A Photo Leads to DNA Match: 52 Ancestors 2022 Prompt “New to You”

Questions About a Photo Lead Me to a DNA Connection

Gulbrand Olsen: 1825-1912

Oline Gulbrandsdatter Olsen: 1856-1927

Cora Mathilda Williams: 1893-1956

 

As I was researching the extended family of my paternal great-grandmother Ragnhild Olsdatter Ve Syverson, I decided to see what I could turn up on her oldest brother, Gulbrand Olsen, who was my great-granduncle. The only information I had to start with was the year of his birth: 1825. I also had four shaking leaves on Ancestry—hints that might or might not match my great-granduncle. To my surprise, one of those hints was a photograph! Could this really be a photo of my great-grandmother’s brother? I had my doubts. Norwegian surnames are complex and confusing. How could I verify this photo truly was the person I was researching? I clicked on the name of the person who had generously posted the photo, and pulled up an Ancestry profile with the generic name “famresearcher3”. However, this person was also identified as my DNA match! Ancestry estimated we were 4^th to 6^th cousins! So yes, this was a photo of my great-granduncle!

This was truly a new experience for me! I have never had a photo lead to a DNA match before! I’ve had DNA matches lead me to trees with new photos, but never the other way around. A quick examination of my DNA match’s tree enabled me to quickly determine how and through whom we were related.

Gulbrand Olsen was the first child born to Ragnhild Olsdatter Ve and her husband Ole Gulbrandsen Geithus. Church records from Laerdal, Sogn Og Fjordane show he was born February 28, 1825, and was baptized on March 13, 1825.

The next record I located for Gulbrand or Gudbrand was his marriage record. He married Maline Olsdatter at the Laerdal church in Sogn Og Fjordane on October 26, 1851. Gulbrand was 26 years old, and Maline was a year younger.

The couple appear on the 1865 Norway census in the Nundal, Fardal og Ve enumeration district. Gudbrand is 41, Maline 39, and they have five children, daughters Senneva, 15; Ragnhilda, 12; Oline, 10; and Malene, 2; and one 5-year-old son, Ole Gudbrandsen.

Oline's baptism record

The middle child, Oline, is the ancestor of my DNA match. She immigrated to the United States in 1880, and settled in Wisconsin. On March 14, 1886, Oline married the son of other Norwegian immigrants, Thomas Williams (he also went by Witkinson or Williamson). They settled on a farm near Castle Rock, Wisconsin. By the time of the 1900 census, they had six young daughters. 

Oline and Thomas and their six daughters, who are my second cousins

You can see from the close-up of Oline how much her eyes are similar in shape and color to her father’s.

Oline and Thomas’ daughter Cora Mathilda Williams was the ancestor of my DNA match. Cora was born November 25, 1893, and married a local farmer named Jule Larson on March 17, 1920. Jule and Cora farmed land her father had owned in the Castle Rock area, and raised two sons, James and Milton. 

Second cousin Cora Williams and husband

Milton seems to have been the father of my DNA match, and was my third cousin. He apparently was a math and science teacher in the St. Paul, Minnesota area. He married and had at least four children, one of whom is likely my DNA match and fourth cousin.

I was thrilled to have discovered so much information about a new branch of my family tree so quickly and easily, thanks to a photo hint on Ancestry that led me to a DNA match, confirming these people truly were related to my great-grandmother. This method of discovery was new to me, but hopefully this won’t be the last time I have a chance to try it. I’m also looking forward to tracing the descendants of Gulbrand’s other children.

How Milton Larson and my dad are related

Sources: 

All documents and photos were accessed from Ancestry.com. Photos posted on Ancestry by tmlarson and famresearcher3.