Destinysmom

The search for my mother’s Ancestry DNA match to destinysmom12 was a journey that started in Calvert County, Maryland, moved to Brooklyn, New York, took a side-step back to Maryland before returning to Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.

I started with the single named person on destinysmom12’s tree. Also included were the birthdate and date of death for that lone named man. I began to build a tree for that person, looking for a Maryland connection. What I found instead were South Carolina, Georgia and New Jersey connections. So, I knew that the connection must be in the missing wife’s name. Through trial and error and a lot of rutting around looking at orphaned family trees in Ancestry, I was able to identify destinysmom12. And in doing so, I learned the name of the missing wife. The last name was Tynes.

With that piece of information, I searched Ancestry and FamilySearch.org for persons with the last name of Tynes that were born in Maryland. I found a woman named Rebecca Tynes, living in Brooklyn who fit. In her household was a young girl named Daisy. New York state held a census every five years. Being able to see where people were at 5 year intervals was very helpful in connecting my Maryland kin in New York. I found Daisy in the New York state census for 1905 as Daisy Snowden and on the 1910 US Kings County federal census as Daisy Tynes in Rebecca Tynes’ household. The family lived at 2014 Fulton Street in 1910. Included in that household was a young boy named James Torney.

Now things were clicking into place. I had already discovered that my third great aunt Eliza Phillips had married Major Torney in Calvert County, Maryland. I thought this might be the connection between destinysmom12 and the other 2 profiles that I’d already connected to Eliza Phillips Torney.

I searched the FamilySearch.org website for Maryland probates and found a probate 1924 for Rebecca Tynes. And listed on Rebecca’s probate were 3 names: James Torney, Moses Torney and Hester Watts. James was listed as her son, Moses, her brother; and Hester, her sister. I’d connected Daisy Snowden and her daughter to the destinysmom12 profile in Ancestry.com.

The only remaining thing to do was to figure out Daisy’s parentage and that was easily done. Her mother was Florence Snowden of Maryland and her father was Moses Torney. The profile destinysmom12 belonged to Daisy Snowden’s granddaughter, Beverly. My journey to connecting the dots in this case was brief. I’d messaged destinysmom12 on many occasions but had never received an answer. By the time I’d figured it all out, Beverly had passed away. I was later able to share with her brother the information that I’d discovered.

I found Moses Torney and Rebecca on the 1900 US Kings County, NY census living at 85 Rochester Ave. Rebecca was recorded as a single woman and Moses was listed as a 38-year-old widowed man with 5 children: Samuel, 12; James, 12; Alexander, 8; Peter, 7; and Solomon, 5. Rebecca was a laundress and Moses a farm laborer.

Moses lived on Atlantic Avenue in 1905 with a new wife Cora Chestnut and 5 sons. James was no longer in Moses home, but instead in Rebecca’s. Living with Moses and wife Cora were his other 4 sons and a 3-month-old son Jeremiah.

Moses was living in Brooklyn at 537 Clausen Ave at the time of 1910 US census. Living with him were sons Samuel, Alexander and Peter as well as a new wife named Georgie. Moses had moved back to Calvert County, Maryland by 1920.

Rebecca, husband Jeremiah Tynes as well as Daisy and her daughter were living at 1873 Fulton Street in 1920. Rebecca died in 1924 and her will was probated January 1926 in Calvert County, Maryland.

Moses Torney was born 1861 and died January 5, 1942. He was buried in Saint Johns Methodist Cemetery in Lusby, Calvert County, MD.

Moses and Rebecca Torney were sister and brother. There mother was Eliza Phillips, wife of Major Torney. Eliza Phillips and my 4th great grandmother Charlotte Phillips Smith were sisters. Eliza and family remained in Calvert County, Maryland. Charlotte was sold and shipped to Louisiana on October 18, 1851 from Richmond, Virginia aboard the Baroque Virginia. She was described as a 17 year-old female, 5′ 1″ tall. The ships destination was New Orleans.

I then searched Newspaper.com and found 2 ads placed by Moses Torney in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and 1 article that mentioned Daisy.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sunday, Dec. 17, 1899, Page 32
Wanted – Situation-A A DRIVER FOR doctor, useful man for inside work or furnaces by a respectable colored man from the South; only reasonable wages expected; good city references. Call or address Moses Tourney, 87 Irving place.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sunday, Dec. 24, 1899, Page 1
Wanted – Situation – BY A SOBER, HONEST, industrious colored man; work either by day, week, or month; to do anything; useful man; understands horses; references; only reasonable wages expected. Address present employer, MOSES TORNEY, 38 Putnam ave.

Daisy Fitchette and Mrs. Margaret Broadus rendered solos at the funeral services of Mrs. Cornelia Watkins of Decatur Street at Berean Baptist Church with Rev. S. T Eldridge officiating.

Best,