Tennessee Connections

My paternal great-grandfather, James Michael Barley, was born October 22, 1870, in Rhea County, Tennessee, and died there on February 27, 1941. My Great-Aunt Altha Ann Barley, his daughter, and my Grandmother Delia, married to his son, shared his name with me. James and his wife, Mary Myrtle Roddy Barley, rest in Spence Cemetery alongside relatives, including his siblings Thomas Henry Barley (1880–1965), Melissia Tennessee (Tennie) Barley Roddy (1869–1948), and Mary Barley Ottinger (born ~1865).

But who were James’s his parents?  Altha claimed her grandmother was Malissa Ann Barley, her namesake, and believed her grandfather was Jasper Barley. Family stories need verification through solid genealogical research to confirm the truth. That doesn’t imply a lack of trust in what I was told, just that sound genealogical practice requires exhaustive research to eliminate any other potential truth. How do I verify the information? What records should I consult?

Records	Why?	Where?
Census Records (1850-1900)	Federal population censuses list household members, relationships, ages, and birthplaces.  These records will also include siblings allowing the family unit to be restructured to support further research.	Check the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900 U.S. Federal Censuses focusing first on Rhea County, Tennessee.
Marriage Records	A marriage record for Malissa Ann and Jasper Barley (or Byerly) before 1870 would establish their union in support of being the parents of  James.	Search Rhea County marriage records (1808–1900).  If no record is found, expand research to surrounding counties in eastern Tennessee.
Birth Records	Birth records may list parents’ names, confirming Malissa Ann and Jasper as James’s parents	Tennessee birth records before 1914 are sparse, but may exist. Delayed birth certificates may be available for those still alive after 1935 or so.
Death Records	Death records for James or those of his siblings may list parents’ names.	Tennessee death records between 1875-1865 have been digitized and are available online. They are also available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville.
Newspapers and Obituaries	Obituaries or notices may mention family relationships.	Consult local newspapers of Rhea County, Tennessee in addition to Chattanooga newspapers which also list notices from the Rhea County area.
Probate and Estate Records	Wills or estate records for Malissa or Jasper may name children, including James, or mention property transfers.	Consult probate records of Rhea County, Tennessee, many of which are digitized and available online.
Land and Tax Records	Land deeds or tax lists can place Malissa and Jasper in Rhea County and indicate family connections.	Consult Rhea County Register of Deeds for land records between 1808-1900 for information for Jasper and Malissa and any of their children.
Church Records	Church records (baptisms, marriages, burials) often include family details.	Church records available for Rhea County, Tennessee.

Marriage Record of Jasper and Malissa Byerly

I researched potential marriage records for James’s parents, Jasper and Malissia Barley, in Rhea County, Tennessee. My search for Jasper and Malissa Barley yielded no results, but I did find a record for Jasper and Malissa Byerly, married on June 21, 1857. This discovery raised questions, as Byerly differs from Barley. My grandmother explained that the family name was originally Byerly, but James Michael was asked by the postmaster in Campbell County, Tennessee to spell it as Barley while he lived there. Not one to complain and in order to obtain mail from home, James complied with the request and the Byerly family became Barleys! Given this, I hypothesized that the 1857 marriage record pertains to the Jasper and Malissa Barley I was searching for.

Census Records for Jasper and Malissa Byerly and their Children

James Michael Byerley was born after the 1870 census had been taken so the first census he would have been present in would be the 1880 census, more than likely in Rhea County, Tennessee.   But since the Jasper and Malissa Byerly marriage record showed a marriage date of 1857, I decided to start with the 1860 census and bring the family forward starting with that year to create a consolidated view of Jasper and Malissa Byerly with their children based on the census information.

 First stop, the 1860 Census –   The 1860 census in Rhea County, Tennessee was taken on 30 June 1860. In District 5, page 497 I found the family of Jasper Barely with Malissa a young female Sarah J.

The next stop is the 1870 Census. That census was taken on 23 June 1870 in Rhea County, Tennessee. Residing in the 5th Civil District on page 272B, I find Jasper with Malissa along with 5 other individuals ranging in age from 1 to 13.  These are more than likely their children but as relationships are not given that cannot be gleaned from the census information.

