Wren Kin

Hello, all!

No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth! I’ve been working very hard on another project and just passed a significant deadline. Now I can focus on Wren Kin.

To that end, I’ve been working my way through a queue of submissions made by readers. Thank you so much for any additions you can share with other W(R)en(n) Family Association members in our our database!

If you’ve submitted proposed changes to me, check the database to see if they’ve made it in yet. If not, don’t be afraid to drop me a note and remind me. I want to make absolutely sure I haven’t overlooked anyone’s mail.

I just received a letter from Relative Genetics (the company handling our DNA surname project) containing the following announcement:

On June 18, we announced an exciting new partnership with the online genealogy leader, Ancestry.com, by way of our parent company, Sorenson Genomics. This new partnership will combine Ancestry.com’s unrivaled collection of online family trees and historical documents with Sorenson Genomics’ precision ancestral DNA testing. For more information about the benefits of this exclusive partnership and to view our FAQs, please visit www.relativegenetics.com/news.*

DNA testing and select genetic genealogy services formerly provided by Relative Genetics will soon be offered exclusively through Ancestry.com. At that time, your Relative Genetics information will migrate to Ancestry.com.

*Link updated 7/30/07 as Relative Genetics moved it.

The letter goes on to say that Sorenson will no longer offer the coupon discount I wrote about here, but it will redeem unused, unexpired coupon codes if you have them.

The good news is that Sorenson Genomics will still be the laboratory conducting the DNA analysis. Sorenson’s excellent reputation puts it head and shoulders above the many other DNA labs out there.

The bad news (if this IS really bad news) is that results of the testing will be stored and managed by Ancestry.com.

On one hand, Ancestry.com is indeed the “online genealogy leader” with perhaps the largest collection of online databases available to subscribers. I spent the first four years of my genealogy research using sources like Heritage Quest, and when I finally broke down and bought a membership with Ancestry.com I felt it was money well-spent because of those multiple databases, not to mention the “every name” indexing.

(And also because I happened to chance on a sale that gave me the annual World Deluxe membership for only $99. Since then it’s gone up to $300 or so.)

On the other hand, Ancestry.com’s customer service reputation is less than stellar, although I have no complaints so far.

So how will this change affect our DNA data mangement? I’m not sure.

Perhaps this move will provide us with more exposure to fellow W(R)en(n) researchers; after all, almost every genealogist has a subscription to Ancestry, or at least uses the library version of Ancestry. That’s got to be good, right?

If you have an opinion on this topic you’d like to share, please do so in the comment section below. I would love to hear what someone else thinks about it.

Ruth Wren sent me a binder containing all the family group sheets submitted by Wren Family Association members in the early 1990s.

I’ve been wondering about the best way to share it with everyone, and have decided to input each group sheet into the database, preferably after I’ve found some vital records to back each family connection up. After all, most of this data is over 10 years old, and the original submitters may have found new evidence since they submitted their group sheets to Wren Kin.

This week I started at the beginning of the binder, the first few pages of which contained information on a branch of Illinois Wrens: Washington J. Wren and his brother Edward D. Wren.

A little poking around at the World Connect database found pedigrees identifying these men as brothers, sons of Binns Jones Wren and Elizabeth “Betsey” Depew, and indeed, there is a note on the back of one of the family group sheets that says:

Benjamin Wren - Father of Dr. Edward D. Wren of IL. This Benjamin lived in KY, then IL from 1820 - 1860s. Wife of this Benjamin was Elizabeth.

Very few of any of the family group sheets in the binder cite sources for every fact, so I tracked the families of these two men as best I could through censuses and other vital records. You’ll find the results of my efforts in our database.

The original submitter was hoping to find information on descendants of Edward D. Wren, especially for one of Edward’s grandsons named Sammie Jones Wren (b. 2 November 1894 in Big Sandy, Texas, d. 17 March 1963 in Oregon). I’m presuming she’s had some luck since 1992, but in the meantime, if anyone would like to add family data to the families I’ve outlined—or if they find any errors—please feel free to contact me and let me know.

