Genealogist Newsletter – April 4, 2026

04 Apr Genealogist Newsletter – April 4, 2026

GENEALOGIST- THE NEWSLETTER PODCAST STYLE!

You can now listen as well as read the Dancestors Genealogy Newsletter.

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GENEALOGIST- DANCESTORS AND THE BACHELORETTE

I don’t watch much reality TV, but back in September, I received the email below out of the blue (redacted full names):

From: Ashley
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2025 1:43 PM
To: Dan Nelson
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Subject: Hulu Filming Inquiry – Dancestors Genealogy_

Hi Dan,

I’m Ashley and I’m a producer working on the Emmy nominated series Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu. One of our cast members is looking to meet with a genealogist to find out more information about her biological father’s side of the family.

We would love to be able to film a meeting with you for the show as well. Please let me know if you are interested and we can discuss more details.

All the best,

At first, I thought it was related to an encounter earlier last year with a participant in the show, Jen Affleck, AFFLECK and to our discovery of the Ben Affleck scandal involving Finding Your Roots.

However, the producer didn’t indicate having any knowledge of this, and I didn’t volunteer the information. It was likely because the actress, rather than the show, had reached out.

This inquiry was to determine the paternal ancestry of an actress on the show, Taylor Frankie Paul. She mentioned that Taylor was a rising star, having just been selected for the TV show “The Bachelorette.” Ashley mentioned that they had reached out to me, as while there were lots of genealogists in Salt Lake, they knew that the church was not fond of the show, as it didn’t represent their values, and many of the Salt Lake-based genealogists were members of the LDS.

Taylor had not yet taken a DNA test but wanted to know who her biological father was. They were looking for us to determine such and film within a week, which would have required Ancestry.com to expedite processing of the test. When I asked some questions on the NDA, they ended up finding someone local in Salt Lake City. They didn’t show the results of the local genealogists’ investigation until this year’s season 3 episode 7.

Most of you have heard that Taylor Paul has since become embroiled in a controversy that led to the unprecedented cancellation of her season on The Bachelorette.

Here is some social media reporting on the incident:
TAYLOR’S ANCESTRY

I was curious about the origin of the term “bachelorette”, and the first mention in the newspapers was in 1884 (see below).

So, while they say negative publicity is better than no publicity, I am not sure in this case, but with today’s media, anything can happen down the road…. “Finding your Ancestorette” or Old Maid, Hollywood Squares style.

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GENEALOGIST- FROM ADAM AND EVE TO THE LAST OF THE NORMAN KINGS OF ENGLAND IN THIS LINE

In the last edition, we left off with Edward I, and in his inheritance of a trait that potentially goes back to his sixth great-grandfather, who was known for a distinct facial feature, his drooping eyelid.

Edward and Eleanor of Castile’s son, Edward II (1284 – 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. In 1308, he married Isabella, daughter of the powerful King Philip IV of France, as part of a long-running effort to resolve the tensions between the English and French crowns.

Edward had a close and controversial relationship with Piers Gaveston (pictured below), who had joined his household in 1300. The precise nature of Edward and Gaveston’s relationship is uncertain; they may have been friends, lovers, or sworn brothers. Below is a 1872 painting by English artist Marcus Stone showing Edward II cavorting with Gaveston at left, while nobles and courtiers look on with concern.

Gaveston’s arrogance and power as Edward’s favorite provoked discontent both among the barons and the French royal family, and Edward was forced to exile him. On Gaveston’s return, the barons pressured the King into agreeing to wide-ranging reforms called the Ordinances of 1311. The newly empowered barons banished Gaveston, to which Edward responded by revoking the reforms and recalling his favorite. Led by Edward’s cousin Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, a group of barons seized and executed Gaveston in 1312, beginning several years of armed confrontation. English forces were pushed back in Scotland, where Edward was decisively defeated by Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Widespread famine followed, and criticism of the King’s reign mounted.

Over time, opposition to Edward’s regime grew, and when his wife Isabella was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325, she turned against Edward and refused to return. Isabella allied herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer and invaded England with a small army in 1326. Edward’s regime collapsed, and he fled to Wales, where he was captured in November. Edward was forced to relinquish his crown in January 1327 in favor of his son, Edward III of England, and Edward II died in Berkeley Castle on 21 September, probably murdered on the orders of the new regime.

Edward III (1312 – 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father, Edward II. Edward III transformed the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe. His fifty-year reign is one of the longest in English history, and saw vital developments in legislation and government, in particular the evolution of the English Parliament, as well as the ravages of the Black Death. He outlived his eldest son, Edward the Black Prince, and was succeeded by his grandson, Richard II.

