web analytics
Albert Melessen and Mietje Houthuijzen

Albert Melessen and Mietje Houthuijzen

Randy Seaver asked in his weekly Saturday Night Fun about the patrilineal line of our paternal grandmothers:

What was your father’s mother’s maiden name?

Melessen. My grandmother was Alida Melessen, born 9 April 1917 in Amsterdam, died 10 January 2007 in Hilversum.

What was your father’s mother’s father’s name?

Albert Melessen (1886-1965). The photo above is his wedding photo.

What is your father’s mother’s father’s patrilineal line?

That is, his father’s father’s father’s … back to the most distant male ancestor in that line?

The Melessen line is a bit under-researched, but here it goes:

Jakob Melessen (1848-1918)
Melis Melessen (1817-1890)
Jakob Meles Melessen (abt. 1793-1869)
Melis Hendriks Melessen (abt. 1756-1830)
Hendrik Meles (Melessen)

The Melessen’s were farmers in the province Groningen.

Can you identify male sibling(s) of your father’s mother

…and any living male descendants from those male sibling(s)? If so, you have a candidate to do a Y-DNA test on that patrilineal line. If not, you may have to find male siblings, and their descendants, of the next generation back, or even further.

My grandmother had only sisters. My great-grandfather had two brothers. One never married, the other had five sons and a daughter. At least three sons married, but I don’t know about their children. But any Melessen from Groningen is probably related, so it should be possible to find a male descendant of Hendrik Meles. Not that I have any plans to contact them about Y-DNA testing…