I wasn’t having as much success as I’d hoped in interviewing relatives about my great-grandparents.

The Railroad Retirement Board will not release information on living individuals, but if your deceased ancestor worked for the railroad from 1937 on, they will provide you with his or her employment records for a non-refundable search fee.

My great uncle knew plenty about my great-grandfather Ed’s railroad career, but he couldn’t remember where Ed was born and he didn’t have a copy of his death certificate, which meant I was going to have to pay for a copy from New York State.

Even more disappointing, he knew nothing about Ed’s first wife (my great-grandmother). I had her picture and her first name, but nothing else. No one in our family could remember anything about her, either, and she seemed doomed to remain hidden behind a genealogical brick wall.

But then my great uncle mentioned something that took my mind off my lost great-grandmother: he told me how Ed had survived two head-on train collisions in 1905.

It seemed to me a head-on collision would’ve been front-page news, and if a newspaper had written about it, perhaps I could get a copy of the article.

I started researching train wrecks and before long I found I’d Googled my way into the Railroad Retirement Board’s site, which soon proved to be a genealogical gold mine.

The Railroad Retirement Board will not release information on living individuals, but if your deceased ancestor worked for the railroad from 1937 on, they will provide you with his or her employment records for a non-refundable search fee of $27.*

I followed the instructions at the site and sent in my request for information. Within a few days I received a letter telling me the search had been started. (They also wanted to remind me that search fees are non-refundable.)

Twenty-three days later an over-sized envelope came in the mail and I knew I’d hit pay dirt. The envelope included photocopies of:

• Ed’s baptismal certificate, which he used to prove his date of birth
• Ed’s wedding certificate to his second wife, and
• Ed’s death certificate, issued the year he died

Those three documents alone more than made up for the $27. But there was more, including photocopies of forms Ed had filled out containing valuable genealogical information, like:

• the year and the city in which he married his first wife (my great grandmother)
• my great grandmother’s maiden name
• my great grandmother’s death date and place

The paperwork included Ed’s railroad resume, listing the positions he held and the dates he held them over a span of 30 years. There were even life insurance papers Ed’s second wife had filled out, listing her birth date, her first husband’s name, the day and place they were married, the day and place he died, and her parents’ names (including her mother’s maiden name).

Details on my great uncle were in there, too, but as promised, the Retirement Board carefully censored all information on living individuals.

My one disappointment was there was nothing about the two head-on collisions in 1905 that Ed had survived, because the Railroad Retirement Board can only provide records back to 1937. I’m not complaining, however! Thanks to the Railroad Retirement Board, I learned more about my great-grandparents in one afternoon than I did after months of research.

*The search fee cost $27 at the time of this writing.

“In beta” means I’m still working out the kinks. Please take a look and tell me what you think.

You’ll have to register for an account, but don’t worry, it’s free and your email won’t be sold to anyone.

Bear with me if there are any hiccups in the process, as this is new and fairly untested!

Once you get in, take a look at the photos, the gravestones, and everything else. You’ll see how we can associate images with family facts, like a death certificate with a death date.

The Official Wren Kin Database is here.

This article was published in the Wren Kin Newsletter April 1990, Vol. 1, Issue No. 2. and is reprinted here with the permission of author Ruth Wren.

According to census records, William R. Wren was born in Virginia between 1770 and 1780. We can place him in South Carolina in 1810 and 1815 for his daughter, Amelia Ann, and his son Marshall were alleged to have been born in South Carolina. We know he was in Dallas County Alabama by 1820.

I believe the other male and female enumerated in this census as over 21 years of age is his son, William, and wife, Jane — but I have no proof. He is not referred to in the will of William R. Wren but a William Wren is mentioned in Dallas County court records. This William Wren married the widow, Jane (Wardlow) Ramsey, sister of James Wardlow, in 1817 in Abbeville District, South Carolina. They emigrated to Dallas County, Alabama in 1819. According to court records, this William Wren remained in Dallas County, Alabama until 1827. (No other information).

