Biography

My Photo Lines

Webiørn Webiørnsen (1821 - 1899)

Anton Sigvardt Vebjørnsen (1849 - 1932)

Walter Williams (1890 - 1976)

Vincent Williams (b.1933)

Mark Williams (b.1959)

Verla Blakey (b.1932)

Agnes Roe (1909 - 2004)

Mina Horseth (1880 - 1942)

Lina Larsdatter (1857 - 1931)

Early Life

Mark Williams D.M.A. was born in Texas.

Mark Williams D.M.A. has Norwegian ancestors

Mark Williams D.M.A. has English ancestors.

Mark Williams D.M.A. has German Roots.

Mark Didrik Williams, D.M.A. was born on 31 Mar 1959 at the Harlingen Air Force Base hospital in Harlingen, Cameron, Texas, ^{[1] [2]} the son of Vincent D. ^[3] and Verla (Blakey) Williams. ^[4] Around Jul 1960 the family moved to the small town of Decorah in Winneshiek County, Iowa.

Education

Williams attended elementary and junior high schools there and graduated from Decorah High School, in 1976. ^[5] He attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa for a year majoring in Computer Science.

He then transferred and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music cum laude from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa (1980), a Master of Arts in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa, Iowa City (1982), and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Literature with a minor in Opera Production from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1988). ^{[6] [7]}

Family

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the April 2022 Connect-a-Thon.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the July 2022 Connect-a-Thon, and added 203 connections.

Mark has participated in 22 out of 52 weeks during the 2022 52 Weeks of Photos Challenge.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the 2022 Source-a-Thon, adding sources to 40 previously unsourced profiles.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the January 2023 Connect-a-Thon, and added 116 connections.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the April 2023 Connect-a-Thon, and added 149 connections.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the July 2023 Connect-a-Thon, and added 22 connections.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the January 2024 Connect-a-Thon, and added 140 connections.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the April 2024 Connect-a-Thon, and added 53 connections.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the July 2024 Connect-a-Thon, and added 80 connections.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the January 2025 Connect-a-Thon, and added 48 connections.

Mark Williams D.M.A. participated with The Nordic Noir during the April 2025 Connect-a-Thon.

On 8 Jan 1983 Mark married Amy Louise Farwell in Iowa City, Johnson, Iowa. ^[8] They divorced on 13 Jan 1989 having no children. ^[9]

He married Junel Jean Bacigalupo on 20 May 2006 in Squaw Valley, Placer, California. ^[10] Together they had a daughter, Roslyn Grace Bacigalupo Williams, born on 1 Mar 2007 in Carson City, Nevada. ^[11] They divorced on 5 Feb 2024 in Minden, Douglas, Nevada. ^[6]

Occupation

Dr. Williams taught as an adjunct faculty member at Millikin University in Decatur, IL; at Western Nevada College in Carson City, NV; and at University of Nevada, Reno. He is currently the Music Department Chair at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

Mark has performed over 100 leading and character roles in musical theatre and opera across the United States and internationally. Some of his favorite roles include: The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Javert in Les Miserables, Jekyll/Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde, Jesus and Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Cervantes/Quixote in Man of La Mancha, King Arthur in Camelot, among others. He is also active as a musical and stage director, and has composed the music for four original musical theatre productions.

From 2004-2007, he was a Biographee in Who's Who in America. ^[12]

Hobbies

When not "working," Mark enjoys swimming, hiking, movies, and of course, genealogy. His trees and genealogy blogs are listed below: ^[6]

• 23 and Me (profile)
• Ancestry.com (tree)
• A Bacigalupo Blog
• A Blakey Blog
• A Hoganson Blog
• A Huseby Blog
• A Johnson Blog
• A Kephart Blog
• A Roe Blog
• A Sander Blog
• A Webjørnsen/Williams Blog
• Mark D. Williams' Blog
• Williams Family Pages (database)

Publications

In 2018 he wrote and self-published a short book on his 2x great grandfather, Brede Bredesen Sander, available on Amazon.com. ^[13]

In 2023 he published a series of four books based on research from his doctoral dissertation, La Bohème as Novel, Play, and Opera. They are also available on Amazon.com. ^[14]

Research Notes

DNA testing (see below) has brought up some interesting questions. Genealogically I have not yet discovered any Swedish, Finnish, or Spanish/Portuguese ancestors, so that is certainly an area to explore.

