Great News! Y-DNA Proves Suspicions

Since I began my journey to discover my early West ancestors, I have come to believe that my West line belongs in FTDNA’s West Family Group 1.  At last, my strong suspicion has been proved through Y-DNA testing.

Why have I felt so strongly about this?  It’s because so many of the Y-DNA matches in Group 1 descend from West males who, I believed, were brothers--Solomon West, Alexander West, John West, Jr., and Isaac West.  Solomon, Alexander, John, and Isaac lived in the right time frame and in the right location, and many of their descendants were named after them.  I believe that their parents were John West and Mary Madden.

In addition, my sister has an FTDNA autosomal match with a man who descends from John West and his second wife, Eleanor Massey. Unfortunately, my sister’s match does not have the West surname and would not be able to prove the West line with his Y-DNA results.

Before I proceed with “the rest of the story,” I must provide a little background information.  Solomon West (1726-1830), the presumed brother of my Alexander West (about 1730-?), married Isabella Boyd and named one of their sons Alexander (1776-1860) who married Sarah Hawkins.

My Alexander West (1730-?), whose wife is unknown, named his first child Alexander West (1751-1834) who married Hannah Langley. 

Several years ago, a West male who descends from Solomon West (1726-1830) and Isabella Boyd and their son, Alexander West (1776-1860), discovered through FTDNA Y-DNA testing that he belongs in West Family Group 1.  Within the the last month, a Y-DNA match, who is my 5^th cousin, was informed that his results also place him in West Family Group 1.  He descends from the son of my Alexander West who was Alexander West (1751-1834) and Hannah Langley.  What a great discovery!

So…we now have two West men who descend from different sons of the same male West who belong to FTDNA’s West Family Group 1. We can presume that Solomon and Alexander West were brothers and were likely sons of John West and Mary Madden.

It would be wonderful if other males with the West surname, who believe that they are biological descendants from John West and Mary Madden or John West and his second wife Eleanor Massey, would participate in Y-DNA testing through Family Tree DNA.

What’s next?  I strongly suspect that the parents of John West, who was first married to Mary Madden and second to Eleanor Massey and the father of these four brothers (Solomon, Alexander, John, and Isaac), may have been the John West who was married to Sarah Haskell.  My suspicion is based on the fact that another John West, who may have been the father of John West (spouse of Mary Madden), appears in land records in the same area and at the same time as that of a John West and his apparent four sons—Solomon, Alexander, John, and Isaac.  Also, for some reason, Sarah Hawkins just keeps popping up as a spouse of a John West!

Anyone may go to the West Family DNA Project Results page (http://web.utk.edu/~corn/westdna/west5.htm) and read about the various West Family Groups.

©The Wests of Wilkes, Charlotte West Dade, Mar. 16, 2019

John West, Jr. – Was He My 6th Great Uncle?

During the last week of April of this year, my fourth cousin, Joanne, and I spent two days researching at the Old Tryon County Genealogical Society Library in Forest City, Rutherford County, North Carolina, and at the Broad River Genealogical Society Library in Shelby, Cleveland County, North Carolina.  What were we looking for? 

If you recall in an earlier post, “A Genealogist’s Progress,” on February 10, 2014, I described meeting a male West, whom I’ll call D. West, who descends from John West, Jr. (1732 Tryon, NC-1776) and his son Thomas West (1760 Lincoln, NC-1831 Rutherford, NC) who married Elizabeth Preston.  I met D. West at the Tipton Family Association Meeting in Burnsville, North Carolina, in October 2013.  In December 2013, D. West tested with FTDNA’s Family Finder test and found that he is a genetic match with my sister and me.  The only connection that we appear to have is through the West lineage.

My hunch was that D. West’s 5^th great grandfather, John West, Jr. (b 1732), was the brother of my 5^th great grandfather, Alexander West (b about 1730).  Land records from Orange County, North Carolina, reveal that a John West, Sr., a John West, Jr., and an Alexander West were involved together in land transactions in that area during the 1750s.  John West, Sr. deeded land to Alexander West and John West, Jr.  In addition, John West, Sr. sold land to Peter Anderson and his wife, Catherine.  Peter and Catherine’s daughter, Susanna Anderson, married Isaac West who may have also been a son of John West, Sr. and a brother of Alexander West and John West, Jr.

