on a late summer afternoon. Grandpa fell asleep with the newspaper. Knitting sent grandma to dozing. Their old yellow dog will wake them soon. Its out in the woods looking for raccoons. After supper it will be a bit of TV then bedtime.

Janice and Jon, 1964 / 65.

It's out of the bath just in time for a photograph. The Williamson's had company. Luella's brother was visiting from Spearfish. Uncle Jon was 22 years old.

Victor 7 years old. Kim 8 years old. Janice and Jon were 2. Kevin was 5.

I'm liking the fact that I had a bit of hair in this photo. Gone was the Russian Gulag hair cut accompanied by prison pallor. And wouldn't you know, Miss Picture Perfect Kim is just that, picture perfect. What's up with me with my hand stuck in my mouth?
This picture was taken shortly before our Uncle John left for his LDS mission to California.

Take a moment and enjoy our family's extensive art collection above the sofa. That's a paint by number Jesus (and I'm not kidding). And take a moment to stare at Kevin's shirt. Psychedelic man, real groovy. Today's kids got nothing on us. You want style? Look no further than the mid 1960's.


Another picture of the Williamson's shortly before moving from Signal Heights to our new rental home at 210 North 42nd Street, Rapid City. We needed a bigger home. Charles and Luella sold our duplex on Signal Heights to a lady for $1.00. The lady took over the bank payments. The move was hard on me. I had lovingly adopted a young struggling tree in our front yard and didn't want to leave it. In reality, our moving saved the tree. I was over zealous in my watering. It was also sad leaving my two best friends. Marty Gerber , Chucky Spears and I made the perfect Trio of Terror in our Signal Heights neighborhood.

Charles Williamson with his step father, Emerson Liessman. 1964.

A Family Outing with Friends to Rapid City's Story Book Island. 1964/65.
Luella took the picture.

And once again, get an eyeful of Little Miss Rapid City in perfect pose. Kim was such a camera hog. Nothing like the shy, diminutive, soft spoken and camera shy person she is today.

I look like cousin Dufus from Whitewood, come to visit his city cousins. I needed a pair of shorts that actually fit? Can you imagine my struggle going to the bathroom? Getting to the zipper through those multiple fold overs cinched up around my waist must have been the cause for many an accident.

Good Grief......

Running Through the Sprinkler. 1964/65.
Victor, Kim and Kevin with an unknown lad of a Family Friend.

The sprinkler was the height of summer fun for us in the mid 1960's. The nearest public swimming pool was miles away so we made do with what we had. Kevin is proudly showing off his muscles. He was hyper. You got use to it. What you didn't get use to were his tantrums. I'm convinced Kevin was an undiagnosed manic depressive. He ran circles around everyone when he was on top of the mood curve. When he'd hit bottom you ran for your life. He ran after you with anything, and I mean anything he could find that would cause death or severe injury if you crossed him. I grew up with bruises caused by Tonka Trucks travelling thrown across the room at fifty miles per hour. He knew he had one chance and one chance only to get Kim and I down crying. If he missed or didn't throw with everything he had, he knew we would beat the devil out of him.

Uncle Marvin and Aunt Pam. 1964/65.

Luella's youngest brother Marvin was visiting us the day our sprinkler picture was taken. I thought I'd finish this post with their picture. Aunt Pam sure turned a lot of heads - beautiful inside and out.

Simply,
Victor

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Williamson Photos. South Dakota. Jilane (1965 - Present)

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
This photo album I'm posting from has no organization whatsoever. I was going to be lazy and post the pictures just as randomly as they appeared in the book. Now I've changed my mind. I'll try to put some organization to them. I've decided to post to a theme. Today's theme is 'Jilane Through the Ages (The Dark Ages in South Dakota to today's Age of Enlightenment)'. I'm not showing favorites, her baby picture was next up in the album.

26 year old Luella holding Jilane, her sixth child.
"
Jilane's features were like a china doll" according to Luella.
Spring 1965.

Jilane and Mother. A Close Up of the China Doll Face

This picture was taken in the Spring of 1965 while the Williamson family lived at 39 East Signal Drive, Rapid City, SD. At that time we lived in a double duplex connected by a removable door.
We had access to both homes at that time. It was fun. We had two kitchens, two bathrooms, four bedrooms and two living rooms. This picture is taken in the second duplex.

