Identifying Possible Common Ancestors Utilizing Multiple Tests

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Roberta Estes

There is a significant amount of confusion about DNA matching and which ancestors and ancestral lines can match in which way.

To review, there are 4 different kinds of DNA that we can utilize for genealogy, the Y DNA for males, mitochondrial, X chromosome and autosomal DNA for both males and females. You can read an intro article about how these different types of DNA are utilized here.

Clearly, the mitochondrial DNA addresses only one line – your mother’s matrilineal line, shown in red below – and the mitochondrial DNA is never divided or mixed with that of the father. So you share the mitochondrial DNA with thousands of generations of your matrilineal ancestors. You’ve accumulated a few mutations over those generations, which serve to show us who you are most closely related to.

The Y chromosome is passed only from father to son, shown in blue above.

If you haven’t read this article I wrote about X matching, please do. Males and females have a different inheritance path for the X chromosome because males don’t inherit an X from their father’s, but females do.

Even better, if you utilize software that can interface with Progeny Software’s Charting Companion, by all means, purchase this add-on program because it shows you on your own tree which of your ancestors X chromosome you have the potential of carrying. I wrote about how to utilize this great tool here.

The X chromosome acts like autosomal DNA, the DNA we receive from all of our ancestral lines, including red and blue lines above, and all of the blank ones in-between, meaning that the X chromosome is a candidate to be recombined and divided in each generation. I say a candidate, because sometimes the X is passed in very large pieces. Not quite what or how we might expect. I wrote about that here.

But we can’t and don’t know whose X we carry, or which pieces of which ancestors’ Xs we carry – but we do know, based on how DNA is passed generation to generation, whose X DNA we MIGHT carry – and whose we cannot carry.

Because women inherit an X from both parents, and men only inherit the X from their mother, the inheritance pattern through the generations is different for males and females, so each person needs to plot out their potential X ancestors.

A female could carry some part of the X chromosome of any of the ancestors whose names would fall into the pink or blue boxes of this fan chart. You can NOT inherit any X from someone whose box is blank (no color).

These blank charts are courtesy of Blaine Bettinger. He originally published them on his blog, The Genetic Genealogist, in December 2008 and January 2009 in his articles about how to use the X chromosome for genealogy.

A male’s fan chart for the X chromosome looks a bit different because the male doesn’t inherit an X from his father. Instead, he inherits the Y chromosome which makes him a male.

So let’s see if we can approach this combination of information and DNA test types in a bit of a different way. A female can inherit the following kinds of DNA from the ancestors listed at the left in the chart below. This chart compiles information from all of the 4 different types of DNA that we can use for genealogical purposes. Generation number is in parenthesis.

Female’s Ancestor Inheritance Chart

Here’s how to read this chart.

Does a female inherit Y DNA from her mother? No

Does a female inherit mtDNA from her mother? Yes

Does a female inherit the X chromosome from her mother? Yes

Does a female inherit autosomal DNA from her mother? Yes

Ancestor	Y DNA	mtDNA	X Chr	Autosomal
Mother (1)	No – she doesn’t have one	Yes	Yes	Yes
Father (1)	No – you’re a female	No – only passed from mother	Yes	Yes
Mother’s mother (2)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mother’s father (2)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Father’s father (2)	No	No	No – your father didn’t get an X from his father	Yes
Father’s mother (2)	No	No – father’s don’t contribute mtDNA to children	Yes	Yes
Mother’s mother’s mother (3)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mother’s mother’s father (3)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Mother’ father’s mother (3)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Mother’s father’sFather (3)	No	No	No	Yes
Father’s father’s father (3)	No	No	No	Yes
Father’s father’s mother (3)	No	No	No	Yes
Father’s mother’s mother (3)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Father’s mother’s father (3)	No	No	Yes	Yes

You can personalize this chart by inserting your own ancestor’s names and complete additional generations by:

First following the Y chromosome, which women don’t have to be concerned with, but men certainly do
Second, following the mitochondrial DNA inheritance path through the matrilineal line
Third, charting your X chromosome potential ancestor into the X Chr column
Fourth, simply put yes in the column for everyone for autosomal

This same chart for a male would look somewhat different, but only in the X and Y columns.

Males’ Ancestor Inheritance Chart

Ancestor	Y DNA	mtDNA	X Chr	Autosomal
Mother (1)	No – she doesn’t have one	Yes	Yes	Yes
Father (1)	Yes, you received your father’s	No – only passed from mother	No – You received the Y instead	Yes
Mother’s mother (2)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mother’s father (2)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Father’s father (2)	Yes, your father received his Y	No	No – your father didn’t get an X from his father	Yes
Father’s mother (2)	No	No – father’s don’t contribute mtDNA to children	No – you received no X from your father	Yes
Mother’s mother’s mother (3)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mother’s mother’s father (3)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Mother’ father’s mother (3)	No	No	Yes	Yes
Mother’s father’sFather (3)	No	No	No	Yes
Father’s father’s father (3)	Yes	No	No	Yes
Father’s father’s mother (3)	No	No	No	Yes
Father’s mother’s mother (3)	No	No	No	Yes
Father’s mother’s father (3)	No	No	No	Yes

So, how could this help you with your genealogy? Let’s say that you match someone on the X chromosome, but you know that you are not a mitochondrial match. You can look on this chart and eliminate any line that includes a mtDNA match. You know your X match is not from that line. You can also eliminate any ancestral line that does not include a potential X match. The ancestors you are left with are your possible match ancestors.

Let’s use the female chart below as an example. The greyed out ancestors are those removed by virtue of no mitochondrial DNA match, so anyone with a Yes in that box. It also eliminates anyone who could not contribute an X chromosome, so with a No in that box. Any greyed out box eliminated that specific ancestor from consideration.

Please note that by eliminating your mother, it does not eliminate her entire line. It only means, in this case, that if your mitochondrial DNA doesn’t match, then you and your match don’t share a common mother. Your mother’s father is still a possibility. And you can still match on just the X but not through the dual mito line.

Female Example of X Match Ancestor Elimination

Therefore, only the ancestors left unshaded are candidates for matches.

Male Example of Ancestor Elimination

Of course, on a male’s chart, the X becomes much more restricted due to the fact that men inherit the Y chromosome and not the X from their fathers. You’ll notice that if a specific ancestor carries a matching Y chromosome, they cannot carry the matching X – they are mutually exclusive.

As you can see, by the time we’re done eliminating possibilities, there are only three possible ancestral lines to pursue for the X match who doesn’t match on the Y or the mitochondrial DNA.

Conversely, if you have someone who matches on the X AND on a mitochondrial line, that is a huge hint and that line would be the first one I would pursue.

You can expand this chart to any number of generations. I stopped at 3 for illustration purposes.

While this methodology doesn’t exactly tell you who your common X matching ancestor is, it certainly narrows the playing field substantially. Finding an X chromosome match can be a real bonus, especially when combined with other types of DNA testing.

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Lazarus Dodson (1760-1826), Revolutionary War Veteran, 52 Ancestors #27

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Roberta Estes

When I first started researching Lazarus Dodson, Sr., he seemed impossibly vague. He moved from place to place throughout his life, across states and on the frontier of early America in areas not yet states, and never left a forwarding, or return, address. We don’t know who his wife was, and his life was only reassembled from pieces and tidbits. We still have more questions than answers, but some of the hints we’ve picked up along the way are incredibly tantalizing.

Was his wife Native? Why was he encamped with the Indians? Was his son really an Indian Trader? Was another son murdered? Follow along as we piece the clues of Lazarus life together into something resembling a partially completed puzzle.

Lazarus Dodson, son of Raleigh Dodson and his wife, Mary, surname unknown, was probably born about 1760, perhaps slightly earlier, probably in North Farnham Parish in Richmond County, Virginia. However, there is some evidence that his father, Raleigh was living in Prince William County between 1759-1761, based on a court case, Raleigh Dodson vs John Webb in trespass found in the Prince William order book 1759-61, p 241, so Raleigh could have been born in Prince William County, Virginia.

Notes from the Broad Run Baptist Church in Faquier County, Va., after October 1763 but before May 1764 state that Lazarus Dodson was dismissed to Halifax, but this can’t be our Lazarus, given his age, so it must be the Reverend Lazarus Dodson. Yes, of course, there had to be multiple men with the name Lazarus Dodson. That’s just how these southern families work!

Raleigh, Lazarus’s father, is not mentioned beyond his birth which is recorded in North Farnham Parish register on February 16, 1730.

The Farnham Parish church as it stands today is believed to have been built about 1737. It has been restored, although it was used as a stable during the Civil War. It is located in Farnham, Virginia, in Richmond County at the intersection of North Farnham Church Road (County Route 692) and Cedar Grove Road (County Route 602) on North Farnham Church Road. Given that the parish register included dates preceding 1737, this was obviously not the first church at this location, or the church met in private homes before the building was constructed.

We do find a Raleigh Dodson in Halifax County, VA, by 1766 when a Raughley Dodson and Lazarus Dodson witnessed a deed of Joseph Terry to Thomas Dodson, Halifax Deed book 6-363. If this is our Lazarus, the son of Raleigh, he would have to have been born significantly before 1750 to be of age to sign a legal document. Therefore, this is not our Lazarus and it’s probably not our Raleigh either. There are two Raleigh/Lazarus pairs in Halifax County about this time, so it’s difficult to tell them apart.

On Feb. 19, 1768, John Roberson and wife Margaret of Orange Co. NC sold to Rolley Dodson of said county for 16# Virginia money 50 acres on the east side of the Country Line Creek. Witnesses Hugh Kelly, Henry Hicks and Henry Willis. Caswell Co., NC, was created from Orange in 1777 and Raleigh’s land fell into Caswell. The Caswell tax list for that year shows him assessed for property in the Richmond District. He and his wife Mary sold 50 acres of land on the south side of Country Line Creek (shown on the 1833 map below, just below the Dan River) on July 5, 1778 to Clement Gann (being purchased of John Robinson) and evidently moved to Hawkins County, TN about this time. By this time, Lazarus would have been about 18 and would surely have welcomed the adventure of moving to the frontier of what would, in 1796, become Tennessee. Lazarus would have been too young to have been married in 1778.

We know Raleigh and Lazarus are still in the Virginia/NC area in May of 1777 when they signed the following oath of Allegiance in Pittsylvania County, which borders Halifax Co., Va. and Caswell Co., NC:

“I do swear or affirm that I renounce and refuse all allegiance to George the Third, King of Great Britain, his heirs and successors and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the commonwealth of Virginia as a free and independent state and that I will not at any time do or cause to be done any matter or thing that will be prejudicial or injurious to the freedom and independence thereof as declared by congress and also that I will discover and make known to some one justice of the peace for the said state all treasons or traitorous conspiracies which I now or hereafter shall know to be formed against this or any of the United States of America.”

After Raleigh had left Caswell County, NC, the name of Rawley Dodson shows up there once again in the records in matters pertaining to the estate of John Moore, Jr (1786-1791). A list of accounts included the name of Rawley Dodson in Caswell Co., Will Book C in June court 1792.

The marriage records of both Halifax County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina, respectively, are intact and neither holds a record for Lazarus Dodson’s marriage to Jane whose surname is unknown. Lazarus likely married her after his move to the frontier of then North Carolina, now Tennessee.

Arrival in East Tennessee

The next place we find Lazarus is in what would become Eastern Tennessee in the current County of Hawkins. This 1783 entry gives us a glimpse at what Lazarus was doing in the winter of 1781/1782, based on this land grant:

Page 105, grant 1262 – Dec. 4 1783 – James Lea enters 317 acres on the North side Holston below the mouth of Richland Creek at a “certain place where Francis Maberry, Major John Reid, and Lazarus Dodson camped with the Indians as they was going down to the Nation last winter and opposite the camp on the other side of the river.”

This record, along with his later involvement with Indian lands in Alabama, his son Jesse being found living on the Indian lands in 1797, near or on the lands later to be settled by Lazarus himself, and Jesse later becoming an Indian trader, has always caused me to wonder if Lazarus Dodson married a Native woman.

Interestingly enough, the Lea family is also found on Country Creek in Caswell Co. NC. The Dodson family is involved with the Lea family for generations.

The land entry that indicates that Lazarus was with Major John Reid may give us clues as to what Lazarus did during the Revolutionary War.

John Reid, a Major in the Revolutionary War, resided on the Holstein in Washington Co. VA and was appointed ensign in Illinois Regiment commanded by Lt. Col. John Montgomery. He immediately raised his quota of men, joined the regiment at Long Island on Holstein and served there, from January 9, 1779 to January 1781 during which time he acted as Adjutant from April 9 to June 1779 and as Quartermaster from June 1 to December 25, 1779. Reid also carried expresses from Cols. Evan Shelby, Arthur Campbell and David Smith. He was under Col. Campbell in the battle of Kings Mountain in October of 1780, and served as Quartermaster with Col William Campbell in the battle of Guilford Courthouse in March of 1781.

If Lazarus Dodson was with Major Reid in late 1781 or early 1782, this suggests he may have also been with him in the battles of Kings Mountain and Guilford Courthouse. Lazarus may well have been among the men raised at Long Island of the Holston.

The Revolutionary War

Both Lazarus and his father, Raleigh Dodson served in the Revolutionary War.

Their Revolutionary War service is documented in “North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts, Index to Soldiers residing in Washington and Sullivan County, 1781-1783

Both Raleigh and Lazarus Dodson are listed.

After finding this tantalizing nugget, I contacted the NC Archives and eventually, visited, in order to obtain the original records.

According to pay records found in the NC Archives, in Raleigh, NC, Lazarus Dodson served in the Revolutionary War in August of 1783. That is likely the date of his discharge, so he may have served earlier in the year.

In 1783, an Act authorizing the opening of a land office for the redemption of specie and other certificates was passed, and all soldiers holding specie or certificates were enabled to redeem them by taking land in exchange, at a rate fixed by the state of North Carolina.

When I first saw this list of Specie certificates, I also noticed George Eastis, two names above Lazarus Dodson. George lived in East Tennessee for a time, but ultimately went back to Halifax County, Virginia. However, his son, John R. Estes settled in Claiborne County, TN and his son, John Y. Estes married Rutha Dodson, daughter of Lazarus Dodson (Jr.) and his wife, Elizabeth Campbell. Nothing like a little synchronicity in genealogy.

Believe it or not, there were two holes punched in this document, reflecting how it has been stored.

Raleigh and Lazarus Dodson both served in the Revolution and are both found in the Morgan district which includes the land that would become East Tennessee.

A second Rolley Dotson is found in the Hillsboro district (auditors Mebane and Nichols), which is the area of NC below Halifax/Pittsylvania in VA. We know that our Raleigh was in East Tennessee prior to this time.

The auditors and their corresponding districts found in the archives helped define which Raleigh was which.

On April 16, 1784, Lazarus Dotson transferred land to David Rose – 5000 acres on a big creek that runs into Elk River on the south side of said river where a Buffaloe Road crosses the said creek running down said creek for compliment. Warrant issued Feb 19 1787, #1691. This may have been the land he claimed in payment for his Revolutionary War service.

Hawkins County, TN

In 1786, Lazarus signed the petition seeking the formation of Hawkins Co. from Sullivan along with his father, Raleigh, and brother, Toliver.

On Feb. 19, 1787, a warrant was issued to Lazarus Dodson for 5000 acres of land on the south side of Elk River which he had entered on April 16, 1784. This warrant he had previously transferred to David Ross (Elk River runs primarily through the counties of Warren, Franklin and the SE corner of Giles in Tennessee).

By 1787, if not before, the family had selected the location across the Holston River from Rogersville that would eternally carry the Dodson name in the form of Dodson Creek (above) and later, the Dodson Creek Cemetery and Church (below).

The following photo shows the landscape from across the Holston river. The TVA plant today is located on the east bank of Dodson Creek where it empties into the Holston River. Raleigh and Lazarus owned the land on both sides of the creek into the rolling hills.