Therefore, I couldn’t wait for the long winter months of January, February, and March to end so that my husband and I could make a trip to the area which had previously been Tryon County.  This area just happened to be in Forest City, Rutherford County, North Carolina, where my cousin, Joanne, lives.  Many thanks to her husband, Bobby, for giving my husband, Doug, a grand tour of the area which included the site of the Battle of King’s Mountain.

What a great time Joanne and I had those two days searching for long-lost grandfathers!  However, I’m still not sure that we found the John West that we hoped to find.  Again, so many West men were named John!  But, how many different John Wests could have been in the areas of Orange, Tryon, and Lincoln counties in the 1720s to 1780s?  I think we may be on to something once we organize all of our data so that we can see patterns and draw conclusions.

In addition, D. West plans to take the Y-DNA test.  His results may place him in the West Family DNA Project and perhaps indicate a particular West Family Group to which he may belong.  This would be valuable information to help us with our search for our Alexander West and his parents.

Until some new information changes my opinions and “hunches,” I will continue down this research road expecting to find that my Alexander West (5^th great grandfather) was the son of John West (senior) and his first wife, Mary Madden.

A Genealogist’s Progress

Suddenly, it appears that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.  How long it will take me to reach the end of that tunnel, I do not know.  After all, genealogy is a journey back in time that requires time and patience.

Several recent events or discoveries have been encouraging.  First, as I have mentioned in other posts, my sister and I have matched many "cousins" genetically through Family Tree DNA’s Family Finder test, an autosomal test, which matches one with “cousins” from both sides of his/her family.  However, the authenticity of our matches as related to this post will depend on the identity of our 6^th Great Grandfather West, something that still remains unproven.  It hinges on John West and Mary Madden being our 6^th great grandparents. But, there’s hope!

In July, 2012, I matched genetically with a male “cousin” who may, also, descend from John West and Mary Madden.  Again, if the paper trail proves the “cousinship,” he and I are 7^th cousins. 

In August, 2013, my sister and I matched significantly with a female “cousin” who descends from Phoebe West.  Phoebe West, the daughter of Isaac West and Susanna Anderson, may have been the granddaughter of John West and Mary Madden. My one concern about this match is that we also match this female cousin as 7^th cousin 2R through the Triplett line.  If the paper trail works out with the John West/Mary Madden lineage, my sister and I are 7^th cousins 2R with this cousin, also.  Could the significant match be attributed to the fact that we may match the cousin much closer with the Tripletts than we have discovered, or is it because we match her through two lineages, the Wests and Tripletts?

In October, 2013, my sister genetically matched a male “cousin” who descends from John West and his second wife, Eleanor Massey.  Again, if, indeed, John West is our 6^th great grandfather, my sister and her male cousin are 6^th cousins 1R.  This connection is based on better research and documentation.  Furthermore, no other lineages appear to be possibilities for their match.

The most significant match, however, occurred on January 27, 2014.  It is one that my sister and I have with a male “cousin” with the West surname.  Since I descend from the Tipton family, Doug and I attended the Tipton Family Association of America meeting in Burnsville, North Carolina, in October, 2013.  Unexpectedly, I met Mr. West who was attending the Tipton meeting with his wife, a Tipton descendant.  At the time we could not determine if we were related and decided to exchange information.  When I saw his West direct line, I immediately felt that his 5^th great grandfather, John West, born in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1732, could be the brother of my 5th great grandfather, Alexander West, born about 1730. 

The best is yet to come!  Mr. West took FTDNA’s Family Finder test in December.  His results were reported on January 27, 2014.  And YES! He is a genetic match with my sister and me!  I couldn’t be happier.  Of course, we still don’t know the father of his John West.  He does not know the spouse of his John West.  On-line researchers believe that his John West served in the Revolutionary War and was likely killed in the battle at Moore’s Creek near Wilmington, NC, in February, 1776.  Mr. West descends through John West’s son, Thomas West and Thomas’ spouse, Elizabeth Preston.

