A Brief History of the Journey
Dad died, sparking the search for family history.
Reunion with family in Anacortes, WA. Asked where the other 10 Ashford first cousins were. Located 7 of 10 — one was deceased and 2 were never located.
Obtained a copy of Ashford family research conducted by Roma Gay Judge (1st cousin once removed). Entered data into PAF database, later switched to Family Tree Maker.
Took the Ancestry.com autosomal DNA test and started looking at DNA cousins.
Took FamilyTreeDNA Y-DNA test. Result: No male Ashford ancestors — only 15 male Chenoweth ancestors. The question became: How did the Chenoweths enter into my family?
Y-DNA Matches — Chenoweth Line
The Y-DNA test returned matches exclusively with the Chenoweth surname, not Ashford. Here are the closest matches:
| Name | Genetic Distance | Earliest Known Ancestor |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua Chenoweth | 0 | — |
| Bruce Carl Chenoweth | 1 | John Chenoweth b. 1682 d. 1745 |
| William D. Chenoweth | 2 | John Chenoweth b. 1682 d. 1746 |
| Peter Clinton Chenoweth | 2 | Edward b. 1610 |
| Michael Frederic Chenoweth | 2 | John Chenoweth b. 1682 d. 1745 |
| James Chenoweth | 2 | — |
| John Chenoweth | 2 | — |
| Daniel Ray Franklin | 2 | John Franklin b.ca 1811, OH |
| Christopher Lee Chenoweth | 2 | John Chenoweth b. 1682 d. 1745 |
| Michael Chenoweth | 2 | — |
| Robert Espy Chenoweth | 2 | — |
| Dennis Heaton | 3 | Morgan Heaton b. 1805, Greene Co., PA |
| Joseph Thomas Chenoweth | 4 | John Chenoweth b. 1682 d. 1745 |
| William Allen Lawrence | 4 | — |
| Joseph C. Somo III | 4 | Joseph Clayton Somo II |
Were There Chenoweths in Oregon?
Yes. Oscar Ivan Chenoweth (1892-1944) was born in Indiana and moved to Yamhill County, Oregon as an adult — one or more counties away from where any Ashford relatives lived.
The Census Clue
Searched census records for Mariah Ashford (2nd great-grandmother). In the 1850 census for Jackson County, West Virginia, an A. W. Chenoweth lived just 5 houses from Mariah Ashford.
In the 1850 census, Alpheus W. Chenoweth lived five houses from Mariah Ashford — my 2nd great-grandmother.
GEDMatch Confirmation
In 2019, autosomal DNA was posted on GEDMatch. Two male Alpheus W. Chenoweth matches were found, further confirming the connection.
The Conclusion
Sherry, a sixth cousin, first questioned who William Haemer Ashford’s father was. She was sure that Alpheus Ward Chenoweth was his father. After Roger Cobb looked at the data, he agreed.
David Nowotnic volunteered to work on the case and decided to challenge the Colleyville Brick Wall Busters. They contacted Lana Addington, a DNA expert. She more or less agreed that Alpheus Ward Chenoweth was the father of William Haemer Ashford — confirming what Sherry and Roger Cobb had concluded.
What now?
The discovery raises questions: Do I tell my family? What kind of ripples will that cause? The Chenoweth Connection is a reminder that DNA can rewrite what we thought we knew about our family tree.
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