Matthew Dryden

Ancestors

Son of [private father (1960s - unknown)] and [private mother (1960s - unknown)]

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Matthew Dryden is ≈36% German.

Matthew Dryden is ≈25% English.

Matthew Dryden is ≈16% Irish.

Matthew Dryden is ≈14% Spanish.

Matthew Dryden is ≈8% native Sonoran (Teuima, Eudebe, and Yaqui).

Matthew Dryden is ≈1% Scottish.

Some things

For any interested in Dryden genealogy (specifically descending from William and Agnes Dryden of Midlothian → Maryland in the 1670s) I am in possession of book one of Dryden Family & Descendants by Leslie Powell Dryden, 1992, so if any transcriptions from it are needed/wanted/whatever, feel free to ask.

Speaking of Drydens, my relation to the family is in name only; while my grandfather Dr. Hugh Latimer Dryden, Jr., will always be my grandfather, DNA testing with Ancestry in 2017 indicated that he was not genetically my grandfather. Close matches appeared to indicate Dr. Frank L. Wilkie, Jr., as the source of this NPE; as genetically proven relationships take precedent on this site, especially when the confirmed-with-DNA badge is thrown around, Wilkie is instead listed on my tree as my grandfather.

Helpful links

Some websites that have proven to be incredibly helpful; putting these here not just so others can see them but also just so I can have an easy link to them and not forget them.

1. NLS's stitched-together Ordnance Survey maps, featuring the entirety of Great Britain and most of the surrounding islands as they were in the late Victorian era.
2. Barry Griffin's website, currently showing surname heatmaps for Ireland and Scotland in the 1901 Census.
3. Incorporation dates for all current boroughs and townships in any Pennsylvania county, just click on the county you need.
4. Julian-to-Gregorian date conversion, essential when dealing with Colonial England pre–Sept. 2, 1752.
5. Karte zum Namen, showing the distribution of any surname you give it as it currently stands in several European countries.
6. Merriott Families Genealogy, incredibly specific, but as someone with ties to Merriott, Somerset, this website has been incredibly helpful in making sense of all the same surnames that crop up when researching this village.
7. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission's Ancestry portal, offering completely free access to their collection of records otherwise exclusive to Ancestry members, any PA ZIP code is all that's needed. Especially useful for accessing birth and death certificates as well as WWII veterans' compensation applications.

Surnames

The following is an ongoing list of my surnames and their meanings, the earliest confidently known ancestor for each being linked; blue is for my paternal grandfather, purple is for my NPE paternal grandfather, green is for my paternal grandmother, orange is for my maternal grandfather, and red is for my maternal grandmother.

