DNA Results are in!

Today is my birthday and it seems appropriate to have these results available today!  

I actually got them last week but I was waiting for a large portion of the Berech's to get back from Alaska!  
Hope you guys had a great time!

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Wow......... So I actually found myself nervous to look at these.  

Before I opened the results I thought about other cultures that may have been "introduced" 
into my DNA line.  I wondered if I would see some Western Asia, with the Mongolian conquest 
pillaging all the way through Kazakhstan reaching all the way through Russia into Hungary
 and Romania.  Possibly even some Turk (South Western Asia) with the Conquest of the Ottoman empire.  Who knows!!??

First a summary of how Ancestry cam to their conclusions.


Pasted from Ancestry's website:

Their scientific method seems pretty solid.   

The base line samples were taken directly from peoples all over the world with strong native similarities and long established linage in the same location.

Right now their DNA samples are over 1 million and growing every day. I am told as the project continues to grow, the estimates will become more and more refined.

And here we go!
 

I've always said I was 1/2 Russian and this proves it!! Yay!

As expected, I knew I would see the Eastern European, Irish and German.  But how about that Scandinavian!!??  I didn't even think about that.  I can easily see the Scandinavian cultures migrating and or merchant trading into all three of these areas.  Especially when the Vikings were pillaging and "depositing" their DNA everywhere. ;o/

I guess the only way to see if I can single out the Scandinavian portion of my DNA from either Eastern Europe (Dad) and Western Europe (Mom) would be to test other members of the family and see if it pops up or disappears.  

Any takers? 

New York Times - April 6, 1917 and June 5, 1917

Note - I just learned how to make all the images I've been posting LARGE!!
You might want to view some of those images again!!


Clippings from the New York Times 

Headlines - April 6, 1917

Front Page - June 5, 1917

A lot of interesting reading in these pages.  There were people protesting the draft then too. 

WW I Draft Card - John Berech Sr.

History of the WWI draft:

On April 6th, 1917, The United States declared War on Germany and officially entered WWI. 

John Berech was 21 years old and would have been living in the United States for 3 1/2 years. 

6 weeks later on May 18th, 1917, the selective service act was passed, which authorized 

President Woodrow Wilson  to increase the military establishment of the United States.  

As a result, every male living within the United States between the ages of 18 and 45 

was required to register for the draft. 

The Period of 1880-1920 was a high immigration period to the United States. Young men 

were required to register for the draft regardless of their U.S. citizenship status. Of course, 

not all the men who registered actually served in the armed forces, and there were some 

who enlisted and served in the war but did not register for the draft.

Registration:

The World War I draft consisted of 3 separate registrations. 

John Berech was part of the 1st Registration.  

The registration on June 5th, 1917, was for men aged 21 to 31 

(men born between June 6, 1886 and June 5th 1896).

Note: John Was born October 1895, 8 months inside the cut off period.

John Berech Sr – WWI Draft Registration Card – June 5, 1917 – Transcription

Page 1

389 2184

Form 1   617  Registration Card   No. 234

1 – Name is full – (Given name)  ((Family Name)  John Berech

                Age in years – 21

2 – Home Address – (No.   Street   City  State) – 422  E  19 (not sure either ST or W??)  NY   NY

3 – Date of birth – (Month   Day   Year) – October 12, 1895

4 – Are you (1) a natural-born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared your intention (specify which) ? – Alien

5 – Where were you born? – (Town   State   Nation) – Minsk   Russia

6 – If not a citizen, of what country are you a citizen or subject? – Russia

7 – What is your present trade, occupation, or office? – Waiter   (there is a mark here that looks like 29      or V9)

8 – By whom employed? – X – L   Lunch

9 – Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12 or a sister or brother under 12, solely dependent on you for support (specify which)?  -  None

10 – Married or single (which)? – Single

        Race (specify which)? – Caucasian

11 – What military service have you had? -   None    :             Branch   (left blank) 

          Years  (left blank)                   Nation or  State  (left blank)

12 – Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?  - left blank

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

Signed by -  John Berech

Interesting note – In the bottom left corner separated from the draft card by a slash (like a tear card) and it says – 
“If person is of African descent tear off this corner”

Page 2

Registrar’s Report   31-9-119-A

1 – Tall, medium, or short (specify which) – Medium

      Slender, medium, or stout (which) – Medium

2 – Color of Eyes? – Brown

      Color of hair? – Brown

      Bald -  left blank

3 – Has person lost arm, leg hand, foot or both eyes, or is he otherwise disabled (specify)? – None

I certify that my answers are true, that the person registered has read his own answers, that I have witnessed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows:   (left blank)

Signature of the Registrar – Matthew Mendicino

Precinct - 21

City or County – NY

State NY

Date of Registration – 6/5/1917

Newspaper Clipping

I have a subscription to Newspapers.com.  They have tons of digital newspapers available online.

There are dates missing, and not all the papers are available, but a good majority.

I wanted to see if I could find something about the 4th draft for WWII.
Hopefully something close by Greenwich....

I found this on the date John Berech Filled out his WWII draft card.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle - 27 April 1942

WW II Draft Card - John Berech Sr.