Again, if we can prove that the parents of his John West and my Alexander West were John West and Mary Madden, Mr. West would be a 6^th cousin 1R to my sister and me.  The genetic match between him and us is quite significant because no surnames other than West are evident in our lineages.  Also, the three of us match significantly on the 14^th chromosome which indicates that we share a common ancestor.  My sister and I do not have any other matches “in-common” with Mr. West who match on the 14^th chromosome in the same segment that we match with him.  I find the data extremely significant.  On the down-side, Mr. West is not an “in-common” match with my sister’s male “cousin” West match or with my female “cousin” and male “cousin” matches.  It would have been nice if the six of us matched on that 14^th chromosome.

In addition, I’m excited that Mr. West plans to take one of the Y-DNA tests when they go on sale.  A Y-DNA test may connect him to other males who descend from the same male ancestor and place him in a West Family Group.

You know where I’m headed when the weather warms up – Rutherford County, NC, the county that was created from the western portion of Tryon in 1779 – to research John West, born in 1732, in Tryon County, North Carolina!

DNA and Its Role in Genealogy

In order to provide an overview of the various DNA tests available for genealogical research, I have compiled the following information in hopes that it will be helpful to those readers who are contemplating such testing.

For the purpose of genealogical research, several DNA tests are appropriate.  These tests are the Y-chromosome (Y-DNA), the mitochondrial (mtDNA), and the autosomal (atDNA).  The purpose of this document is to provide a basic understanding of the types of tests and what they reveal.

A copy of one’s DNA is present in all of his bodily cells except the red blood cells and is passed down to each of his succeeding generations.  Each individual has 23 pairs of chromosomes (one of each pair is from the mother and one from the father) with the 23^rd pair being the sex chromosome. 

The 23^rd chromosome from the mother is always an X since she does not have a Y chromosome.  An X or a Y may be inherited by the fetus from the father.  If the X is inherited from the father, the fetus will be a female with two X chromosomes (XX).  If the Y is inherited from the father, the fetus will be a male with one of each chromosome (XY).

The two X chromosomes of the mother randomly swap information and genes.  The X chromosome that a fetus receives from its mother is a mixture of the X chromosomes from her parents.  The X that a fetus may inherit from its father is that of the father’s mother and is a mixture of his mother’s two X chromosomes, one that she received from her father and one that she received from her mother.  Therefore, the mixture in that X chromosome that the fetus receives from its father is from its maternal grandparents.

The Y Chromosome DNA Test (Y-DNA) is a test only for males.  It analyzes the male Y chromosome which is transmitted ONLY from father to son.  Therefore, the Y-DNA test provides information about the direct male line from son to father, to his father, to his father, etc.  The results are reported in markers.  Several Y-DNA tests assess different amounts of markers.  Family Tree DNA offers the following Y-DNA tests:  the Y-DNA37 which assesses 37 markers and provides matches that are likely to be related with the past 8 generations; the Y-DNA67 which assesses 67 markers and provides matches that are likely to be related within the past 6 generations; and the Y-DNA111 which assesses 111 markers and provides matches that are likely to be related within the past 4 generations.  Also, with the Y-DNA test, a haplogroup is predicted.  Male halpogroups are labeled with the letters A through T. The haplogroup provides the participant with information regarding the major population group from which he descends. 

Participants in the Y-DNA testing program may join a FTDNA surname project in which those with the same surname may share information.

The Mitochondrial DNA Test (mtDNA) may be taken by males and females. The mitochondrial is a small circle of DNA found inside the cells and has only 37 genes.  It does not recombine and is, therefore, passed on from the mother to the child without change.  The mitochondrial (mtDNA) is passed from the mother to each of her children, male or female.  Only females can pass the mtDNA to their children.  The mtDNA test reveals information about one’s direct maternal line from one’s mother, from her mother, from her mother, etc.  The mtDNA test identifies the world origin of one’s lineage and the haplogroup to which he or she belongs.  These haplogroups are continent-specific and/or region-specific.  The female haplogroups are identified with the letters of the alphabet depending on the system used by the testing company.  Family Tree DNA uses the Cambridge Reference Sequence, which is the accepted mtDNA standard, using the following letters of the alphabet with their corresponding regions:  J, K – Southern Europe; H, T, U, V, X – Northern Europe; J, N – Middle East; L, L1, L2, and L3 – Africa; A, B, C, D, F, G – Asia; and A, B, C, D, and sometimes X – Native American.  Those interested in learning more about the female haplogroups will find The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes, a genetics professor at Oxford University, very informative.

