What do you think of my Holcomb DNA puzzle? I need help figuring this out!

Question

After decades of coming up against a brick wall, my brother's ancestry DNA test appears to have solved the mystery of who my 3rd great-grandmother Laura Holcomb's parents were. The DNA connections to both her father Azariah Holcomb's family and her mother Christiana Shepherd's family look solid. If we only had a DNA match to Azariah's descendants I'd worry that we were cousins to Azariah rather than his descendants but we have matches to Christiana's sibling's descendants too so it really seems solid that they are Laura's parents. BUT, I just saw a screenshot of Azariah and Christiana's family bible birth register and Laura does not appear to be there. I've uploaded it to Azariah's wikitree profile. The entries are difficult to read but I really don't think she's there. I'm new to DNA. If this happened to you, what would you think? 

Comments

Laura may not be her birth name. She may have changed  the spelling. Look for other sources. Wills, land records etc. for the Holcombs and Shepherds. For example, did Laura's husband or sons appear as witnesses on documents for other connected Holcombs or Shepherds?

There are numerous SAR and DAR records for Azariah.

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That's a good idea, I'll check. Thank you 

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It will be a deep dig. I proved the parents & grandfather of U.S. Navy hero Reuben James by finding his name as witness to a land record for his brother, then using the brother's name, found the older generations. The land record for Reuben's brother identified Reuben as a sailor, so there was no doubt it was our hero. Wikitree is the only site that has proof of the James family.

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That's inspiring!

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Hi Emm!  you might to want to also look for other instances of a marriage between those two families, which could produce the DNA combo that you are seeing.

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I had a look at the Family Bible page, and as you said, it is difficult to read.  It also seemed to be all written on the same day, and not in chronological order.  Am i seeing that correctly?  Any time that happens, it is definitely possible that someone could be missed.  

Are you sure it was from the Family Bible, if it was part of the pension file?

It seems to be from quite a long time after the Revolutionary War.  

Are you able to account for all the people mentioned in that list?   I only ask because it could give you insight into the intent of the list.  Maybe they only listed ones who were currently alive, or some other criteria.

Good luck with an interesting puzzle!

Cheers

Shirlea

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Oh dear, I suppose that could be. Sigh, I guess I'd better leave no stone unturned

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Holy smokes, you're right. I saw it as a source on someone's tree, listed as being from a family bible so I just presumed they knew what they were talking about & turned off my brain.  It really doesn't make sense that it would be. Thank you for giving me more perspective.  

Answer 1

What is known about Azariah’s daughter Lunia? Maybe that is a misreading of Laura. Or could Laura be a nickname for that last daughter Lamira?  (Just looking at the list on Azariah’s profile). Do their dates or life circumstances match up with your Laura?

Comments

i had a look, and probably the answer is not here.  Lunia looks really clear on that list.  Lamira is probably the wrong age.

Answer 2

Your Laura and her descendants seemed to like the name Alden, and there are some Alden Holcombs back in Connecticut.  Have you looked into a possible connection with them?