I remember the day Jilane was brought home. We sat on the sofa you see in the picture organized oldest, Kim, to Jon, youngest. I remember Charles coming in first, then Luella holding this tiny little thing wrapped tightly in a blanket. Kim held her first, and it was only for a minute or so, then my turn. I don't remember if that is when she started to cry, but it wouldn't have surprised me. I have that effect on babies.

There were six of us. Luella was 26. Charles was 29. Lisa came seven years later and then later still, Annette. Luella looks pretty good for having six kids under foot - an 8, 7, 4, two 2 year olds and a new baby! How she survived it I don't know. If there's a place in heaven for heroic, haggard mothers, Luella's will get there.


This is our next stop along Jilane's time line. We can see that Jilane has lost her 'china doll' preciousness by the time this photo was taken in 1970 :) You'd think this photo was taken in the mid 1950's if you based your judgement on the style of her glasses. Jilane has a lazy eye that required surgery to correct. She was Tipsy Tooty in those days - always a bit shell shocked from walking into walls and furniture.

Jilane is a fighter. With the surgery came a more natural appearance thus giving her the confidence to fight and claw her way from being 'runt' of the litter (coming in as number 6 in the family) into a somewhat intelligent girl with a seasonably fun personality.

She transitioned from 'Tooty" to "Jilane".

Lisa, Annette and Jilane, around 1977

Our next picture takes us forward a few years. We were living at 2214 38th Street in Rapid City. Jilane is around 12. She's being a good older sister in this picture. According to some - a rare event :)

Lisa and Jilane had their spats. Annette was too young to be able to defend herself so she was left out of much of it. They get along well today. Living 800 miles from each other helps :) although you'd never know it consider what they call each other when they answer the phone!
They are both spokeswomen for "Stubborn to a Fault Anonymous". It can be a real challenge to those of us who are Pliable to a Fault and always willing to sacrifice what he wants to do for the common good....... (and there will be no editing of this no matter how I may be threaten).

Jilane Graduating from Steven's High School in 1983

A happy day for the Williamsons to have another high school graduate. I don't see a golden tassel dangling from her cap. I'd mention that someone in the family had one on his graduation cap but that would be bragging, and some of us are modest to a fault.

Jilane retained much of what she learned at Stevens despite the time she spent at Ricks College in Rexburg Idaho, where she met the love of her life. She and Kevin transferred to BYU in Utah having discovered their time in Idaho was taking a toll on both their IQ's.

"Them winters was bad in Idaho," I remember her saying a week after moving to Utah. Thankfully after a few remedial classes, she was back to normal without any lasting damage.

Jilane married Kevin

This was the next big step in her life. From this wedding we have the following........

Jilane and Brayden. October 2011

The marriage of her second eldest son Brayden was the latest milestone in Jilane's life in October 2011. Its hard to believe she could be a year or two away from becoming Grandmother Jilane. I think Granny Tooty would be a better name.
I'm feeling quite old.

The Bodily family with daughter in law Jessica.

This is Jilane today.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Spearfish 1950's, A Wedding and the Wedding of their First Born

Autumn in Pleasant Grove
Click to Enlarge

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Its a beautiful Autumn day in Pleasant Grove. The picture above is of an LDS meetinghouse down the street from The Fortress. The colors are turning, the air is crisp. It is my favorite time of year.

Today we have more pictures in our mind numbing show and tell through the my photo albums of a simpler time in the wilds of Montana and South Dakota.

Luella Mattson. 1956
Spearfish, South Dakota. 17 years old.


June 17, 1956. Methodist Church. Spearfish South Dakota. Charles Williamson marries Luella Mattson. The cake is cut. The die is cast. Eight of us wait to make our appearances. All Hell is about to break loose :)

The Cake is Served.

Charles and Luella Williamson.
Summer of 1956.
Taken shortly after their Wedding Day.

Luella Mattson Williamson. December 1956.
Spearfish, South Dakota. 17 years old.
Six months Married to Charles Williamson.


Luella Mattson Williamson. July 1959. Spearfish Park, South Dakota. Kim and I are now part of the family. I'm assuming this was taken at the yearly Williamson Family Picnic.


The Wedding of Kim Williamson (Charles and Luella's First Born) to Mike Hendrickson. Rapid City, South Dakota. September 17, 1973


The Feeding of the Cake. This is the mystery photo. Notice the man looking at the camera in the bottom left of the photo. There are also other things seemingly superimposed on the photo. I don't know who the man is or how he came to be on the photo. I'm thinking this is a double photo (one picture taken over another) or we captured the spirit of a dearly departed coming to witness the wedding. Spooky huh?