Andreas, a German patronymic, equivalent to the English "Andrew".
Bernal, a Spanish patronymic for "Bernardo" also shortened from the original "Martín Bernal"; Bates, English, likely a shortened patronymic derived from "Bartholomew"; Beatley, English, likely a habitational name deriving from Beetley, Norfolk; Bishop, an English occupational name for a bishop or overseer; Bower, an Anglicized form of "Bauer", meaning "farmer" or peasant; Boyle, an Anglicization of the Irish "Ó Baoighill", a prominent family of Donegal; and Bracamonte, a Spanish toponymic from Bracquemont, Normandy.
Culver, a name derived from the Old English "culfre", perhaps signifying someone who had a pious temperament or kept doves; Campbell, a Scottish nickname meaning "wry tongue", from the Scottish "cam" ("crooked") and "beul" ("mouth"), my ancestors here thus coming from Scotland to Ireland; Carey, an Anglicized Irish name of multiple origins, originating in my case from Antrim, perhaps from "Mac Fhearadhaigh" or "Ó Ciardha"; and Cramer, a variation of a German occupational meaning "traveling merchant".
Dryden, a Scottish toponymic from a former Midlothian estate whose name essentially meant "glen of the hawthorn bushes", from the Scottish "droigheann", meaning "thorn" and English "dene", meaning "valley"; Drain, an Anglicized form of the Irish "Ó Dreáin", meaning "descendant of Wren"; and Doherty, an Anglicization of the Irish "Ó Dochartaigh", meaning "son of Dochartach".
Escalante, a Spanish habitational name from a town in Cantabria, itself meaning "stairs", referring to terraced farmland; England, a toponymic obviously denoting someone from England; Estrella, Spanish for "star", this family likely Opata and adopting the name; and Ellsworth, an English toponymic from Elsworth, Cambridgeshire.
Flood, a further Anglicization of "Tully"—from the Irish "tuile", meaning "flood"—itself an Anglicization of the Irish "Ó Maoltuile", a medieval family from Connaught and Ulster; and Fenstemaker, an Anglicization of "Fenstermacher", a German occupational name referring to someone who makes windows.
Gilbert, a German name deriving from medieval "Giselbert".
Hill, likely a German patronymic deriving from a short form of "Hildebrand". Jackson, a patronymic from the British Isles meaning "Jack's son".
Lewis, a patronymic from either the English name or the Welsh equivalent of "Llewellyn"; López, a Spanish patronymic meaning "son of Lope", a medieval name meaning "wolf", hence the similarity to the modern "lobo"; Lawrence, an English patronymic deriving from the same name; and Low, Scottish name of uncertain origin, perhaps denoting someone short, from the Middle English "lāh", itself from the Old Norse "lágr".
Miller, an English occupational name denoting someone who operates a mill; McPherson, an Anglicization of the Scottish "Mac a' Phearsain", meaning "son of the parson", also the name of a related Scottish clan; McCormick, an Irish patronymic meaning "son of Cormac", that name likely meaning "raven's son"; and McKinley, possibly an Anglicization of the Irish "Mac Fhionnlaoich", meaning "son of Finlay".
Navy, an English or Scottish name of uncertain origin, perhaps brought by the Normans via the Old French "neveu", meaning "nephew".
Ohnesorgen, originally "Ohnesorge", an ornamental surname meaning "without worry", later pluralized by my 3×grandfather William Ohnesorgen by adding an "-n".
Peterlein, a German patronymic for "Peter" with the diminutive "-lein" suffix; Powell, an Anglicization of the Welsh patronymic "ap Hywel", meaning "son of Hywel"; and Pohle, a toponymic name from the Low German word referring to a muddy pool or wetland.
Quihuis, a Sonoran surname of unknown origin, let alone meaning, likely from the O'odham or Yaqui language with an origin near today's Magdalena de Kino.
Rockefeller, a German habitational name from the currently abandoned village of Rockenfeld near Neuwied; Remley, an Anglicized form of "Rämmele", German and of uncertain origin; Ryland, perhaps an Anglicized Irish name, the equivalent English name meaning "rye land", this family coming from Ireland; Ruiz, a Spanish patronymic meaning "son of Ruy", short form of "Rodrigo"; and Richter, a German occupational meaning "judge".
Salazar, a Spanish toponymic from the Navarrese Salazar Valley, the word itself meaning "old farmhouse"; Smith, in my case the English equivalent of the German occupational "Schmidt"; and Sitler, an Anglicized variant of the German "Seidler", an occupational name referring to weaving silk.
Travers, an English toponymic from Norman referring to someone who lived near a crossing; Troyer, an Anglicization of the German "Dreier", referring to a lathe operator; Tittershell, spelling variation of an English toponymic indicating one from Tattershall, Lincolnshire; and Taylor, an English occupational meaning "tailor".
Varner, an Anglicized form of "Werner", meaning "defender".
Wilkie, a Scottish patronymic and diminutive of "William"; and Whitmire, an Anglicization of "Widmaier", an Upper German name essentially meaning "tenant farmer".

Known veteran ancestors

World War II

• J. Hilbert Bernal (1921–2017), of Benson, Arizona. Served in the Corps in the Pacific, serving in Luzon, New Guinea, and Japan as a radio operator.
• John Harold Lewis (1923–1968), of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Served in the USAAF, stationed in England; married Joan Bates, of Fleetwood, Lancashire.

World War I

• Henry Bates (1891–1953), of Oldham, Lancashire. Served in France with the Dorset Regiment. Suffered a leg injury and sent home, afterwards settling at Fleetwood.

American Civil War

• William A. Smith (1828–1904), of Fairmount Springs, Pennsylvania; originally from Mendham, New Jersey and moved to Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, following the war. Served in Company H of the [198ᵗʰ Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, thence being involved in the Siege of Petersburg, the Battle of Hatcher's Run, and the Battle of Appomattox Court House, among others. Recovered from typhoid fever at Satterlee, Philadelphia.

