Understanding DNA: Hard to Do!

This is an article at Ancestry.com. You can read the whole article at this link: Understanding Inheritance – Ancestry

Your DNA contains a record of your ancestors, but you aren’t a carbon copy of any one of them.

The mix of DNA you inherit is unique to you. You receive 50% of your DNA from each of your parents, who received 50% of theirs from each of their parents, and so on. In the chart below, you can see how the amount of DNA you receive from a particular ancestor decreases over generations. If you go back far enough, there is a chance that you inherited no DNA from a particular ancestor.

The chart below helps illustrate how different segments of DNA might have been passed down from your grandparents to make your unique DNA. Assume each letter represents a segment of DNA. Take note of these things:

• Which letters get passed down to each generation is random [the fact that the letters spell names in this example is simply to help with the illustration].
• Not every letter gets passed down.
• Just because a child doesn’t have a letter doesn’t mean that an earlier ancestor didn’t have that letter.
• Siblings can have different combinations of letters.
  
  

In the example above, your paternal grandfather has the unique DNA of ANDREW. He can pass down only 50% of his DNA to each child. In your father’s case, the “pieces of DNA” randomly selected to be passed on to him are represented by the letters EDW. At the same time, your grandmother SANDRA provides the randomly selected segments ARD, which combine with her husband’s EDW to create your father’s unique genetic signature: EDWARD. Notice that not all of the letters from ANDREW and SANDRA get passed down to EDWARD.

Your father, EDWARD, has three children with your mother, whose genetic signature is ANGELA. EDWARD and ANGELA each pass 50% of their DNA, randomly selected, to each of their children, who end up with the genetic signatures GLENDA, GERALD, and REAGAN.

While having more children increases the chances of passing on more of your DNA, if you look closely, you’ll see that even with three children, not all of EDWARD and ANGELA’s DNA segments made it to the next generation.

This is a simplified example of how genetic inheritance works in all of us.

Read the rest at: Understanding Inheritance – Ancestry 

https://help.ancestry.com/hc/en-us/articles/53933324690579-Understanding-Inheritance

Marilyn Monroe and Jan DAY Amenta are 9th cousins twice removed

 

Marilyn and Jan are 9th cousins twice removed

Norma Jeane (Mortensen) Monroe (1926-1962) and Jan (Day) Amenta are both descendants of Henry Howland (abt.1600-1671) Henry Howland migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640) and Mary (Unknown) Howland (abt.1609-1674).

1. Norma Jeane is the daughter of Charles Stanley Gifford (1898-1965)
2. Charles is the son of Frederick Almy Gifford (1867-1957)
3. Frederick is the son of Susan Bateman (Almy) Gifford (1841-1908)
4. Susan is the daughter of Samuel Elam Almy (1800-1889)
5. Samuel is the son of Charlotte (Cook) Almy (1773-abt.1833)
6. Charlotte is the daughter of Lydia (Gray) Cook (1744-1826)
7. Lydia is the daughter of Elizabeth (Dennis) Gray (1718-1775)
8. Elizabeth is the daughter of Robert Dennis Jr. (1677-1730)
9. Robert is the son of Sarah (Howland) Dennis (abt.1645-1712)
10. Sarah is the daughter of Henry Howland (abt.1600-1671)
This makes Henry the eighth great grandfather of Norma Jeane and Mary the eighth great grandmother of Norma Jeane. Note: Norma Jeane is descended from Henry in more than one way (2).

1. Jan is the daughter of Ira Reese Day
2. Ira Reese is the son of Mae (Connell) Day
3. Mae is the daughter of Patrick Connell (abt.1869-1926)
4. Patrick is the son of Anne (Cox) Connell (1850-1932)
5. Anne is the daughter of Sarah (Stevenson) Cox (1827-1907)
6. Sarah is the daughter of Anna (Satterthwait) Stevenson (1795-1870)
7. Anna is the daughter of Lydia Ann (Middleton) Satterthwait (1769-1834)
8. Lydia is the daughter of Lydia (Allen) Middleton (1751-1816)
9. Lydia is the daughter of Samuel Allen (1723-1777)
10. Samuel is the son of Henry Allen (1680-1748)
11. Henry is the son of Elizabeth (Howland) Allen (abt.1645-1733)
12. Elizabeth is the daughter of Henry Howland (abt.1600-1671)
This makes Henry the 10th great grandfather of Jan and Mary the 10th great grandmother of Jan. 

MY William Penn, Puritan Settlers, New Netherland Settlers and Mayflower Connections

Descendant of PGM migrant Jan Amenta.

Jan (Day) Amenta is the descendant of a New Netherland settler.

Jan (Day) Amenta is a descendant of a Mayflower Passenger. William Penn and Early Pennsylvania Settlers: Lydia Pryor is 10 Degrees from Jan Amenta. Maiden name Allen. Born 11 Sep 1672 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, Daughter of Nathaniel Allen and Eleanor (Unknown) Allen. She was the Wife of Thomas Pryor I. Jan's connected through their son, Thomas Pryor. Lydia was a part of William Penn's Pennsylvania Settlers community, William Penn fleet passenger. She arrived with her family in Pennsylvania aboard Bristol Factor in October of 1681.

Edward Gascoigne is 10 Degrees from Jan Amenta. Edward Gascoigne aka Gaskill, Gaskell Born before 1603 in England to unknown parents. He was the husband of Sarah (Parker) Gaskill — married 1636 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Connected though their son, Samuel Gaskill Sr. to his son, Job Gaskill 1772 to his daughter, my 2nd Great Grandmother - Sarah Ann Gaskill DAY 1822-1895.

