Genealogy Goals for 2015

Dear Grandparents,
Here we are at the beginning of 2015 so I thought I should let you know about the genealogical puzzles I hope to solve and the projects I am determined to complete next year. Focusing on the lines of each of my grandparents, I am creating a "Top Ten List" a la David Letterman. Beginning with my paternal Cone and Allen lines then moving on to my maternal Werst and Colby lines.

Elizabeth Jane Jones Gibson 1821 -1895
(Photograph from family Bible in
 possession  of third great granddaughter)

• Number 10: Identify the parents of the Lydia Hayes who is said to have been born 2 February 1771 in New London, Connecticut and married Ira Cone. She had two children who survived to adulthood: Lyman Cone born 18 April 1799 in Laurens, Otsego County, New York, and my 3rd great grandfather Naaman Cone who was born 11 September 1801 probably in the same community. Was Lydia's family Quaker? Ira became a leader of the Quakers in Otsego County.
• Number 9: Complete application for the Mayflower Society for Stephen Hopkins. Naaman Cone's wife was Joanna Warner, her mother Rhoda Hopkins is a direct descendant.
• Number 8: Find proof that Ira Cone is the son of Elijah and Elizabeth (Stuart) Cone. Family records have him born 22 May 1768 in East Haddam or Millington, Connecticut. Compare the Y-DNA results of my brother with those of proven descendants of Daniel Cone.
• Number 7: 5th great grandfather Salmon Champion has a rejected Revolutionary War Pension application. Included in the papers are a detailed recounting of the when, where and with whom he served. Prove him as a DAR Patriot. 
• Number 6: 3rd great grandfather William Freeman Allen is supposed to be the son of Elijah Marshall Allen born about 1780 in New Jersey according to a family pedigree chart created in the early 20th century. I need to find records in New Jersey pertaining to this family who settled in Hector, New York before 1830.
• Number 5: Another 5th great grandfather, Richard Hunnewell, also served in the Revolutionary War. In fact, he was involved in the Sons of Liberty and part of the Boston Tea Party. For some reason, a Richard Hunnewell of Charleston, West Virginia is supposed to have been the participant in the tea party. I am working to prove that it was our Richard, who was living in the Charleston section of Boston. Prove him as a DAR Patriot
• Number 4: My 2nd great grandfather Simpson Barnes married Angelina Burgoyne 15 November 1848 in Hillsdale, Michigan. He was born in New York 10 February 1825. Who were his parents?
• Number 3: Angelina's parents were Wesley Burgoyne and Sarah Herron. Family lore would like to connect Wesley with General Burgoyne of Revolutionary fame. Family lore failed to remember that General Burgoyne was an English peer who returned to England after his loss in America. It is unlikely that Wesley is one of his descendants.
• Number 2: Who are the parents of the William Henry Colby who married Fannie Hutchinson Hunnewell 11 May 1855 in Lake County, Illinois. These illusive 3rd great grandparents have frustrated family researchers for three generations.
• Number 1: Who are the parents of the Elizabeth Jane Jones who was born 2 May 1821 in Tennessee and married Newsom Gibson 29 December 1840 in Davidson County, TN? Recent DNA results on my maternal line have revealed that Elizabeth's mother or grandmother was Native American. There have been no stories on this side of the family about a "Cherokee Princess" in the linage. 

This is an ambitious list of goals for me and I hope that in publishing them here, it will help me keep my research focused. Of course, these are just the goals for my family tree. Then, there are also the Kelly, Propes, Black, and Haas family lines that I am researching. There are also your interesting stories to share here. As always, any serendipitous hints you provide are most welcome.

Love,

Cecily