The mtDNA test is available in the mtDNA Plus, a mid-level assessment, and the mtDNA Full Sequence, the highest level of assessment. The mtDNA Plus reports results in two hypervariable regions, HVR1 and HVR2.  The matches included with these two regions are related to the past 28 generations.  The mtDNA Full Sequence reports results in all three regions, HVR1, HVR2, and the Coding Region.  Matches are related within the past 16 generations. 

The Autosomal Test (atDNA) is appropriate for both men and women and provides male and female matches that are related within the last 5 generations.  However, matches beyond 5 generations are frequently found, but the confidence level set by FTDNA for the Family Finder test is 5 generations.  Family Finder is capable of identifying matches in any branch of one’s family and is not limited solely to the paternal or maternal lines.  In addition, it provides percentages of one’s ancestral lineage such as Native American, Middle-Eastern, Jewish, African, and Western and Eastern European.   In Family Tree DNA, the autosomal test is known as Family Finder.

The analyses of one’s 22 chromosomes (not the 23^rd one) are reported in terms of centimorgans (cMs), longest blocks, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) which is the most common type of genetic variation among people.  One may compare this information with other matches using graphics and spreadsheets which may be accessed through the FTDNA’s Family Finder site.   In addition, relationship-ranges and estimated-relationships are predicted for each of one’s matches.  One must understand that the DNA he inherits from his parents (50% from the father and 50% from the mother) does not represent 25% from each of the 4 sets of grandparents or 12.5% from each of the 8 individual grandparents but is a random mixture.  However, the fact that long blocks often “stick together” for several generations makes matching possible.

In Conclusion

Close relatives will share larger fragments of DNA from a common ancestor and smaller segments from more distant ancestors.  Even these small segments may hold valuable clues for the genealogist.

One cannot compare the results of the various tests.  Each test analyzes a different segment of the DNA and reports the results using different terminology.  The haplogroups for men with the Y-DNA test and those for women with the mtDNA tests are different and cannot be compared.

Family Tree DNA stores one’s DNA for 25 years so that one may upgrade to a higher level of testing without submitting another sample.  The number of one’s matches is dependent on the size of the company’s data base.  Also, if one’s lineage or surname is rare, he may not have any matches at first, but over time as the data base grows, participants with whom he matches will become available.

Family Tree DNA and 23andMe were the first two companies to offer autosomal DNA testing. Family Finder through Family Tree DNA is specifically recommended for genealogist and adoptees.  23andMe offers an autosomal DNA test called Relative Finder, which is similar to the Family Finder developed by Family Tree DNA.  Recently, 23andMe came under government scrutiny due to its offering health-related information based on the participant’s genetics without the benefits of professional medical attention.  Therefore, 23andMe no longer provides health-related information to its participants.

Ancestry.com started offering genetic testing in 2011.

DNA testing can be used to confirm one’s “paper trail,” to determine which family trees with the same or variant surnames are related, to determine individuals who are or are not related, and to provide clues for further research.

_____________________________________________________________

Sources:

“23andMe Halts Genetic Health Reports,”

http://healthland.time.com/2013/12/06/23andme-halts-genetic-testing-services/

“About Genetic Genealogy,”  http://www.thegeneticgenealogist.com/about-genetic-genealogy/

Family Tree DNA. “Products and Pricing,” http://www.familytreedna.com/products.aspx

Family Tree DNA. “Understanding DNA.”

http://www.familytreedna.com/understanding-dna.aspx

Hill, Richard. “Autosomal DNA Testing for Genealogy,”

http://www.dna-testing-adviser.com/Autosomal-DNA-Testing.html

Noles, Robert B, webmaster. “Understanding your Results: mtDNA Haplogroups,”

 Knowles/Knoles/Noles Family Association, DNA – 101, Knowles Surname DNA Project,

 October 25, 2012,  http://www.kknfa.org/mtdna_Haplogroups.htm

Powell, Kimberly. “Autosomal DNA Testing for Genealogy,” About.com  Guide.

http://genealogy.about.com/od/dna_genetics/p/autosomal.htm

Smolenyak, Megan Smolenyak and Ann Turner. Trace Your Roots with DNA. Holtzbrinck

 Publishers, 2004.