The LGFC

08/02/2025

🧬 ❣️ Watch Alert for fans of genetic genealogy! 📺 Our family is still exceedingly overwhelmed dealing with all the coordination and legal bits, etc. after the passing of my father-in-law, but I would be remiss if I failed to mention that the DNA Doe Project has a very exciting new program which premieres this evening on the history channel. 🤩 

This is a long overdue honor and I am so excited for these hard-working volunteers to receive this much deserved recognition. 👏

I don’t know a whole lot about the show, but It looks like it’s going to be really great and I’m excited to see what the series has in store. 😊

Congrats to the DDP! Enjoy! 😊

We're dedicated to ensuring no Jane or John Does are left nameless. And, we can't wait to share these six cases with you! Join us in August as we pull back the curtain in , premiering Saturday, August 2 at 10/9c on . Streaming on and .

04/26/2025

🕊️ Remembering Willis David Keene who died over one hundred years ago today.

My great-grandfather, Willis David "Willie" Keen was born on 19 April 1867, in Tennessee, his father, John, was 35 and his mother, Sarah, was 32.

He married Sarah Minerva "Sally" McCool on 8 June 1893, in Benton, Arkansas. They had 11 children in 21 years.

He was a hard working man, and my grandpa Bill used to say that he was very strong and could lift the end of a wagon all by himself.

Willis David Keene died on 26 April 1918, in Benton, Arkansas, one week after his 51st birthday. His causes of death are listed as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Septicemia (Blood poisoning). WDK was laid to rest in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, and over a century later he is now surrounded by a host of descendants.

His great grandkids, 2nd great grandchildren and 3rd great grandchildren still live on the property he proudly homesteaded in NW Arkansas. Several of them have his same name.

We've heard a lot of nebulous stories about when and why the extra "e" at the end of Keen was added. We've narrowed the timeline down some, but none of us know for sure.

He died when my grandpa and his twin brother were only six years old, which was way before any of us had a chance to know him, so I always ask our family if they have any good stories about him.

03/28/2025

🧬 So, people have been reaching out regarding the 23andMe Bankruptcy. What to do?

For me, I plan to wait a while to see how the cookie crumbles.

23andMe has indicated that their operations will continue as though nothing has happened. Kits will still be processed, etc. IF something monumental happens, 23andMe has committed to keeping their customers informed.

Although, there are some things you can do in the meanwhile, and the brilliant RobertaJEstes at DNA Explained, details the particulars much better than I could. (See the link below)

Like Roberta, I had deleted my DNA *DATA* (not my profile or account) there some time ago, because I would have to retest anyway to take advantage of new features.

HOWEVER, again, I do still maintain a profile and an account there. I love meeting new cousins, and finding new matches. 😍

But unfortunately, as Roberta also points out, 23AndMe is less oriented towards genealogy and that is my main focus, so I get less utility from this service. Hopefully, in the future, they find a way to appeal to the genetic genealogy community more by sprucing up genealogy features. 😊

Like Roberta, I also do not participate in research there.

So, hold your horses and wait a second before becoming alarmed. Could be that a buy out could happen and offer super exciting features that are well worth the wait. Will this happen? Who knows, but might as well wait and see. 😊

Thank you Roberta Estes for always providing great information on all the topics most relevant to genetic genealogy. 🏆 😊
🏆
23andMe Files for Bankruptcy - What You Need to Know! https://dna-explained.com/2025/03/25/23andme-files-for-bankruptcy-what-you-need-to-know/

02/22/2025

👀 It's almost time for RootsTech! Have you guys RSVP'd for the event? 🤩 Check this out: Have you guys discovered this fun way to look at relatives gathering for RootsTech? You can sort your relatives by location, by ancestor, but ALSO by family tree line! 🌳

Here is mine: (See screenshot) How wild is it that my paternal grandmother's line only has 28 RT relatives on it? 😳 (So far.)

And most (likely all) of them are on the side I KNOW (My Paternal Grandmother's FATHER's side.) Darn it! 😑 (I'm still going through them but they all seem to be from one ancestor).

Y'all might have heard me mention how I have a major brick wall on my paternal grandmother's MOTHER's line. I can get back to my (supposed) second great-grandparents in Scotland and England, but they have sort of common names and so far they seem like ghosts. 💨 Maybe I have the correct names ... Maybe I have one name correct ... Maybe I have no correct names. 🤷‍♀️

DNA so far has been of little help because again, I have so few matches on that whole line. Initially, I had ZERO matches on my grandma's entire line beginning in 2015. Slowly a few trickled in. 😥

But so far, I have yet to identify ANY matches that tie to shared matches or what I know on those lines, so I am keeping an open mind.