In 1787, the entry book for John and Landon Carter, entry takers for Washington Co., NC, now Tennessee, shows a warrant, 1783, dated May 21, 1779, directing the surveyor of Sullivan Co. to lay off for William Payne 150 acres on the Holston River adjoining a tract of land known as the “burnt cabin”. This land was surveyed on April 28 1787 for Rawleigh Dodson by Rawl Dodson, deputy surveyor.

The State of NC issued grants to Raleigh Dodson for two tracts of 150 acres, both apparently entered before Hawkins Co. was created from Sullivan in 1786, #1481 for 150 acres on the left fork of Dodson’s creek and #31489 for 150 acres on the south side of Holston River. Dodson’s Creek, no doubt was named by or for Raleigh Dodson, is a branch of Holston River on the South side of the river and nearly opposite the town of Rogersville. On this site was Dodson’s Ford where the Great War Path and Trading Path crossed the Holston river at the mouth of Dodson’s Creek. The spot is marked by a Tennessee Historical marker.

The land around Dodson’s Ford is some of the most beautiful in E. Tennessee. The photo below shows the area where Dodson’s Ford was located, across this field and behind the trees. The Great Warrior Path also crossed here and a campsite was located near the river.

In October, 1780, the forces under Col. Arthur Campbell gathered here before going downriver to the attack on the Overhill Cherokee towns of Chota, Talequah, Tallassee, and others.

In 1788 Rolly Dotson enters 300 acres on the South side of Holston River and on both sides of Dotson’s Creek, beginning on Dodson’s line on a branch at a white oak marked D, runs along said Dodson’s line and up the branch, paying 7 pounds, 10 pence.[1] The warrant was issued and a duplicate warrant was issued as well on Sept 28, 1792. In 1788, this warrant was assigned on August 12th from Raleigh to Lazarus Dodson.[2]

In 1789, Lazarus Dotson applied for his own 300 acres in Sullivan County on the South side of the “Holstein River”, grant #1491.

The photo below is peeking at the river near where Dodson’s Ford was located on the land that Raleigh and Lazarus owned.

In 1793 a survey for 300 acres was made for Lazarus Dodson assignee of Raleigh Dodson, Raleigh Dodson, Raleigh Dodson Sr. and Alexander Deberty chain carriers.[3]

The Amis Store in Hawkins County kept a ledger book. Raleigh had a great number of transactions, but we just find this short entry for Lazarus in 1794.

Mr. Lazarus Dodson

1794, March 14 – to balance brought forward from LBF 91 (LB credit leaf missing)

1794, July 30 – by grindstones to balle (same amount as above)

Horse Breeder Too

Based on an article from the book, Making the American Thoroughbred: Especially in Tennessee, 1800-1845 by James Douglas Anderson published in 1916, it appears that Lazarus was involved in a horse-breeding operation with his brother-in-law, James Manasco. One or the other of them, or maybe both, lived in Greene County at this time.

Chapter IV

HARDY TENNESSEE PIONEERS

The pedigrees of practically all thoroughbreds produced in Tennessee and Kentucky, and the pedigrees of a majority of all the thoroughbreds produced in the United States, between 1 883 and 1 896, trace to some of the horses named in this chapter and the next, as standing in Tennessee prior to 1845.

As early as 1790, according to Killebrew’s “Resources of Tennessee,” the following named thoroughbred stallions were brought to Sullivan County, which joins Virginia: Stately, Milton, Genus (doubtless Genius), Flag of Truce, Don Quixote, Diomed and Peter Quicksilver. The leading men in this movement were Col. John Scott, Col. William Blevins and members of the Snapp, Tipton, Greene and Rutledge families. Killebrew gives no pedigrees, hence I am unable to identify any of the horses. The records show, however, that horses of these names were of this period. The only imported horse named Diomed was the sire of Sir Archy, and he was not imported until 1 799.

Though I can find no authority other than Killebrew for the statement above made, there is still indisputable evidence that the thoroughbred beat the Constitution to Tennessee; or, to state it another way — “the Constitution followed the flag” of the thoroughbred to Tennessee.

Between 1790 and 1795 the following named stallions (pedigrees given here as in advertisements) were advertised in The Knoxville Register and State Gazette to stand in East Tennessee. The words in parentheses are mine.

Young St. George, by imp St. George, dam ” by the old Arabian who was imported and come out of the famous Rosetta.” Season 1792 at James Manasco’s and Lazarus Dodson’s, Greene County; $2 and a bushel of corn. (The imp St. George referred to was most likely the one foaled 1771, by Dragon, out of a mare by Blank.)

White Horn Branch of Bent Creek

Charles Campbell and his sons John and George also lived on Dodson’s Creek. John and George Campbell would marry Jenny and Elizabeth Dobkins, daughters of Jacob Dobkins, also a Revolutionary War Veteran. This entire family group, minus Raleigh Dodson and Charles Campbell who remained on their land in Hawkins County, would move to Claiborne County about 1800.

Lazarus maintained his residence on Dodson’s and Honeycutt’s Creeks, Hawkins Co., until he moved about 1797 to the Whitehorn Fork of Bent Creek, then in Hawkins Co., but now in Hamblen Co.

Charles Campbell and Lazarus’s brother, Oliver, Dodson witnessed this deed.

Jacob Dobkins lived there, and it is only about 9 or 10 miles on the main road that crossed the Holston River at Dodson’s Ford to Bull’s Gap where Whitehorn is located. Lazarus Dodson’s son, Lazarus, who was born about 1795 would eventually marry Elizabeth Campbell, daughter of John Campbell, about 1819 after the entire group had moved to and settled in Claiborne County.

On March 29, 1800, Lazarus Dodson of Claiborne County sold to Johnathan Ling for $900 the 575 acre tract of land on White Horse Fork (also White Run Fork). This deed is repeated in 1804, for some reason, but includes the words “being the same place whereon said Dodson formerly lived.”

An 1805 deed from Johnathan Long to Mathias Mires references this 111.5 acres as being part of 2 surveys that said Long bought of Lazarus Dodson and the same place that Mires is now living adj Walker and Manasco. Lazarus’s brother-in-law was James Manasco, which probably explains why he moved to White Horn Branch of Lick Creek.

Claiborne County, Tennessee

By the spring of 1800 Lazarus (Sr.) was in Claiborne Co. where he settled on Gap Creek near Cumberland Gap. His land lay on the west side of the Kentucky Road that ran from Tazewell to Cumberland Gap and near the “Back Valley Road” (Highway 63) which goes from near Cumberland Gap to Jacksboro in Campbell Co., Tn.[5] Today this land is located on Tipprell Road between the town of Cumberland Gap and the town of Arthur.

A January 28, 1802 document filed in Hawkins County shows that Lazarus has obtained land or had some interest in the land where he lived. Richard Mitchell and Rodham Kinner of Hawkins County are bound to Lazarus Dodson for $2700 payment to be made to said Lazarus in 12 months. Condition is that tract in Powel’s Valley adjoining land of Elisha Wallice [Wallen] below Cumberland Gap being 640 acres. If money not paid, obligation to remain in effect. Witnesses A Nelson, John Gore.

Lazarus was a member of Gap Creek Baptist Church in Claiborne Co. and is referenced in the minutes on June 5th, Saturday, 1805. Another church in the association had asked for their help with determining what to do about “a breach of fellowship with James Kenney and it given into the hands of members from other churches, to wit Absolom Hurst, Lazarus Dodson and Matthew Sims and they report on Sunday morning a matter too hard for them to define on for they had pulled every end of the string and it led them into the mire and so leave us just where they found us.”

This 1809 and 1810 Hawkins County entries confirm that indeed, the Claiborne County Lazarus Dodson is one and the same as the Lazarus Dodson in both Hawkins County and on the White Horse Fork of Bent Creek.

1809, Dec 26 – Mathias Miers of Jefferson Co. Tn to Edward Walker for $350 tract in Hawkins on Bent Creek, part 2 surveys bought of Lazarus Dodson and the same place where on said Walker now lives and adj line of other survey of Dodson’s and Manazius? (probably James Menasco, his brother-in-law). Wit William Berry, Samuel King, Registered March 16, 1814

1810, Jan 17 – Lazarus Dodson of Claiborne to William Right of Hawkins for $400, 100 acres on the s side Holston River on Honeycutt’s creek, Mooney’s line. Wit George Mooney, Edmond (Edward) Mooney, Proved Feb 1810 by both Mooney’s

Honeycutt’s Creek is beside Dodson Creek. This does cause me to wonder why Lazarus owned an interest in land in Hawkins County. This begs the question of whether Lazarus Sr.’s wife is a Honeycutt.

By 1810, Lazarus had sold all of his land in Hawkins County and subsequently purchased land in Claiborne County from Abner Lea. The deed thus describes Lazarus’ place of residence, “560 acres in Claiborne where said Dotson now lives, on the Indian Country line, Joseph William’s corner, Gap Creek, a stake near Cumberland Mountain, the top of Poor Valley Ridge adjoining where John Jones formerly lived, Aaron Davis’ line.” The “Indian Country line” ran from the Cumberland River in Kentucky to the Clinch River in Claiborne Co., Tn. on the west side of the Kentucky Road. It was created by treaty and it encompasses the territory referred to in the list of inhabitants for which the sheriff of Grainger Co was exempted from collecting taxes in 1797. Jesse Dodson, possibly Lazarus’s son, was noted as living in the Indian area in 1797. That fact that he was living on the Indian side may be very significant.

You can see, on map titled “A Map of Tennessee, Formerly Part of NC” from Mathew Carey’s American Atlas in 1795 that the Indian Boundary is shown colored pink just to the left of the Kentucky Road where it passes through the Cumberland Gap.

The court minutes of Claiborne reveal that Lazarus was appointed at the September term 1803 to serve as a juror for the December session. He failed to appear.

At the March session 1804, Lazarus was appointed overseer of the Kentucky Road (now 25E) from Powell River in place of John Wallen with the following hands to work: “all of Capt. McKinney’s Company from the Kentucky road down to a line dividing between William Jones and Timothy Jennings and so across the valley leaving the house of Archibald McKinney in the said list of hands.” At the same session, Lazarus was one of those appointed to the jury to view and mark a road the nearest and best way from the intersection of Jurden’s path with the Kentucky road on a direction to Cumberland Gap as far as the state line.

At the September term 1805 Moses Davis replaced Lazarus Dodson as overseer. Lazarus continued serving as juror off and on through 1816. At about this time, Lazarus Jr. becomes of age and it is not possible to distinguish between him and his father. At no time in the records is either referred to as Sr. or Jr., so Lazarus Jr. may already have made his way to the Indian lands in Alabama as soon as he was old enough.

There is a gap in the surviving Claiborne records between Nov. 1808 and May 1812, and another between Aug. 1817 and Nov. 1819. No reference is made in the surviving minutes to an estate settlement for Lazarus Dodson Sr. The early Claiborne estate records are also missing. Therefore we are unable to determine if Lazarus died in Claiborne Co. It is a possibility that he went early into the Cherokee lands of Northern Alabama where some of his children went, and died there or in one of the Tennessee border counties or in McMinn County where his estate was divided among his heirs.

It’s unclear, but likely that these 1819 transactions involved Lazarus Sr., not Lazarus Jr., given when Lazarus Jr’s children were born in Alabama. The first item in 1819 is the sale of Lazarus land to William Hogan, the second the sale of the same land from Hogan to Lazarus Dodson and Abner Lee just a couple months later.

April 1819 – Indenture in 1819 between Joseph Williams of Surry Co., NC and Thomas Williams by his attorney in fact and William Hogan of Claiborne for $600, tract of land in Claiborne in Powells Valley commonly known by the name of Butcher Springs tract below Cumberland Gap. Beginning on the Indian boundary line on three post oaks thence north 20 degrees, east 320 poles to 5 post oaks then south 68 degrees east 320 poles to a stake thence south 22 degrees west 320 poles to a stake thence north 68 degrees west 320 poles crossing Gap creek to the beginning containing by estimation 640 acres the same land granted by the state of NC to said Joseph Williams by pat no 485 referenced thereto being had will more fully appear with all and singular rights….Joseph Williams by his atty Thomas L. Williams wit Charles F. Keith, Anderson Barton, April term 1819 ack by Thomas L. Williams in open court, Registered October 16 (or 18) 1819.

On May 4, 1819, Lazarus sells his land to William Hogan – William Hogan of Lee Co., Va. bound into Lazarous Dotson and Abner Lea both of Claiborne in the penal sum of $5000, the condition being that “I this day purchased of Lazarous Dotson and Abner Lea a certain tract of land containing 640 acres.” Wit Martin Beaty, William Jones, David Dodson.[7] This may well have been in preparation for going to Alabama. Some of the children of Lazarus Jr. were born in Alabama. Lazarus Dobkins Dodson’s Civil War records indicate his birth location is in Alabama about this timeframe.

Oliver Dodson, brother to Lazarus Dodson (son of Raleigh), settled in Anderson County, Tn. He was alive in 1803 and 1806, but deceased by Oct 16, 1819 when his brother Lazarus conveys land to his 5 children.

Oct. 16, 1819 – Lazarous Dodson of Claiborne Co. to William Dodson, Moses Stout, Willie Mullins, Henry Guttry, and Prudence Dodson, all of Anderson Co., for $1, 100 acres in Anderson Co on Cane creek by entry made by Lazarous Dodson, certificate #31 on Jan. 22, 1812, including the improvements where Oliver Dodson formerly lived. Wit Elijah Jones, Jesse Dodson, John Cooper, John Lewalen. Proved Jan. session 1820.

In 1822, William Dotson, Lazarus’s nephew, son of his brother Toliver , of Dicature (sic) County, Alabama conveyed his one-fifth share of Oliver’s land to Michael Spesard. William was in Jackson County by August 1820 when he commissioned Justice of the Peace in Jackson County.

William died in Jackson County, Alabama in 1872 and is buried in the Dodson Cemetery at Lim Rock, Alabama.

In 1826, Lazarus Jr., because Lazarus Sr. is now dead, buys back the same land, but for less money it appears. Abner Lea, William Hogan, Lazarus Dodson and John Pace may all be related.

1826, Sept 20 – William Hogan to Lazrous Dodson and John Pace, all of Claiborne for $3500, 640 acres in Claiborne adjoining Peter Huffaker’s field, a compromise line between Hogan, Aaron David and William Jones, excepting 4 acres heretofore conveyed to said Huffaker and 2 acres donated by Hogan to the Baptist Church, including the meeting house and also a donation to the trustees of the Washington School, including the schoolhouse. Wit William McCubbin, Thomas Taylor, Proved April term 1829, Claiborne “the within deed between William Hogan of McMinn Co., Tn to John Pace and Lazerous Dodson for 640 acres by William McCubbin and Thomas Taylor.” Book I-285.

Given these records, we know that Lazarus was living in Claiborne County in 1819 but that in 1812 he had patented land in Anderson County.

Lazarus died sometime between 1819 and 1826.

In 1826 in McMinn County, we fine the following entry: “Abner Lea and Others Obligation to William Dodson: State of Tennessee McMinn County. Know all men by these presents that the Abner Lea and Oliver Dodson and Eligha (sic) Dodson and William Dodson and Jessee Dodson and Lazrus Dodson and held and firmly bound in the penal sum of two thousand dollars which payment will and freely to be maid now(?) and each of us do bind our selves our heirs executor and administrators to the abounded signed sealed and delivered this day and date above written. This is our obligation is as such that has the above abound to appoint Abner Lea and Oliver Dodson to be the gardeans [guardians] of the estate of Lazarous Dodson dc’d also we authorize the said Abner Lea and Oliver Dodson to make to William Dodson a deed of Conveyeance to the part of land granted to the said William Dodson North East Quarter of Section 11 Township 5 Range first east of the meridian. Also that we confirm the sale made on the 13 day of May 1826 we also agree to give unto the heirs of David Dodson a certain piece or parcel of land designated to David Dodson by Lazarus Dodson dec’d be it further understood that this is to be there part and all that they are entitiled to by us, where unto we have set our hand and quill this 11 day of September 1826. Abner Lea, Oliver Dodson, Eligha Dodson, Lazarous Dodson, Jesse Dodson

Witnesses: Landford and Rhodes William Dodson

The land above is roughly the Cochran Cemetery area near Englewood in McMinn Co. David Dodson who died on August 15, 1826 is buried in this Cemetery. It appears that David and Lazarus Dodson may have died in very close proximity to each other relative to their death dates. Poor Jane apparently lost a husband and a son within a very short time.

