My Wacky Idea

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Greg
Senior Member
Posts: 62
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:08 pm
Are you directly related to a Rosson?: Yes
How Long have you been doing Genealogy Research? (Years): 0
Which Rosson are you researching?: John Rosson Sr of NC and descendents
Location: Chicago, Illinois

My Wacky Idea

Post by Greg »

I've been reevaluating the relationship between Joseph Rosson (Bedford/Marshall Co TN) and John Rosson Jr (Lincoln Co TN) for a while now. I have them in my tree as brothers based on what I had seen in some people's trees, with a second Joseph Rosson being the son of John Jr. Although I have also seen people with the Josephs merged as the same person. I haven't found any evidence that definitively points either way. However, the more I push John's birth into the 1860s, the more I'm inclined to think the two Josephs are one and the same. Still I don't have any proof either way. Enter my wacky idea.

We know where descendents of John's sons are buried: William H's sons William Lowe and Joseph Gaines are buried in Ellis Co TX and Montague Co TX, respectively, and Henry B's daughters Patsy, Polly, and Eliza H are buried in Cooke Co TX, Cooke Co TX, and Big Flat Co, AR, respectively. Misheal is buried in Calloway Co KY. We also know where two children of Joseph are buried: Samuel in Gibson Co TN and William Henry Harrison in Smith Co TX. Surely DNA material from only two or three of these people would be needed to determine the relationship between John and Joseph?

The cost of such an endeavor, if possible, could be the limiting factor. However, genealogical grants can be had, and an argument could be made that this affects enough people to warrant one. Such an endeavor certainly is worthy of being published. Under the right circumstances, like where state laws would not require extraneous people (like forensic anthropologists), such a project could be accomplished solely with a relatively modest grant.

As DNA tests are getting cheaper and cheaper, I imagine that we'll start seeing more and more people wanting to do this type thing. Unfortunately, from the very small amount of poking around in TX laws I've done, the government hasn't started thinking about this type of work, and as such, it's difficult to tell exactly how much red tape there would be right now. In the future, I imagine laws will be crafted to do a better job of regulating these types of projects.
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Greg

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