Searching for Kitty Smith

Contact With DNA Matches

DNA Match with Paula Lord – Manager of The Davis Family Tree on Ancestry.Com

After uploading mine and my father's DNA tests to Ancestry.Com I received a message from a lady called Paula who was researching the Skivington Family, in particular a Catherine Skivington. Paula had noted we had a DNA match and that I had a Kitty in my tree, born in Barrow in Furness around 1900, family name unknown. She wondered if Kitty could be Catherine Skivington, born Barrow-in-Furness in 1905, as Kitty is often a shortened version of Catherine. She thought my father’s name Frank could also be a short version of Francis which was a name found in the Skivington family.

Paula had been unable to find any trace of Catherine since the 1911 Census. If Catherine Skivington and my grandmother Kitty were the same person then, according to Paula’s research, and her family tree which she had uploaded to Ancestry, Paula and I shared a Great, Great Grandfather (Francis Skivington born 1858 Ireland) and a Great, Great, Grandmother (Elizabeth Thomson born 1861 Glasgow).

This looked interesting so I immediately did a name search on the Ancestry.Com message boards to search for information on Catherine Skivington born Barrow-in-Furness in 1905. I found two other people who were also searching for Catherine Skivington.

Jean and Wendy

Jean and Wendy had been trying to get information about a Catherine Skivington born 1905 in Barrow-in-Furness and had posted messages on the Ancestry Message Boards between 2000 and 2002. Jean and Wendy hadn’t taken a DNA Test (or, if they had, hadn’t uploaded the results to Ancestry) so they did not come up as a DNA match.

Jean and Wendy had said they were the daughters of a Joseph James Skivington born in Barrow-in Furness 1902, and, like Paula Lord, had found no trace of Catherine Skivington after the 1911 census. Wendy posted that the last contact the family had with Catherine was when she met up with Wendy’s aunt (Catherine’s sister) in 1928. That was the year before my father Frank was born. Wendy didn’t say in her message board post what the sister’s name was.

I responded to their messages in November 2019 but didn't get a reply, probably due to the length of time that had elapsed between their posts and my response. However, I did find some information, and photos, on various websites and on other researchers' family trees, including a newspaper article with a photo of Wendy and Jean at their brother James's wedding. Their father, Joseph James Skivington born Barrow 1902, possibly the brother of Catherine Skivington, is also in the photo.


James Patrick Skivington's Wedding

Left to right –
Joseph James Skivington and Emily Skivington, formerly Fuller (Groom’s parents), Douglas Hassan (Best Man). James P Skivington (Groom), Joyce Jordan (Bride), Vera Jordan (Bride’s sister), Jean Skivington (Groom’s sister), Elizabeth and Frederick Jordan (Bride’s parents), In the front, Wendy Skivington (Groom’s sister)

More DNA Matches

Lucy and Gilly

On the 23/8/2020 I received a message from a young lady called Lucy who had noted a very high DNA match with me, my father Frank, and his sister Jeanette. She explained that her mother, Gilly, had been adopted as a baby and believed that her biological father was called Ted (Edward) Smith. Gilly was in touch with her biological mother, Alexandra, who told her she was working near Hemel Hempstead when she became pregnant in 1966. Alex returned to her family in Suffolk to have the baby and Gilly was adopted by a family from South London.

Lucy had looked at my family tree and found I had an Edward Smith in my tree. I confirmed he lived in Hemel Hempstead, which matched the information Lucy had. Lucy's mother Gilly then took a DNA test herself which came back with an even higher match with me, my dad Frank, and his sister Jeanette. The match was first/second cousin for me and close family/first cousin for Frank and Jeanette. Our shared matches with Gilly were with other Skivingtons!

Jen

On the 1/11/2020 I noted another DNA match with a young lady called Jen. I messaged her via Ancestry and she responded the same day confirming she believed the connection was through the Skivington and Thomson families. Jen's grandmother was an Elizabeth Doran Gray but she didn't know who Elizabeth's parents were. After looking further into this, it seemed that Elizabeth's father was probably my grandmother's uncle, Peter Skivington, born in Scotland in 1882. Peter Skivington was Paula Lord's Great Grandfather!


The Skivington Family Connection

With all the DNA matches with other people connected to the Skivington family, I was convinced that my grandmother, Kitty Smith, was born Catherine Skivington in Barrow-in-Furness in 1905. It just remained for me to find more evidence and to find a birth for my father, Frank Smith.

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