BECAUSE I'm sure seem to be getting a LOT of Ireland connections as shared matches that (so far) I am unable to connect to any of my known lines. 😆 Now what is up with that? 🤔 😂

But rest assured, I will eventually get to the bottom of it. Sometimes we have to be patient. 😊 Ten years in and I am still waiting. 🤣

So, let's hear it! How many do you have on the lines of each of your four grandparents (if you know who they are)?

How is your RT map looking? Have you found anything interesting? What would you like to see added to RootsTech? 😊

Below I'll add my RT link, and also instructions on how to find this info. 😊

02/09/2025

Might be! And we know someone who is. 😂 👀

🏈 Are you related to someone in the Super Bowl? 👀 Take a look through the rosters to see if any surnames are familiar to you! 🤩

The Kansas City Chiefs
Xavier Worthy
Joshua Williams
Hollywood Brown
Bryan Cook
Harrison Butker
DeAndre Hopkins
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Isiah Pacheco
Carson Wentz
Nazeeh Johnson
Matt Araiza
Patrick Mahomes
Justin Reid
Jaden Hicks
Trent McDuffie
Juan Thornhill
Drue Tranquill
Chamarri Conner
Kareem Hunt
Chris Roland-Wallace
Nick Bolton
Samaje Perine
Jaylen Watson
Keith Taylor
James Wi******er
Carson Steele
Cam Jones
Michael Danna
Creed Humphrey
BJ Thompson
Leo Chenal
Joshua Uche
George Karlaftis
Hunter Nourzad
C.J. Hanson
Joe Thuney
Wanya Morris
Trey Smith
Mike Caliendo
Mike Pennel
D.J. Humphries
Jawaan Taylor
Ethan Driskell
Kingsley Suamataia
Nikko Remigio
Noah Gray
Justin Watson
Travis Kelce
Peyton Hendershot
Charles Omenihu
Derrick Nnadi
Malik Herring
Chris Jones
Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Tershawn Wharton

Philadelphia Eagles
Bryce Huff
Jalen Hurts
Darius Slay
Nolan Smith Jr.
Jake Elliott
DeVonta Smith
Kenny Pickett
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Braden Mann
A.J. Brown
Kenneth Gainwell
Tanner Mckee
Josh Sweat
Sydney Brown
Kelee Ringo
Eli Ricks
Saquon Barkley
Quinyon Mitchell
Will Shipley
Avonte Maddox
Reed Blankenship
Cooper DeJean
Isaiah Rodgers
Tristin McCollum
Lewis Cine
Oren Burks
Rick Lovato
Cam Jurgens
Zack Baun
Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
Tyler Steen
Jalyx Hunt
Thomas Booker
Nick Gates
Brett Toth
Lane Johnson
Jordan Mailata
Landon Dickerson
Darian Kinnard
Fred Johnson
Mekhi Becton
Trevor Keegan
Parris Campbell
Grant Calcaterra
Ainias Smith
Jahan Dotson
E.J. Jenkins
Dallas Goedert
Johnny Wilson
Jordan Davis
Milton Williams
Moro Ojomo
Jalen Carter

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-super-bowl-rosters-christian-mccaffrey-patrick-mahomes-headline-super-bowl-58-between-49ers-and-chiefs/

02/07/2025

🕊️ 💜 ‼️UPDATE —At the bottom of caption) ‼️I was idly scrolling the headlines and noticed that this gent was also a Kansas State grad and so his wife had attended there too. She tragically died one year ago in a car accident in Topeka. 😔

My thoughts go out to baby Eleanor and the friends and family of this young couple. 😞

According to news reports:
A 27-year-old sports anchor and reporter from Kansas City died while in New Orleans covering the Super Bowl.

Adan Manzano, of Telemundo KC and Tico Sports, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at a hotel in Kenner, LA, just east of New Orleans.

Manzano was found deceased on Wednesday night. An autopsy has been completed, however, his cause of death is still pending as authorities await additional testing results. Manzano's death is currently under investigation by local law enforcement.