American Revolution

• Frederick Weissenfels
• Conrad Witmeyer (c. 1737–1807), of Old Zionsville, Pennsylvania. Was a member of Captain Peter Kooken's 5th Company of Stephen Balliet's battalion in the Northampton County Militia.
• Johann George Gilbert
• George Michael Bower (c. 1738–1820), of Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Served in Captain Peter Smith's Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Berks County Militia.
• Jesse Washburn (c. 1726–b. 1810), of Chestnuthill Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
• Daniel Downing (1739–1813), of Canterbury, Connecticut and later Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Served in Capt. John Garrett's 1ˢᵗ lower Wilkes-Barre company of the 24ᵗʰ Westmoreland Regiment of Connecticut's militia.
• Eleazer Lewis (1738–1816), of Hopkinton, Rhode Island, and Voluntown, Connecticut. Served under Colonel Joseph Noyes, patrolling the Narragansett Bay, before possibly being involved in the Sullivan Expedition and being present at the hanging of John André.
• UNCONFIRMED: Israel Tompkins (c. 1758–1839), of Saratoga County, New York. Was a Tory, loyal to the British Empire, migrating to Wolford, Grenville County, Upper Canada.
• UNCONFIRMED: Jesse Brown (1731–b. 1784), of Stonington, Connecticut. Loyalist, moved to Quebec shortly after the war.

Neat ancestors and cool cousins (ongoing list)

• Benedict Arnold (1615–1678), interpreter, twice governor, and thrice president of Rhode Island; 10×grandfather
• John Coggeshall (1599–1647, among the founders of Rhode Island, voting for the acquittal of Anne Hutchinson, and that colony's first president shortly before his death; 11×grandfather.
• Thomas Welles (≈1590–1660), treasurer, secretary, thrice deputy governor, and twice governor of Connecticut; 11×g-grandfather
• John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937), infamous oil baron and wealthiest man in modern history; 4×cousin 2×removed.
• Dr. Virginia Apgar (1909–1974), physician and anesthesiologist known for developing the Apgar score for infant viability; 4×cousins, 2×removed.
• Phyllis Diller (1917–2012), eccentrically dressed comedienne from the 1950s on; 5×cousins, 1×removed.
• Keith Haring (1958–1990), iconic graffitist and muralist with a widely recognized style; 7×cousins 2×removed.

Sources

• Me lol

DNA Sources

• Filial relationship confirmed with AncestryDNA test match between Matthew Dryden and E. B., great nephew/great uncle; predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: First cousins, based on sharing 856 cM across 40 DNA segments; confidence: “Extremely high“. Most recent common ancestors: J. Hilbert and Carmen Bernal, née Salazar.

• Filial relationship confirmed with AncestryDNA test match between Matthew Dryden and T. B., first cousins, once-removed; predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: Second cousins, based on sharing 490 cM across 29 DNA segments; confidence: “Extremely high“. Most recent common ancestors: Jack Lewis and Joan Fenn, née Bates.

• Filial relationship confirmed with AncestryDNA test match between Matthew Dryden and D. G., second cousins; predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: Second cousins, based on sharing 348 cM across 19 DNA segments; confidence: “Extremely high“. Most recent common ancestors: D. Wallace Whitmire and Edna Mae Fullmer, née Varner.

• Filial relationship confirmed with AncestryDNA test match between Matthew Dryden and J. M., second cousins; predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: Second cousins, based on sharing 247 cM across 11 DNA segments; confidence: “Extremely high“. Most recent common ancestors: D. Wallace Whitmire and Edna Mae Fullmer, née Varner.

• Filial relationship confirmed with AncestryDNA test match between Matthew Dryden and S. G., second cousins, once-removed (genetic relationship strengthened through double cousin phenomena); predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: Second cousins, based on sharing 245 cM across 13 DNA segments; confidence: “Extremely high“. Most recent common ancestors: Ysidro Q. and Beatriz Bernal, née Ohnesorgen; Miguel E. and Carmen Salazar, née Escalante.

• Filial relationship confirmed with AncestryDNA test match between Matthew Dryden and J. B., second cousins, once-removed; predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: Third cousins, based on sharing 115 cM across 6 DNA segments; confidence: “Extremely high“. Most recent common ancestors: James F. and Ida Varner, née Smith.

• Filial relationship confirmed with AncestryDNA test match between Matthew Dryden and S. S., third cousins; predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: Third cousins, based on sharing 107 cM across 4 DNA segments; confidence: “Extremely high“. Most recent common ancestors: Alem and Sallie Whitmire, née Remley.

• Filial relationship confirmed with AncestryDNA test match between Matthew Dryden and L. H., second cousins, twice-removed; predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: Fourth cousins, based on sharing 68 cM across 6 DNA segments. Most recent common ancestors: Charles and Mary Peterlein, née Pohle.