The 1880 census is next. That census was taken on 15 June 1880 in Rhea County, Tennessee.  James Michael Barley would have been included in this census – so a key validation point is whether he is included as a son in this family.   Another connection point would be the two siblings that I am aware of, Mary and Melissa Tennessee. Residing in the 7th District on page 273c, I find Jasper, his wife Malissa and his nine children.  This is the first census were relationships are given.  The son listed as Jas M. Byrely fits the age of James Michael Barley based on him being born in October 1870.  The daughter represented with initials M.A. fits the age of Mary Barley Ottinger and the daughter represented as Tenn fits the age of Melissia Tennessee Barley Roddy.  This looks to be the census record with James Michael Barley included in the household of his parents, Jasper and Malissa Byerly, but more research is needed to solidify the relationships.

The 1890 census was burned so the next available census is 1900.  A search of those census records did not find a household containing Jasper and Malissia Byerley.  

From the census records encompassing the years 1860 to 1880, the following table contains the assumed children of Jasper and Malissa Byerley.  Any children born after the 1880 census was taken would not be included.  The absence of the 1890 census presents a problem for identifying all of them though I should be able to use the 1990 census to uncover some of them.  Of note also is that by 1880, Malissa was nearing the age where her childbearing days were coming to a close.

Person	1860 Census	1870 Census	1880 Census
Jasper Byerly	Age 34	Age 47	Age 54
Malissa Byerly	Age 25	Age 40	Age 47
Sarah Jane Byerly	Age 2	Age 13	Age 22
Margarette A. Byerly		Age 8	Age 19
Jacob F. Byerly		Age 6	Age 16
Mary A. Byerly		Age 5	Age 15
Melissa T. Byerly		Age 1	Age 11
Jas M. Byerly			Age 9
Martha Byerly			Age 7
Emma Byerly			Age 5
Hannah Byerly			Age 3

Given the 20-year timeframe between the 1880 and 1900 census and the ages of the children, most may have been married by the time the 1900 census was taken.   Research of the marriage records of Rhea County, Tennessee uncovered the following marriages that may align with the children of Jasper and Malissa Byerly.

• Alex Clingan married Allice Byrley on 6 December 1884 in Rhea County, Tennessee.   This could be Margarette A. Byerly.
• Sarah J. Byerley married Marley Yates on 27 Dec 1899 in Rhea County, Tennessee.
• J.C. Ottinger married Mary A. Byrley on 14 Oct 1884 in Rhea County, Tennessee.
• Will Roddy married Tennie Byerley on 20 Aug 1899 in Rhea County, Tennessee.
• Emma Byerley married James Webb on 24 March 1900 in Rhea County, Tennessee.
• J.M. Byerley married Mamie Roddy on 2 October 1896 in Rhea County, Tennessee.
• Jacob Byerley married Ella Webb on 2 Jan 1896 in Rhea County, Tennessee.
• Hannah Byerley married Will Hall on 3 March 1901 in Rhea County, Tennessee.
• No marriage found for Martha Byerley.

The 1900 census in Rhea County, Tennessee took place in June of 1900.  The households of the children of Jasper and Malissia Byerley were recorded between June 12th through June 20th.  Of the 9 previously identified children, 6 have been found in the census.  Additionally, a brother, Thomas was found in the household of one of his siblings.  He was born in 1880 after that census was taken. The three children that were not found, Melissa Tennessee, Emma and Hannah were living as indicated by their presences in the 1910 census and/or by their appearance in other records in 1901 or later.

Based on the census research, the children of Jasper and Malissa Byerley included the following:

Child	Birth Year	Spouse	Marriage Year
Sarah Jane Byerly	1858	Marley Yates	1884
Margarette Alice Byerly	1861	Alex Clingan	1899
Jacob F. Byerly	1863	Ella Webb	1896
Mary Ann Byerly	1865	J.C. Ottinger	1884
Melissia Tennessee Byerly	1869	Will Roddy	1899
James Michael Barley	1870	Mamie Roddy	1896
Martha Byerly	1873
Emma Byerly	1875	James Webb	1900
Hannah Byerly	1877	Will Hall	1901
Thomas Byerly	1880	Never Married

The next step is to validate any birth or death related records available for the children to determine if those records list parent information.   This will be correlated with the census information to identify and resolve any conflicts.

Birth and Death Records

All of the children were born before birth records were recorded in the state so the presence of any official birth records would not be expected.  There could however be delayed birth records if any child lived long enough to request one after 1935.  Birth dates may also be included on death certificates or inscribed on tombstones or be derivable from death records.