Abner Lea is certainly an interesting player in this scenario. He is reported (although unverified) to have been married to a Mary Dodson. Based on the heirs listed above, it strongly suggests that Mary was the daughter of Lazarus Sr. His birth date is reported to be about 1770, so too young to be a brother-in-law to Lazarus and about the right age to have married his eldest daughter. In 1810, Lazarus purchases land from Abner in Claiborne County. If this is the Abner born in 1770, he was about 40 at this time.

In 1830, Jane Dodson, probably Lazarus widow, born 1760-1770 is living in McMinn County adjacent her son William Dodson and Fannie Dodson, David Dodson’s widow.

It was unclear what had become of the land Lazarus owned on Tipprell Road, but this deed signed in 1861 solves that mystery by referencing a sale in 1833 by Lazarus Dodson [Jr.].

1861, May 6 – Lazrous (sic) Dodson formerly of Claiborne Co, Tn. but now of Pulasky Co., Ky., to David C. Cotterell for $100 “to me the said Lazarous Dodson paid in the year 1833 having then sold to David Cotterell a tract of land on Gap Creek known as the Robert Chumbley land who had entered said land and sold and assigned said entry over to me and when the grant issued it came out in said Chumley’s name and afterwards was assigned by my request to said Cotterell”…beginning at a white oak two poles below Walker’s line, crossing Gap Creek, etc…his mark Lazarus Dodson. Witnesses: Lewis Chumbley, Andrew Chumbley.[8]

This rather odd suit brought in Hawkins County Tn. shows that by 1835 Lazarus Jr. was no longer in Tennessee.

May 7, 1835 – John A. McKinney vs David C. Cotterall, John Pace and Lazarus Dodson – the def John Pace and Lazarus Dodson are not residents of this state…ordered that they make appearance at Rogersville on the first Monday of Nov. next term or complainants bill will be taken pro confesso and a copy of order to be published in the Abington newspaper and on motion of said complainant leave is given him to take depositions of the def, Dodson subject however to all just exceptions.

Nov. 3, 1835 – they failed to appear.

Sept. 18, 1837 – ordered by court that the clerk and master ascertain the amount of interest due on $87.50 being half the amount of the obligation executed by the def John Pace and Lazarus Dodson to the complainant.

Sept. 1837 – cause came for final hearing by responses made that Cottrell by an agreement made with the complainant pending this suit has assumed to pay the sum of $100 which at that time was half of the obligation and he was bound to do with as the agreement with Pace and further that Dodson is liable to pay the complainant the remaining half of said obligation with interest in the amount of $118.56 with interest from this date until paid.

Above, Lazarus Dodson’s land in Claiborne County, TN, looking towards Poor Valley Ridge.

Heading North on Tipprell road. Lazarus’s land is on either side of the road here with Butcher Springs to the right, out of sight.

Gap Creek runs just over the railroad track and alongside it. This would be the perfect place for a homestead. It’s actually flat and farmable here between the ridge and the valley center.

The Cottrell Cemetery was established by David Cottrell, the man who bought the land from Lazarus in 1826. The earliest marked burial is Moses Cottrell who died in 1857, but there appear to be many older unmarked graves and graves marked with fieldstones. If Lazarus Sr. died in Claiborne County, he would be buried here, under the oldest trees. This photo is taken from inside the cemetery, looking back over Lazarus’s land towards Tipprell Road.

Lincoln Memorial University owns most of the adjacent land today. The photo below overlooks Lazarus’s land towards the Southeast and you can see the “old Kentucky Road” in the photo in the upper left hand corner, which is 25E today. At one time, Lazarus headed the crew that maintained the old Kentucky Road.

A Civil War map shows us exactly where the homestead of David Cottrell was located, which of course had previously been the homestead of Lazarus Dodson. The lane above his house is the road that at one time went to the Cemetery and on to the Kentucky Road. Today, that lane no longer goes through to the cemetery, which is accessed through LMU. Tipprell Road was then called Gap Creek Road and the Kentucky Road was labeled Tazewell Road on this map. Patterson’s Smith shop looks to be the intersection of 25E and Back Valley Road today.

The soldiers camped at Butcher Springs which is labeled “Camp Cottrell” on the map.

Children of Lazarus Dodson Sr.

Based on this following 1842 McMinn County court record entry referencing an earlier 1826 entry, we know the names of some of Lazarus’s children, at least those who were living and those who had died and left heirs.

Oct. 5, 1846 – Abner Lea and Oliver Dodson to the heirs of David Dodson decd in compliance with agreement made Sept 1826 – this is from the wills and estate book.

Sept. 11, 1826 – Abner Lea, Oliver, Elijah, William, Jesse and Lazarus Dodson to William Dotson, obligation they appointed Abner Lea and Oliver Dodson the 2 guardians of the estate of Lazarus Dodson decd to make deed to William Dodson, also agree to give land to heirs of David Dodson decd that was assigned to him by Lazarus Dodson decd; Oct. 3, 1842 – the ? of the witnesses Garrett E. Lankford and David Rhodes? is identified as they reside outside the state of Tn.

The children of Lazarus Dodson and Elizabeth, his wife, surname unknown, are:

Lazarus Dodson Jr., born about 1795 in Hawkins Co., Tn. and died in Pulaksi Co., Ky. on October 5, 1861 where he was residing at the time of the 1860 census. He married first Elizabeth Campbell who died probably during the late 1830s, daughter of John and Jane Dobkins Campbell and married second to Rebecca Freeman in 1839.[9]

There is every indication that Lazarus Jr. went to Jackson Co., Alabama soon after his marriage to Elizabeth Campbell, but still held land in Claiborne Co. In May 1819 Lazarus Dotson and Abner Lea both of Claiborne Co. sold to William Hogan of Lee Co., Va. by $5000 bond a tract of 640 acres. This appears to be Lazarus Sr. preparing to leave the area, along with most of his children. This deed was witnessed by Martin Beatty, William Jones and David Dodson. The witness David Dodson may be the one who moved to McMinn Co. and is likely son David of Lazarus Dodson Sr.

Lazarus Jr. is out of Claiborne Co., during the years 1819 until September 1826.

In Sept. 1829, William Hogan living in McMinn Co., Tn. sold to Lazarus Dodson and John Pace of Claiborne Co., for $3500 a tract of 640 acres adjoining Peter Huffakers field, a compromise line between Hogan, Aaron Davis and William Jones, excepting four acres heretofore conveyed to the said Huffaker and two acres donated by Hogan to the Baptist Church, including the meeting house and also a donation to the Trustees of the Washington School, including the schoolhouse. This has to be Lazarus Jr. since Lazarus Sr. is dead and appears, based on earlier and later deeds, to be the original land that Lazarus Sr. owned.

In 1827 Lazarus appears in the court minutes for the June session as the security for Andrew Chumbly in the case the State vs Andrew Chumbly. Thereafter Lazarus appears in the court minutes, serving as juror in Sept 1827, sued for debt by Moses Ball in March 1828 (Ball awarded damages in Sept. 1828), ordered to a road jury in Dec 1829, serving as juror in March 1830, as constable in March 1831, after which his name disappears from court records until March 16, 1835 when John Hunt, sheriff and collector of public taxes lists Lazarus Dodson on his list of “persons being removed out of my county or insolvent so their poll tax cannot be collected for the year 1833 or 1834”.

It was unclear what had become of the land Lazarus owned on Tipprell Road, but this deed signed in 1861 referencing a sale in 1833 by Lazarus Dodson (Jr.) solved the mystery.

1861, May 6 – Lazrous Dodson formerly of Claiborne Co, Tn. but now of Pulasky Co., Ky. to David C. Cotterell for $100 “to me the said Lazarous Dodson paid in the year 1833 having then sold to David Cotterell a tract of land on Gap Creek known as the Robert Chumbley land who had entered said land and sold and assigned said entry over to me and when the grant issued it came out in said Chumley’s name and afterwards was assigned by my request to said Cotterell”…beginning at a white oak two poles below Walker’s line, crossing Gap Creek, etc…his mark Lazarus Dodson Wit Lewis Chumbley, Andrew Chumbley.[10]

In 1835, we find the Hawkins County record that states he is not a resident of the State of Tennessee.

May 7, 1835 – John A. McKinney vs David C. Cotterall, John Pace and Lazarus Dodson – the def John Pace and Lazarus Dodson are not residents of this state…ord that they make appearance at Rogersville on the first Monday of Nov next term or complaintants bill will be taken pro confesso and a copy of order to be published in the Abington newspaper and on motion of said complainant leave is given him to take depositions of the def, Dodson subject however to all just exceptions.

Nov. 3, 1835 – they failed to appear.

Sept. 18, 1837 – ord by court that the clerk and master ascertain the amount if interest due on $87.50 being half the amount of the obligation executed by the def John Pace and Lazarus Dodson to the complainant.

Sept. 1837 – cause came for final hearing by responses made that Cottrell by an agreement made with the compl pending this suit has assumed to pay the sum of $100 which at that time was half of the obligation and he was bound to do with as the foot of the agreement with Pace and further that Dodson is liable to pay the complainant the remaining half of said obligation with interest in the amount of $118.56 with interest from this date until paid.

However the name of Lazarus Dodson is on a list of free male inhabitants, 21 and upwards, of Claiborne in 1833. The foregoing records suggest that Lazarus was living in Claiborne Co., in 1830, though he is not found there on census records for that year. It is possible he lived in the household of another family, perhaps his in-laws. These records also suggest that he left the county again for a few years, returning to marry his second wife, Rebecca Freeman, in 1839.

In 1841 Wiley Huffaker was appointed by the court of Claiborne Co. as guardian of the minor heirs of Lazarus Dodson and of Elizabeth Dodson, decd. This was relative to the settlement of the estate of Elizabeth’s father, John Campbell, who died in 1838. The children received land, slaves and cash from their grandfather’s estate which was first rented and then sold for their benefit. The guardianship records continue until Dec. 1845 when the final settlement was made with Lasrus Dotson, the youngest heir, who would be Lazarus the third.

Lazarus and Rebecca Freeman Dodson have not been located on the 1850 census. They are not on the census of Pulaski Co., KY that year. The children of Lazarus and Elizabeth Campbell Dodson appear to have been raised after Elizabeth’s death by their Campbell grandparents. Lazarus, their father, left the area but these children were raised in Claiborne County, married there and established homes. The children’s names were taken from the records relative to the estate of John Campbell, their grandfather, as a guardian was appointed for them relative to their inheritance. The children of Lazarus Dodson Jr. and Elizabeth Campbell were Ruthy, born 1820 in Alabama, married John Y. Estes in 1841 in Claiborne County, died in 1903 and buried in the Venable Cemetery in Little Sycamore. John Campbell Dodson, born 1820-1821 in Alabama, married Barthenia Dobkins in 1839 in Claiborne County, died after 1860. Nancy Ann Dodson born about 1821, married James S. Bray in 1840 in Claiborne Conty, died between 1852 and 1860. Lazarus Dobkins Dodson born between 1822-1828 in Alabama, married Elizabeth H. Carpenter in 1845 in Claiborne County, died in 1885 in New Madrid County, Missouri. Mary Dodson born in 1831 in Tennessee, died after 1860.

Oliver Dodson – born August 31, 1794 in Hawkins Co., Tn. and died Dec. 8, 1875 in McMinn Co., Tn. married Elizabeth, surname unknown, born March 16, 1795 in Va. and died Aug. 7, 1883 in McMinn Co., Tn. Both are buried in the Mt. Cumberland Cemetery, McMinn Co.

The first record of this Oliver is in the Claiborne court minutes in August 1815 when he proved he killed a wolf in Claiborne Co. On Jan. 16, 1820 he was relieved as road overseer of the Kentucky road from where Powell’s Valley Road intersects the same at Wallen’s field to the state line at Cumberland Gap.

At the August term 1820 he exhibited the scalp of a wolf he had killed in Claiborne in 1819.

In June 1824 he sued William Hogan for a debt and was awarded damages and costs.

Sometime before or after these events, he spent some time in Jackson Co., Al. where one of his sons Marcellus M. Dodson claimed to be born in 1819. By 1830 Oliver was settled in McMinn Co, Tn. where he lived the remainder of his life.

A chancery suit filed in McMinn in 1893 involving the estate of Oliver Dodson gives us a list of his children and some of his grandchildren. The suit, chancery case #1282, Lazarus Dodson vs Mary Jane Reynolds stated that all were nonresidents of McMInn Co. except for Lazarus who files for himself and as administrator of Oliver Dodson and Mary Jane Reynolds. Some grandchildren lived in Knox Co., Tn. and the others lived in California, Texas, Missouri, Oregon, Montana, Georgia and other states.

Jesse Dodson a son of Lazarus Sr. was born by 1781 or earlier and he was of age in March 1802 when he served as a juror in Claiborne Co., Tn. at the March term and also the June term of 1802, when he was designated as Jesse Dodson Jr. This was no doubt for the purpose of distinguishing him from Rev. Jesse Dodson, a much older man who was also a resident of Claiborne Co. at this time. Jesse, the son of Rev. Jesse, was born in 1791, thus being too young to serve as a juror in 1802. At the June 1805 term of court Jesse Dodson again served as a juror and was designated “Little Jesse Dodson”.

Prior to this, Jesse Dodson Jr. was “assessed for 1 white poll and was included among those living within the Indian Boundary for the year of 1797 which the county court of Grainger released the sheriff from the collection of taxes.” Apparently these people it had been determined were living beyond the treaty line on Indian land and were not within the jurisdiction of Grainger Co.[11]

Given this information, if this Jesse is the son of Lazarus, then he preceeded his father to Claiborne County by a couple of years and may well have settled on the land where Lazarus eventually lived, which was indeed, just inside the Indian Boundary and was Cherokee land.

Jesse Dodson and Mary Stubblefield Dodson joined the Big Spring Baptist church “by experience” in March 1802. They received letters of dismissal from the church in Nov. 1805, but Jesse returned his letter in May 1806. Apparently in early 1807 Jesse got into a dispute with the church over a theological question which continued on through Sept. 1807 when the question was dismissed. In Aug. 1808, Jesse was “excluded” from the church for “withholding from the Church”. He is not again found in the records of Claiborne County.

On June 20, 1811, Jesse Dodson was licensed to trade with Indian tribes in Madison Co., Alabama. Descendants of this man have the oral tradition that he was an Indian Trader. He was said to be the oldest son of a large family of boys. Once when the Indian trader returned from one trip and was preparing to leave on another, the father implored his older son to take along his younger brother. The trader refused, saying the boy was so inexperienced that he would be killed by Indians. The father was adamant and insisted, so the trader relented and took the boy along. He has killed by Indians before the trader’s eyes. From then on there were hard feelings between the Indian Trader and his father. This is a tradition which may have grown with the telling over the generations, but there could be some grains of truth in the tale. If would certainly be interesting to know for sure if Jesse the Indian Trader is the son of Lazarus Sr.

The land that became Jackson Co., Alabama was originally part of the Mississippi Territory and was occupied by the Cherokee until they gave it up by treaty on Feb. 27, 1819. It is certainly possible that Jesse Dodson, Indian Trader of the Mississippi territory, was a son of Lazarus Dodson, Sr., who, himself was camping with the Indians in the winter of 1781/1782. Indeed, he did appear to have a family of mostly boys and the name Raleigh is conspicuously absent from a list of descendants, perhaps indicating a death.

1819 is also the years that Lazarus sold his Claiborne County land and when several of his children apparently went to Alabama.

A Jesse Dodson was on the 1830 census of Jackson Co., Al. though the family statistics are puzzling. The household consisted of 2 males 5-10, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 20-30, 1 female under 5, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 30-40 and 1 female 50-60. This would not be Jesse Dodson the Indian Trader unless he were away from home on the date of the census enumeration or unless the census taker made an error in recording the statistics. We have no record of the children of this Jesse Dodson except for one son, who wound up in Texas. That son may also be the Jesse in Jackson County in 1830.

