Part 880sr – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Updated Y-DNA Results – Haplogroup R-CTS7822

Good Day,

I have been reclassified. My Smith Paternal Line is R-CTS7822.

This means that as a descendant of ggg-grandfather James Smith my Y-DNA has gone from one of the more-common to just a little less-more-common… And this includes all male descendants of this Smith line, including the Lloyd Smiths, the Malin Smiths, the Landreth Smiths, et al, that is, if you can trace your ancestry back to great-great-great James Smith of Grenada.

Most recently I had two more SNPs tested – CTS7822 and F2863 with Family Tree DNA. That’s Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, SNP, pronounced snip; plural snips. SNPs are the most common type of genetic variation among people.

One test, F2863 came back negative and the other, CTS7822 came back positive. My Haplogroup classification at Family Tree DNA and at National Geographic’s The Genographic Project has now been changed to R-CTS7822. This is an adjustment from the previous R-L23 and this has something to do with the mapping of the YSC0000072, even though Family Tree DNA has me tested as negative for this SNP.

And what does this mean? According to Geno 2.0 of The Genographic Project each person is assigned to a specific Haplogroup. The Haplogroup is my branch on the human family tree… People belonging to the same Haplogroup can trace their descent to a common ancestor and even a specific place where that ancestor may have lived.

I am 1 of 678,632 participants of The Genographic Project. Accordingly 0.8% of all participants in the Project are included in my paternal Haplogroup and that includes 5,429 participants. As the Y-DNA is passed from father to son to son this means, once again, that all of ggg-grandfather James Smith’s descendants are of the R-CTS7822 Paternal Line.

As a member of one of the Y-DNA projects, the Bristol Channel DNA Project, the current update includes the following members with the Surnames which have tested positive for the SNP CTS78222.  These include Bennett, Coat, Follis, French, Locke, Peed, Robinson, Seymour, and Smith.

One of the project members has been running an analysis on our STRs (Short Tandem Repeats) and has calculated/estimated that our MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor) for our grouping may have lived somewhere between 950 AD and 1200 AD. This time frame may be subject to refinement as more kits (albeit persons) join this specific Project.

There is still one hell of a lot that I need to learn and understand. I’m a bit farther along, but I have only scratched the surface of the information. Images and certificates are published by Family Tree DNA and National Geographic The Genographic Project.

Stay tuned.

And the mosquitoes are biting tonight. Have to get me some bay-rum for the itch.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 876sr – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Y-DNA Haplogroup R-L23 – Still Trying To Understand

Good Day,

Yes, I am still trying to understand my Y-DNA results. And it has been sometime since I have even touched my data and information.  My current and tested Haplogroup is R-L23 (R1b1a2a).

Here’s a quick rundown. According to Max Blankfeld of Family Tree DNA, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes: 22 pairs are what we call the autosomal or the recombining DNA. The 23rd pair is the sex gene. Paternity tests use the autosomal. Those are passed from both mother and father and "mixed" into the child, whether male or female. This mixture generates a new set of 22 pairs. This is the part of the DNA that a paternity test company uses.

The 23rd and final pair, the sex gene, is transmitted to the children. A male child receives X-Y, which is the father's Y-DNA and the mother's mtDNA, while a female child receive X-X, which means only the mtDNA from the mother. The Y received by the male son, is passed on to his son.  This son receives his mother's mtDNA, not the grandmother's. So, the Y-DNA goes down the line while the mtDNA does not, and the autosomal continues to be mixed as it progresses down and through the generations...

There are two different kinds of "transmissions" between the autosomal and the sex gene. Since the Y is transmitted from father to son, to grandson, to great-grandson....practically without mutations, this is the DNA that allows us to compare two males to find out if they descend from the same line.

A male child, and that includes me, receives my Y-DNA and that is the data that is revealed from my Y-sex gene, the part of me that I get from my father, Frederick Kenneth Lloyd Smith. This would mean that all the male Smiths, including the Lloyd Smiths, the Malin Smiths, the Landreth Smiths, et al, who are descended from great-great-great-grandfather James Smith all received the same Y-DNA.
The confirmed Haplogroup is R-L23; also written as R1b1a2a.

As you can see from the two ISOGG, 2010 and 2011, our R-L23 is the “Most common European R1b”.

There is a ton of work to go through and the study of genetics continues. Because my Smith Y-DNA is of the “most common European R1b”, and apart from having the most common name in the English language, I am continuing to investigate and delve into the testing. I have had some success and have been able to match 111 markers through Family Tree DNA to three/four other surnames: Ware; High/Robinson; and Seymour/Seymer.

I will carry on digging, and I mean drilling down, as tests continue to be added. Two outstanding tests are currently slated to be completed – CTS7822 and F2863. Theirs is still one hell of a lot for me to learn. Also I need to restart my search and research for the origins of our ggg-grandfather James Smith.

If you have any thoughts, ideas, questions, please feel free to contact me at A Genealogy Hunt.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - New Pieces To The Smith Genealogy Puzzle - Thoughts?