Edward III was crowned at age fourteen after his father was deposed by his mother, Isabella of France, and her lover, Roger Mortimer. At the age of seventeen, he led a successful coup d’état against Mortimer, the de facto ruler of England, and began his personal reign. After a successful campaign in Scotland, he declared himself the rightful heir to the French throne, starting the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453). Following some initial setbacks, this first phase of the war went exceptionally well for England and would become known as the Edwardian War. Victories at Crécy (Edward is pictured below, counting the dead) and Poitiers led to the highly favorable Treaty of Brétigny (1360), in which England made territorial gains, and Edward renounced his claim to the French throne. Edward’s later years were marked by foreign-policy failures and domestic strife, largely due to his declining activity and poor health. The second phase of the Hundred Years’ War began in 1369, leading to the loss of most of Edward’s conquests by 1375, save for the Pale of Calais. Edward was the last King of England in the purported line from Adam and Eve to the English Kings. In the next edition, we will start with his son John Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and work our way through some noble lines.

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GENEALOGIST- THE ACTUAL LINCOLN LAWYER

One of our clients’ ancestors, Charles William Dungey, married a French woman, Nancy Arabelle Cushion Lane. Many seemingly Caucasian DNA matches come from this family line. (picture seen below).

Charles also claimed to have some Portuguese ancestry. They had very light-skinned children. One of their children, William “Black Bill” Edgar Dungey, married Lorina Spencer in Dewitt County, Illinois, in 1851. Her brother, Joseph Spencer, accused Black Bill (not the best of nicknames if you wanted to be thought of as white) of being a “negro” and therefore wanted him excluded from the inheritance of property.

Spencer took “Black Bill” to court over the Illinois law that no “negro” could marry a white woman. The trial of Dungey vs Spencer occurred in 1855 during pre-Civil War Illinois. Just two years earlier, the Illinois legislature passed the “Black Codes” following a directive of the 1848 state constitution to “pass such laws as will effectively prohibit free persons of color from immigrating to and settling in this state.” The legislators not only prohibited free persons of color from immigrating to the state but also continued to build on the precedent established by other states by declaring that “one-fourth negro blood defines a mulatto or makes a black man.”

“Black Bill” retained a lawyer to represent him, as none other than 46-year-old Abraham Lincoln himself! In April 1855, Lincoln filed suit against Spencer, and after some legal wrangling, a hearing was set for the following May. Spencer’s attorneys, Clifton H. Moore and Lawrence Weldon, immediately went out to build their case against Dungey, which was set for October 1855. They traveled back to Dungey’s hometown of Giles County, TN, to depose people who claimed to know his family.

Lincoln was prepared with a defense that memorialized his superior legal mind, elevated the complexity of the social construct of race, and emphasized the criminalization of being a negro or black person in the United States. Despite his client sitting in court with the face of a black man with a light complexion, Lincoln’s argument was simple: Dungey was not negro. He was not black because his ancestry was Portuguese, not the ambiguous, non-specific ancestry of being negro or black.

Lincoln argued that Bill was of Portuguese ancestry and “my client is not a Negro, though it is no crime to be a Negro — no crime to be born with Black skin. But my client is not a Negro. His skin may not be as white as ours, but I say he is not a Negro, though he may be a Moor.” Lincoln won the case because he claimed the accusations were based on hearsay and malice. Dungy won $600, protected his inheritance, and maintained his legal status. Spencer was required to pay Lincoln’s $25 legal fee and court costs, which should have been hundreds of dollars. Yet Lincoln said, “Well, gentlemen, don’t you think I have honestly earned it?”
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GENEALOGIST- THE FIRST WALKER, TEXAS RANGER

While we mourned the loss of Chuck Norris, did you know there was a real Walker, Texas Ranger?

Samuel Hamilton Walker (1817 – 1847) (pictured) enlisted in the Washington City Volunteers for the Creek Indian Campaign in Alabama in 1836. The following year, he mustered out. He managed a hotel in Iola, Florida, from 1837 through 1840. He arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1842 and served under Captain Jesse Billingsley against a Mexican invasion led by General Adrian Woll. Walker was captured on December 26, 1842, and marched to Mexico City as a prisoner of war. He survived what became known as the Black Bean Episode and was held prisoner for two years before he escaped to Louisiana and returned to Texas.

He joined the Texas Rangers in 1844 under the command of Captain Jack Hays. Promoted to captain, he led a Ranger company during the Mexican–American War, serving with the armies of Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.

Walker is best known as the co-inventor of the Walker Colt revolver (see picture), along with arms manufacturer Samuel Colt. Walker is said to have self-funded a trip to New York City to meet with Colt and proposed to him the concept of a weapon based on the then-popular five-shot Colt Paterson revolver, with many enhancements, such as adding a sixth round, being powerful enough to kill either a man or a horse with a single shot, and quicker to reload.

Colt’s firearms company was no longer in business, but the large order allowed Colt to establish a new company. He hired Eli Whitney Junior, already in the arms business, to make his new revolvers. Colt asked Samuel Walker, who was temporarily stationed in Washington, to help him with the design.

Colt used his prototype and Walker’s improvements to create a new design. Whitney produced the first thousand-piece order, known as the Colt Walker. The company then received an order for an additional 1,000. Colt’s share of the profits was $10.

By 1847, the new revolver was available. The United States Army’s mounted rifle companies were issued them, and they proved extremely effective.