David Dodson is not in the records of Claiborne Co except for the one time when he witnessed the deed, William Hogan to Lazarus Dotson and Abner Lea, in May 1819. Apparently David was of age at this time when his father purchased the land for possibly the second time.

If it is the same David Dodson who later appeared in McMinn Co., Tn., then he was probably born between 1790 and 1800. David Dodson (Dotson) died in McMinn Co. about 1826. His widow was Fanny Dotson b 1790-1800. The 1830 census of McMinn Co. with a household consisting of herself, 1 male 5-10, 1 male 10-15, 1 female under , 2 females 5-10. Living next door was William Dotson whose household was 1 male under 5, 1 male 20-30, 1 female under 5, 1 female 5-10 and 1 female 20-30. He was the administrator of the estate of David Dotson and seems a little old to be a son of David and Fanny, so was likely his brother instead. It should also be pointed out that here a Jane Dotson, aged 50-70, born 1760-1770, living alone, also resided next to Fanny Dotson. She was probably David’s mother, the widow of Lazarus Dodson Sr.

The estate of David Dodson was not settled until April 1846, presumably after all the children had come of age or married. Apparently all this family left Tennessee before the 1850 census was taken.

As mentioned, William lived adjacent David and Mary Dodson in McMinn County in 1830. Also, a William L. Dotson was appointed one of the arbitrators between the administrators of the estates of Thomas and William Burch, decd, in June of 1834. Thomas Burch died circa 1830 and had been the administrator of the estate of his father, William Burch, who died about 1828. One of the daughters of William Burch was Mrs. Aaron David, apparently a former neighbor of Lazarus Dodson in Claiborne Co. Mentioned in Thomas Burch’s estate is a note against the estate of William Burch, decd and an unidentified piece of land in Claiborne Co. Aaron Davis was a member of Gap Creek Church, Claiborne Co. Tn. in 1818.

There were several William Dodsons in McMinn Co and it is not entirely possible to separate them without further records, but one of them was the son of Lazarus Sr. William L. Dodson, believed to be the son of Lazarus, was born December 11, 1804 and died August 29, 1873. He is buried in the Cochran Cemetery in McMinn County, shown below, along with Lazarus’s son David. It’s likely that Mary, Lazarus Sr.’s widow, is buried here as well, given that she was living adjacent to David and William in 1830, and William owned the land on which the cemetery stood. It’s possible that Lazarus is buried here as well.

Elijah Dodson was a son of Lazarus Sr. as well. He is connected in the records of Claiborne with Martin and Jehu who are not listed as Lazarus’s sons. Elijah was born in 1790 in Hawkins Co. according to information in the Oregon Donation land claims. He died in Yamhill Co., Oregon in 1859. His first wife was Mary, surname unknown, whom he married March 12, 1807 in “Clayborn Co, Tn.”. His second wife was Elizabeth, surname unknown, who died in the Autumn of 1854. They were married Sept. 1848 in Pilk Co., Oregon.

In the June 1805 term of court, Claiborne Co., Tn. Elijah along with Jehu was appointed as a road hand to work on a road of which Martin Dodson was overseer. It was a segment of the Kentucky road from the top of Wallen’s Ridge to Blair’s Creek. In Aug. 1814, Elijah proved a wolf scalp he had killed in 1814 and at the Aug term 1815 he served as a juror. There are no records of Elijah in Claiborne beyond this date.

It is possible that Elijah eventually went to Henry Co., Ohio and Clay Co., Missouri before moving to Oregon where he made a claim to land in Yamhill Co. on which he lived from Feb. 1848 until his death. It is believed that two of his sons were with him in Oregon. The record stated that his first wife left 6 children.

DNA and the Dodson Family

According to the Dodson DNA Project at Family Tree DNA, several people are members who descend from Charles Dodson of Rappahannock Co., VA. Charles, born in 1649, was the great-great-grandfather of Lazarus Dodson. Several years ago when I checked, this group was simply labeled as R1b1a2, now R-M269. Since then, it appears that several people have confirmed SNP tests, among them, R-P25 and R-L2. How can that be? Easy. These are all sub-branches of haplogroup R and the men have tested at different levels. R-P25 used to be R1b1 before the renaming event and R-L2 used to be R1b1a2a1a1b3c1, which illustrated perfectly one of the reasons why they are only using haplogroup SNP names today.

This confirms that the Dodson male line was European.

However, it can’t address whether or not the wife of Lazarus Sr. was Native or not. To discover that, we need to test someone descended from Lazarus and his wife, Jane, through all females. The current generation can be a male, because women pass their mitochondrial DNA to all of their children, but only females pass it on.

If you descend from Lazarus and his wife Jane through all females to the current generation I have a DNA testing scholarship for you!!!

I sent an e-mail to the Dodson DNA Project administrator asking if someone from Lazarus’s line has DNA tested, but I haven’t heard back. I descend through Lazarus Sr. through Lazarus Jr. and his wife, Elizabeth Campbell, through daughter Ruthy. Therefore, on the Dodson paternal side, “my paternal line” would have to be represented by one of the descendants of the sons of Lazarus Jr. or Lazarus Sr. I’m hoping someone from these lines has already tested. Otherwise, I have a scholarship for a male Dodson from Lazarus Dodson Jr. or Sr., or his father, Raleigh Dodson.

Honoring Lazarus Dodson, Patriot Ancestor

Lazarus Dodson (Sr.) was a patriot. He served in the Revolutionary War. He was paid on August 1783 for his service, along with his father, Raleigh Dodson. Extensive research over the years has helped us to piece the lives of Raleigh and Lazarus together. Lazarus died between 1819 and 1826, and his heirs sold his land on Tipprell Road, in Claiborne County, Tn. in 1833. Most of his children were living in McMinn County at that time, and shortly thereafter, along with his widow. When they moved there is uncertain. Assuming Lazarus Sr. did not die in Jackson County, Alabama, Lazarus is either buried on his land in Claiborne County or in McMinn County. Jackson County wills and probate records burned during the Civil War.

Given that Lazarus owned land in Claiborne, it’s most likely that he died on his land and is buried there, perhaps the first grave in the Cottrell Cemetery. There are many older, unmarked graves in this cemetery. Lazarus’s heirs sold this land to David C. Cottrell in 1826 and the land, until recently, has remained in the Cottrell family.

On June 11th, 2011, at 2 PM, the Dodson family descendants, the Cottrell family, and members of the local Joseph Martin Chapter of the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution), DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and staff from LMU gathered to honor Lazarus Dodson and set a long overdue headstone for him.

Debbie Frantz, one of Lazarus descendants through the Estes family, and her husband George (below) were instrumental in arranging this ceremony. George is an active SAR member as is Debbie in the DAR. Debbie joined the DAR based on Lazarus’s service, so this was a particularly significant event for her. Also representing the Dodson family was Roberta Estes, also descended from Lazarus through the Estes family, and Daryl Peters, descended from Lazarus’s father, Raleigh.

It was a beautiful but very hot day, near 100. Daryl felt faint, and recalled the words of her grandmother, “women don’t sweat in the heat, they swoon”. She and a few other people were swooning alright.

The Cottrell cemetery is now on Lincoln Memorial University property and LMU has agreed to take over maintenance of the cemetery. This time in 2010, Daryl and I were there finding out the name of the man to contact about the cemetery. This year, that gentleman, Keith Cottrell, who cared for the cemetery for years, has passed away, but many of the Cottrell relatives were present to help us celebrate.

It’s such a beautiful location. You can see for 20 miles to the east if it’s not foggy. The LMU campus is right there as well. Lazarus’s heirs sold this land to David C. Cottrell in 1826 after Lazarus Dodson died. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to provide a marker for his grave, overlooking his land.

Debbie Frantz read about his life, his history, and what we have been able to piece together about him. There were other speakers as well, and two ladies sang. All in all, a lovely service, even if Lazarus’ death date is 10 years too early on his stone.

Below, Debbie and I have placed the “Descendants” wreath. His three descendants present were me, Debbie and her grandson. I wonder if Lazarus knows that nearly 200 years after his death, that his descendants are returning to set a stone and honor him.

Wreaths were lain of honor of Lazarus Dodson by the TNSSAR, General Joseph Martin Chapter, Kentucky Path DAR Chapter, Martin Station SAR chapter VASSAR and the Dodson Family Descendants. Flags were flying high.

Frank Smith, Dean of Students at LMU was the main speaker of the event and did a spectacular job. His topic was about the significance of “the dash“. That dash – the dash between the birth and death dates – the importance of the lives we live. It’s the dash that we celebrate, not the beginning or the end. And it’s the dash of Lazarus life that we have reconstructed to the best of our ability. May all of our ancestors inspire the days of our dash.

The legacy of Lazarus Dodson will live on through his descendants and through the accomplishments of the students that will be given a chance to fulfill their dreams as educators of tomorrow through the Cottrell Endowment fund, which will give LMU a great legacy to be proud of. Anyone who wishes to contribute may do so by writing a check to LMU and noting that it is a contribution for the Cottrell Endowment Fund. They have committed to raise $25,000 as an endowed fund so a scholarship can be offered every year. This was in exchange for LMU agreeing to maintain the cemetery in perpetuity.

After the service ended, we got to meet the Cottrell family with whom we’ve been communicating for months to document the cemetery. The photo below is of Lazarus’ descendants and the Cottrell family together.

Below, the Cottrell family gathers at David Cottrell’s stone. It seems so long ago, but David Cottrell probably knew Lazarus Dodson (Sr., the Patriot), certainly knew his son, Lazarus (Jr.), and lived in the home that Lazarus (Sr.) built, farmed his land and eventually, was buried alongside Lazarus.

Jim Rowland, one of the Cottrell family members mentioned that he knew where the old David Cottrell house had been located. He’s about 60 or so and said it was torn down when he was a teenager, but it had been abandoned years before. So off we went caravan style to see the location of the old house. Of course, we went via the roads, but in the old days, they would just have walked over the hill. Too hot and too many snakes today.

Here we are, all gathered in the road in front of the land that once held the cabin of Lazarus Dodson, Sr. We’re by the bend in the road, by the word Cottrell, on the map inset below from the Civil War map of the 1860s.

After arriving, Jim pointed out the location of the old house and barns. At the bend in Tipprell Road, the house used to stand where the dead tree is today (photo below), and the barn was in the clearing to the right. This was rather unusual land, because it’s almost flat here.

The barn had been located to the right of the clump of trees, in the little clearing just as it starts up the little hill. This location is also shown on the Civil War map and it is the only homestead on Tipprell road at that time. As the crow flies, the cemetery is just behind the house and over the hill. There was originally a road that connected the two sites, and the road still exists, but has been abandoned and is blocked at both ends today.

Lazarus was also a member of the Gap Creek Church and helped to found it as well. It was on his 640 acres that he received for his Revolutionary War service, located on Gap Creek. The Church backs up to Gap Creek has been rebuilt several times, but surely some of the original lurks beneath the surface.

Before we left, we had seen where Lazarus was buried, where he lived, where he worshipped and the creek on his land that quenched the thirst of his family and his animals. We have seen the Indian lands and Butcher Springs where the local story says that long hunters were ambushed by Indians. Lazarus’ land is steeped in history.

We were glad to get back to the hotel and air conditioning. We drove back via Tipprell Road, a little one lane road (sometimes stretched to two lanes, but you have to stop to pass). This would have been the road Lazarus took to the village of Cumberland Gap, “above” his place on the mountain. Even today, after being paved, it is extremely quiet and peaceful. We stopped and shut the car off and just listened to the sound of Gap Creek tumbling down the mountain, the birds….and nothing else except for the occasional rustle of the leaves. How beautiful and peaceful this land is today.

As fate would have it, a Tennessee artist, Tamara Hogshead painted Gap Creek and donated the painting to a nonprofit group for their fundraising auction. I bid on, and won, that painting which I love dearly and graces my home today. What are the chances of finding this painting and then discovering that it is of Gap Creek, the creek that ran through Lazarus property?

However, it wasn’t always serene. We know that this is the place where battles of the Civil War were fought as well as bloody battles between Indians and migrating European settlers. Today, it is peaceful and stunningly, almost hauntingly, serenely, beautiful. This is the Appalachia our ancestors loved, where Lazarus lived, the roads he trod, and the land where we return to honor him and to visit the landscapes of our ancestors.

If no one ever thanked you Lazarus, for your service to your country, or told you they were proud of you, proud to be your descendant, let me do it now. All of your descendants thank you, those who were able to be present in 2011, and those not. Those who searched for and documented the meaningful events of your life, those moments between the dash, and those who will, in the future read about them. We are all here because of you, and we live in a free country. That freedom is thanks to you, your father, and the other Patriots. You will never be forgotten, nor will your service to your country. We have set a memorial stone for you to insure that others can visit you, on your land, in the future. Hopefully future generations will come, sit a spell in this magical location, ponder the dash, yours and theirs, learn a little about your life, and find a piece of their heritage on the tract known as Butcher Springs, just below Cumberland Gap.

Thank you, from your descendants!

Footnotes:

[1] Page 124 – 798 (681)

[2] [Lazarus Dodson 300 ac and Joseph Beard 400 ac (warrant number mentioned twice) – on warrant list; for grant to L Dodson see file 523 in Sullivan Co; warrant issued Jan 19 1782 by John Adair, warrant assigned Aug 12 1788 by Rawleigh Dodson to Lazarus Dodson (William Smith witness); 300 ac in grant (survey not in shuck, see Sullivan Co file 531); Carter’s entry 1014 in same shuck; grant 539 issued Nov 26 1789.

[3] Page 64 – 427 (311) March 16 (or 15) [RJE – looks to be several surveys under this same number] Grant 534 issued Feb 13 1791

[4] Hawkins deeds 1-94, 2-3184-65, 4-66, 6-196, 6-264. 1800, March 29 – Lazarus Dodson of Claiborne Co and Johnathan Ling of Hawkins $900 for tract in Hawkins on White Horse Fork (also White Run Fork in next deed which is exactly the same except dated March 29 1804. Actually this is White Thorne Fork) of Bent Creek being same place where said Dodson formerly lived, adj fence of Walker, being 575 acres of land as set out. Wit William Paine, JP, M_Myres. Reg Nov 21 1804

[5] See Claiborne deed B-316, D-4, E-366 one of which might refered to Lazarus Jr. Deeds were also recorded in H-291 and L-23 but these books are missing from the courthouse.

[6] Decatur County was a short lived county crated from territory of Madison and Jackson Counties.

[7] Ack Aug term 1819 by William Hogan Reg Oct 14, 1819 book E-366.

[8] Ack May 6, 1861 by Lazarus Dodson by appearance before James Allcorn, Clerk of Court in Pulaksi Co., Ky. Registered Oct. 13, 1870 Claiborne Co.

[9] Claiborne marriages 2-10.

[10] Ack May 6, 1861 by Lazarus Dodson by appearance before James Allcorn, Clerk of Court in Pulaksi Co., Ky. Registered Oct. 13, 1870 Claiborne Co.

[11] Claiborne was not formed until 1801.

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Salvaging Every Scrap of DNA Info from Ancestry

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Roberta Estes

OK, it’s a given, like it or not – Ancestry.com is discontinuing their Y and mtDNA data bases on September 5^th, 2014. Let’s take every opportunity between now and then to scrape every scrap of information off of that plate before it’s so unceremoniously tossed away like so much trash.

I would suggest that you take every single family surname and enter it as a query at Ancestry. If you already have known surname matches, then you should easily be able to eliminate those matches, by haplogroup, who assuredly aren’t yours. For example, if there were 4 Estes males listed at Ancestry, 2 of which match my Estes line haplogroup, and 2 that do not, then the 2 that don’t I can disregard.

So let’s look at some examples.

In this demonstration case, there are no individuals who have tested by this surname at either Family Tree DNA or Sorenson, at www.smgf.org, so I’m flying blind, hoping to find anyone by that surname who has tested.