Manzano, a native of Mexico City, graduated from Kansas State University and joined the Chiefs Television Crew as a sideline reporter during the last NFL season. Manzano had traveled to New Orleans to report on the Super Bowl for the third straight season.

Manzano’s wife, Ashleigh LeeAnn Boyd, (also a former K-Stater) was killed last year, in a car crash on April 11, 2024.

The couple leaves behind a young daughter named Eleanor.

- - -

https://people.com/kansas-city-sports-reporter-adan-manzano-dies-while-covering-super-bowl-8787308

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/ashleigh-boyd-obituary?id=54888780

‼️UPDATE‼️ sadly it appears Aden was murdered. (Thanks MB).

https://www.kwch.com/2025/02/07/suspect-arrested-connection-death-kansas-city-reporter-new-orleans-super-bowl/

01/30/2025

🧬 6 years ago. Seems like yesterday. 😊

The DNA Doe Project has made an identification in the case of Lavender Doe. The young woman was discovered on October 29, 2006 in Kilgore, TX. Since July 2018, the DNA Doe Project has been working closely with the Gregg County Sheriff's Office, TX (GCSO) on this case. At the request of the GCSO no further details will be released at this time due to the open nature of her case and pending trial.

We thank Lt. Eddie Hope, Ret. Lt. Kirk Haddix and the rest of the GCSO for their tireless efforts to identify her, and entrusting us with assisting in her case. We also wish to thank the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the National Missing & Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) for their assistance and support during the course of this project.

We also acknowledge Fulgent Genetics for the lab work, and Justin Loe of Full Genomes Corporation, Inc., and our bioinformatics expert Dr. Greg Magoon of Aerodyne Research, Inc. Our gratitude, too, to a number of DNA matches for their generous cooperation. Special thanks to Carl Koppelman for his facial approximation. Also, to all those of you who graciously sent in donations for the testing costs, we could not have done it without you.

Above all, thank you to GEDmatch, and to our wonderful team of dedicated DDP volunteers.

Our condolences go out to Lavender Doe's family.

10/31/2024

🖋️ Oh my! Too funny! At least I come by it naturally. (Iit = my undying love for fountain pens and stationery! )😂 I found this little snippet while looking up information for my great-granduncle, Rev. Thomas Daniel "Ted" Crites, who went on to be President of Campbell College in Holton, Kansas.

The ads in some of these periodicals are amusing partially because they are so "out there" and sometimes because it seems like nothing has changed a bit!

I have no idea what Scrofula is. There was another great big full-page spread (which I didn't save) going off about the horrors of Catarrh. 😬 I don't know what it is, and have never even heard of it but sure don't want it. 😂 They sound abysmal!

Now for you genealogy buffs, I found this in the most peculiar way. I was editing a wikipage and it suggested some resources for making the page better. I was curious so I took a look. I guess their AI had found some free google books.

I've searched Google Books before, but it has been a total treasure trove on this gent.

Who knows ... maybe some of your ancestors might have been mentioned in a book. Take a look! 👀

10/22/2024

🎉 Just under the wire? Happy birthday AND Anniversary to Jessie Hutchinson Crites who was married on her birthday — 21 October 1902 — in Kansas. He was 24 and Jessie was 21. They had 7 children: 1 son and 6 daughters:

Baby Bernice passed away as an infant and their only son, Leslie Eugene, died in his thirties. Their remaining five girls went on to marry and live into their 80s and 90s.

They lived in Marion Co, Kansas in a farmhouse "with lots of fancy bric-a-brac on it and all around the house," according to their daughter Esther Lorine (Crites) Keene, who shared a detailed description of the house in her memoir.

"Grandpa Simon and Grandma Sarah Elizabeth (Manning) Crites homesteaded the Home Place where we were born. Grandpa Simon made a log house for him and Grandma. This was the dining room of our house. When Mom and Dad married, they added on the living room and the upstairs" along with 2 small porches which she said the family would make pallets there to sleep on during hot summer nights.

In 1910, at 32, Simon's occupation was listed as a farmer in Summit Township, Marion, Kansas. He was a proud farmer throughout his life. He was an active participant in Marion County community, school, church, and political matters (Prohibition Ticket).

