52 Ancestors in 52 Weekes DNA Connection Week #8

I was lucky enough to get one of my 5 brothers to do the Y DNA test with FamilyTree before the end of the year.  We recently got the results back and even though I have very little knowledge on what any of it means I was able to determine that we had 2 possible hits.  The one was a long way back and I have not yet contacted him.  The other was between 4 & 8 generations.  We have been in in touch but have not been able to find the common link for sure but it does involve his ancestor, the warrior COSSACK's and my KOSACK ancestors. 

 Now in getting my immigrant ancestors Military papers for his time in the Union Army during the War between the states I found many spellings of his last name and COSSACK was among them. My ancestors came from Prussia according to those same papers and from the Ship List where I found they came to the USA.  According to the ship they sailed from Bremen and were passengers on the Johannes.  They arrived in Baltimore in January 1859.  One of them had previously arrived in the USA.

I told the contact that my ancestors were from Prussia and he responded his was from Kiev, Ukraine.  Now I am almost certain there is a link somewhere.  I have no idea where my ancestors were prior to Prussia and how long they were there.  My contact then responded that he was able to determine that his ancestor was in Prussia for a short period.  I don't know how long.

I had responded that 3 of the male Kosack's that came here to the USA had enlisted in the military and 2 of the three went in with higher ranks.  My great grandfather was only 16 so I'm fairly sure he did not have much experience.  He was a private.  I never met my great grandfather and my grandfather was never talk about his father so I knew very little about them.  I hope to some day find where they really came in Europe.  That is my main goal in doing my genealogy.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Challenge #6 How far??? CLAY Line

One thing I am trying to do with my genealogy is to limit how far I research a line that is not a direct connection.  I have been having trouble doing this because it is good to find information and you never can tell when you may find something on a direct ancestor doing this.  Lately I have been trying to find information on a CLAY ancestor that seemed to just disappear.  Low and behold I found the reason no one could find him - he died in the service during the Civil War.  I found this according  to a pension application filed by his mother on 1891 April 23.  It states he died June 9, 1863.  It also gives information that he has at least one alias.  All along we have been searching for Rolanders Clay born in Pennsylvania about 1841.  The alias listed on the application also show he used William Miller, but the application listed his name as Rolandus Clay.  I have also come across Orlandes Clay.  I have not gotten the pension information at this time and I hope to find more out about him but I am more interested in his mother Margaret (Slonaker) Clay.   She is my 3rd great grandmother and as being my direct ancestor I am still searching for much more information on her.

Rolanders was the eldest son of 8 children of James & Margaret (Slonaker) Clay.  The eldest in the family was Lavinia born about 1837.  No further information has been found on her.  The other siblings in the family are Alban, Clementine, Elmira (my 2nd great grandmother), Elizabeth Annie, Ella,  and Henry.