From Tony Gagliani 04/10/09
 
Though I have been busy with school and work I did want to keep you up to date on some genealogical developments/news.
 
1. Researchers at the University of Utah have traced the origin of a rare form of colon cancer to one of our direct ancestors, Colonial Massachusetts immigrant George Fry and his wife. The full story can be found at the link below.
 
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/04/a_cancer_mutations_colonial_roots/?s_campaign=8315
 
2. y-DNA testing on direct line male descendants of our ancestor, Robert Bloomer, indicate that he was from England and likely of the Birmingham/Halesowen, Worcestershire, England Bloomer family. Also, I.G.I. indicates that our Jonathan Ogden married Rachel Bloomer, who was likely the Rachel Bloomer, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Anderson) Bloomer of Rye, NY. Elizabeth (Anderson) Bloomer was a daughter of Isaac Anderson, "the Mariner" and Prudence Woodard or Woodward, whose father was of English ancestry and whose mother was of New Netherlands Dutch ancestry. 
 
3. The parents of our ancestor John McIntosh were not William and Christy (Murray) McIntosh as previously suggested, but rather Donald and Ann (Falconer) McIntosh. Donald McIntosh immigrated from Petty, Inverness, Scotland. He was a son of Charles and Isobel (Ross) McIntosh of Inverness, Scotland. Ann (Falconer) McIntosh was the daughter of Alexander Falconer and his wife Margaret (maiden name presently unknown to me) who came to Nova Scotia on the Hector and settled at the West Branch of the East River in Pictou County, NS. That explains the Hector connection that was passed down by tradition. The Falconers were a branch of the Clan Keith and directly descend from the Keith-Falconers of Halkerton.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Falconer_of_Halkerton
 
4. Our ancestor Jacob Silliker may have been the son of Johann Heinrich Hilliker and his wife, Jannetje Jurckse of Westchester County, NY. Johann Heinrich Hilliker was of Palatine German ancestry. Jannetje Jurckse was of New Netherlands Dutch ancestry. 
 
5. The maiden name of our ancestor, Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Galpin has been identified. She was Elizabeth Applebe or Appleby, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Osborne) Applebe/Appleby. More information on Thomas and Elizabeth (Osborne) Applebe/Appleby can be found here.
 
http://www.wolfsbane.com/newsletters/96march.htm
 
6. And last, but certainly not least, there is a good possibility that some of our ancestors were black slaves.
Investigation into the Mingo family of River John, NS has taken a new twist. In the book, "The Blacks in Canada" by Robin Winks the following information has been found:
 
When the Philadelphia Company arrived in Pictou, NS, the freedom of "a slave girl" was purchased from Matthew Harris by Rev. MacGregor. "The slave girl married George Mingo, a Black pioneer, and they became respected members of MacGregor's congregation" while Martin, a mulatto also purchased from Matthew Harris, married a "Swiss woman" and settled in the United States. In another book, "Scotland Farewell" by Donald MacKay we read: In 1769, Matthew Harris, his wife, six children, and three black slaves, Die Mingo, Abram and Martin arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1767, the British Crown granted land between Truro and Tatamagouche to the "Philadelphia Company" which became known as the Philadelphia Grant.  A History of the County of Pictou states: "Matthew Harris was the owner of a colored girl, afterward known as Die Mingo, and a mulatto man named Martin."
 
So, our ancestor Nancy (Mingo) Mattatall, wife of George Mattatall of Tatamagouche, was likely the daughter of George Mingo the "Black pioneer" mentioned in Robin Winks' book, and Die Harris, the "slave girl" purchased by Rev. MacGregor from Matthew Harris of the Philadelphia Company. The Memoirs of the Rev. James MacGregor note that "Die Harris was afterward married to George Mingo, also a coloured person who had served during the first American war."
 
Cousin Tony