Update to Clarkston/Claxton/Clarkson Surname Project Update
Replies: 3
Update to Clarkston/Claxton/Clarkson Surname Project Update
| Mary Ann Claxton (View posts) | Posted: 27 Jan 2006 5:45AM GMT |
Classification: Query
Surnames: Claxton Carkston Clarkson
This is an update to the Dec. 6 posting about the Clarkston/Claxton/Clarkson Surname Project - it contains part of that message with updated information indicated in [ ].
Administrator Bobbi Estes wrote:
I've received a couple of messages since I posted about my own Clarkson family line a few days ago [Dec. 6, 2005] asking about the status of the Clarkson/Claxton/Clarkston DNA surname project. I wanted to give a brief update and encourage anyone who would like to test to do so.
So far, we seem to be falling into 4 main groups. These are shown on the web page http://home.att.net/~bokay1/index.html <http://home.att.net/%7Ebokay1/index.html>; with a description of the groups and a short pedigree; the page hasn’t been updated recently, so it’s not completely current. (My fault, not the web mistress.) We have two more results back that are not shown, one if for a descendant of Thomas Clarkson of Sampson Co. NC in the early 1800s, and a couple more results whose owners need to provide genealogical information. [Update: One of these is a descendant of James Claxton of Bedford Co., TN and Wright Co., MO who married Temperance Ratliff/Rackley; this DNA sample matches the #2 group on the above web page on all but basically 2 markers.] Just two days ago, a new participant from the James Lee Clarkson line from Hancock Co., Tn. joined. (To me this is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. Not only did he join, but we had a wonderful visit on the phone. I love meeting my genealogy cousins.) [Update on this DNA sample: this Clarkson line matches in all but one marker out of 25 to Group #2 listed on the above web page; not only did it make this administrator happy, but it took the descendants of Jeremiah Claxton in that group OUT of Tennessee – something that had not been done in 40 years of painstaking records research!]
So if you don't know who you connect to, consider testing. If you represent a line that is proven a ways back in time, consider testing so others can connect. Besides, it's fun to see where your ancestors were from.
One real success story we've had is when that the results of the Thomas Clarkston of Lee Co., Va. descendant matched a line who tested who represented an earlier line in Virginia. The Thomas line had been genealogically stuck for many years. You might remember this is the line we believe may be descended from George Middleton Clarkson who was hung in the state of Franklin. Well, the line they connected back to does in fact have the Middleton name in the line. Now this isn't proof, but it certainly gives this line the opportunity to now work down the line from Va. to try to get to the State of Franklin. The time gap between the lines isn't great - and this information is far more than we would ever have gotten without DNA testing. For details, see the web page.
Bobbi Estes
[I want to add that we are finding – particularly in Tennessee – a definite mixing of the spellings of the names Clarkson, Clarkston, and Claxton. It is not clear at this time exactly which is the original spelling (though our Claxton line seems to have more Clarkson DNA matches than Claxton ones!), but it is clear that we are making progress with DNA matching which we could never make without it due to burned records. So we are renewing our efforts to encourage more males of all spellings to contribute their DNA to the project.]
Mary Ann Claxton
Administrator Bobbi Estes wrote:
I've received a couple of messages since I posted about my own Clarkson family line a few days ago [Dec. 6, 2005] asking about the status of the Clarkson/Claxton/Clarkston DNA surname project. I wanted to give a brief update and encourage anyone who would like to test to do so.
So far, we seem to be falling into 4 main groups. These are shown on the web page http://home.att.net/~bokay1/index.html <http://home.att.net/%7Ebokay1/index.html>; with a description of the groups and a short pedigree; the page hasn’t been updated recently, so it’s not completely current. (My fault, not the web mistress.) We have two more results back that are not shown, one if for a descendant of Thomas Clarkson of Sampson Co. NC in the early 1800s, and a couple more results whose owners need to provide genealogical information. [Update: One of these is a descendant of James Claxton of Bedford Co., TN and Wright Co., MO who married Temperance Ratliff/Rackley; this DNA sample matches the #2 group on the above web page on all but basically 2 markers.] Just two days ago, a new participant from the James Lee Clarkson line from Hancock Co., Tn. joined. (To me this is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. Not only did he join, but we had a wonderful visit on the phone. I love meeting my genealogy cousins.) [Update on this DNA sample: this Clarkson line matches in all but one marker out of 25 to Group #2 listed on the above web page; not only did it make this administrator happy, but it took the descendants of Jeremiah Claxton in that group OUT of Tennessee – something that had not been done in 40 years of painstaking records research!]
So if you don't know who you connect to, consider testing. If you represent a line that is proven a ways back in time, consider testing so others can connect. Besides, it's fun to see where your ancestors were from.
One real success story we've had is when that the results of the Thomas Clarkston of Lee Co., Va. descendant matched a line who tested who represented an earlier line in Virginia. The Thomas line had been genealogically stuck for many years. You might remember this is the line we believe may be descended from George Middleton Clarkson who was hung in the state of Franklin. Well, the line they connected back to does in fact have the Middleton name in the line. Now this isn't proof, but it certainly gives this line the opportunity to now work down the line from Va. to try to get to the State of Franklin. The time gap between the lines isn't great - and this information is far more than we would ever have gotten without DNA testing. For details, see the web page.
Bobbi Estes
[I want to add that we are finding – particularly in Tennessee – a definite mixing of the spellings of the names Clarkson, Clarkston, and Claxton. It is not clear at this time exactly which is the original spelling (though our Claxton line seems to have more Clarkson DNA matches than Claxton ones!), but it is clear that we are making progress with DNA matching which we could never make without it due to burned records. So we are renewing our efforts to encourage more males of all spellings to contribute their DNA to the project.]
Mary Ann Claxton