Howard Genealogy Blog

Does anyone have information on Robert Howard who says he was born in Bethlehem, PA, 18 Mar 1910. They might have been burned out in a fire. His parents both passed away in a wreck in PA, he was placed in an orphanage and ran away, eventually joining the military. He met Thelma Myrtle Gawen at the Hayadams Hotel on 15th and Penn in DC (where he received his SS card) and married her about 1937. She was b. 25 June 1917 in Cople, Westmoreland Co., VA and died 24 July 1999. She and Robert had three children, one born in Lackawanna, NY, the other two may have been born in DC. SS records show he signed up in the District of Columbia. He was in the Electrician’s Union and worked in DC and at Calvert Cliffs in MD for a while. Any information would be appreciated.

Anybody interested in joining the Howard DNA Project should also look at the FTDNA website: http://www.familytreedna.com/public/howarddnaproject/
Check out frequently asked questions: http://www.familytreedna.com/faq.html
or join the Howard DNA Project:
https://www.familytreedna.com/surname_join.aspx?code=E59009&special=True&projecttype=S

The Howard DNA Project has grown quite a bit in the past year or two, and we now have 80 kits tested, with several different group matches. Be sure to check out the DNA site before leaving our genealogy site.

Several months ago I came across 12-Marker matches which did not continue to match when they were upgraded to a higher number of markers. At about the same time we got the results back for Gideon Howard and his descendents, several were named after his son, Reason/Rezon. One of these sons did not match Gideon, nor some of the others in the group, but it appeared there was a fast moving marker that had also changed on one of the earlier Reason’s and because he was a close match with him, we could figure that he was also a descendent of Gideon.

I am beginning to see more of these groups and plan to post them as matches even though they are not listed as such on the FTDNA site, just to make sure we do not miss a possible intermediate connection.

I have always wondered how Benjamin Howard and Prudence Sater met, especially since Prudence Sater’s mother is suposed to have married a John Howard, which is the last information I have been able to find on her. Was she allowed to raise her children or were they placed under the care of someone else? Who was John Howard? Did he have any children, brothers, sisters, parents in the area. Where did they live? It is claimed that Benjamin Howard was born on Long Island, but there has been no indication of where this was; New York? Scotland? Long Island of Holston, VA? Of North Carolina? It was at one time thought he was a descendent of Mathew Howard of VA/MD because of a connection to Thomas Arundel Howard, and yes, there was a connection; but that left the question of who Thomas Arundel Howard was…not a descendent of Mathew Arundel and Margaret Howard, though they were cousins. I am writing a book, but I have not been able to place the parents, etc of Benjamin Howard, which would clear up some questions which badly need answering.

It is said that Benjamin Howard went back to his ancestral home and found a deed for 4000 acres. I have also read that this deed was in the possession of the Walker family which later married into Benjamin’s family. It could be true that the Walker’s had the deed, because there was a Walker in a prominant position with the ancestral Howard. There is more than a hundred years between the time the deed was written and Benjamin’s birth, and another 40-60 years before it was used to get a land grant in Tennessee. Where was the deed in all that time?

I would love to hear from anyone who has any information on this family.