Possible Connection

I haven't been able to do much with genealogy lately because we were in the process (and I mean process) of moving. Now we are starting to settle in and get used to things, although I am still having a hard time finding things.

Last year, I sent off for my DNA test and got it back. What was interesting was that I have a person working with me ( a distant cousin on my Guth side) who helped explain to me how the DNA testing works. She found that, although we could never identify the grandmother of George Robert Guth, the DNA led to matches with a group of people from Lake Pleasant, New York, who had the last name of 'Carnrike'. Well, there is a Julia Carnrike who married a Robert Grinlinton. In case you are lost in who these people are and how they are related to the Guths, here it is:

George Robert Guth, born 1890 in NY, son of George William Guth and Capitola Grinlinton. We do know that Capitola Grinlinton's father was Robert Grinlinton, but nowhere are we given any information on who the mother was.

There was a Robert Grinlinton who seemed to be in trouble legally because of his violence, who lived in NYC. However, he was arrested just a couple of years before Capitola was born and was guilty of killing a man. As I study this one, it just doesn't seem likely that he would have been Capitola's father.

Capitola was born in New York, somewhere, we aren't told where though. Her death record says that she was born in Illinois. That must have been some kind of error, but I will keep it in the back of my mind.

Even though Grinlinton is a rare last name, there are several Robert Grinlintons who lived in or around New York during the 1800s. There was one who was married to Julia Carnrike, and their children are listed here and there, but no Capitola. (Capitola's first name was Georgianna). There is a little information listed about the children in this family. There was a daughter named Emma. Perhaps Emma was one who worked at the hat factory. There were a few sons, and it looks like when one passed away, Julia moved to Essex County. Perhaps Julia and Capitola were estranged from each other. Whatever the case may have been, this looks like the possibility of the genuine mother of Capitola.

More to come as I find more info.

Is Capitola Grinlinton Guth Really Italian?

The mysteries of my ancestors is getting more exciting and intense as I learn new information. I just received the results of my DNA test from Ancestry.com, and most of those results I could confirm already. There were a few that were interesting, like I am 98% European, and 2% Asian. I never imagined that and would have thought of myself as 100% European.

But it did not answer entirely the question of whether Capitola Grinlinton Guth was Italian or not. There are a few reasons why I think Capitola was Italian, but, that is not proof. First of all, it would seem like Capitola is an Italian name, or at least that is what it sounds like to me. Second, Grinlinton is not a common name and the ones I found in New York married into Italian families. Many of them ended up living in the Bronx. Third, my dad had black hair, as did his father, who was Capitola's son.

The DNA tests did show that there is probably Italian blood in me. But it could also be French blood as well, because the French in the area of Alsace-Lorraine, which is where Jean George Guth originally came from, was included in the area under Italy/Greece.

So, the theory is that Georgianna Capitola Grinlinton Guth may be Italian. Maybe or maybe not, at least not known to us yet.

I did a word search on Google using the name 'Capitola' and found something interesting. There was a book written during the time of Capitola's birth/childhood. The original was written a couple of years before she would have been born. The book is called, 'The Hidden Hand' and is a novel about a girl named Capitola Black. She was an orphan who lived on the streets of New York. Here is the url for this novel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hidden_Hand_novel

Perhaps there is a connection between the person in the book (Capitola Black) and Capitola Grinlinton Guth, or, more likely, maybe her mom named her Capitola because the book/story was out and it was a nice name to name a daughter.

So, the mystery remains for now concerning whether Capitola's mom was Italian or not. Who was she? Where was she born? Did she die giving birth? Was Capitola an orphan? Why does Capitola's death certificate state that she was born in Illinois? Maybe her biological parents died and she was sent to live with other relatives?