The surname is Bonnevie, an Acadian ancestor.

If you’re a registered Ancestry member, go to your DNA page and select Y. If you’re not an Ancestry member, click on this link and it should take you there. http://ldna.ancestry.com/groups.aspx

At the top of the page, under Ancestry logo on the right, click on Groups. You’ll see two choices – Search for Groups – which is not what you want to do since groups are no longer functional. Enter the surname into the “Search for Individual” field.

In this case, Bonnevie returned no results. Be sure to try variants.

I’m going on to my next surname, Vannoy.

Vannoy in fact returned one result. In this case, this individual entered their results manually from another lab, which is likely, but not necessarily, Family Tree DNA. You can tell by the “*” beside the “64 markers” under the Test category. Because they did not test at Ancestry, there is no need to send them a message asking them if they would be interested in transferring their DNA. If you aren’t familiar with this person through other testing or research, you might well want to contact them. To initiate contact, click on the envelop on the far left hand side of the entry.

Complete this form and keep your fingers crossed. I haven’t had a lot of luck with replies from people at Ancestry who have DNA tested, but you should at least try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Crumley is another one of my surnames. In this entry, I can tell, based on the haplogroup, that they are probably a member of my Crumley line. They tested at Ancestry (no “*”). I can click on “View profile” to see if they have appended a tree. They have not, so I can’t see their Crumley ancestors.

I can, however, contact them and see if they will enter a discussion about genealogy, if they will transfer their results to Family Tree DNA, or retest, or minimally, if they will enter their results in YSearch. Here’s the verbiage I’ve been sending.

Hi Val,

Ancestry is planning to discontinue the Y DNA data base on September 5th. We have a Crumley surname project at Family Tree DNA with several members. We’d love to invite you to join us. You can transfer your DNA results or retest. Please contact me and I’ll be glad to explain your options. From your haplogroup, it looks like you descend from the James Crumley/Catherine Gilkey line out of England and Virginia. I’d love to exchange genealogy info with you as well. Please e-mail me at robertajestes@att.net

Roberta Estes

Another approach I can take IF I have the DNA markers of the surname line is to go in and modify my own results, if they were manually entered, to reflect that surname profile. To do this, go to your DNA page and the click on “View Results” for the Paternal lineage.

You will then see this page which will allow you to edit your results. Enter the results for the lineage you are seeking. When finished, click on “See Matches.”

It sometimes takes from a few minutes to a few hours to update the data base and receive matches. If you still don’t have matches in a day, 24 hours, then you actually don’t have any matches – but do give it 24 hours.

Then, on to your next surname.

It’s sad that Ancestry’s Y and mtDNA data base resources are being discontinued, but I hope that you’ll take the time to scavenge every scrap, while you still can. If this is the only place where that person or family ever tested, you’ll never have another opportunity. It will be gone, forever.

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Jacques “dit Beaumont” de Bonnevie, Acadian from Paris, 52 Ancestors #26

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Roberta Estes

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.

I always loved that lullaby from childhood. Brother John, Brother John, are you sleeping, are you sleeping? Morning Bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing….

I had no idea I had my own French Jacques and that the morning bells were those of Notre Dame in Paris.

Little did I know on the day I found my first Acadian ancestor what a floodgate was opening. Now, that’s both a good thing and a bad thing. Wonderful because so much research has been done on Acadian families, and terribly frustrating because in so many cases, in spite of all of that research, we still can’t get them back to France.

The families are also, in some cases, hopelessly intertwined….and I don’t even want to talk about what the autosomal DNA of these families looks like. Let’s just say that it’s not a family tree, but more line a family vine.

Jacques “dit Beaumont” de Bonnevie is an exception in that we know where he was born in France.

Before I tell you about Jacques, what little we know about him, let me thank a few people who’ve helped me immensely.

First, Paul LeBlanc, who tells me we are related in 37 different ways, is the host of the Acadian list at Rootsweb. To subscribe to this list, please send an email to ACADIAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word ‘subscribe’ without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message.

I think it was also Paul who told me that if you’re related to one Acadian, you’re related to all Acadians. I thought it was cute at the time. Little did I realize he was serious! I didn’t know, then, just how true that was!

Secondly, the research on Jacque and much of what has been done on my other Acadian ancestors was contributed by Karen Theriot Reader, a librarian and genealogist extraordinaire, focused on Acadian immigrants to Louisiana. Fortunately for me, those families all originated in Acadia, in far northeastern Canada, shown on the map below.

I am also very grateful to the administrators of DNA projects that include or focus on Acadian families.

There is the Mothers of Acadia project as well as the Amerindian Ancestor Out of Acadia project.

There are also various related projects, such as the Louisiana Creole and the French Heritage projects.

Sorting out the families and separating myth from fact has become much easier with the advent of genetic genealogy. In fact, it’s how I proved my first Acadian connection through the Lore family – but that’s a story for another time.

Dit Names

Oh yes, and there’s one more thing I’d better explain and that’s about “dit” names. Dit names, often found in French Canadian, specifically Acadian, families are nicknames, for lack of a better term, either attached to a surname or to a particular person.

Dit translates literally as “to say” so a “dit” name means “that is to say.” Sometimes dit names are location based, military based or something else that doesn’t make much sense today. For example, if the dit name is LaMontagne, or “the mountain,” does it mean the man was built like a mountain, he was of great social stature, was it that he lived near the mountain, or was it, perhaps, a joke?

As if Acadian genealogy wasn’t complex enough, ancestors can be listed under either name, or both, variously, or at the same time.

When I knew I was going to Paris in the fall of 2013, I searched through my files to see if any of my ancestors had a historical connection to Paris, and sure enough, Jacques was born there.

Jacques “dit Beaumont” de Bonnevie

Jacques was born about 1660, although some references state as late as 1678, in Paris. However, Karen Theriot Reader’s source provides proof that the 1660 date is much more accurate than later dates.

Karen provided me with the following information about Jacques and how we know he was in fact, born in Paris.

The citation from Stephen A. White is from his highly respected genealogical dictionary of Acadians. He does go into detail on the historical document which says Jacques was a “native of Paris.” It is in French in the original citation, but I have the English translation he published somewhat later. Footnote/Endnote Citation: Stephen A. White, English Supplement to the Dictionnaire généalogique des familles acadiennes (Moncton: Centre d’Études Acadiennes, 2000). Published as [vol. 3] of the Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes.

He is listed as Jacques Bonnavie dit Beaumont.

Another note from Karen provides us with additional information.

Jacques BONNEVIE dit BEAUMONT, Biographical Note: 20 Dec 1732: List of the disabled retired from the French forces at Ile Royale proposed to my Lord the Compte de Maurepas to receive half-pay.

Jacques Bonnevie called Beaumont, aged seventy-two years, native of Paris, former corporal in the troops of Acadia, where he served for seventeen years. He is not in condition to serve, nor to earn his living, because of a wound to his thigh he received in the King’s service.

Document found in Stephen A. White’s Dictionnaire (French ed.): (ANF, Col, D2C, vol 47, fol 475) That would be in the Archives of New France (ANF). Also, Isle Royale is now Cape Breton Island in Canada.

Jacques died on April 23, 1733 at the Hospital de Louisbourg, Ile-Royal, Acadia.

Karen also provided from Bona Arsenault, HISTOIRE ET GENEALOGIE DES ACADIENS; 1625-1810; Ottawa, Editions Lemeac, 1978, 6 vols.; p. 438 (Port Royal); own copy:

Entry says name also BEAUMONT. Jacques was born around 1678, married around 1699 to Francoise MIUS, “doubtless” the daughter of Philippe MIUS Jr. of Pobomcoup & a “sauvagesse” Marie, whom he had married.

Karen’s tree shows the six children listed, born from 1701 through 1715. There were no births listed from 1707-1714, suggesting that at least 4 children perished.

“Sauvagesse” means Native American. Because she has a Christian name, Marie, we can rest assured that she had been baptized into the Catholic faith.

One of the daughters of Jacques dit Beaumont de Bonnevie was Marie Charlote Bonnevie, born May 12, 1706 in Port Royal, Acadia. On August 18, 1721, Marie would marry Jacques “dit LaMontagne” Lore/Lord. They are my 7G-grandparents.

DNA

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any record that anyone by the name of Bonnevie or deBonnevie has been DNA tested, but at Family Tree DNA there are 15 individuals with the surname Beaumont who have tested. There is no Beaumont surname project, unfortunately, so I checked the French Heritage project. Unfortunately, there is only one and they are from England. At Ancestry.com, there is only one Beaumont who has tested and there is no information attached to their account. I have sent them a message, but I’m not at all convinced that my message-sending capability at Ancestry isn’t broken, considering that I haven’t received a reply from anyone in over a year.

I have a scholarship for Y DNA testing for any male who descends from this line and carries the surname, whatever it is today, Bonnevie, de Bonnevie, Beaumont, or whatever.

Renaissance Paris

I know what Paris was like in 1970 when I lived there, and what it is like today, but what was Paris like when Jacque de Bonnevie lived there as a child in the 1660s and 1670s?

Like everyplace else in Europe at that time, religion played a very big part of the lives of the populace. Paris wasn’t immune to the religious turmoil plaguing the rest of Europe after the beginning of Protestantism in 1530. This problem didn’t begin in the 1600s though, but much earlier, in the 1500s,althoug the ramifications reached forward centuries.

An ominous gulf was growing within Paris between the followers of the established Catholic church and Protestant Calvinism and Renaissance humanism. The Sorbonne and University of Paris, the major fortresses of Catholic orthodoxy, forcefully attacked the Protestant and humanist doctrines, and the scholar Etienne Dolet was burned at the stake, along with his books, on Place Maubert in 1532, on the orders of the theology faculty of the Sorbonne; but despite that, the new doctrines continued to grow in popularity, particularly among the French upper classes.

Beginning in 1562, repression and massacres of Protestants in Paris alternated with periods of tolerance and calm, during what became known as the French Wars of Religion. Paris was a stronghold of the Catholic party. On the night of 23–24 August 1572, while many prominent Protestants were in Paris on the occasion of the marriage of Henri of Navarre—the future Henry IV—to Margaret of Valois, sister of Charles IX, the royal council decided to assassinate the leaders of the protestants. The targeted killings quickly turned into a general slaughter of Protestants by Catholic mobs, known as St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, and continued through August and September, spreading from Paris to the rest of the country. About three thousand Protestants were killed in Paris, and five to ten thousand elsewhere in France.

This painting by Francois Debois shows the massacre with Admiral Cologny’s body handing out of a window in the rear to the right. The left rear shows Catherine de’Medici emerging from the Chateau de Louvre to inspect a heap of bodies. Another drawing, below, by Frans Hogenberg, shows the massacre as well.

People left Paris in droves, about one third of the population, fearing for their safety. Many houses were destroyed during the Religious Wars and the grand projects of the Louvre, the Hôtel de Ville, and the Tuileries Palace were left unfinished.

This was a very dark time in French history.

By the middle of the 1600s, the city had recovered and new churches were being built, inspired by those of Rome. By 1650, the population had doubled and reached about 400,000. Bridges were being built to replace ferries and new construction was everyplace. The Church of Les Invalides was built between 1671 and 1678 and the College of 4 Nations from 1662-1672. New theaters were created to entertain people and the first café opened in 1686. Paris was growing and prospering. Jacque, born about 1660, would have been witness to this prosperity.

For the poor however, life was very different. They were crowded into tall, narrow, five or six story high buildings lining the winding streets on the Île de la Cité and other medieval quarters of the city. Crime in the dark streets was a serious problem. Metal lanterns were hung in the streets and the number of archers who acted as night watchmen was increased to four hundred.

Of course, we don’t know Jacque’s social or financial status – but I doubt a wealthy man would serve in the military as an enlisted man, and be shipped to Nova Scotia.

Paris in 1660

We know that Jacques was born in Paris in 1660. We know that he was in Acadia by 1699 when he married. He likely did not arrive in Acadia until he was at least age 20, so he was in Paris from at least 1660 to 1680 and possibly another 18 or 19 years.

We know that he was in the military for 17 years, and he know that he had a “dit” name that translates as “beautiful mountain.” (Thank you for the translation to Marie Rundquist.) You’ll have to pardon my wondering about how that name was bestowed up on him, and whether it was before or after he arrived in Acadia.

What was happening in Paris when Jacques lived there?

In 1660, all of Paris gathered to see the entry of King Louis the XIV. Were Jacque’s parents among the crowd? Was his mother pregnant for Jacques, or perhaps she had a newborn infant and couldn’t attend the festivities.

Here’s the Louvre, as Jacque might have seen it as a young boy, in the 1660s. In fact, he could have been one of those children playing in the street.

If, in fact, Jacques was born anyplace near the city center, he could have been baptized in Notre Dame.

Here is a painting of “Choeur de Notre Dame de Paris” from 1669.

This first map is of Paris in 1550. You can see this map in detail at this link. The detail is incredible, neighborhoods and even individual houses. Were Jacques’, and my, ancestors living here then? Is their house on the map?

The first bridge, The Pont Notre-Dame, shown on the map above, was built in 1512 and held a street and 68 houses.

Here’s a perspective view of Paris from 1607. Notice that there were many churches.

The island at the city center is quite visible and so are the walls, although it’s evident that there is already some constructions and people living outside the walls. If Jacques was born in 1660, this would have been the Paris of his grandparents.

This 1660 map shows not only the city, but the dress of Parisians at that time as well. This would have been what his parents wore or saw people around them wearing.

In 1670, King Louis ordered the destruction of the city walls, feeling they were no longer necessary. This 1705 map shows the location of the old walls and the new construction outside the walls. Did Jacque watch the old walls being torn down? Might he have helped? He would have been a strapping man of about 20, in his physical prime.

Jacques would have watched the construction of Les Invalides, above, from 1662-1672.

We don’t know when Jacques left Paris, but we do know he was in “His Majesty’s Service” for 17 years, and it’s very likely that he arrived in the New World as a soldier. Life would have been dramatically different for Jacques, moving from Paris to, comparatively, a wilderness.

We also know he was wounded in the thigh, but we don’t know how or when that injury occurred although it would have not been before his arrival in Acadia. It could well have been in 1710 in the Siege of Port Royal when the British took Port Royal, renaming it Annapolis Royal.

His 17 years in service could have ended shortly after his arrival in Nova Scotia. If he enlisted when he was age 20 in 1680, his 17 years of service would have ended in 1697, for example. However, the wording in his pension application says specifically that he served as a “former corporal in the troops of Acadia, where he served for seventeen years.” If he served in Acadia for 17 years, then his retirement was probably about 1715 or so. It certainly was not after 1716 if he married in Port Royal about 1799. His retirement could have been earlier than 1716.

It’s likely that Jacques was involved with the building of the fort at Port Royal. With the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1702, colonists on both sides again prepared for conflict. Acadia’s governor, Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan, had, in anticipation of war, already begun construction of a stone and earth fort in 1701, shown below, which was largely completed by 1704.

Fort Royal was defended by about 300 troops, many of whom were poorly trained recruits from France. We don’t know when Jacques was injured, but to entirely disable him, it must have been severe. In 1710, the French lost both Fort Royal and Port Royal. The painting below shows the evacuation of the fort. Whether Jacques was still in the military at this time, or not, he surely was involved in many ways during this decade of instability.

Did he and his wife worry constantly about an impending attack? Did they finally decide that it was never coming, and relax, only to be surprised? How did they cope with living under constant threat? Life apparently went on, because several of their children were born during this decade.

Jacques would have been 50 years old in 1710 when Fort Royal was taken by the British. He requested a half-pay pension on December 20, 1732, at age 72, and subsequently died on April 23, 1733.

Maybe it’s a good thing he died when he did and didn’t live another 22 years to see his children and their families uprooted and forcibly deported from Acadia in the 1755 event known as “Le Grand Derangement.”

