Puzzle Pieces Proved!

Here is another way the Ancestry DNA matches work.  If the persons have a "shared" person in their trees, the match will show a hint.  Now the two people have to have a DNA match and then the hint is shown.  Larry's Grandfather Alexander Standridge has four proven sons who lived in the mountains of Newton County, AR.  I found two daughters.  Lots of genealogy researchers don't include the women of the family.  If they do, it may be only who they married and then the line stops.  The two Standridge daughters I found were Rhoda Standridge and Mary Standridge.  Mary married a Cherokee Indian, James Jones.  He is the reason the Standridge family came to Arkansas.  James Jones owned the land where Carrollton AR is today. I found Rhoda through a death certificate of her son Isham Martin Blevins.  His mother was listed as Rhoda Standridge.  Death certificates are said to be the LEAST reliable of all identifications of ancestors.  The person is not always real familiar with the deceased family.  The above match from Larry's DNA confirms what I discovered--Rhoda Standridge was a daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth Standridge.  Larry has also matched to descendants of Mary Standridge Jones confirming her as Rhoda's sister.

Rhoda Standridge married Squire Blackie Blevins.  Blackie was a neighbor of George Ellis Gaddy and in his Union Army Unit.  Blackie filed a claim after the War which told of Rhoda trying to warn the soldiers that the Confederates were near.  They shot her though the arm.  One of Blackie's witnesses was George Ellis Gaddy.  Jerry Blevins who lives near Omaha, AR is a living descendant of Blackie and Rhoda; he is a cousin of Larry's.

Rhoda Catherine Jones (in the above tree) is the daughter of William Jones who is the son of Mary Standridge and James Jones, Cherokee.

The matches will have a confidence level--extremely high, very high, high, good, and moderate.  Larry's match to the Rhoda ancestor was good!

Here is what Grandpa had to say!

George Ellis Gaddy after being duly sworn to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth testifies as follows--
1. My name is George Ellis Gaddy. I am 55 years of age, a resident of Carroll County, Arkansas and have been a resident there for...

 for the last 28 years. My occupation is that of farming.
2. I am not related to the claimant (Squire Blackie Blevins) and have no interest in the success of the claim.
52. I am here to testify in favor of Squire Blevins.
53. I have known claimant for 28 years and have been intimately acquainted with him for the last 25 years.
54. I lived within 3 miles of the claimant during the War.
55. I presume that I met claimant as often as about once a week from the commencement of the War up to about February 1864 at which time I organized a company of Federal Militia and claimant was one of the first to join the company and he also had one son and two son in laws in my company and the claimant remained with the company until the close of the war during which time I was almost constantly with claimant.
56. Claimant urged his neighbors to vote for union candidates and against convention at the time in question of succession was submitted to a vote.
57. I know the claimant fed and assisted union people and union families before he entered the service and since in my company from February 1864 until the close of the War.
58. I never knew or heard the claimant saying anything against the Union cause.
59. ---
60. Claimant's reputation with both parties was that of a Union man. I never heard any person doubting his loyalty. I am satisfied that Leroy Ayers and W. W. Davis could testify to his loyalty.
61. Leroy Ayers, James L. Hopper and W. W. Ayers were Union men and I am satisfied that either could testify to his loyalty.
62. I was a Union man and claimant knew it from the fact that we

talked and worked together freely.
63. It was general talk here that all Union men had to go in the Rebel service or die and threats of that kind were made to the claimant and one of the claimants sons in laws was killed and another injured and I know they took some of his property.
64. not transcribed
65. Claimant made as good a soldier as I had in my company. Claimant was a man of considerable property and had a large number of good horses and claimant could not have moved north after the commencement of the War without loosing his property and probably his life.
G. E. Gaddy