Let’s look at each child individually to determine what records may be available and whether any of those records identify the parents.  The two tables below summarize the information around parents and siblings from death certificates and obituaries for each child.  Information was found for only 8 of the 10 children.  It is likely, but not proven, that the 2 children not found died before death certificates were generally created at the state level.

Child	Death Date	Informant	Father	Mother
Sarah Jane Byerly Yates	10 July 1924	M.L. Yates – husband	Jasper Barley	Lizey Barley
Margarette Alice Byerly Clingan	22 March 1943	Mrs. O.B. Glenn – Daughter	Jasper Byrley	No Record
Jacob F. Byerly	29 June 1934	Hester Byerly – Daughter	Jasper Byerly	Melissie Byerly
Mary Ann Byerly Ottinger	28 May 1959	Mrs. Tom Boyd – Daughter	Jasper Beyrley	Don’t know
Melissa Tennessee Byerly Roddy	29 Aug 1948	Wm. C. Roddy – Husband	Jasper Byerly	Malisa Byerly
James Michael Barley	27 Feb 1941	Glade Dyer – son in law	Jasper Barley	Elizabeth Ann Barley
Martha Byerly	Unknown
Emma Byerly Henderson	11 June1940	Mrs. Roddy – Sister	Jasper Barley	Malissa Barley
Hannah Byerly Hall	1910
Thomas Henry Barley	9 Sept 1965	Rev. Billy Millsaps – Nephew	Jasper Barley	Malisie Barley

Child	Death Date	Obituary Notes
Sarah Jane Byerly Yates	10 July 1924	No obit has been found
Margarette Alice Byerly Clingan	22 March 1943	References 2 sisters, Mrs. Will Roddy and Mrs. Mary Ottinger and 1 brother Tom Byrley
Jacob F. Byerly	29 June 1934	References two brothers, Tom and Jim and four sisters, Mary Ottinger, Emma Henderson, Alice Clingan, Tennie Roddy
Mary Ann Byerly Ottinger	28 May 1959	References 1 brother, Tom Byerley
Melissa Tennessee Byerly Roddy	29 Aug 1948	References 1 sister, Mary Ottinger and 1 brother Thomas Byerley
James Michael Barley	27 Feb 1941	No obit has been found
Martha Byerly	Unknown	No obit has been found
Emma Byerly Henderson	11 June1940	References two brothers (not named) and one sister, Mrs. Will Roddy
Hannah Byerly Hall	1910	No obit has been found
Thomas Henry Barley	9 Sept 1965	References his parents as Jasper and Malissa Barley

From the summary the conclusion is –

• The parents were Jasper Byerly and Malissia Ann Barley.
  • Lissy (Lizey) is a nickname for Malissia. It is also a nickname for Elizabeth which would explain the references to Elizabeth Ann. 
  • Of consideration also, is that Altha Barley, daughter of James Michael Barley, had communicated to me that her grandmother’s name was Malissia Ann.
• The references to surviving siblings align to who would have been alive at the time of the death.

DNA Testing Validation:

The historical research provided supports the hypothesis that Jasper Byerly and Malissa Byerly are my second great grandparents and parents of James Michael Barley.   But is the relationship also genetic?  Prior to DNA testing being readily available, the “paper” connection was all that could be proven – but now with DNA it is sometimes possible to answer the genetic relationship question.

Descendants of the children of Jasper and Malissia Byerley must be utilized to validate the genetic relationship for myself.  But first the connections must be proven between myself and each generation back.  There are four generations between me and my second great grandparents.  This requires either testing of those individuals or also connections to relatives at each generation level.   None of my direct ancestors have tested so proof will be through other relatives that have tested.

The connections can be proven by triangulation either at the individual chromosome level or via triangulation of shared matches.  Triangulation of shared message involves finding descendants from different children that all match each other and match me.

I have Autosomal DNA test results available at all of the major testing sites and as such have options.   At this time, as Ancestry does not provide a chromosome browser and I do not have the combination of matches at the sites that do, I will be using the triangulation of shared matches as the approach to prove the connection to Jasper and Malissa Byerly.  With that approach what are the steps to secure and document proof of a biological connection:

1. Identify matches that prove the connection point at each generation.  This will be siblings of the ancestor in question or their descendants. Ideally there will be matches from three siblings provided three siblings with children existed.
2. Validate the connection between the match and Jasper and Malissa Byerley via traditional research, eliminating any other possible connection that may exist.
3. Validate the parent alignment in Ancestry.  The matches should be classified at paternal.
4. Validate that the shared matches share DNA with each other.
5. Use of the Banyan tool to statistically compare the shared DNA between all testers and ensure all relationships are statistically valid.