Jacques saw a lot in his lifetime. The rebuilding and expansion of the City of Paris, the removal of the medieval city walls, a transatlantic crossing, the fort at Port Royal and the loss of Port Royal to the British in 1710 when he had young children to protect. He was likely involved in battles, or at least one battle, and was severely wounded. He would have watched his children become adults and marry as the fort area expanded. Still, his children were close by. In 1732, probably as he was becoming feeble and unable to care for himself, he asked for a half-pay pension for his 17 years of service, passing away only four months later..

I wonder if he agreed to go to Acadia (Canada) with the expectation that he would never return home to France, or if the company of French/Indian Francoise Mius changed his mind and was the reason he remained. We have no records from Paris, but his age at the time he married Francoise, nearly 40 years old, suggests that he might have had a family in France at one time as well. Perhaps they perished and he went to Acadia to begin anew.

We are very fortunate to know as much as we do about Jacques “dit Beaumont” de Bonnevie. Like all genealogists, I’d love to know more. I’d also love to test the DNA of a Bonnevie male descendant, if there are any. If you are a male Bonnevie and descend from this line, I have a DNA scholarship waiting just for you!

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WikiTree Announces DNA Ancestor Confirmation Aid

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Roberta Estes

The following press release was provided by WikiTree. I was pleased to be able to preview the new DNA Ancestor Confirmation Aid. If people will actually use WikiTree for their ancestors, and enter their DNA information, especially in mitochondrial lines where there is no common surname to follow…this new tool holds a great deal of promise. WikiTree didn’t develop this tool in a vacuum. Genetic genealogist Peter Roberts, project administrator of the Bahamas DNA Project, has been involved along the way, providing invaluable insight as to what the genetic genealogy community needs, and how to go about providing those tools and services.

Great job WikiTree!

Take a look and a test drive…

Fourteen years ago, on 26 June 2000, it was announced that the first draft of the entire human genome had been completed. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair commented that “every so often in the history of human endeavor there comes a breakthrough that takes humankind across a frontier and into a new era. … I believe that today’s announcement is such a breakthrough …”.

The sweeping impact of a map of the human genome is still unfolding in science, medicine, and many other fields. One of these fields is genealogy. DNA testing for genealogy has been advancing rapidly — becoming more reliable, more informative, and less expensive.

Parallel to this, progress on a single family tree for humanity has been advancing rapidly thanks to Internet “crowdsourcing.” Genealogists are pooling their research and collaborating on websites such as WikiTree.com. Until now, this family tree collaboration has been based primarily on research in public records and information handed down through families.

The combination of DNA testing and a collaborative worldwide family tree is enabling something that most genealogists never expected: scientific confirmation of their genealogy.

Today WikiTree is announcing the DNA Ancestor Confirmation Aid, a tool to help genealogists confirm their ancestry. Because of the broad-based collaboration on WikiTree and the fact that the Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA is passed down relatively unchanged for many generations in known inheritance patterns, a DNA test taken by one genealogist can aid the research of many distant cousins. In turn, the research of one genealogist can dramatically expand the utility of other people’s DNA tests.

The DNA Ancestor Confirmation Aid shows step-by-step how to confirm father-son and mother-child relationships in a family tree. It enables genealogists to discover if any other descendants of their ancestors have already taken DNA tests — something becoming more common as the cost of testing goes down and as ancestries become more deeply interconnected. When there’s an opportunity for confirmation by comparing test results, there are direct comparison links. When additional testing needs to be taken for confirmation, it links to potential test-takers.

The DNA Ancestor Confirmation Aid is intended to help genealogists of all levels, including those who are completely new to DNA testing. More experienced genetic genealogists will also find benefits. Roberta Estes of DNAeXplain says, “this is particularly useful for mitochondrial DNA because there is no other ‘connecting’ mechanism. I’m sure that many of my ancestor’s mitochondrial DNA is represented in the thousands of people who have tested — but until now — there was no way to find them, since the surnames may have changed a dozen times since our shared ancestor.”

Nathan J. Bowen, PhD, genome scientist at the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development at Clark Atlanta University, sees potential long-term benefits we can all share: “The release of the working draft of the human genome 14 years ago was a huge moment, democratizing the use of the sequence for everyone, not just corporations with private databases. Now genealogists at WikiTree are building a public family tree for humanity, confirmed with DNA. Ultimately this may reveal patterns of human migration, inheritance and disease that return significant benefits for science and medicine.”

About WikiTree

Growing since 2008, WikiTree.com is a 100% free shared family tree website. Community members privately collaborate with close family members on modern family history and publicly collaborate with other genealogists on deep ancestry. Since all the private and public profiles are connected on the same system this process is helping to grow a single, worldwide family tree that will eventually connect us all and thereby make it free and easy for anyone to discover their roots. See http://www.WikiTree.com.

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Big Y DNA Results Divide and Unite Haplogroup Q Native Americans

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Roberta Estes

One of my long standing goals has been to resurrect the lost heritage of the Native American people. By this I mean, primarily, for genealogists who search for and can’t find their Native ancestors. My blog, www.nativeheritageproject.com, is one of the ways that I contribute towards that end. Many times, records are buried, don’t exist at all, or don’t reflect anything about Native heritage. While documents can be somewhat evasive and frustratingly vague, the Y DNA of the male descendants is not. It’s rock solid.

The Native communities became admixed beginning with the first visits of Europeans to what would become the Americas. Native people accepted mixed race individuals as full tribal members, based on the ethnicity of the mother. Adoption also played a key role. If a female, the mother, was an adopted white child, the mother was considered to be fully Native, as was her child, regardless of the ethnicity of the father.

Therefore, some people who test their DNA expecting to find Native genetics do not – they instead find European or African – but that alone does not mean that their ancestors were not tribal members. It means that these individuals have to rely on non-genetic records to prove their ancestors Native heritage – or they need to test a different line – like the descendants of the mother, through all females, for example, for mitochondrial DNA.

On the other hand, some people are quite surprised when their DNA results come back as Native. Many have heard a vague story, but often, they don’t have a clue as to which genealogical line, if any, the Native ancestry originated. Native ancestry was often hidden because the laws that prevailed at the time sanctioned discrimination of many kinds against people “of color,” and if you weren’t entirely of European origin, you were “of color.” Many admixed people, as soon as they could, “became” white socially and never looked back. Not until recently, the late 20^th century, when discrimination had for the most part become a thing of the past and one could embrace their Native or African heritage without fear of legal or social reprisal.

Back in December of 2010, we found the defining SNP that divided haplogroup Q between Europeans and Native Americans. At the time, this was a huge step forward, a collaboration between testing participants, haplogroup administrators, citizen scientists and Family Tree DNA.

This allowed us to determine who was, and was not included in Native American haplogroups, but it was also the tip of the iceberg. You can see below just how much the tree has expanded and its branches have been shuffled. This is a big part of the reason for the change from haplogroup names like Q1a3 to Q-M346. For example, at one time or another the SNP M3 was associated with haplogroup names Q1a3a, Q1a3a1 and Q1a3a1a. On the ISOGG tree below, today M3 is associated with Q1a2a1a1.

The new Family Tree DNA 2014 tree is shown below for one of the Big Y participants whose terminal SNP is L568, found beneath SNP CTS1780 which is found beneath L4, which is beneath L213 which is beneath L474 which is beneath MEH2 which is beneath L232 which is, finally, beneath M242.

The introduction of the Big Y product from Family Tree DNA, which sequences a large portion of the Y chromosome, provided us with the opportunity to make huge strides in unraveling and deciphering the haplogroup Q (and C, the other male Native haplogroup in the Americas) tree. I am hopeful that in time, and with enough people taking the Big Y test, that we will one day be able to at least sort participants into language and perhaps migration groups.

In November, 2013, we asked for the public and testers to support our call for funds to be able to order several Big Y tests. The project administrators intentionally did not order tests in family groups, but attempted to scatter the tests to the far corners, so to speak, and to include at least one person from each disparate group we have in the haplogroup Q project, based on STR matches, or lack thereof, and previous SNP testing.

Thanks to the generosity of contributors, we were able to order several tests. In addition, some participants were able to order their own tests, and did. Thank you one and all.

The tests are back now, and with the new Big Y SNP matching, recently introduced by Family Tree DNA, comparisons are a LOT easier.

So, of course, I had to see what I could find by comparing the SNP results of the several gentlemen who tested.

To protect the privacy of everyone involved, I have reduced their names to initials. I have included their terminal SNP as identified at Family Tree DNA as well as any tribal, ethnic or location information we have available for their most distant paternal ancestor.

There are two individuals who believe their ancestors are from Europe, and there is a very large group of European haplogroup Q members, but I’m not convinced that the actual biological ancestors of these two gentlemen are from Europe. I have included both of these individuals as well. Let’s just say the jury is still out. As a control, I have also included a gentleman who actually lives in Poland.

Of the individuals above, SD, CT and CM are SNP matches.

CD, WJS and WBS are SNP matches with each other.

BG and ETW are also SNP matches to each other.

None of the rest of these individuals have SNP matches. (Note, you can click to enlarge the chart.)

In the table above, the Non-Matching Known SNPs are shown with the number of Shared Novel Variants. For example, SD and CT have 4 non-matching SNPS and share 161 Novel Variants and are noted as 4/161.

We can easily tell which of the known SNPs are nonmatching, because they are shown on the participants match page.

What we don’t know, and can’t tell, is how many Novel Variants these people share with each other, and how many they might share with the individuals that aren’t shown as matches.

Keep in mind that there may be individuals here that are not shown as matches to due no-calls. Only people with up to and including 4 non-matching Known SNPs are counted as matches. If you have the wrong combination of no-calls, or, aren’t in the same terminal haplogroup, you may not be shown as a match when you otherwise would be.

The other reason for my intense interest in the Novel Variants is to see if they are actually Novel, as in found only in a few people, or if they are more widespread.

I downloaded each person’s Novel Variants through the Export Utility (blue button to the right at the top of your personal page,) and combined the Novel Variants into a single spreadsheet. I colorized each person’s result rows so that they would be easy to track. I have redacted their names. The white row, below, is the individual who lives in Poland.

There are a total of 3506 Novel Variants between these men. When sorting, many clustered as you would expect. There is the Algonguian group and what I’ve taken to calling the Borderlands group. This group has someone whose ancestor was born in VA and two in SC. I have documentation for the Virginia family having descendants in SC, so that makes sense. The third group is an unusual combination of the gentleman who believes his ancestors are from Germany and the gentleman whose ancestors are found in a New Mexico Pueblo tribe, but whose ancestor was, likely, based on church records, a detribalized Plains Indian who had been kidnapped and sold.

Clusters that I felt needed some scrutiny, for one reason or another, I highlighted in yellow in the Terminal SNP column. Obviously the Polish/Pueblo matching needs some attention.

Another very interesting type of match are several where either all or nearly all of the individuals share a Novel Variant – 15 or 16 of 16 total participants. I don’t think these will remain Novel Variants very long. They clearly need to be classified as SNPs. I’m not sure about the process that Family Tree DNA will use to do this, but I’ll be finding out shortly.

Here’s an example where everyone shares this Novel Variant at location 7688075,except the gentleman who lives in Poland, the man who believes his ancestor is from Germany, and the Creek descendant.

I was very surprised at how many Novel Variants appear in all 16 results of the participants, including the gentleman who lives in Poland – represented by the white row below.

So, how were the Novel Variants distributed?

Category	# of Variants	Comments
Algonquian Group	140	This is to be expected since it’s within a specific group. Any matches that include people outside the 3 Algonquian individuals are counted in a separate category. These matches give us the ability to classify anyone who tests with these marker results as provisionally Algonquian.
Borderlands	83	This confirms that these three individuals are indeed a “group” of some sort. This also gives us the ability to classify future participants using these mutations.
All or Nearly All – 15 or 16 Participants	80	These are clearly candidates for SNPs, and, given that they are found in the Native and the European groups, they appear to predate the division of haplogroup Q.
Several Native and European, Combined	45	This may or may not include the person who lives in Poland. This group needs additional scrutiny to determine if it actually does exist in Europe, but given that there are more than 3 individuals with each of these Novel Variants, they need to be considered for SNPhood.
Pueblo/NC	1
Poland/Borderlands	2
Mexico/Algonquian	2
German/Pueblo	9	I wonder if this person is actually German.
Poland/Mexico	20	I wonder if this person’s ancestors are actually from Poland.
Algonquian, NC, Creek	1
Borderland, Mexico, Creek	1
Algonquian/Cherokee	1
All Native, no Euro	2
Algonquian, Borderlands, Mexico, NC	1
Algonquian, Mexico, Borderlands	1
Borderlands, Pueblo	1
Borderlands, Creek, NC	1
Algonquian, Cherokee, Mexico	3
Algonquian, Pueblo, Creek, Borderlands	1
Cherokee, NC	2
Algonquian, Borderlands	2
Borderlands, NC	1
Algonquian, NC	1
Polish/NC	10

Some of this distribution makes me question if these SNP mutations truly are a “once in the history of mankind” kind of thing. For example, how did the same SNP appear in the Polish person and the NC person, or the Pueblo person, and not in the rest of the Native people?

New SNPs?

So, are you sitting down?

Based on these numbers, it looks like we have at least 125 new SNP candidates for haplogroup Q. If we count the Algonquian and the Borderlands groups of matches, that number rises to about 250. This is very exciting. Far, far more than I ever expected. of these SNPS, about half will identify Native people, even Native groupings of people. This is a huge step forward, a red letter day for Native American ancestry!

SNPs and STRs

Lastly, I wanted to see how the SNP matching compared to STR matching, or if it did at all, for these men.

Only two men match each other on any STR markers. CD and WJS matched on 12 markers, but not on higher panels. The TIP calculator estimated their common ancestor at the 50^th percentile to be 17 generations, or between 425 and 510 years ago. We all know how unrealistic it is to depend on the TIP calculator, but it’s the only tool we have in situations like this.

Given that these are the only two men who do match on STR markers, albeit distantly, in a genealogical timeframe, let’s see what the estimates using the 150 years per SNP mutation comes up with. This estimate is just that, devised by the haplogroup R-U106 project administrators, and others, based on their project findings. 150 years is actually the high end of the estimate, 98 being the lower end. Of course, different haplogroups may vary and these results are very early. Just saying.

CD has 207 high quality Novel Variants. He shares 188 of those with WJS, leaving 19 unshared Novel Variants. Utilizing this number, and multiplying by 150, this suggests that, if the 150 years per SNP is anyplace close to accurate, their common ancestor lived about 2850 years ago. If you presume that both men are incurring mutations at the same rate in their independent lines, then you would divide the number of years in half, so the common ancestor would be more likely 1425 years ago. If you use 100 years instead of 150, the higher number of years is 1900 and the half number is about 950 years.

It’s fun to speculate a bit, but until a lot more study has occurred, we won’t be able to reasonably estimate SNP age or age to common ancestor from this information. Having said all of that, it’s not a long stretch from 710 years to 950 years.

It looks like STR markers are still the way to go for genealogical matching and that SNPS may help to pull together the deeper ancestry, migration patterns and perhaps define family lines. I hope the day comes soon that I can order the Big Y for lots more project members. Most of these men do have STR marker matches, and to men with both the same and different surnames. I’d love to see the Big Y results for those individuals who match more closely in time.

This is still the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot left to discover! If you or a family member have haplogroup Q results, please consider ordering the Big Y. It would make a wonderful gift and a great way to honor your ancestors!

You can also contribute to the American Indian project at this link:

https://www.familytreedna.com/group-general-fund-contribution.aspx?g=AIP

In order to donate to the haplogroup C-P39 project which also includes Native Americans, please click this link:

http://www.familytreedna.com/group-general-fund-contribution.aspx?g=Y-DNAC-P39

______________________________________________________________

Disclosure

Thank you so much.

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Big Y Matching

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Roberta Estes

A few days ago, Family Tree DNA announced and implemented Big Y Matching between participants who have taken the Big Y test.

This is certainly welcome news. Let’s take a look at Big Y matching, what it means and how to utilize the features.

First, there are really two different groups of people who will benefit from the Big Y tests.

People trying to sort through lines of a common and related surname – like the McDonald or Campbell families, for example – and haplogroup researchers and project administrators.

