About a year ago I took an Ancestry DNA test and had 68 Shared Ancestor Hints and 667 4th cousins or closer and was in 8 DNA Circles. 
In one year, these numbers have increased significantly! As of Jan 1, 2019, I have 94 Shared Ancestor Hints and 972 4th cousins or closer, and 13 DNA Circles. I’ve corresponded with many of the descendents of my shared Ancestors and shared the information I’ve gathered about these shared ancestors. In some cases, folks have graciously shared copies of photos and newspaper articles that they have inherited about these shared ancestors.
In the past month I’ve focused on my shared SHACKFORD ancestors who I found by clicking on the 972 4th cousins or closer box, then entering Shackford into the Search Matches box, then researching their shared matches. I wrote to those who have private family trees — some responded, others didn’t and also reviewed and flushed out some the trees of those with whom I share DNA until I found the shared ancestor.
Here’s the DNA connections with seven different Shackford descendents that I found (names deleted to keep their privacy). I thank them for sharing their DNA with Ancestry or Family Tree DNA and for corresponding with me as we jointly tried to find the ancestral links.
My hope is that over time, these individuals and or other Shackford descendents will share their DNA with My Heritage, FamilyTree DNA, or GEDMATCH so that we can determine which chromosomes are shared amid Shackford ancestors and jointly learn more about this family history.
My DNA Matches
1. 2018 Dec 30, XXXX XXXXX 2,468 centimorgans shared across 63 DNA segments, MY SISTER
2. 2018 Dec 30, XXXXX XXXXX, FTDNA match of 50 cm, 10 cm longest segment WILLIAM SHACKFORD & MERCY ROSE via daughter Emeline Shackford m Peter Cushing [my ancestor WILLIAM BROWN SHACKFORD] FOURTH COUSIN (Larger DNA matches on chromosomes 3, 13, and 21)
3. 2018 Dec 20, XXXXX XXXX, 30.0 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment SAMUEL SHACKFORD & MARY COOMBS via daughter Susannah Shackford m Joseph Connick, [my ancestor LEVI SHACKFORD], SIXTH COUSIN
4. 2018 Dec 21, XXXX XXXX, 19.5 centimorgans shared across 2 DNA segments, SAMUEL SHACKFORD & MARY COOMBS via daughter Susannah Shackford m Joseph Connick [my ancestor LEVI SHACKFORD], SIXTH COUSIN ONCE REMOVED
5. 2018 Dec 21, XXXXXX, 11.0 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment, SAMUEL SHACKFORD m MARY COOMBS via daughter Susannah Shackford m Joseph Connick to William Shackford Connick, [my ancestor LEVI SHACKFORD] SIXTH COUSIN
6. 2018 Jul 28, xxxxxxxx, 6.1 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment, JOSHUA SHACKFORD & ELIZABETH BARNES via son Paul Shackford [my ancestor SAMUEL SHACKFORD]l, SEVENTH COUSIN TWICE REMOVED, no shared matches [Note: this is a very small DNA match so still verifying
7. 2018 Dec 20, xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx, 12.0 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment, includes George Franklin Shackford, match at WILLIAM SHACKFORD and DEBORAH TRICKEY via Samuel Shackford [my ancestor JOSHUA SHACKFORD], 8th COUSIN
8. 2018 Dec 21, xxxxx xxxxx, 9.1 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment, WILLIAM SHACKFORD m DEBORAH TRICKEY via daughter Mary Shackford m Henry Nutter, [my ancestor JOSHUA SHACKFORD], EIGHTH COUSIN ONCE REMOVED
I’m hoping this blog might encourage other Shackford descendents to test their DNA. I’d be glad to help others flush out their trees in these tools to maximize the matches.
All posts on this website are a work in progress. We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared. Also we’d love it if you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!
Copyright 2019 Joanne Shackford Parkes (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)
William, married Mercy Rose, the daughter of Eber and Elizabeth (Greene) Rose of Newbury in Newburyport on March 19, 1812. According to Abner’s letter, she was born January 24, 1795.
William died on May 15, 1831 of pleurisy in Boston and was buried in South B Gd. His death was reported in the New Hampshire Gazette on June 9, 1831.
Please fill up the following Family Record as fully as possible with all the details you have in your own possession, or can gain access to in the possession of others, and return as soon as possible to [hand written] Samuel Shackford Chicago Ill
so we reached out to our friend Mr Google and discovered that the St Augustine’s Church and Cemetery was located at 181 Dorchester Street. We found their phone number and called to learn about accessibility. Javier wonderfully directed us to two folks, the archivist, Thomas Lester and the chapel who oversaw the church.
Tuesday might be able to open up the church for us on Tuesday, the day we would be visiting!!!! Unfortunately we received a follow-up call later that night stating that the volunteer had become unavailable so there would be no access. We drove to the church anyway and took these pictures of the hapel and the gravestones.
and learned that Catherine and her daughter 
SHACKFORD Family History 