It is hoped that through DNA testing I can discover my parents' MRCA (see below).

DNA Information

Ethnicity Inheritance Overview.

A DNA test at Ancestry (updated 2024) showed the following ethnicity estimate:

• Norway 66%
• England & Northwestern Europe 14%
• Sweden and Denmark 11%
• Finland 9%

At 23andMe the ethnicity estimate was as follows:

• Scandinavian 77.5%
• British & Irish 10.4%
• Finnish 7.3%
• Broadly Northwestern European 2.8%
• Spanish & Portuguese 1.9%

Both of my parents also took a DNA test from 23andMe and received an interesting result. Each showed up as a DNA match for distant cousins on the other's DNA relatives. ^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997. Texas: Texas Department of State Health Services. Microfiche. Roll number: 1959_0017. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8143795:8781.
2. ↑ See also uploaded image of birth card.
3. ↑ Paternal relationship is confirmed by a 23andMe test match between Mark Williams and Vincent Williams. Predicted relationship from 23andMe: Father based on sharing 3538 cM across 22 segments (47.64%).
4. ↑ Maternal relationship is confirmed by a 23andMe test match between Mark Williams and Verla (Blakey) Williams. Predicted relationship from 23andMe: Mother based on sharing 3720 cM across 23 segments (50.00%).
5. ↑ U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Various school yearbooks from across the United States. School Name: Decorah High School; Year: 1976. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1654039875:1265.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} First-hand information.
7. ↑ Who's Who among Among America's Teachers, Vol. VI, 7th ed. (Austin, Texas: Educational Communications, Inc., 2002): p. 529.
8. ↑ U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2020. Original data: Iowa City Press-Citizen; Publication Date: 12/ Jan/ 1983; Publication Place: Iowa City, Iowa, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/207287900/?article=05eb57e3-edeb-4f60-a764-a5a07723214c/b100230b-2753-43f3-babd-433364f71096&focus=0.68635845,0.27913257,0.8347226,0.395503&xid=3398
9. ↑ Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage, Circuit Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Champaign County, Illinois (13 Jan 1989). Document in possession of Mark D. Williams.
10. ↑ Marriage certificate in possession of Mark D. Williams.
11. ↑ Nevada, U.S., Birth Index, 1975-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Nevada State Health Division, Office of Vital Statistics. State Birth Index. Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Carson City, Nevada. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/692739:8998.
12. ↑ Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Original data: Gale Research Company. Biography and Genealogy Master Index. Accession Number: 5002579. Detroit, MI, USA: Gale Research Company, 2008. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9900229:4394.
13. ↑ Mark D. Williams, D.M.A., Brede Bredesen Sander (1822-1905): Winneshiek County, Iowa Pioneer. (Independently published: 2018). ISBN: 9781731406040. https://amzn.to/36Di3In.
14. ↑ Mark D. Williams, D.M.A., La Bohème as Novel, Play and Opera. (Independently published: 2023.) https://amzn.to/3JWaHiZ.
15. ↑ Distant cousins relationship of parents is confirmed by a 23andMe test match between Vincent Williams and Verla (Blakey) Williams. Predicted relationship from 23andMe: Distant cousins based on sharing 6.43 cM across 1 segments (.09%).

Acknowledgements

My mother, Verla (Blakey) Williams, began researching our family history as early as 1975, and created the initial database now found at Williams Family Pages on her IBM personal computer using Family Roots software. She also compiled family booklets that are now preserved on the blogs listed above. For over 30 years she worked diligently on this labor of love. Since 2009 it has been my honor and pleasure to continue her work to ensure that it is available on the internet for any family members searching for their ancestors.

Missy Berryann for her mentoring and for help and suggestions in preparing for the Pre-1500 badge.

Kari Undbekken (7C1R) for assistance on the Husmo family and breaking through the brick wall for Andreas Eriksen Sann.

Digital afterlife

In the knowledge that we are all mortal, I hereby request that upon my death, all of my managed profiles of deceased persons including my own profile should be set to full open status. (Please add my year of death.) I would welcome any relative to then become profile manager and continue this labor of love which was started so many decades ago.