In his will, William R. Wren referred to his wife, Sarah, who was born between 1690 and 1800. I surmise Sarah to be a second wife because William’s daughter, Elizabeth, was also born between 1790 and 1800. I have been unsuccessful in my search for his first wife or any of his South Carolina census/land/court/records.

Our William R. Wren is enumerated in the 1820 printed census of Dallas County, Alabama; pg. 395:

2 males over 21
2 males under 21
2 females over 21
2 females under 21
William R. Wren is still found in Dallas County Alabama in 1830; pg 84;

Male - age 50-60 (William R.) born 1770-1780
Male - age 15-20 (Marshall) - born ca 1815
Male - age <-5 (Richard H.) - born ca 1828
Female age 30-40 (Sarah) - born 1790-1800

18 slaves are also enumerated: 10 male; 8 female

William R. Wren probably died in May of 1838. His will was admitted to probate and recorded on 4 September 1838.

Known Children: Not in order of birth.

1. Ferriby b <1815 m Allen Driskell 25 July 1823 Dallas Co. Ala. (For some unknown reason this daughter was given only $20.00 and omitted from other bequeaths in her father’s will).
2. Polly b? ______? m Benjamin Glover 13 Aug. 1818 Clark Co. Ala.
3. Elizabeth b. 1790-1800 m Wm. McMillian (1830 census - pg 70 ; close to sisters Leanna and Amelia Ann + purchase of 80 acres of land in Dallas Co. Ala. from WILLIAM WREN in February of 1820 - Ref Deed Book A, pg 272).
4. Tappanes b. 1800-1810 m Irwin Adams (1820 census - Dallas Co. Ala., pg 85; 1840 census - Dallas County, Alabama, pg 78. (She is enumerated as a widow with 8 children in 1840 census).
5. Leanna/Dianna b <1810 m Matthew McMillan 7 April 1825 Dallas County, Alabama. She is enumerated in the census of Dallas County, Alabama - pg 78 with husband and 3 male children.
6. Amelia Ann (Milly) b ca 1810 in SC m Aaron Hoot. Enumerated on pg 86, Dallas Co. Ala. census of 1830. Petition to sell land (pg 267 - June Term 1858 - Dallas County, Alabama Deed Records) names the following children: Susan (m Samuel Derrick and of full age), Charles W., Francis M. and Louisa D. Hoot (minors under the age of 21).
7. MARSHALL b ca 1815 S.C. m MARY A. COLEMAN ca 1833 DAL CO ALA DESCENDANTS AND OTHER INFORMATION WILL BE IN OUR JULY ISSUE.
8. Richard H.b. ca 1829 m Mary E. d 1911 Neal, TX; Civil War Veteran; Hood’s Texas Brigade - “Big Dick” Wren. He is enumerated on pg 276 (663/663) of the 1850 census of Dallas County, Alabama; emigrated to Texas - Fannin Co. 1860; Brazos Co. 1870. Children: William M., Sarah W. (m Wm Harmon ca 1868), Clarence Alfred, Richard M., Florence, Mary L. and Thomas S.

Information from will of William R. Wren; census of Dallas Co., Ala. 1820, 30, 40, 50; Fannin County, TX 1860; Brazos Co TX 1870; court, deed, and marriage records of Dallas Co. Ala.

Subscribers of the original Wren Kin newsletter will remember the sweet and informative columns of Mr. Bobby Joe Wren.

Bobby Joe passed away in 2000, but I wanted to post the notice of his death here for all the people who came to know him through the pages of Wren Kin.