On October 9, 1847, at 30, Walker was killed by a rifle bullet while leading a cavalry charge at the Battle of Huamantla, Mexico. Walker had received a pair of his Walker pistols (serial numbers 1009 and 1010) before his death. The following year, his remains were moved to San Antonio. On April 21, 1856, as part of the 20th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, Walker was reburied in the Odd Fellows’ Cemetery at San Antonio, along with Captain Robert Gillespie, a fellow veteran who was killed in action during the Mexican-American War.

Walker County, Texas, was renamed for him after its original namesake, Robert J. Walker (no relation), sided with the Union during the Civil War.

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GENEALOGISTS- MY ANCESTORS WERE EVICTED, AND NOW THEIR HOME IS A TOURIST SITE

In past issues, I had shared the goings-on at the Swedish castle where my ancestors were tenant farmers, known as Trolle-Ljungby, as well as the troll stories. TROLLE. There’s a picture of the castle below that doesn’t really do justice, but it is a very beautiful setting with lots of lore CASTLE HISTORY

You can see on the adjacent map Trolle-Ljungby and the marker showing where my ancestors lived on Espetorp farm #2. A summary of the relationship is captured here: “Espetorp is a historic cottage area and small farm that has been part of the larger Trolle-Ljungby area in northeastern Skåne. The history of Espetorp is strongly connected to Trolle-Ljungby, which is characterized by large estates, grand legends, and long leases. Espetorp has always been a part of Trolle-Ljungby, an estate known since the Middle Ages. Trolle-Ljungby is an entailed estate and has been owned by the Trolle-Wachtmeister family since 1700”.

Croft (tenant farmer) evictions in Sweden, known historically as the removal or dissolution of torpare (crofters), were a series of events, primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries, where tenant farmers were forced to leave small agricultural holdings (crofts) due to changing land laws, economic shifts, or the termination of their employment contracts with large landowners. These crofters paid for their tenancy through corvée labor (mandatory work) on the landowner’s main estate, rather than in cash.

On March 29, 1909, croft evictions occurred in Espetorp, Sjötorp, Magletorp, Falkahus, and Nybygget. This was a dark period in the Trolle-Ljungby estate’s history, where many people had to leave their homes. Speculation is that the farmers wanted to organize themselves into a union. It was the estate owners’ way of handling the labor dispute. Kristianstadsbladet (the local Kristianstad newspaper) was on site for the evictions and reported on them; a photographer was also on site. The picture below is from a postcard created from the evictions.

Today, the older buildings in the area, including the real estate in the Espetorp area, are part of the Scanian idyll. The “Scanian idyll” refers to the picturesque, pastoral charm of Skåne, Sweden’s southernmost province. It features lush, rolling plains, deciduous forests, farms, quaint half-timbered and red-bricked villages, and scenic white-sand beaches, particularly around the southeastern region of Österlen. It is renowned for a slower, sunny lifestyle, blooming nature, and local food. associated with the area’s architectural style and is attractive to tourists.

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GENEALOGISTS- SOMETIMES THE BEARS SMELLS YOU AND SOMETIMES YOU SMELL

In the last edition, I shared the story of meeting Tim Hickle and the Copper Kettle. LAST EDITION He gave me permission to share his stories.

I saw a mama bear and 3 cubs a few days back. The cubs were tiny. Just the cutest little things. No bigger than a cocker spaniel. If anyone knows Koda Bear, they were just that size. Momma got them across the road, maybe 150 to 200 yards ahead of me. When I got near that location, I was surprised to see them still in the tall grass about 60 or 70 yards away. Momma stood up and gave me a couple of huffs. When I kept heading that way, she dropped down, and she and the cubs high-tailed it out of there.

I went into a tackle, bait, and convenience store-type place that same morning. A couple of old guys were inside. The owner had 3 huge Newfoundland dogs, two black and 1 white with black and brown spots. Super cute but just gigantic. So, the store just reeked of wet dogs. I was happy to take everyone outside to show them the camper and give them the spiel. A couple of hours later, on the road again, I got a whiff of “wet dog”. Now I don’t know if it was the Newfoundland’s or me, I was smelling. The scent of mystery had begun.

I also smelled some distinct odors while walking that had me guessing. My best guess was that some of the trucks were running a recycled biodiesel. First time I smelled bacon. I mean, who doesn’t recognize bacon? Why would I smell it in the middle of nowhere? 10 miles from my last sign of civilization. The second “odor” was hot dogs. I mean, nice crispy grilled hot dogs. I started thinking I needed to stop and eat something. The last smell, and one that gave me a clue because a diesel engine was running nearby, was that unmistakable smell of a McDonald’s. That unique McDonald’s smell. Now, if those 3 smells don’t make you hungry, nothing will.

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GENEALOGISTS- PRESERVE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY, TODAY

Reach out to Dancestors Genealogy. Our genealogists will research, discover, and preserve your family history. No one is getting any younger, and stories disappear from memory every year, eventually fading from our ability to find them.

Preserve your legacy and the heritage of your ancestors.

Paper gets thrown in the trash; books survive!

Ready to embark on your family history journey? Don’t hesitate. Call Dan Nelson and get your project started!