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Genealogical Mystery Solved
This is a story of how the combination of research and DNA can solve genealogical riddles. It starts with Lillian Larsen Ackerman obtaining her birth certificate in 1971 after her husband Gib's death so she could apply for Social Security benefits. She didn't pay much attention to the birth certificate but some time in the 1980's to her shock and dismay it was discovered her father was listed as "unknown." Her mother Rose Larsen had never told her that she was "illegitimate" and she thought Adonijah Dolph Jr. (Addie) was her father. Upon further discovery, her sister Sylvia (Sal) was born "illegitimate" also since Rose and Addie did not marry until September 23, 1911, after Sylvia's birth (May 22, 1911). There was never any reason to believe Rose and Addie weren't married when both girls were born. Addie did not live with Rose and the girls most of Lillian and Sylvia's childhood because he was troubled with alcohol abuse and other issues. He basically was a vagabond and Rose divorced him March 29, 1921. This uncertainty over who was their real father led to many questions but for our genealogical mystery purpose we are going to focus on how do we know that Addie was their father, our great-grandfather?
After the birth certificate discovery in the 1980's, Lillian began to question whether Addie was her father. Her mother and sister had passed so there was no way to ask them. She was surprised no one in the community had said anything to her in all those years, being a small community she lived in her whole life up until then. She had a strained relationship with her "father" and rarely saw him nor cared to see him because he was mean to her. Because of that relationship and since her mother and Addie weren't married until over two years after her birth, and four months after Sylvia's birth, she was certainly dubious about who her father really is. In some ways, she was relieved. However, the question of who her real father was had remained unsolved. It was too late to check with the community because all the people she thought would know were long gone and it is not the type of question you asked around town anyway.
I decided to research the mystery using then current genealogical practices of censuses, documents, newspaper stories and the like. Unfortunately, even though Lillian was born in April 1909 she was not listed on the 1910 census anywhere; not with Rose, who was living with her parents Sivert and Anna, not with the Dolph's, Addie was living with his dad, according to the census as well. There were no personal records available to verify any relationship prior to the divorce (March 29, 1921), just two photos of Addie, one photo with his father Adonijah Dolph Sr. and another one of Addie by himself with a bottle, that photo was destroyed. After a few years of searching, I discovered a weekly newspaper published in Three Oaks, Michigan, called "The Acorn." It was published from 1902-1929. The Acorn had columns dedicated to local stories/announcements about the happenings and events of people in the various communities around Three Oaks, including Harbert where Lillian was born. Most of the issues are available on microfilm at the Library of Michigan in Lansing (along with WMU, I've since discovered). I scanned though each issue from the time period (1906-17) looking though the section named "A Week With Our Neighbors" which covered the communities close to Three Oaks (Harbert, Sawyer, Lakeside...) I mostly read the 4-15 entries per week for Harbert. The people who lived in these communities submitted stories to be published about visitors, trips, illnesses and other things of interest. Fortunately, Anna Larsen occasionally submitted stories. One was a jackpot.
In the November 6, 1908 issue of The Acorn, there was a mention: "Addie Dolph and Miss Rose Larson[sic] spent Saturday in St. Joseph." This was nearly five months before Lillian was born on April 1, 1909. There was my clue and some pretty substantial evidence that Addie and Rose were dating, and it fit the time frame. I remember telling my Mom, Karen Ackerman Christopher, and my grandmother, Lillian, of the find. The degree of confidence that Addie was Lillian's father was quite high, but not 100%. Five months is considerably less than nine months of the typical gestation period and after years of doing genealogical research I have found more than one relative who was already pregnant when she met her would-be husband. Note: my aunt and mother took exception to me questioning this possibility because they had great respect for their grandmother (Nana) and felt there was no way it was possible that another man was the father. This is where DNA comes in.
Flash ahead 20+ years (2023) and my decision to have my DNA tested mostly for the ancestry (breakdown of what country region my kin came from) but also the possibility of matching some relatives who might answer the questions I have of a few "unknown" father's. Once again, this was a jackpot for the question of was Addie Dolph my great grandfather? Over 30 DNA matches from Ancestry.com alone can be traced to the Dolphs. Here are a couple of samples: #1 & #2. To learn more about DNA and see my DNA results from multiple DNA tests click here for the DNA main page.
We can now be 100% sure that Adonijah Dolph Jr. (Addie) is our great-grandfather, the father of Lillian A. Larsen (Ackerman). Now, if I can just be this lucky with Eric Bernhard Christoffersson (Christopher). By the way, the Dolphs were a fruitful bunch and there are a significant number of cousins all over the country (Addie had 6 brothers and sisters and his dad, Nijah as he was called, had at least 11 brothers and sisters). I was able to trace the Dolph's back 16+ generations to 1500 England. You can see 9 generations from Addie below - click to see full size:
