Finding George Courtney c1841

  Triangulated Groups: M_109 and M_145a  This post is part of series examining the triangulated groups identified within DNA passed on by my maternal great grandmother  Abigail Courtney, born 1871 .  Check out the Research Summary  and Genetic Groups pages for more information.  The purpose of this series is to document what is currently known about each triangulated group (TG), the matches within it and the ancestral lines identified for those matches. As the research progresses, new ancestors and possible connections will be added to each post. Ultimately, I am hoping these groups will provide clues to the unidentified paternal ancestry of Abigail Courtney's father 'George'.  Posts will be organised by chromosome, then into parts depending on how many TG's there are. These groups are limited to those who are expected to have been inherited by Abigail from her father 'George'.   Labels by surname and location are being added to assist in id...

This post documents the process I have followed and the various steps involved in attempting to reconstruct Abigail Courtney’s genome, as part of my research to identify her father, George. Not all tools used align neatly with one another, which meant there was unavoidable duplication of data entry during analysis. I trialled several ways of recording and managing the information, including within my DNA database (GDAT) and through multiple chromosome maps at DNA Painter (DNAP).  Each approach offered distinct advantages, but none provided a complete or perfect solution on its own.   I've documented the process for historical purposes and hope that the steps may be of use to others undertaking an endeavour such as this.   For a more conceptual overview of the approach, see my earlier outline from 2021: Recreating the Genome of Abigail Courtney . What follows reflects my working process as at  December 2025:  ...

Can we find the identity of George's mother by analysing our 'X' DNA results? The 'X' chromosome has special inheritance properties and it is through matches on this chromosome that have given us hints on the identity of Georges mother.  Both my mother and her sister Margaret inherited an identical 'X' chromosome to their father Edward Arthur Roberts, from his mother, their paternal grandmother - Abigail Courtney b1871.   It was handed down 'in tact' from their father, as men do not recombine the 'X' when they pass it on to their daughters.  Given the properties of the 'X' chromosome Georges mother should be able to be identified from one of these groups provided Abigail's recombined ‘X’ chromosome contained both paternal and maternal segments.  So far, our analysis shows the following break up for Abigail's 'X' chromosome and by using other matching results for segments on chromosomes 1-22,  it has been concluded tha...

I’ve chased down every genetic clue I could find to find my elusive 2nd great grandfather, Arthur 'George' Courtney. The best so far has been a match on the ‘X’ chromosome, also known as Chromosome 23. The 'X' chromosome has special inheritance characteristics and can sometimes be easier to trace back in time. It was in 2018 that I first I discovered a large match sharing about 92cMs, with both my mother and her sister. Given its size, it was an exciting discovery as the special inheritance factors suggested it was a paternal segment for my Mum and her sister, probably inherited from George Courtney.  We also shared smaller autosomal matches with this match and other extended family members and I soon discovered many matches that all led back to the same person - Ada Williams, born about 1892 in Notting Hill. Imagine my surprise when my match told me - ‘that’s my Romany line!’ I've previously written about this match -  Could George be a Romany? Ada was the child of...

According to the records on Find My Past for the 1871 England Census there were 292 records for the name COURTNEY recorded at Middlesex.  This equates to ?? family groups.  Of these 47 were born in Ireland, and 151 Middlesex. Could George be related to one of them?  I am progressively adding links to these families at Wikitree.  The list below is by registration district, the first name mentioned in each entry reflects the head of the family.   This list remains a work in progress. Filling up the census paper.   Punch 1851 PD 1.  Bethnal Green (5)      * Eliza Courtney b1825 in Ireland.  Mother in law?  Jackson family?     * John Courtney b1800 Middlesex and family (wife Mary, daughter Lucy and grandaughter Eliza). 2.  Brentford (14)    * Henry FT Courtney b1813 Ireland.  Wife Ann.  Children: Henry TW, Ada and Charles F (5);   * David Courtney b1822 Ireland.  Wife Margaret,...

What's in a name?  Is it George or Arthur - George Arthur, Arthur George and for good measure and just to keep you on your toes, what about George William?     Courtney or Courtenay - so many possibilities....   This list is an attempt to list everyone I've looked at, those still in contention or if not, why not.  The Research Summary  is being continually updated and has more information on those still in contention.  This page is an attempt at a ready reckoner and to demonstrate my exhaustive research to find our mystery mans origins! Or, given the lack of DNA matching to the Courtney surname, should I be looking for someone else entirely?! Over the last couple of decades, I've looked for all possible candidates born between about 1830-1850.  My primary focus has been on candidates not recorded in the 1871 census, but this may not be a foolproof approach. Our George - is listed as Arthur George Courtenay in the 1871 census, b1841 Mar...