Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has tossed out the following challenge for his weekly Saturday Night Fun:

Provide a list of your paternal grandmother’s patrilineal line. Answer these questions:

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

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

* 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?

* 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.

Hmmm. My father’s mother, that would be my paternal grandmother. This is one line I have quite a bit of information on. My Father’s mother was Winnie Alice Kaiser; I recently posted a few photos of her on GrannyPam.

My father’s mother’s father? That would be Winnie’s father, William Kaiser. There were a ton of William Kaisers in that line, but “my” William was born in 1862 in Ontario. His birthplace may have been near York (Toronto), in an area called “Kaiserville”, or it may have been in Grey Township, Huron County, where he is found on the census in 1871 with his parents, William and Elizabeth (Long) Keiser (sic).

The most distant male ancestor I have documentation on in William Kaiser’s line is Peter Erlin Kaiser. It is said that the name was Erlinkaiser. In any event, Peter was born in Germany, and immigrated to Pennsylvania. He married Mary Delabo, and there was a family of 10 or more children. The family walked with their possessions to Canada sometime after the American revolution.

Much research has been done on that family. Some is documented in a book available at various libraries, “The Kaiser families of the County of York, Ontario“, by Kaiser, T. E. (Thomas E.), b. 1863 (Main Author). I have found and documented several errors in the “Kaiser book”, that is what descendants call it. As with any published history, care should be taken to research and document information found it the book.

Peter and Mary are buried at Black Creek Pioneer Village, and according to a message from the Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto, Ontario Peter’s memorial is as follows: a 10′ marker with 4 inscribed sides, including the text on the north side: Peter Erlin Kaiser wife Mary Delabo UEL of PA. U.S.A. to Niagara 1785 York 1802.

Male siblings of my father’s mother? There are none. A full sibling, who may have been male or female died very young. One half-brother, Austin W. Kaiser, 1896-1920 died without issue. Another half-sibling was a female.

Male siblings of my William Kaiser, my great-grandfather and William’s father? One, Joseph Kaiser died at age nineteen, unmarried. The other, Austin Arthur Kaiser, 1872-1962, had one son who died at age eight; the remaining children were daughters. Another strike out.

For Y DNA testing on this line, I’m down (or up) to looking for descendents of my grandmother’s great-grandfather, Daniel Erlin Kaiser, 1806-1872, who married Hannah Fisher. There are four sons in that family for whom there might be male lines of descent. Of the five brothers I am aware of, William, my great-grandfather and his brother Daniel E. Kaiser, 1844-1907 left no male issue. That leaves Hannah’s sons Samuel, James and Benjamin as male lines to follow in search of male descendents for YDNA testing. A long shot, but possible. I have been in touch with a descendent of Daniel, perhaps someone in his family would be interested.