The testing group:

1. Fourteen testers were included in the analysis.  All are matches to me at Ancestry.
2. Ancestry indicated that all the connections were on my paternal side.
3. The relationships to me ranged from siblings through 3C1R.
4. The relationship to Jasper and Malissia Byerly ranged from Great Grandchild through 3rd Great Grandchild.
   1. One Great Grandchild
   2. Eight Second Great Grandchildren
   3. Five Third Great Grandchildren.
5. The testing group includes the following shared matches triangulation groups:
   1. Descendants of James, Emma, Jacob, Mary Ann and Margaret Byerly to support the connection to Jasper and Malissa Byerly.
   2. Descendants of two or James Barleys children, Descendants of 3 of the children of my Grandfather, son of James Barley to support the connection to James Barley

Results:

1. The Banyan Tool was utilized to validate the amount of shared DNA between me and each member of the test group to the anticipated relationship.
   1. 11 of the matches were within 0.5 standard deviations or less than the average shared DNA for the relationship with all being within the shared range.
   2. The other 2 matches were within 1.3 and 1.8 standard deviations from the average shared AND for the relationship. The shared DNA for both was greater than the higher point of the expected range, possibly indicating that there could be an additional connection further back in time.
2. The Banyan Tool was utilized to validate the amount of shared DNA between each of the testers and their anticipated relationship to each other.
   1. Of the 182 combinations, 32 did not have shared DNA information in Ancestry.  The cut off for Shared Matches information is 20, so this implies that the shared DNA for those 32 could be from 0 to 19 cM shared.
      1. All 32 were in the relationship range where the probability of sharing DNA is lower (fourth cousin or equivalent).
      2. The other 150 combinations were all within an acceptable standard deviation range for the expected relationship.

DNA conclusion – It is highly likely, that my relationship to Jasper and Malissa Byerly is biological and the DNA comparison within this group of 14 testers supports them being my second great-grandparents.

The loose ends for further research:

• I know that Melissa Tennessee, Emma and Hannah all were still alive when the 1900 census was taken but did not find them on my first search through the records.  While their information is not required to support my conclusion, it would help with ensuring I have completed the family of Jasper and Malissa Byerley.
• While I have performed exhaustive research for Martha and Hannah and feel confident with the conclusions, revalidating those research steps as more records become available may provide additional information about the family.
• Expanded research on the testers where the quality of the DNA relationship was not “excellent” to determine or eliminate connections at the 3rd or later great grandparent level.

Sources List:

1. The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: District 5, Rhea, Tennessee; Roll: M653_1268; Page: 497; Family History Library Film: 805268
2. Year: 1870; Census Place: District 5, Rhea, Tennessee; Roll: M593_1554; Page: 272B
3. Year: 1880; Census Place: District 7, Rhea, Tennessee; Roll: 1275; Page: 273c; Enumeration District: 111
4. Year: 1900; Census Place: Civil District 6, Rhea, Tennessee; Roll: 1593; Page: 6; Enumeration District: 0084
5. Year: 1900; Census Place: Civil District 5, Rhea, Tennessee; Roll: 1593; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0083
6. Year: 1900; Census Place: Dayton, Rhea, Tennessee; Roll: 1593; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 0089
7. Year: 1900; Census Place: Civil District 8, Rhea, Tennessee; Roll: 1593; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 0086
8. Year: 1900; Census Place: Civil District 6, Rhea, Tennessee; Roll: 1593; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 0084
9. Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002; Marriage record of Jasper and Malissa Byerly
10. Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1965
11. Georgia Department of Health; Certificate of Death for Margaret Alice Clingan, 1943, #6493
12. The Chattanooga News, 29 June 1934, page 2, Chattanooga, Tennessee
13. The Chattanooga Times, 30 August 1948, page 7, Chattanooga. Tennessee
14. The Chattanooga Times, 13 June 1940, page 9, Chattanooga, Tennessee
15. The Chattanooga Times, 11 September 1965, page 11, Chattanooga, Tennessee
16. The Chattanooga Times, 29 May 1958, Chattanooga, Tennessee
17. The Chattanooga Times, 23 March 1943, Chattanooga, Tennessee