Nearly 20 years ago, I was knee-deep in Trebons in central Iowa. Henry G. Trebon (my 2x great-grandfather) was surrounded by many other Trebons in the area. I emailed a genealogical cousin, and we theorized that these five Trebon brothers were all related. Naturally, I did some Googling.
That’s when I stumbled across a GEDcom file tucked away on a college server. It was intriguing—it listed all five men as brothers - with Martin Trebon as their father. It also mentioned something curious:
"Three daughters stayed in Wisconsin and married."
Interesting, but surely, if that were true, we would have run across these sisters in our research. There would be some mention of them—records, stories, something. But there was nothing.
My initial reaction? Probably wrong. Much of the GEDcom file was factually inaccurate… or was it?
As I began to investigate and "disprove" various inaccuracies in the file, a pattern emerged: I was wrong.
The more I researched, the more I found that the file was alarmingly accurate—remarkably so. But the big question remained: Were these five men really brothers? Let’s find out.
There are countless small towns surrounding Waterloo, Iowa, each with its own small-town newspaper. Growing up in a small town with one of these papers, I remember the "Who Cares?" section.
As a kid, I thought, Who cares about this stuff?
Now, as a genealogist, I CARE. This is GOLD. These snippets are invaluable for proving relationships.
Using these local papers, I started connecting the dots. Every time I found an article mentioning a direct relationship (uncle, cousin, brother), I drew a line between two brothers. Once I had enough articles to connect each brother to every other brother at least three times, I was satisfied. That was my proof.
But what about the three lost sisters?
Initially, I dismissed the idea. It seemed too far-fetched. However, given how accurate the GEDcom file was proving to be, I couldn’t shake the possibility. Occasionally, I’d search for them. I made a few discoveries, but nothing definitive.
Then, in 2020—when I suddenly had more time than usual—I hit on a promising lead. I found a potential sister who checked all the right boxes. There was just one issue: she was born very late.
This meant one of two things:
Given how little is known about Martin, the idea of a second wife felt plausible.
The theory of Martin’s second wife has grown on me. And with so many more DNA matches available now compared to five years ago, new possibilities are surfacing—potential lost sisters are emerging.
Not just one, but two promising leads have come up in a short span of time.
Now, DNA research isn’t my strong suit. It’s always felt a little vague to pinpoint exact relationships—and to some degree, it is. But when used correctly, DNA can narrow the field significantly.
So, here I am today, diving headfirst into a DNA quest to find the lost sisters. If Martin did indeed have a second wife, and if these women are descendants of hers, this could rewrite a significant piece of our family history.
Stay tuned—this is only the beginning.
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