Esther explained their family's long association with the school by writing, "The Crites School, District Number 50 was organized in 1872. Simon and his father both served as the School Board Clerk (who signed the Checks for the District from 1881–1902 (Simon Sr) and 1905–1931 (Simon Jr). A new school building was built and the old building was auctioned off. Dad bought it and it was part of our barn, complete with blackboards. Dad removed a part of the blackboard, about six or eight feet, and it became part of our dining room wall. This building was the original building built in 1872. Later when the school closed and was consolidated with the Burns School, that building became a residence in Burns. We still have the pot-bellied stove, though."

I WANTED to share this earlier but I started looking around and realized their F-a-Grave profiles were neglected and F-a-Grave is the ultimate rabbit hole. 🤦‍♀️

09/11/2024

Such a sad time for so many. I was in the beginning stages of US army flight school. 9-11 was a game changer for many who refuse to forget. 🫡 🇺🇸



https://www.facebook.com/share/p/E5QgLqhiYqxsTnr3/

🇺🇸 May We Always Remember the of this Memorable Day ... United We Stand! We pray for all of those affected by the 9/11 tragedy through the years, on the anniversary of the attacks.

May we continue to be United and blessed as a Nation!

#911

09/07/2024

🏈 For those of you who enjoy College Football. If you are like me and can't stand the dingdongs ESPN has calling the college games, I have the solution for you!

To be fair, some of the Announcers aren't too bad. But there is this one lady named Lisa that drives me bonkers. 😂 Plus some of them have no clue who our players are or what is special about them

So I looked this up for my school, and y'all can do something similar with any College football teams.

First, this is the stream I like to listen to if I can't get any other programming. If it isn't on TV, in other words. This one never lets me down. 😂 But, be aware, there is sometimes a little delay, one way or the other. I do like this one because of the cute local ads. Nostalgia!
https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/ce/index.cfm?stationCallSign=KHMY2

Now, if you are like me and like to WATCH the game while listening to better home-town announcers, there is a trick to eliminate the delay and SYNC the Learfield Radio announcements to the TV.

Go to www.syncmygame.com (which will take you to https://www.learfield.com/sync-my-game/ )

There they offer instructions on how to sync your game to the tv.

Then go get the Varsity app for your phone (They have it for iPhone or Android). Here it is for iPhones.

This app is great because it has a lot of pregame shows and other stuff college football fans might enjoy. Basically if you have this you probably don't have to look up much more.
https://thevarsitynetwork.com/audioapplink

Here’s a list of ways to listen to the ksu games though.
https://www.gotknowhow.com/articles/how-to-listen-to-kansas-state-wildcats-football-games-streaming-live-online-ncaa-fb-radio �
I will drop some other resources in the comments (of fb, probably not Insta)

07/25/2024

🕊️ Yes indeed, we've lost ol' Randy Knight. Randy had the soul of a poet, and the conviviality of John Wayne after a hard-fought victory, but probably with way fewer words, and perhaps a dash more cynicism.

Randy was perpetually in Wranglers, with a blue Wrangler chambray shirt and a dusty, old, black felt hat, and usually a wry grin underneath his cowboy mustache ... It had grown grayer through the years but still echoed shades of red. Inevitably there would be a dab of paint here and there to adorn his time-worn patina, which seemed older than his years. Randy had a memorable, hazy glow about him ... like he had just walked out of the old West.

He knew a whole lot about quite a bit. His knowledge of music was immense. I could often come up with some pretty old and extremely random country and bluegrass songs and he knew them all without fail. We enjoyed talking about old bands, older songs, and timeless lyrics, with which we came up with a few of our own. We had a lot of great laughs and cold beers in the process.

Randy blessed us often with his gift of songs and guitar playing. He was never one to really put himself forward, but every now and then he'd speak his peace and that was that.

I think we probably figured we'd have a little more time with Randy. He'd had cancer for a while and now he's playing "Jack of Diamonds" in a heavenly band.

Most of us have some legendary stories about Randy, and I'd love to hear them if you have a minute to share.

I'd say Randy will be missed, but his spirit persists ... maybe he never belonged to us in the first place.

Rest Easy, Randy.

-=-=-=-

• Celebration of Life
Sunday afternoon July 28, 2024
at 3:00pm
at Heights Baptist Church
1220 S 49th St, Temple, TX 76504

Visitation with the family will follow the service. His interment will be at the Holland Cemetery.

And also, Friends — some of us will be gathering at the Beer Garden in Temple afterward.
1119 S 55th St Temple, TX 76504

Obituary:
https://www.crottyfh.com/obituaries/randy-knight