This Veterans Day stands apart from the rest, marking the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI.
I wondered how many of my direct line male ancestors served in some capacity.
I decided to make a chart tracking what I know of their service along with their Y DNA which represents that surname lineage. This was a fun project and will provide a discussion topic with family members at that not-too-distant holiday dinner.
Do you know how many ancestors you have that served their country?
Creating and sharing a chart like this just might result in a male descended from that same ancestor, or ancestral line who carries the surname today and is willing to Y DNA test. What a wonderful way to fill in that missing portion of your ancestor’s history.
If you are a male, carry the surname and descend from one of the men (or direct paternal lines) below, I have a DNA testing scholarship for you!
| Name | Birth | Death | Service | Y DNA |
| William Sterling Estes | October 1, 1901, 2 or 3 | August 27, 1963 | Army, WWI, 3 tours of duty | R-ZS3700 |
| John Y. Estes | Dec. 29, 1818 | September 19, 1895 | Civil War, CSA, POW | R-ZS3700 |
| Samuel Claxton | June 6, 1827 | Dec. 5, 1876 | Civil War, North, died as a result of injuries | R-JFS2001 |
| Jacob Kirsch | May 1, 1841 | July 23, 1917 | Civil War, unproven, wife applied for pension | We have a tester |
| John R. Estes | Mar-June, 1787 | May 30, 1885 | War of 1812, bounty land | R-ZS3700 |
| George Estes | Feb. 3, 1763 | July 1859 | Revolutionary War, 3 enlistments | R-ZS3700 |
| Moses Estes | 1711 | 1787 | French and Indian War | R-ZS3700 |
| Marcus Younger | Before 1740 | 1816 | Revolutionary War Contributor | I1-M253 |
| Jacob Dobkins | 1751 Augusta Co., VA | March 4, 1833 Claiborne Co., TN | Revolutionary War | DNA Testing Scholarship Available |
| Lazarus Dodson | 1760 | 1826 Claiborne Co., TN | Revolutionary War | R-P25 |
| Capt. John Dobkins | After 1787 Augusts Co., VA | Revolutionary War | DNA Testing Scholarship Available | |
| William McNiel | 1760/61 | 1830 | Revolutionary War | R-DF104 |
| Rev. George McNiel | 1720 | June 7, 1805 | Revolutionary War, unproven, Battle of King’s Mountain | R-DF104 |
| William Crumley III | 1788 | Feb. 18, 1859 | War of 1812 | I-M223 |
| Henry Bolton | 1759 | Nov. 24, 1846 | Revolutionary War, Pennsylvania Militia | R-BBY69454 |
| William Harrell | 1789/90 | October 8, 1859 | War of 1812 | I-P37 |
| John Harrold | 1761 | 1828/30 | Revolutionary War | I-P37 |
| Michael McDowell | 1747 | After 1840 | Revolutionary War | R-Z16432 |
| James Lee Clarkson/Claxton | about 1775 | Feb. 20, 1815, Fort Decatur, GA | War of 1812, died in service | R-JFS2001 |
| Samuel Muncy | 1740 | ? | Dunsmore’s War | I-Y92887 |
| Col. Robert Craven | 1696 | May 1782 | French and Indian War | R-M269 |
| Abraham Workman | April 27, 1708 | 1813 | Militia | I-M253 |
| Jan Derik Woertman | 1665 | Revolutionary War | I-M253 | |
| Nicholas Speak | March 3, 1782 | August 4, 1804 | War of 1812 | I-BY14004 |
| Gideon Faires | Before 1748 | March 1821 | Revolutionary War, Campaign Against the Cherokees | DNA Testing Scholarship Available |
| Philip Jacob Miller | 1726 | September 1799 | Rev War Militia | R-CTS7822 |
| Johann Nicholas Schaeffer | Jan. 3, 1736 | Jan. 20, 1796 | Revolutionary War | R-U106 |
| William Hall | June 8, 1651 | July 11, 1727 | Militia | Uncertain if descendant has tested – may be scholarship available |
I was surprised that there were 28 veterans. One, James Lee Claxton, died in the War of 1812 and Samuel Claxton, his grandson, died as a result of his service in the Civil War.
Philip Jacob Miller was a Brethren and managed to serve in the militia in spite of that.
Several men served in frontier forts.
Two men, my father and George Estes served 3 terms each.
Furthermore, all men in colonial times were militia members, so in essence, they all served in some capacity.
I’m sure there are more veterans whose service records I just haven’t discovered yet.
Discovering Your Veterans’ Haplogroups
If you would like to compile the Y haplogroups of your service veterans, or any other male lines, first check the Y DNA projects at Family Tree DNA to see if anyone has tested in your line by clicking here and scrolling down until you see the area to enter the surname you’re searching for.
Check the surname project to determine if any of the most distant ancestors listed are yours.
Then, find a male who carries that surname in your family line to Y DNA test to confirm a match to your surname line. No one listed from your line yet? Not everyone joins projects, so be sure to test. You’ll never know what you’ll learn.
I’m upgrading several of my Y lines to Big Y tests one by one. As genealogists, we want every scrap of information about our ancestors and what better tool to tell stories about the past than their own DNA.
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You said, “all men in colonial times were militia members”. How does the DAR decide which of those who served in the militia is qualified for membership?
Good question.
“Colonial times” were before 1775. DAR membership is for the Revolutionary War from 1775-1783.
Roberta ,
Novel, “thinking outside the box,” means to obtain DNA test data.
I also had Brethren who served. They were usually teamsters.
Rudolf Meyers hauled supplies into Valley Forge during that cold winter for the war for independence.
Two of Rudolfs descendants;Jacob Franklin Meyers(my ggrandfather) and his brother : Daniel Myers where teamsters during the Utah Expedition.
Abraham Taylor wasn’t an anabaptist but he also was a teamster from New Milford, Connecticut who served a 6 month hitch and was discharged in Harrisburg near the end of the war for independence, 1780.
Good luck on your search for the volunteers.
Your Samuel Muncy is my fifth grand uncle. Jane Muncy was married to my third great-grandfather John C. Moore.
So pleased to meet a cousin. Does our DNA match?
I don’t know. If it does, it is probably a 5-8 match.My tree is on Ancestry under TFCMay-May-Moore. My Gedmatch # is A971635. I am only sure of my Moores to John C. Moore b, 1795 in Montgomery Co. Virginia. He and Jane left Russell Co. after 1830 and went to Whitley Co..Kentucky. I know his father was a John and his mother was a Mary Elizabeth Ramsey. I have been looking at two families the Moore-Walkers and the Riley Moore-Holland. The Muncys were easier to trace. Nice to speak to you too.
I will check for matches when I get home.
John C Moore was my 5th great grandfather. I have been unable to find documentation of his parents. You have John Moore and Mary Ramsey. Do you have documentation that shows this? Thanks
Message for Russell W. Taylor.
Russell, I’d like to exchange information about your Meyer ancestors who served as teamsters for the U.S. Army’s Utah Expedition, 1857-58. Please contact me at MacKBP@msn.com.