Simply,
Victor

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Williamsons in the 1980's. We Start on Victor's Photo Albums

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Yesterday afternoon I spent a few hours on the family tree (which is posted on Ancestry.com). My goal is to push all our lines into the 1500's. I'm having good luck. Most lines are agreeable to work with. Other lines are as illusive as that legendary whale sized catfish in the hill pond. Everyone knows it's there, but it's too illusive to get caught.

Our Williamson ancestors are the catfish in my pond. I fish for them weekly but only catch glimpses and shadows. They like to lurk in history's shadows, urging me to find them in a great game of genealogical tag. I'm hoping the DNA test I ordered will shed light on the subject, thus ending this nearly three year quest.

Today I start a new series of photographs from my own photo albums. These pictures aren't in any specific order, and for that I ask for your patience and good humor. Remember my low tolerance for the tedious? I wouldn't do this if I thought I'd have to organize all my photographs by subject and year. Sorting socks would be more enjoyable! I would put off posting these pictures until my light blinked out and I found myself on the banks of the River Styx without a coin for the ferryman. So, I'll post them as they appear in the album and let you do with them as you will.

Shall we begin?

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Janice Williamson is the first out of the album with this beauty taken in the 1970's in Rapid City, South Dakota. I believe the dress is an older sister Kim hand me down. I can still remember it. It was Janice's version of Joseph's Coat of Many Colors. When Janice wasn't setting the house and neighborhood ablaze by wearing it, we'd put the dress over the screen on our black and white television set. The thread count was minimal, allowing the TV picture to just come through.
The Williamson's of 2214 38th Street had Color Television! Mind you, everyone had to sit pretty close to the TV. I believe the experience brought us closer together as a family.

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And we have another Janice photograph from the 1980's. This was taken many years later during Janice's High School days. She still had her taste for the colorful and bizarre. Janice had a date for Prom! I don't remember the boy. We never saw him again after that.

Janice swore she'd never bring another boy home to meet us. We embarrassed her. Is it our fault we forgot to take the other dress off the TV?

We lived in the lower middle class (or the affluent poor) section of Rapid City. We kept the curtains closed most of the time to keep the curious from peering in on "that weird Mormon family with 8 kids". Our neighbors thought Dad had a second wife. They knew she was there and wondered why she never came out of the house (a second wife was the only way to explain our brother Jon).

As we grew up, Luella found other ways to shield us from the curious, while letting in some sunshine. If you look closely at the photograph above you'll see one way she did it. Luella hung large insect eating jungle plants in the window.

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A picture of Janice and a few of Rapid City's LDS teens from the 1980's. John Christianson is seated next to Janice. Paula Thomas is wearing the cowboy hat. I don't know who the two boys are in the background. Today John lives in Missouri and Paula lives in Spearfish, South Dakota.

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Our final photograph of Janice taken on her wedding day to Steve Burrows in Salt Lake City. With them you'll see Luella, Kim, JD, Uncle John and Aunt Bev. Missing is Charles Williamson. I'm assuming he was left behind in South Dakota. Someone had to deliver their rural paper route so Luella could attend the wedding. Yes, some of us really do have to work for a living.

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Moving along.......
This is Jilane Williamson wearing a Canyon Lake's girl's softball tshirt from the 1980's. I wonder why we haven't got a picture of her actually playing softball. Hummmmmm?

I invite Jilane to contribute something to this photograph to refute the slanderous innuendo slung in the paragraph above. If not, we shall assume she made an orderly transition into something more her style (see below).

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They say that if you can't play, cheer. This is a picture of Jilane and her fellow Steven's High School Cheerleaders from the 1980's. Jilane cheered for the school's wrestling team. It was perfect for her. Wrestling cheerleaders cheer while kneeling on the outside of the mat, thus sparing her from needless and cruel embarrassment. We Williamson's aren't know for agility. We descend from true, down to Earth folks.

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What coincidence. The next picture in this album was taken on Jilane Williamson and Kevin Bodily's wedding day. It's a coincidence because their second oldest son Brayden got married last Friday at the same place.

Charles Williamson made it to Jilane and Kevin's wedding (you see him in the foreground with his back to us). Sorry Janice, but with 8 kids, is it possible to love all equally :)

I'm wondering why Jilane has flowers (or lace buds) ringing her forehead? Perhaps they were there to soften her appearance?