The U.S. officially entered World War II on 8 December 1941 following the attach on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  

Just about a year before that, in October 1940, President Roosevelt had signed into law the first peacetime

selective service draft in U.S. history, due to rising world conflicts. After the U.S. entered WWII a new 

selective service act required that all men between the ages of 18 and 65 register for the draft.  The below 

draft card is from the 4th Registration, also referred to as the "old man's registration".  If was conducted 

on 27 April 1942, men who were born on or between 28 April 1877 and 16 February 1897 

(men who were between 45 and 64 years old) and who were not already in the military

27 April 1942 - WWII Draft Registration Card: Page 1 of 2

Transcription:

1. Name - (First Middle Last) -

• John Berech

Order Number - Not answered
2. Place of Residence (Print) - (Number and Street - Town, Township, Village or City - County - State)

• 53 Sherwood Pl   Greenwich   Fairfield   conn

3. Mailing Address - (Mailing address if other than place indicated on line 2. If same insert word same)

• Same

The Place of Residence Given On The Line Above Will Determine Local Board
Jurisdiction; Line 2 of Registration Certificate Will be Identical

4. Telephone - (Exchanger - Number)

• No

5. Age in Years  and Date of Birth (Month - Day - Year)

• 45 - October  12  1896

6. Place of Birth - (Town or County) (State or County)

• Minsk - Russia

7. Name and Address of Person Who Will Always Know Your Address

• Wife - Haines Blvd. Port Chester - NY

8. Employers Name and Address

• Self

9. Place of Employment or Business - (Number and Street or RFD number - Town - County - State)

• 413 Greenwich Ave.   Greenwich   Fairfield   Conn

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.
(Registrant's Signature)
Signed - John Berech
DSS Form 1


27 April 1942 - WWII Draft Registration Card Page 2 of 2

Transcription:

Registrar's Report
Description of Registrant
Race - White
Height (Approx) - 5'-5"
Eyes - Brown
Weight (Approx) - 168
Hair - Black
Complexion - Ruddy
Other obvious physical characteristics that will aid in identification - None
I certify that my answers are true; that the person registered has read or has had read to him his own answers;
 that I have witnessed his signature or mark and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows:
   Not to my knowledge
Signature of registrar - Name
Registrar for Local Board - (Number City or County - State) -  27 C Greenwich Conn
Date of registration - Apr 27 1942

Personal Notes:

Anybody else notice that John and Olga have different addresses?   Can anyone explain this?  Is there turmoil 
or would it be work related.  hmmmm

So I vaguely.... very vaguely remember Dad saying there was a time period he can't remember.  At one time  
I recall him saying that he had asked .... (I think it was either Ann or Catherine), what was up during that time....... 
But I can't for the life of me remember what he said.......  I wonder if this was it??

1920 Census Dissapointment

I have been searching for the 1920 census for John Berech Sr and unfortunately have come up with nothing so far.
I know he entered the United Stated in 1913 so he won't be on the 1910 census.

I've looked for: John, Iwan, Ivan...... Berech, Berich, Berick, Bereck, Berick, Barach, Barack. Have done
general searches, specific searches, sounds like searches.....  I've even tried to find Nicholas in the 1920 census
hoping that John was living with him...  no results. (I will be posting about Nicholas later on)

Even though I've been told by many people about families changing their names upon entering the Port of New York,
my research tells me that this is a myth.  That name changes occur most frequently upon filing for naturalization.

resource:
http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/lesson8.htm




Although I don't believe this is the case for John as his naturalization papers were filed late in
the 1920's and he is well established as John Berech by then.

Why am I not finding it. I searched online asking that very question:

Is there a chance the census taker missed my family in the census? Possibly, but not likely.  
There could be a number of reasons why you are not finding your family in the census.  
For Example, your ancestor:

• May not have given the right answers to questions because they just didn’t know the answer
• Wasn’t home and the census taker asked a neighbor for the information
• Intentionally gave the wrong answer

So at this point I'm going to step away from the 1920 census search.  I'm going to go back and transcribe those very early documents I found, ie: Draft documents WWI and WWII, Petition for Naturalization, and ship manifest,  the ones that started this blog. I think I'm actually going to purchase a copy of the ship manifest from Ellis Island too.  I've been wanting to do this but haven't felt like forking over the money for it.  Maybe there is information in there I can use to narrow things down more.  I know there is a name on the ship manifest he lists that I don't recognize.... I need to look again and maybe look for that person in the census and he's living with them???  Anyway.  The next posts will be old information but with transcriptions.  

There is also a name I've heard Dad use in passing that I don't know anything about.... "Chager"   I don't know how this name is associated with the Berech's.  If anyone does please send me a note! Maybe there is information there.

Ancestry DNA Project

So today is participated in a DNA project.

On Ancestry.com they have a test you can take that helps you identify your ethnicity.

The results will include information about my genetic ethnicity estimates and identify potential DNA matches linking me to others who have taken the Ancestry DNA test.

It maps ethnicity going back multiple generations and can help identify the regions that your ancestors lived.

So I expect to see some East Slavic, some Germanic and some Irish. (at least)  It will be interesting to see.

It takes about 6 - 8 weeks to get the results in, so about mid to late August.

The test fee is $99. (I got mine on sale for $89) If anyone is interested in participating, let me know.   I will let you know how to go about it.  You have to have an ancestry account to get the results, since I already have an ancestry account, and in the interest in keeping all the information in a central location, we can use my account for the test results.

PS - I knew that the test was going to be a saliva sample.  I assumed it would be a swab.  I was wrong.  I had to spit into a tube, enough saliva to amount (they say) 1/4 teaspoon.  It sure felt like a lot more than that.  I had to spit 4 times to reach the required level.  I was mildly disgusted....... OK... a lot disgusted.  GAH

How accurate is the test??  
(answer copied from the FAQ's online)

AncestryDNA uses advanced scientific techniques to produce your results. We measure and analyze a person’s entire genome at over 700,000 locations. During the testing process, each DNA sample is held to a quality standard of at least a 98% call rate. Any results that don’t meet that standard may require a new DNA sample to be collected.

Then we compare your DNA to one of the most comprehensive and unique collections of DNA samples from people around the world, to identify overlap. As our database of DNA samples continues to grow, you could receive updates with new information.

Here is a link if you want to learn excessive amounts of information about it.

http://dna.ancestry.com/legal/faq#about-2