A Genealogy Post

A while back I had an epiphany. My genealogy partner and cousin Dan back in Wisconsin and I have been racking our brains (small as they are) trying to find a connection between our family (He's descended from my Great-Uncle Christoph) and the family I created from several DNA matches on Ancestry.com.

When we backtrack our family it comes to a screeching halt at Great-Grandfather Gottlieb and Great-Grandmother Auguste Louise Albrecht. 

The old guy in the front row on the left is Great-Grandfather Gottlieb.

So here's what the epiphany was. If we can't make a connection by going backwards from our family, maybe I can make a connection coming forward from the DNA family and maybe stumble across our great-Grandfather that way.

Now, you have to remember these old German families, for the most part, had 12 kids in the family and their families had 12 kids and their family had 12 kids etc.

So I've come to the conclusion that we're related to every Kautz/Kaus/Couts (that's a whole nuther story) ever born with the exception of the Kautzes at Ironstone Winery in Murphys. Either that or I just haven't connected them yet.

I'm still researching all the families and have a current Excel Spreadsheet and I'm at line 5545 and still haven't found Gottlieb. It's getting so we're starting to call him "The Ghost".

Dan continues to look from our family side, but isn't getting any further than I am.

So, just for an update, here are the numbers of people on each tree.

Kautz Family Tree - 1279
Kautz DNA Linked Tree - 2486

One would think, "How can I be related to so many people?" My wife keeps telling me, in the long run we're related to everyone.

Anybody who wants some help finding your relatives, let me know. I think I qualify as Medium to Expert at this searching thing.

Stay Tuned.

Fishing soon.