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In this picture we see Jilane and Kevin visiting the family homestead in Rapid City. Am I mistaken, or are they both in a frisky mood? If what we see is a duel display of affection then we can assume this picture was taken before their wedding. If, as I suspect, it was taken after the wedding - then what you see is Jilane pushing Kevin away. You be the judge.

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Another picture from the 1980's. Charles Williamson is holding granddaughter Jazmine Burrows while older sister Nicole attempts to escape from the clutches of her mother Janice. This picture was taken at our home in Rapid City.

Nicole had a mind of her own and liked to display her independence whenever given the chance (like whenever Janice turned her back). Look into Nicole's eyes. You can see mischief. You can tell see's looking to see if anyone will notice her departure into the unforgiving dark of 38th street.

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This is Annette, the one too good to be born into our menagerie of the confused and bewildered.
I believe she was the only one that actually cared for Beau, our smorgasbord of a dog seen here under the blanket taking refuge from little Nicole. Nicole liked to demonstrate the proper use of a knife and fork on dogs (again whenever Janice had her back to her).

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I found a couple of photographs from a 1980's Christmas in South Dakota. Annette is obviously happy with her gifts. Annette was the kind of girl that appreciated anything Santa left under the tree. Lisa was cut from a different cloth - as seen in the photo above. There were days Lisa could conjure an attitude that hung in the air as thick as fog.

Please notice how our Christmas Past differs from your family's Christmas Present. Look at the number of gifts. There are times I seriously wonder if today's children are overly pampered, coddled and tolerated to the point where it does more damage than good.

God bless a simple life.

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Lisa's not happy about something in this Christmas photograph, so let's ignore her and move down the couch. Next to Lisa is Grandma Elda Vercellino Liessman (Dad's mother) then Annette and finally Grandpa Leissman (Dad's stepfather).

Our Grandparent's Christmas visits from Bismark, North Dakota were the highlights of our South Dakota Christmas Season. The Christmas spirit in our home was carried on Grandma's unforgettable laughter. She could never get through a story without breaking into a terminal laughter. There were times she'd laugh so hard she'd have to make a bee line to the bathroom to avoid having an accident on the couch.

She saw the humor in misfortune and, if necessary, could display a mature and finely crafted 'attitude'. She was a skilled swordsman with her tongue, able to use it with precision to destroy anyone that got into a verbal tangle with her. You let her win arguments. She'd hand you your ego on a plate served with corn and hash if you didn't.

Grandma and Grandpa Leissman taken in our living room.
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One of my favorite pictures of Grandma Elda,
taken on the State Capital Grounds in Bismark, North Dakota.
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I believe this is a picture of Amber DelGrosso or Jazmine Burrows, maybe Nicole taken in their log cabin at Frisco Colorado. Babies all look alike to me and considering Williamson multiply like rabbits, that baby could be any one of several.
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You'll never guess who is holding baby Amber, or Jazmine or Nicole. Look closely.

It's Brandon (Kim's second oldest son). I think the purple sweater threw me. You may want to frame this photo. This is the one and only time you'll ever see Brandon in purple. The sticker on his shirt shows Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy on Snoopy's doghouse. And contrary to popular opinion, those are not little red hearts on his sweater.

Amber was his first of many baby sisters, and yet he turned out remarkably normal - except for his love for mountain climbing.

Wait a minute, it's all clear to me now.

1. A little boy
2. Several younger sisters
3. A small cramped log cabin
4. Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains

Where was a boy to go for some peace and quiet?

Simply,
Victor


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

It's Time to Study the Williamson DNA. I'm Going For It.