Puritan Project 1620 to 1633 to Massachusetts Bay Colony. Elizabeth Endecott is 10 Degrees from Jan Amenta. Elizabeth Cogan was the wife of John (Endicott) Endecott — married 17 Aug 1630 in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Through their son, Zerubbabel Endicott. Abraham David Ackerman is 9th degrees from Jan Amenta. Abraham connection through his son David Ackerman, and his wife, Aeltjen van Laer. Abraham David Ackerman aka Davidsze was born 3 May 1659 in Berlicum, Meijerij van 's-Hertogenbosch, Staats-Brabant, Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden Son of David Ackerman and Lysabet (Bellier) Wolters. He was the husband of Lysbeth (UNKNOWN) and husband of Aeltjen (van Laar) van Laer — married 28 May 1683 in Flatbush DRC, Long Island, NY.

Cassandra (Burnell) Southwick 1598 is 10 Degrees from Jan Amenta through her daughter, Provided Southwick 1641-1727 who married Samuel Gaskill Sr. my 7th Great Grandfather, and migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Cassandra Burnell, the daughter of Humphrey and Margaret (Burnell) Burnell, was born about 1598, likely in Oldswinford Parish, Worcestershire, England. The extant Oldswinford parish register starts in 1602, and Cassandra's younger siblings, starting in 1603, are baptized there. Cassandra and her husband, Lawrence Southwick married at neighboring Kingswinford, Staffordshire, on 25 January 1623/4-- immigrated to the American colonies about 1637-1639 and settled in Salem. They and their children were persecuted as Quakers. More at: [1]

New Netherland Settlers Project: Samuel Smith is 13 Degrees from Jan Amenta. New Netherland was a 17th-century colony on the east coast of North America, controlled by the Dutch West India Company, located primarily (but not exclusively) in the Hudson River Valley (modern U.S. states of New York and New Jersey). Dutch presence began with Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage of exploration. Dutch control ended on 27 August 1664, when governor Peter Stuyvesant surrendered to invading English forces of the Duke of York (Articles of Capitulation), but the Dutch maintained significant autonomy in New Netherland until 24 October 1674, when the Treaty of Westminster stipulated all Anglo-Dutch hostilities were to end. However, the Dutch-dominated culture of New Netherland continued to characterize the region (the New York Capital District, Hudson Valley, New York City, western Long Island and northern New Jersey) until well into the 19th century.

Mayflower: Catherine Carver is 30 Degree from Jan Amenta. 

Mayflower: Elinora More, Born before 24 May 1612 in Shipton, Shropshire, England - Died about 1621 after about age 8 in Plymouth, New England. Ellen More is 29 Degrees from Jan Amenta.

Twist of Fate for the Lincoln family in 1865: John Wilkes Booth's brother, Edwin saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son

Few months before the assassination of Lincoln, at a train station in Jersey City, New Jersey when a young lawyer, Robert Todd Lincoln was waiting on the platform he lost his footing and fell in the gap between the platform and the train. Edwin Booth happened to see it and managed to pull Robert out of the way, saving Robert Todd Lincoln's life. 

Actor Edwin Booth

The Lincoln family expressed their gratitude to Edwin leading to a lasting bond between Edwin Booth and Robert Todd Lincoln. Over the years, Robert would recount the incident always emphasizing Edwin Booth’s role in saving his life.

Robert Todd Lincoln, oldest son
of Abraham Lincoln

Edwin Booth was a pro-Union and there came a time when his younger brother, John argue vehemently with Edwin about Lincoln and the war, and Edwin finally told him that he was no longer welcome at his New York home. 

The Incredible Story of How John Wilkes Booth's Brother Saved Lincoln's Son

John Wilkes Booth - Wikipedia

John wilkes booth s brother once saved the life of abraham lincoln s son | The Fact Base

David John Day 1956-2026

  Connection> David J. Day / son of/ Ira Reese Day /m./ Ruth C. Dunn 

David was born on Jul 20,1956 in Paterson, New Jersey. He was about 14 when his mother died in 1971. He moved to Floral Park New York with his oldest sister, Lorraine and her husband Bill Maher. While in high school he met his future wife, C Brennan.  They had four children and took in Coleen's sister Mary's two children when Mary died.  They raised 6 children.  He died on August 29, 2026, in Floral Park, New York, at the age of 70.

Mary Agnes Connell Day and her grandson, 
 David J Day in East Paterson 1956

Dave, left on the floor, Doris sitting behind him- next to
 Ike, dressed as SANTA and Jan sitting with her dolls.

Our Lady of Victory Floral Park:
In Loving Memory of David Day 1956 – 2026.
David Day, beloved family member, friend, and faithful member of his community, passed away in 2026 at the age of 70.
Born in 1956, David lived a life marked by kindness, humility, and devotion to those he loved. He touched many lives through his generosity, steady presence, and willingness to help others. Whether spending time with family, supporting friends, or participating in church and community activities, David's warmth and sincerity left a lasting impression on everyone he met.
David will be remembered for his strong faith, compassionate heart, and the quiet strength with which he faced life's challenges. His legacy lives on in the memories shared by family, friends, neighbors, and all who were fortunate enough to know him.
As we mourn his passing, we also celebrate a life well lived and give thanks for the many blessings he brought to others. Though he will be deeply missed, his spirit will remain in the hearts of those who loved him.
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
Matthew 25:23. May David Day rest in eternal peace.

ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/86150048/person/46536366281/facts

Dave Day - WikiTree Profile

Some of the Families in the Day Tree who Immigrated to the United States of America