Early morning,

My mind has been focused on the repairs of the all the lightning damage and screw-ups... and now I am dealing with the insurance companies. I need to remind myself… “It took 1 ½ years the last time it happened; it took 1 ½ years.” Also my Internet router has been replaced.  The lightning surge damaged the uploading function.

Patience is a virtue, I think.

I am now beginning to continue to put the pieces of the unknown puzzle together… bit by bit. The search for the origins and genealogy of my ggg-grandfather James Smith continues.

In my search for my ggg-grandfather James Smith, one of the books that I have been reading is Douglas J. Hamilton’s “Scotland, the Caribbean and the Atlantic World, 1750-1820”, Manchester University Press, 2005.

Thanks Steve in Glasgow for the reference. As I have mentioned time and time again, any possible lead is fodder for my search. There are a couple of leads that are worth pursuing.

The first possible lead, on page 68 of the chapter “Scots On The Plantations”, I read:

“To prevent further delays, Baillie advised Home to grant Richard Landreth power of attorney: ‘Mr. Landreth is married to Mr. Fraser’s sister and in absence conducts all his business, and all others committed to his case’. 52”

The footnote 52 reads:

“NAS, GD267/5/32/8, Home of Wedderburn manuscripts, Evan Baillie to George Home, 28 April 1806. Papers relating to the case be found in GD267/5/9.”

Evan Baillie was one of the sons of Hugh Baillie of Dochfour.

“In the late 1790s, Alexander Fraser was in charge of the Baillie’s plantation of Hermitage in Grenada.”

From the site, Landreth History

The compiler recently received a copy of a letter written to Robert Landreth in New Zealand from Thomas Landreth Smith in St. George, Grenada. The letter was written 6 Oct. 1919, but most of the contents were excerpts from a letter written to Thomas Landreth Smith from Burnet Landreth in Philadelphia, PA in December 1909. Some to the contents as follows:

"The original Landreth family settled at Berwick-on-Tweed. The immediate ancestors of my grandfather, David Landreth, lived south of Berwick while other members of the family went north into Scotland.

"While my grandfather lived in Philadelphia, there was a resident nearby a certain John Landreth, a cousin, who was the State Surveyor, and a cousin of this surveyor was Richard Landreth, born near Stichell, a village northwest of Berwick, who was commissioned in 1781 a Lieutenant in the 94th Regiment, and in the course of duty was sent to the Island of Grenada, West Indies, and died in 1811 with the rank of Colonel. He married a Miss Fragier (or Fraser according to records) of Edinbourough."

"He had a brother, William, who was commissioned an Ensign in the 33rd Regiment, died in 1790."

"The two brothers were natives, either of Stichell or Hume. They had a sister, Mary, who married John Boyd of Peebles. They were sons of William Landreth of Stichell, who married Margaret, the daughter of Sir Thomas Brown of Stichell. William was a son of James Landreth of Hume."

Of one of the descendant lines of ggg-grandfather James Smith, the descendants have adopted the surname of Landreth-Smith.

The following cryptic note I received a couple of years ago from a family member. Thank you Steve in Wales for the copy.

“This is a copy of some notes Eileen Gentle (Smith) Carlisle gave to me. I believe the written by her father. I have them on a bad photocopy which will not scan properly. These notes go some way to explaining the Landreth connection.

Descent

Richard Landreth who was a Lieutenant in the army and afterward Col. In the local militia, a magistrate and member of the Kings Co. Had a daughter, Charlotte. Charlotte married Richard Collier in…
Their daughter married Thomas Smith who was the father of Thomas Landreth Smith

There are also some dates.
Richard Collier died 9.1.1840
Charlotte Collier died 9.1.1838
Thomas Smith died 184”

Enjoy these pieces to the puzzle, and search for ggg-grandfather James Smith. Please note that I am recording the above-mentioned quotes and excerpts exactly as I received them, spelling and grammar construction.

Jim

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Part 537rs - Smith Robertson Genealogy – Updated DNA Haplogroup Ascendancy Chart

Good Morning,

And a very wet good morning… without air-conditioning good morning to all. The positive thing is that it is overcast and should remain this way all day, and so I cannot complain… much.

With the release of the new Deep Clade results of our Robertson Y-DNA, I have updated the Smith YDNA and mtDNA Ascendancy Chart.

Please note that the close results between the Smith and the Robertson YDNA Haplogroup classifications. Interesting, if I say so myself.

If you have questions and ideas please feel free to contact me.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 513s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – My Smith Y-DNA Haplogroup Upgraded – R1b1a2a1

Evening,

A new set of results are in, back from Family Tree DNA. My confirmed and updated Haplogroup is now R1b1a2a1*; Shorthand: R-L150. I have updated my Smith YDNA and mtDNA Ascendancy Chart. This genealogy genetics stuff is amazing, and at times miles above my scope of understanding... but I'm trying.

The test that was conducted was to confirm that I may have, which of course has now resulted, tested positive for the L150 SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism). Per Family Tree DNA the test, a Deepclade Test, tells one, (me), more about one’s, (my), deeper ancestry… that is, the historic migrations of one’s direct paternal ancestors. A positive result, for my Smith is L150+ is a high quality confirmation of my placement on the Y-Chromosome Consortium’s (YCC) tree. You can view the latest 2010 YCC tree at this link.