Paternal Lineage and the Y-Chromosome
A male providing his Y-chromosome sample also represents the DNA of his father, paternal grandfather, and so on up the paternal line. Y-chromosome results are generally identical throughout the paternal line. But because mutations do occur, it is possible for a son's results to be slightly different from his father's or his brother's.
Women, in spite of not carrying a Y-chromosome, can still trace their paternal lineage. Using a DNA sample provided by a brother, father, or another paternal relative (for example, a male cousin) a woman can treat these Y results as if they were her own.
Y-chromosome test
The Y-DNA test looks at specific regions of the Y-chromosome. These regions are known to contain a series of repeating sequences of DNA molecules (for more information see short tandem repeat). All men have these repeating segments; what differs between men is the number of times the specific sequence repeats. Counting these repeats is what constitutes the results of the Y-DNA test. Ancestry.com DNA offers two Y-chromosome tests: Y-DNA 33 or Y-DNA 46 markers (or locations on the Y-chromosome). Testing more markers allows for a more accurate estimate of the relationship between two individuals.
Common Ancestor
Similar to traditional genealogy, finding a common ancestor across pedigrees is the payoff that leads to expanding family trees. DNA testing provides an objective and accurate way to determine a) to what degree you are related and b) approximately how far in the past you may have shared a common ancestor.
The more Y-chromosome markers tested, the greater the precision of the test. For example, an 18 marker Y-chromosome test that matches another participant's test on all 18 markers, allows a common ancestor to be predicted within a range of 1 to 27 generations. Two participants matching on all 46 markers, on the other hand, can narrow their common ancestor to exist within 1 to 10 generations! For most, a Y-DNA test comparison with up to 2 or 3 mismatches will indicate that there is a genealogically relevant relation in past generations.
Paternal Ancient Ancestry
The Y-chromosome test also provides a look into your ancient paternal ancestry through a prediction of your ancient haplogroup, or deep ancestral grouping haplogroups were formed when ancient peoples migrated and branched out from Africa tens of thousands of years ago. As they spread throughout the world and adapted to their new environments, their DNA diversified, creating new groups and subgroups.

About Paternal Lineage Test Results

Your Paternal Lineage test result consists of two components: Y-DNA results and a paternal ancient ancestry prediction.
Y-DNA Results
Your Y-chromosome results will consist of a table of markers tested (numbering from 1 to 33 or from 1 to 46) and a corresponding value for each. Each marker is a specific location on the Y-chromosome and is referred to by its DNA Y-chromosome Segment number (DYS number).
The portions of the Y-chromosome tested are known to produce repeating patterns of nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA.) These Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) are counted at each marker and reported as your DNA result. The profile of repeats is inherited from your father and is what differentiates your specific paternal lineage from another's.
The extent to which your Y-DNA results match other participants will determine how closely related you might be by providing an estimate of how far in the past you shared a common ancestor.
Each of the names of the Y-chromosome locations available for testing are presented in the table. A dash, "-", shown in specific boxes in the table means that results were not produced for that particular location because of two possible factors. First, for markers DYS19b, DYS464e and DYS464f, a lack of result may be due to the fact that these allele results are very rare. Second, the dash may signify the presence of a marker value that cannot be obtained using the current testing methodology.
Paternal Ancient Ancestry
Your Paternal Ancient Ancestry (or Haplogroup) is predicted based on your Y-DNA results. You will receive the name of the haplogroup, a detailed description of the group, and a map showing how your ancient ancestors migrated out of Africa over 100,000 years ago and split off to populate the different regions of the world.
Because particular patterns are seen within particular haplogroups, on most occasions we can predict which haplogroup you are in. Along with the prediction, we also provide the history, background and mapped distribution of your haplogroup.
Please be aware that, while our comparative database uses up-to-date information, it may not be possible to make an accurate prediction on all occasions and sometimes no prediction can be made.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

More from the Mattson Montana Ranch.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Today I'm posting pictures from Great Grandma Ida Tornberg Mattson's Montana photo album.

Click on each picture to enlarge.

We start with the oldest picture of the set. This picture was taken on Thanksgiving Day 1933. Grandpa Walter was 21 years old. The family he is with is unknown. Grandpa Walter was in the CC's (part of the Depression era government works program). This may have been a family he was living with. "My dad was a real good looking fellow," Luella said.

Albert Mattson with Luella. 1940. Great Grandpa's real name was John Albert. He went by Albert because he said there were too many John's.


Luella on the Montana ranch. 1941. The chicken coop is in the background. The barrels were for rainwater.

Luella, young girl. Helen Lidman, Albert Mattson, Lenora Lidman (?) visiting the Lidman's in Hermosa South Dakota.

Luella standing into the door of their ranch house. 1942.



Luella standing with parents Walter and Violet. Her Grandmother Ida is behind her. The man with the hat is unknown; 1941/42. Luella remembers Violet's coat. "That was the coat she wore when she came home from Belle Fourche telling us my baby brother was dead."

Albert Mattson with Linda. 1942


Albert Mattson down by the well with the Mattson sheep along the hill. He always wore suspenders. He was always busy. He never stopped working.