My own family, for example, is badly brick walled with Charles Campbell first found in Hawkins County, TN in the 1780s. We know, via STR testing that indeed, he matches the Campbell Clan from Scotland, but we have no idea who is father might have been. STR testing hasn’t been definitive enough on Charles’ two known sons’ descendants, so I’m very hopeful that someday enough Campbell men will test that we’ll be able between STR and SNP mutations to at least narrow the possible family lines. If I’m incredibly lucky, maybe there will be a family line SNP (Novel Variant) and it won’t just narrow the line, it will give me a long-awaited answer by genetically announcing which line was his. Could I be that lucky??? That’s like winning the genetic genealogy lottery!

For today, the Big Y test at $695 is expensive to run on an entire project of people, not to mention that many of the original participants in projects, the long-time hard-core genealogists, have since passed away. We are now into our 15^th years of genetic genealogy.

For those studying haplogroups, the Big Y is a huge sandbox and those researchers have lost no time whatsoever comparing various individuals’ SNPS, both known and novel, and creating haplogroup trees of those SNPs. This is done by hand today, or maybe more accurately stated, by Excel. This is “not fun” to put it mildly. We owe these folks a huge debt of gratitude. Their results are curated and posted, provisionally, on the ISOGG Tree.

There is an in-between group as well, and those are people who are working to establish relationships between people of different surnames. In my case, Native American ancestors whose descendants have different surnames today, but who do share a common ancestor in some timeframe. That timeframe of course could be anyplace from a couple hundred to several thousand years, since their entry into the Americas across Beringia someplace in the neighborhood of 12-15 thousand years ago.

The Big Y matching is extremely helpful to projects.

Let’s take a look.

Big Y Matches

On your personal page, under “Other Results,” you’ll see the Big Y results. Click on Results” and you’ll see the following page.

The Known SNPs and Novel Variants tabs have been there since release, but the Matching tab, top left, is new.

By clicking on the Matching tab, you will then see the men you match based on your terminal SNP as determined in the Big Y Known SNPs data base. You will be matched to men who carry up to and including 4 mutations difference in known SNPs, and unlimited novel variant differences. If you have a zero in the “Known SNP Difference” column, that means you have no differences at all in known SNPs.

The individual being used for an example here has paternal ancestry from Hungary. His terminal SNP is reported as R-CTS11962. Therefore, all of the people he matches should also carry this same SNP as their terminal SNP.

This is actually quite interesting, because of his 10 exact matches, 9 of them have surnames or genealogy that suggests eastern European/Slavic ancestry. The 10^th, however, which happens to be his closest match, carries an English surname and reports their ancestor to be from Yorkshire, England. His one mutation differences carry the same pattern, with one being from England and two of the other three from eastern Europe.

Our participant has 155 total Novel Variants, 135 high quality and 20 medium quality. Only high quality are listed in the comparison. Medium quality are not.

Ancestral Location	Known SNP Difference	Shared Novel Variants	Non Matching Known SNPs
Yorkshire, England	0	134	None
Prussia	0	127	None
Ukraine	0	121	None
Poland	0	121	None
Belarus	0	119	None
Poland	0	116	None
Poland	0	116	None
Russian e-mail	0	113	None
Bulgaria	0	113	None
Slovakia	0	111	None
English surname	1	126	PF6085
Undetermined, poss German	1	121	F1816
Poland	1	118	F552
Poland	1	116	CTS10137
Prussia	2	122	CTS11840 PF4522
Poland	2	112	L1029 PR6932
Russia	3	116	CTS3184 L1029 PF3643
Poland	3	106	CTS11962 L1029 L260
Ukraine	3	105	CTS11962 L1029 L260
Poland	3	104	CTS11962 L1029 L260
Poland	3	100	CTS11962 L1029 L260
Poland	3	99	CTS11962 L1029 L260
Eastern European surname	3	98	CTS11962 L1029 L260
Poland/Germany	3	97	CTS11962 L1029 L260
Austria/Galacia	3	93	CTS11962 L1029 L260
Poland	4	97	CTS11562 CTS11962 L1029 L260

It’s also very interesting to note that his non-matching known SNPs tend to cluster. Non-matching known SNPs can go in either direction – meaning that they could be absent in our participant and present in the rest, or vice versa.

It’s easy to tell. In the Big Y Results, under Known SNPs, there is a search feature. This means that it’s easy to search for SNPs and to determine their status. For example, above, our participant does carry SNP L1029 (he’s derived or positive (+) for the mutation in question). This means that our participant has developed L1029, and, it just so happens, also CTS11962 and L260, the three clustered SNPs, since these men shared a common ancestor.

It’s difficult not to speculate a little. If the TMCRA Big Y SNP estimates are correct, this suggests that these 3 clustered SNPS occurred someplace between 4350 and about 5000 years ago, based on the range (93-106) of the number of high quality novel variant differences. We’ll talk more about this in a minute.

For SNP F552, our participant is negative, meaning that that other person has developed this SNP since their shared ancestor. In fact, he’s negative for all of the other Known SNP differences.

Novel Variants

The Novel Variants are quite interesting. Novel Variants are mutations that if found in enough people who are not related within a family group will someday become SNPs on the tree. Think of them as ripening SNPs.

By clicking on the “Show All” dropdown box you can see the list of the participants novel variants and how many of his matches share that Novel Variant.

In this example, all 26 of our participant’s novel variants share 13142597. I’m thinking that this Novel Variant will someday become classified as a SNP and not as a Novel Variant anymore. When that happens, and no, we don’t know how often Family Tree DNA will be reviewing the Novel Variants for SNP candidates, it will no longer be in the Novel Variant list. The Novel Variants are meant to be family, novel or lineage SNPs, not population based SNPS that apply to a wide variety of people. Finding these, of course, and adding them to the human haplotree is the entire purpose of full sequence Y chromosomal testing. Just look at tall of this new information about this man’s ancestors and the DNA that they passed on to this gentleman.

By scrolling down to the bottom of that list, we find that our participant has 8 different Novel Variants where he matches only one individual. By clicking on the Novel Variant number, you can see who he matches. Of those 8, 7 of them match to the man who carries the English surname and one matches to a gentleman from Prussia.

This information is extremely interesting, but it gets even more interesting when compared against STR matches. Our participant has a fairly unusual haplotype above 12 markers. He has three 67 marker matches, two 37 marker matches and thirty-three 25 marker matches. None of the men he matches on the SNP test match him on any of those tests. I did not check his 12 marker matches, because I felt that anyone who would invest the money in the Big Y would certainly have tested above 12 markers plus our participants has several hundred 12 marker matches.

The numbers being bantered around by people working with SNP information suggest that one Big Y mutation equals about 150 years. If this is true, then his closest match, the English gentleman from Yorkshire, England would share an ancestor about 2850 years ago. That is clearly beyond the reach of STR markers in terms of generational predictions, so maybe STR matches are not expected in this situation, IF, the 150 year per novel variant estimate is close to accurate.

Another interesting piece of information that can be deduced from this information is how many SNPs were actually found.

At the bottom of our participants page, under Known SNPs, it says “Showing 24 of…571 entries (filtered from 36,274 total entries.)” We know that the entire data base of SNPs that Family Tree is utilizing, which includes but is not limited to the 12,000+ Geno 2.0 SNPs, is 36,274. In other words, 36,274 are the number of SNPs available to be found and counted as a SNP because they have already been defined as such. Any other SNPs discovered are counted as Novel Variants.

Not all available SNPs are found and read in this type of next generation test. The number of “Matching SNPs” with each individual gives us an idea of how many SNPs actually were found and read at either a medium and high confidence level. Low confidence SNPs and no-calls are eliminated from reporting.

Our participants best match matches him on 25,397 SNPs. This leaves a total of 10,877 SNPs that were not called.

The Future

SNP Matching is a wonderful feature and a first in this industry. A hearty thank you to Family Tree DNA!

However, like all passionate people, we are already looking ahead to see what can be and should be done.

Here are some suggestions and questions I have about how the future will unwrap relative to Big Y SNP testing and matching.

Within surname projects, matching should be relatively easy, unless hundreds of people test. I would be happy to have that problem. Today, administrators are creating spreadsheets of matches and novel SNPs and attempting to “reverse engineer” trees. In family groups, those trees would be of Novel SNPs, and in haplogroup projects, those trees would be of both Known SNPs and Novel Variants and where the Novel SNPS slip in-between the known SNPs to create new branches and sub-branches of the haplotree. We, as a community, need some tools to assist in this endeavor, for both the surname project admin and the haplogroup project admin as well.
As new SNPs are discovered in the future, one will not be retested on this platform. As new SNPs are added to the tree, this could affect the matching by terminal SNP. Family Tree DNA needs to be prepared to deal with this eventuality.
As a community, we desperately need a better tool to determine our actual “terminal SNP” as opposed to the Geno 2.0 terminal SNP. Yes, I know the ISOGG tree is provisional, but the contributed tools initially provided by volunteers to search the ISOGG tree utilizing the known SNPs reported in Big Y no longer work. We desperately need something similar while Family Tree DNA is revamping its own tree. I would hope that Family Tree DNA could add something like a secondary “search ISOGG tree” function as a customer courtesy, even if it needs some disclaimer verbiage as to the provisional nature of the tree.
With the number of SNPs being searched for and reported, no calls begin to become an issue, especially if the no-call happens to be on the terminal SNP. We need to be able to determine whether a non-match with someone is actually a non-match or could be as a result of a no-call, and without resorting to searching raw data files. Today, participants can order a SNP test of a SNP position that has been reported as a no-call, but one needs to first figure that out that it is a no-call by looking at the BAM and BED files, something that is beyond the capability of most genetic genealogists. Furthermore, in the case of a “suspicious” no-call, where, for example, individuals in the same surname project with the same surname and other matching SNPS and STRs, some type of “smart-matching” needs to be put into place to alert the participant and project admin of this situation so that they can decide up on a proper course of action. In other words, no-calls need to be reported and accounted for in some fashion, as they are important data points for the genetic genealogist.

I am extremely grateful to Family Tree DNA for their efforts and for Big Y matching. After all, matching is the backbone of genetic genealogy. This list is not a complaint list, in any sense. Family Tree DNA has a very long history of being responsive to their client base and I fully expect they will do the same with the next step in the Big Y journey.

The story of our DNA is not yet told. Where our STR matches are found and where our SNP matches are found tells the story of the migration of our ancestors. Today, SNPs and STRs promise to overlap, and already have in some cases. If I could, I would order a Big Y test for every individual that I sponsor and for every person in each of my projects. I feel that these tests, combined, will help immensely to complete the puzzle to which we have disparate pieces today. I look forward to the day when the time to the most recent common ancestor can be calculated by utilizing the Y STR markers, the known SNPs and the Novel Variants. In a very large sense, the future has arrived today. Now, we just have to test and figure out how all of the puzzle pieces fit together.

If you haven’t yet ordered a Big Y, you can order here. The more people who test, the larger the comparison data base, and the sooner we will all have the answers we seek.

______________________________________________________________

Disclosure

Thank you so much.

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Haplogroups, SNPs and Family Group Confusion

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Roberta Estes

The transition at Family Tree DNA from the old haplogroup naming convention to the new SNP-only naming convention has generated a great deal of confusion. It’s like surgery – had to be done – but it has been painful.

I’ve received several questions, many that are similar, so I’d like to attempt to resolve some of the confusing points here.

First, just a little background.

Ancient History

Remember, in 2008, when Michael Hammer et al rewrote the Y tree? If you do, then count yourself as an old-timer. Names such as R1b1c became R1b1a2. E3a became E1b1a and E3b became E1b1b1. We thought we were all going to die. But we didn’t – and now, if I hadn’t just told you, you wouldn’t even be able to remember the previous name of R1b1a2.

Why did this happen? Because when you have a step-wise tree where each step is given a number and letter, like this, you have no room for expansion.

R1a

R1a1

Each of these haplogroup names is assigned a SNP, and when a new SNP is discovered between R and R1, for example, the name R1 gets assigned to the new SNP and everyone downstream gets renamed and/or a new SNP assigned. If you think this is confusing, it is and was – terribly so. In fact, as testimony to this, the last version of the FTDNA tree, the ISOGG tree and the tree used by 23andMe are entirely out of sync with each other.

With the shift from about 800 SNPs to 12,000 SNPs with the Geno2.0 chip, it was definitely time to redo and rethink how haplogroup names are assigned. What seemed initially like a great idea turned out not to be when the magnitude of the number of SNPs that actually exist was realized. In reality, they needed to be obsoleted, but the familiar cadence of the letter number path will forever be gone – with the exception of the fact that the SNP is prefaced with the haplogroup name. We will no longer have our signposts, sadly, but our signposts were becoming overwhelmingly long. Here’s one example I copied from the ISOGG tree. R1b1a2a1a1c2b2a1a1b2a1a – seriously – I can’t remember that.

So, today, and forever more, R1b1a2 will be R-M269. It will not be shifted or “become” anything else. Moving a SNP to a new location becomes painless, because it will not affect anything upstream or downstream.

However, as you get use to this new beast, you’re going to want to refer to “what something was” before. You’ll find that articles, papers and who knows what else will refer to the haplogroup name – and you’ll need a conversion reference.

Here’s a link to that reference. I don’t know about you, but I copied this and created a .pdf file in case this reference disappears – not that that ever happens in the electronic world.

Why the Confusion?

Within projects, men with the same surname now have different haplogroups assigned, and the SNP names look entirely different. Before, if most of the surname group was R1b1a2, and one person had SNP tested at a deeper level and showed R1b1a2a1a1b4, it was easy to tell by looking that R1b1a2a1a1b4 fell underneath R1b1a2, and was a subclade. Today, with the new tree, everyone that was R1b1a2 is now shown as R-M269 and the lone R1b1a2a1a1b4 person is shown as R-L21. You can’t tell by looking if R-L21 is a subclade of R-M269 or the other way around. And another few SNP tests at different levels into the mix, and you have one confused administrator.

One thing hasn’t changed. Notice the haplogroup I-M253 individual in the purple group below. There is a note that their parentage is uncertain. Given the completely different haplogroup – this individual does not fit into any groups of Estes males biologically. So completely different haplogroups are still exclusive, meaning you can tell at a glance that these folks do not share a common ancestor, even though their genealogy says that they should.

Ok, got that now? Good, because it gets more confusing.

Family Tree DNA did not do a one to one conversion, meaning they did not create a conversion table where R1b1a2=R-M269. They did an entirely new prediction routine. This makes sense, because they don’t hard code the haplogroup – it’s fluid and based on either a hard and fast SNP test or a prediction routine. This also allows for easy future improvements, and they utilize 37 markers for haplogroup predictions now instead of just 12, in most cases.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, the prediction routine produces different results for people within the same family group, based on STR marker results and how many STRs are tested.

What this means is that different people in the same family line will have different haplogroup predictions, as you can see in the groups above of individuals all descended from one male, Abraham Estes.

This isn’t wrong, as in incorrect, but it is confusing, especially when you’re used to seeing everyone who has not been SNP tested have a matching haplogroup within families.

Enter the Terminal SNP

The terminal SNP is your SNP that is furthest down the tree based on the SNPs that you have tested. That second part is really important – based on the SNPs that you have tested.

When you’re looking at your matches, you can see their terminal SNP in the column below to the right, but what you can’t tell is if they have tested for any downstream SNPs and were found negative.

For example, if you are tested positive for R-M269 (formerly R1b1a2) and someone else that you match is R-L21, which is downstream of R-M269 – this does not exclude them as valid matches, UNLESS the first R-M269+ gentleman has actually tested for R-L21 and is negative. You, of course, have no way of knowing this without asking the other participant.

Also, testing “negative” is a bit subjective, because there are known no-calls in the Geno 2.0 results – so if the Geno 2.0 result did not include the terminal haplogroup you expected, and the outcome is truly important to you, meaning family defining – have that defining SNP, if it’s absent in the Geno 2.0 raw data results, tested individually through regular Sanger sequencing – meaning purchase it separately through Family Tree DNA. A non-positive result in the Geno 2.0 results is typically interpreted to mean negative, but that is not always the case. In most situations, if everything else matches, meaning surname, STRs and other SNPs, it’s not necessary to test the SNP separately – but it is available if you need to know, positively.