Locate the R1b1a2a1 on the YCC tree. To date, I have tested negative for the deeper branches under the R1b1a2a1. It means that I do NOT belong to any of the subsequent branches which have been tested and resulted as negative. An asterisk “*” is included at the end of result which, I believe, indicates that there is still more to be discovered… and yet to come. It means that I still have to go deeper.

The results of my YDNA Tests are as follows:

P25+ M343+ M269+ M207+ M173+ L49+ L23+ L150+ U198- U152- U106- SRY2627- P66- P312- P311- P310- P107- M73- M65- M37- M222- M18- M160- M153- M126- L51- L151- L11-

All-things-being-equal these results should be close to or equal to YDNA results for all Smith descendants of ggg-grandfather James Smith. This will include the surnames Landreth-Smith, Smith, Lloyd-Smith, Lloydsmith, Malins-Smith and others unknown.

If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 498s – Smith Robertson Genealogy – First 23andMe Results Returned – Paternal Haplogroup = R1b1b2a

Morning,

Well the “brain-learnin’” continues. This is an amazing trek trying to pinpoint the origins of my ancestors and my genealogy.

I received the first part of the results from my 23andMe testings. It appears that the results for my X and Y, aka the sex, chromosomes are back.

First of all my Paternal Haplogroup is registering as R1b1b2a. As recorded by 22andMe, R1b1b2a is a subgroup of R1b1b2. R1b1b2 is the most common Haplogroup in Western Europe, where its branches are clustered in various national populations. Per 23andMe, the above map approximates locations of Haplogroup R1b1b2 circa 500 years ago, before the era of intercontinental travel.

The positive factor of this result is that it is the same result and Haplogroup as tested by Family Tree DNA. But this is only the YDNA. I am still awaiting the other results.

This should be the same Haplogroup for all the male Smiths, Landreth-Smiths, Lloydsmiths, Lloyd-Smiths, Malins-Smiths, et al who are descended from ggg-grandfather James Smith of Grenada.

Next the mtDNA and my maternal line Haplogroup, and the Autosomal DNA.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 465sr – Smith Robertson Genealogy – How Common Is Common?

Good day,



From time-to-time and as I get new DNA information, I try to contact anyone who has been reported to me by Family Tree DNA as a possible genetic Match. This is just in case that there may be a chance of some connection hiding on some limb on some branch in my ever-growing Family Tree.

The Matches, in the search for my genealogy and ancestry, that I attempt to contact in order to explore the possibility of finding a “Most Common Ancestor” are usually at the upper scales of the provided results. This means that if there is a reported Match for my YDNA results, I will try to get in touch with those who are matched at the 25 Marker or more levels. The other criteria are that the Match should have no more than a Genetic Distance of 3. There is a fair write-up of a definition of Genetic distance available at Wikipedia.

To date the best two Matches have been at the 67 Marker level where our YDNA has a Genetic Distance of 3. This means that we match at least 64 of 67 Markers. It also means that there is about a 97.01% probability that within 16 generations there may be a shared common ancestor. The surname of both these Matches is “Seymour”. We also know that prior to “Seymour” the preceding surname may have been “Semer”. I suppose at anytime our ancestors could have changed their surname to "Smith"... We certainly do it today.

Today we know that the surnames, or derivative surnames, that have originated from our ggg-grandparents James and Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith include: Smith; Lloydsmith; Lloyd-Smith; Malins-Smith; and Landreth-Smith. (And I am not including the varying use of upper- and lower-case letters.) I am recording every possible descendant derivation as may find. One thing, based on the scientific data, all males descended from ggg-grandfather James Smith will all have the same YDNA result – R1b1b2a.

As you can see from the Ancestry DNA chart that I created in Part 464rs, I have been able to collect the YDNA and mtDNA of all my immediate paternal and maternal grandparents. Paternal line – Smith >YDNA = R1b1b2a; Abraham et al >mtDNA = J1b1. Maternal line – Robertson > YDNA = R1b1b1*; Robertson et al > H1a1.

The issue is, I have the most common name in the English language – Jim Smith. Also the surname Robertson is not necessarily uncommon. I also have three of the most common of European DNA Haplogroupings possible – R1b1b2a; R1b1b1*; and H1a1. This of course opens the “flood gates” for me to have to sift through the numbers of records of results that to date have been produced.

Apart from all the research that I am currently now doing, I have been following a possible lead with a Smith line from Logie, Scotland, who were also in Grenada. I have not been able to connect to the Smiths in 1760’s to 1781’s generation but there is “a possible and logical leap”. As the time goes, I am trying to research as to whether the James Smith, who was born 19 April 1767 and subsequently died in Grenada in about 1796/7, could have possibly been my ggg-grandfather James Smith’s father. But the gap does exist and am yet to find the bridge. You can see a Descendant Chart of the Smiths of Logie, Scotland at this link.

So in my search and research, I ask the question “How common is common?”

Regards,

Jim

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