A WREN HAS FLOWN HOME
Bobby Joe Wren
1929-2000

Bobby Joe Wren, 70, of El Paso died Sunday (Jan 2, 2000). Services will be private. Survivors include his wife, Ruth; his sons, Robert Allen Wren, Melvin Russell Wren, and Lee Roy Wren; his daughter, Marilyn M. Taylor; his brother Worth S. Wren; his sister, Evelyn Ashey, nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. He was a retired operator delivery man for Southern Pacific Pipeline and a Navy veteran. He was also on the board of directors for Parks and Recreation and lived in El Paso for 41 years. memorial contributions may be made to Parkland High School Athletics. Arrangements are by Hillcrest Funeral Home.

“The remains of Seaman Second Class Bobby J. Wren, were committed to the sea At 0850 22 April, 2000 in a ceremony onboard USS David R. Ray.

Military Headstone placed in the Wren family plot at the Hico Cemetery in Hico, Texas.

Favorite Song: Suppertime by Gov. Jimmie Davis.

Favorite Bible Verses:
John 3:16 For God so loved
The world, that He gave his
Only begotten Son, that
Whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have
everlasting life.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I
say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.

Source: from a photocopied memorial sheet for Bobby Joe Wren. Original is in the possession of Ruth B. Wren.

PLEASE NOTE: Since I wrote this post, this offer has been withdrawn due to the changes announced here.

I’ve been looking for ways to lower the cost of DNA testing for the Wren Family Association DNA Surname Project. The test we recommend costs $155, which might be too expensive for some.

The best price-reduction option so far seems to be through the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Project. In exchange for donating your DNA sample to this non-profit DNA database, Sorenson will provide you with a promo code that takes $60 off the cost of a $155 Y-chromosome DNA test at Relative Genetics (where our surname project is registered).

I’m all for saving money, so I sent away for the participation kit. Actually, I sent away for two: one for me and one for my Wren husband. Both kits arrived within two days.

Here’s what they looked like:

I ripped them open and found [Read more →]

The dates and counties of these marriages have been entered into the W(R)en(n) database:

Bennie WREN, Delia TUCKER (1914)

Carter WREN, Rilla SHAW (1882)

J.C. WREN, Mattie GODFREY (1878)

Sources used: Marriage Records Van Zandt County Texas 1909-1931, Compiled by Quana Barber, Ruth Johnson & Maefayr Hooton; and Van Zandt County Texas Marriage Records 1855-1884, transcribed, compiled & Edited by Exa Thomas.

Introducing the Wren Family Association DNA Surname Project, for all Wren/Wrenn/Ren/Renn surnames!

Here are the two main goals for the W(R)en(n) Family Association DNA Surname Project:

1. To understand and connect the relationships of Wren/Wrenn/Ren/Renn surnames in the U.S. and possibly tie them to Old World families.
2. To prove or disprove the connection so very many Wren genealogies state as fact: that the Wrens of early Virginia were related to Sir Christopher Wren.

…Her mother’s grandfather, Vincent Wren, was in the Wars of the Revolution and 1812. He was a direct descendant of Sir Christopher Wren, architect of St. Paul’s, London.
—”Edward S. Dickson,” Portrait and Biographical Records of Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Counties, Iowa. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1894.

Old Vincent Wren wasn’t the only great-grandfather believed to have been a direct descendant of Christopher Wren! All of us W(R)en(n) researchers have heard this refrain at least once: “We are descended from Sir Christopher Wren!” or perhaps, “We are related to Sir Christopher Wren—Gramps said so!”

While Sir Christopher Wren has no documented living descendants, there are descendants of his ancestors who carry on the Wren surname. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could compare DNA? Let’s use science to settle this question once and for all.

And while we’re putting one of our oldest traditions under the microscope, we’ll be collecting valuable information on W(R)en(n) family lines that will help all of us in our genealogical research. If you’re not quite sure what DNA testing can do, read some of these reports from a few family associations who’ve used DNA testing to solve long-standing genealogical mysteries:

Dodge Family Association DNA Project
Winslow Family Association DNA Project
Bassett Family Association DNA Project
Whiteside DNA Project

Other family associations have had some wonderful success with their DNA testing, and now it’s our turn!

I’ve set up a special information page about our DNA surname project here, and you can join our DNA surname project here.