Secondly, the terminal SNP on the new Family Tree DNA haplotree and in your results, if you have taken the Big Y, the Walk Through the Y or purchased individuals SNPs, may be different. Why, and how would you know?

The why is because Family Tree DNA has synced to the Geno 2.0 tree at this point, and there have been many new SNPs discovered since the Geno 2.0 tree was developed in 2012. The ISOGG tree is more current, but keep in mind that it is a provisional tree. However, you still need to have a way to determine your terminal SNP beyond the Geno 2.0 criteria if you have had advanced testing.

There were originally some tools created by individuals to help with this dilemma, but both tools appear to no longer work. Kitty Cooper blogged about this, and was apparently recently successful, but I was not. I downloaded the updated version of the Big Y Chromosome extension that I wrote about and was using the Morley tree but that no longer functions either. Let’s just say that the word frustrated doesn’t even begin to apply….

My suggestion is to work closely with your haplogroup and surname project administrator(s). Many of the administrators have put together provisional charts and the haplogroup project pages are grouped by SNP groupings with suggestions for additional relevant testing.

The U106 project is a great example of proactive administrators. Individual participants are clearly categorized and the categories suggest an appropriate “next step.” Looking at their home page, the administrators make themselves readily available to project members for consulting about how to proceed.

Yes, all of this change is a bit fuzzy right now, but give it a bit of time and the fog will clear. It did in 2008 and we all survived.

Tree Updates

Family Tree DNA has committed to at least one more tree update this year, and let’s hope that it includes all of the SNPs in the reference data base they are using for the Big Y.

I’ll be talking about Big Y comparisons in a future article.

______________________________________________________________

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1348 – It Was a Very Bad Year – 52 Ancestors #25

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Roberta Estes

It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of darkness…it was the winter of despair. (Apologies to Charles Dickens.)

In my family history, 1348 was probably the worst year, ever, and I do mean EVER – and if you have European ancestry – it was, undoubtedly, for your family too. Why?

The Plague.

The Black Plague.

The Black Death.

The Great Plague.

The Great Pestilence.

The Great Mortality.

Bubonic Plague.

And it was probably, worse, far worse, than you know, or can even imagine.

It was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history – or at least the part of human history that we know about. Between 1348 and 1350, estimates are between 30% and 60% of all Europeans died. DNA from victims tells us that the source of the plague was indeed the Yersinia Pestis bacterium, originating in Asia and spread by rat fleas on ships. The epidemic began on the island of Sicily, spread from south to north, eventually encompassing all of Europe.

And it didn’t just happen once, it happened over and over again, beginning in the mid-1300s. It appeared again and again throughout the 1300-1700s, especially in major cities, but not as widespread and all-encompassing as the initial 1348 outbreak. By the year 1400, it’s estimated that the plague had reduced the world population from about 450 million to about 300-350 million.

According to historians, the plague was reported someplace in Europe every year between 1346 and 1671. Repeated outbreaks in some areas took high percentages of the population several times. London, for example, lost half of its population initially, then again in 1471, 10-15% of the population died, and in 1479-80 another 20%. In 1563, 1593, 1603, 1625, 1636 and 1664, London lost 20% of its population with each subsequent outbreak.

This drawing depicts the Great Plague of London in 1665, which killed up to 100,000 people.

Anyone who could afford to left London for six months or so during the worst of the plague. All cats and dogs were destroyed as a preventive measure. This allowed rats to flourish and spread the disease which was carried by their fleas. The painting shows a scene of horror. After sunset carts were driven through the streets to collect the dead. They were taken to the nearest graveyard to be buried in plague pits, as shown above. Fires burned to make smoke. Pipes of tobacco were smoked, posies of herbs worn and faces covered with masks. This was thought to be protection against contagion. London was overwhelmed with fear, terror and grief.

This scene was repeated throughout Europe. Norway lost 60% of its population between 1348-1350. Paris was stricken about every 3 years, repeatedly. There were 22 outbreaks in Venice between 1361 and 1528, and again in 1576 when one third of the population, about 50,000, people died. What do you do with 1000 dead bodies every day?

So, how bad was it, personally? Wiki gives us this information about symptoms.

Contemporary accounts of the plague are often varied or imprecise. The most commonly noted symptom was the appearance of buboes (or gavocciolos) in the groin, the neck and armpits, which oozed pus and bled when opened.

Boccaccio’s description is graphic, and I’m sparing you the photos:

“In men and women alike it first betrayed itself by the emergence of certain tumours in the groin or armpits, some of which grew as large as a common apple, others as an egg…From the two said parts of the body this deadly gavocciolo soon began to propagate and spread itself in all directions indifferently; after which the form of the malady began to change, black spots or livid making their appearance in many cases on the arm or the thigh or elsewhere, now few and large, now minute and numerous. As the gavocciolo had been and still was an infallible token of approaching death, such also were these spots on whomsoever they showed themselves. ”

Ziegler comments that the only medical detail that is questionable is the infallibility of approaching death, as if the bubo discharges, recovery is possible.

This was followed by acute fever and vomiting of blood. Most victims died two to seven days after initial infection. David Herlihy identifies another potential sign of the plague: freckle-like spots and rashes which could be caused by flea-bites.

Some accounts, like that of Louis Heyligen, a musician in Avignon who died of the plague in 1348, noted a distinct form of the disease which infected the lungs and led to respiratory problems and which is identified with pneumonic plague.

“It is said that the plague takes three forms. In the first people suffer an infection of the lungs, which leads to breathing difficulties. Whoever has this corruption or contamination to any extent cannot escape but will die within two days. Another form…in which boils erupt under the armpits,…a third form in which people of both sexes are attacked in the groin.”

What did this mean to our ancestors who survived? To begin with, people were dying so fast that they could not be afforded a proper burial. Below, the citizens of Tournai burying plague victims.

Most telling, perhaps are the testimonials of the people who survived, and wrote about what they endured – the unwilling chroniclers, as it were.

“They died by the hundreds, both day and night, and all were thrown in … ditches and covered with earth. And as soon as those ditches were filled, more were dug. And I, Agnolo di Tura … buried my five children with my own hands … And so many died that all believed it was the end of the world.”

—The Plague in Siena: An Italian Chronicle

He didn’t say that he buried 5 of his children, but that he buried “my five children.” As a parent, I can’t imagine a worse day in my worst imaginings of Hell.

“How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world! The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily, and died unattended and without help. Many died in the open street, others dying in their houses, made it known by the stench of their rotting bodies. Consecrated churchyards did not suffice for the burial of the vast multitude of bodies, which were heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches, like goods in a ships hold and covered with a little earth.”

—Giovanni Boccaccio

In fact, it may have been even worse than we know, and killed even higher percentages of people, especially in some locations. Geoffrey reveals that 90% of the English population may have died.

“The seventh year after it began, it came to England and first began in the towns and ports joining on the seacoasts, in Dorsetshire, where, as in other counties, it made the country quite void of inhabitants so that there were almost none left alive.

… But at length it came to Gloucester, yea even to Oxford and to London, and finally it spread over all England and so wasted the people that scarce the tenth person of any sort was left alive.”

—Geoffrey the Baker, Chronicon Angliae

Because of the massive number of deaths, mass graves were utilized, like this one in Martigues, France.

Now the good news is that archaeology digs at the sites of the mass graves, allow scientists to unquestionably identify the DNA of the culprit bacteria in different locations, across Europe, including France, Holland and England, and compare them. It appears from the genetic evidence that the plague may have come in waves, at least two different times, but the plague of the 1300s and 1400s is almost identical to that which hit Madagascar in 2013. So, the plague is not dead, just lurking, in the fleas of rats.

I wondered, how many of my ancestors died? We know that every one of my ancestors lived at least long enough to procreate, and at least one of their children lived long enough to procreate too. When you think about it, given all of the death – repeatedly – it’s nothing short of a miracle that we’re here at all. We are the offspring of the lucky ones.

How does that translate into what happened to my family members? I may not know who they were, their names, but assuredly, they lived then, were alive, functioning members of medieval society. How many were there? Assuming a 25 year generation, here’s how many ancestors we had living in the year 1350.

Generational Years	Ancestors
1950	2
1925	4
1900	8
1875	16
1850	32
1825	64
1800	128
1775	256
1750	512
1725	1,024
1700	2,048
1675	4,096
1650	8,192
1625	16,384
1600	32,768
1575	65,536
1550	131,072
1525	262,144
1500	524,288
1475	1,048,576
1450	2,097,152
1425	4,194,304
1400	8,388,608
1375	16,777,216
1350	33,554,432

If you allow for pedigree collapse, let’s say that half of these people were actually the same person, meaning that I’m descended from that person twice. That reduces the number of ancestors alive at that time to only about 16.5 million. Ok, now let’s say one third of them died, which is about 5 million. If half died, that’s about 8 million. Even if we collapse the pedigree by another 50%, which would be equivalent to a 30 year generation, 2.5 to 4 million ancestors, all dying at about the same time is a cataclysmic event in any family tree. And if you’re European and alive today, your tree suffered this same agonizing event, or series of events. The great irony is, that as horrific as this had to have been – I’ve never heard of a story, any oral history, in any family, that details or even suggests that this happened – and it was only about 650 years, or 23-25 generations, ago.

It’s a huge, huge loss, however you count it. The agony for those who remained to grieve their losses must have been immense, and intense. The very social fabric of families, communities and governments was torn from asunder the population. Blame was laid in many places, with many people, for many reasons, but never attributed to rats. And the people just kept dying.

This painting, from 1562, titled “The Triumph of Death,” by Pieter Bruegel reflects the social upheaval and terror that follow the plague that devastated Europe. The aftermath of the plague created a series of religious, social, and economic upheavals, which had profound effects on the course of European history. It took 150 years for Europe’s population to recover. No family was left untouched, and I’m sure many were simply wiped from the face of the earth.

Which brings up a question – how did my ancestors manage to survive? Was there some sort of advantage conferred upon some that others didn’t have? And if so, why?

Indeed, there may have been a protector. It’s called CCR5-delta32, where delta means deletion, and its found on chromosome 3. The receptor looks like this:

This particular deletion of a gene sequence has a specific impact on T cells and blocks the entry of disease agents. This deletion is found in between 4 and 20% of Europeans, but not in Africans or Asians. We know that it historically has protected people from smallpox, and it protects people from AIDS today. Initially it was thought that it also played a role in protecting people from the plague, but a second paper suggests otherwise. The jury is still out.

It would be interesting to determine the percentage of people who died from the plague that carried the deletion. If the percentage of plague victims with the double deletion is equal to the European percentage that carry CCR5-delta32 today, then it’s unlikely that the deletion conferred any protection, assuming the European percentage of CCR5-delta32 would have been approximately the same at that time as it is today.

If you want to know if you have the CCR5-delta32 deletion, there are two ways to find out.

If you tested at 23andMe before the FDA shut down their health reporting in late November, 2013, you can view your own results under the “Resistance to HIV/AIDS” trait by clicking on this link.

You can also browse your raw data, as shown below. In this case, if you have two copies of the deletion, you’re “fully protected,” whatever “fully protected” turns out to mean. One copy means you’re partially protected, which may mean that you can become infected but the infection does not progress to full blown AIDs, or it progresses more slowly. No deletion means that you have no protection. The individual in the example below has one copy of the deletion, the other is normal.

If you ordered your 23andMe test after November 2013 and don’t have health results, you’re not entirely out of luck. You can order the test individually at Family Tree DNA, if you are already a customer, by clicking on “Order an Upgrade,” then “Order an Advanced Test,” then follow the instructions below. The test costs $39.

The CCR5 mutation is autosomal, which means, of course, that you receive a copy from each parent.

In my case, I don’t carry the deletion, so neither of my parents carried two copies of the deletion or I would have inherited the deletion.

Of my children, one does have one copy of the deletion, and the other has no copies.

So, obviously, the plague did not kill everyone who didn’t carry two copies of the mutation, or today’s European descendants would only carry the mutated (deleted) version of the gene in question.

Still, for our ancestors, and our individual European families, regardless of how, why or protection conferred, 1348 was a really, really bad year from every possible perspective. It was indeed, the season of darkness, the winter of despair.

While I can’t tell you their names, I know they died, horrible deaths, buried in mass graves – and all I can do today is to remember them namelessly – my thousands of ancestors who died in 1348.

______________________________________________________________

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10 Things to Do With Your DNAPrint, renamed AncestrybyDNA, Test

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Roberta Estes

Please note, AncestrybyDNA is NOT the same as the AncestryDNA test sold by Ancestry.com. Both CeCe Moore and David Dowell have written about this in their respective blogs.

Back in 2002 (no, that is not a typo,) a new product called DNAPrint was introduced by a company then called DNAPrint Genomics. It provided you, in percentages, your percentages of 4 ethnic groups: Indo-European, East-Asian, Native American and African. Family Tree DNA remarketed this test for just over a year but ceased when they realized there were issues.

It was the first of its kind of test ever to be offered commercially, and version 2.0 utilized a whopping 71 ancestrally informative markers, according to the user’s guide delivered with the product. The next version of the test, 2.5, titled AncestrybyDNA included 175 markers, and a third version, which I don’t believe was ever released, was to include just over 300 markers.

In 2002, this was a baby step in a brand new world. We, as a community, were thrilled to be able to obtain this type of information. And of course, we believed it was accurate, or relatively so. However, the questions and ensuing debate started almost immediately and became very heated.

The company’s representatives indicated that East-Asian and Native American could be combined for those without a “Chinese grandpa” and that would have given me a whopping 25% Native American. Even then, before pedigree analysis, I thought this was a little high. My East Asian was shown as 15%, Native American at 10% and Indo-European at 75%. For reference, my real Native results are probably in the 1-3% range. Keep in mind that we were all babes in the woods, kind of stumbling around, learning, in 2002 and 2003.

Interestingly enough, I found the answer recently, quite by accident, to one of the burning questions about Native American ancestry that was asked repeatedly of Tony Frudakis during that timeframe, then a corporate officer of DNAPrint, and left unanswered. In Carolyn Abraham’s book, The Juggler’s Children, which is a wonderful read, on page 55, the answer to the forever-hanging question was answered:

“When I finally reached Frudakis, that’s how he explained the confusion over our Native ancestry result – semantics. The Florida company had pegged its markers as being Native American to appeal to the American market, he told me. But it was accurate to consider them Central Asian markers, he said, that had been carried to different regions by those who migrated from that part of the globe long ago – into the Americas, into East Asia, South Asia and even southern Europe – finding their way into today’s Greeks, Italians and Turks. ‘We may do ourselves a favour and change the name of this ancestry [component] in the test,’ he said, since apparently I wasn’t the only one baffled by it.”

So, now we know, straight from the horses mouth, via Carolyn.

Of course, since that time, many advances have occurred in this field. Today, Family Tree DNA, 23andMe, Ancestry.com and the Genographic Project utilize chip based technology and utilize over half a million markers to achieve ethnicity predictions. If DNAPrint, renamed AncestybyDNA was the first baby step, today we are teenagers – trying to refine our identity. Today’s tests, although not totally accurate, are, by far, more accurate than this first baby step. Give us another dozen years in this industry, and they’ll be spot on!

For 2003, when I ordered mine, DNAPrint was an adventure – it was exciting – it was a first step – and we learned a lot. Unfortunately, DNAPrint under the name AncestrybyDNA is still being sold today, currently owned by the DNA Diagnostics Center. If you are even thinking about ordering this product, take a look first at the Yelp reviews and the Better Business Bureau complaints.

I don’t regret spending the money in 2003. Spending money on this outdated test today would be another story entirely – a total waste. The results are entirely irrelevant today in light of the newer and more refined technology. Unfortunately, seldom a week goes by that I don’t receive an e-mail from someone who bought this test and are quite confused and unhappy. The test has been marketed and remarketed by a number of companies over the years.

So, here are some suggestions about what might be appropriate to do with your DNAPrint or AncestybyDNA results if you don’t want to just throw them away: