Thank you, Lura, for the detailed instructions. Well, not quite ten generations. My earliest known paternal ancestor was William Carroll (also known as Will) from the townland of Ballycrenode, father of Patrick of Barnane, father of William of Ballincara (c.1776-1825), father of James the emigrant (1819-1892), father of William Curtis (1853-1914) of Baltimore MD, father of William John (1880-1940) of Sparks (Baltimore County) MD, father of William Curtis (1907-1982) of Sparks, my father. My great-great-great grandmother Mary Boland (1782-1872), the emigrant widow of William of Ballincara, lived and died on Doughoregan Manor, the estate of Carroll of Carrollton, but it isn't known how or whether that branch and ours are related, although both are from the same part of Ireland. I'm in touch with Daniel Carroll, a direct fourth cousin, who lives in Nenagh and runs a family farm in our ancestral region. Will -----Original Message----- From: carroll-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:carroll-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Lura Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 7:20 PM To: CARROLL@rootsweb.com Subject: [CARROLL] How to interpret DNA results Will, It is exciting to me when any CARROLL says they can trace ancestry back ten generations. So your family goes back to James Carroll in County Tipperary, Ireland? I am ignorant of Irish history, but this area is considered by some to be the traditional home of the ancient Carrolls. However, we know that the surname first began to be attached to indicate the area in which a person lived, not the paternal lineage. You asked for help understanding the results of your DNA test. After five days I have seen no answer given to you, so I'll try. Clicking on "Matches" on the left side of your personal web site at FTDNA you see the names of men who are near matches. When you click the icon at the right of each name, a chart shows you the % of probability that you and that man had a common ancestor and the number of generations back to that common ancestor. I agree that your kit # 76803 does not have a good match on the Carroll Chart at http://www.childtalk.com/History/carrollfamilydnavalues.pdf Here are some ideas to consider in trying to find a match. You may have already done some of them. (1) Send your pedigree (just the Carroll men) with b & d dates for each to Kevin Carroll, the administrator of the Carroll DNA Project at kushtiqa@hotmail.com Ask him to fit those into the proper time space at the right end of your profile. Others looking at the Carroll chart can compare with your pedigree. (2) If you have not already, upload your results to YSearch.org. You can do that easily by Clicking on "Matches" on the left side of your personal web page from FTDNA. On the Matches page is a link to automatically upload your results to YSearch.org. Then you can go to YSearch and search for matches by setting the parameters to include any number of markers. You can also decide how many mutations you will allow. It takes a while to learn to navigate through their privacy speed bumps, but it is well worth the effort. That way you can find matches who tested with other laboratories. (3) Be sure FTDNA is comparing your results with all surnames and not just those in the CARROLL project. To do that, on the left of your personal web page click "User Preferences". Then choose, "I want my matches to be set against the entire database." Be sure to click the "UPDATE" button at the bottom of that page. (4) If you find a lot of matches with one particular surname, then it might be worthwhile to have FTDNA enter your results in that Surname Project. At first they only allowed a person to be a part of two projects, but now they allow the results to be sent to as many projects as a person wishes. You just click "Join Projects" on the left side of your personal web page. Then pick out the project from the list provided. (5) If you find good matches for your profile with other surnames, try to learn the ancestral location of that surname. Was it also from your same area of Ireland? Then the common ancestor may have been before 1200 or 1300 when surnames began to be used. (6) Start looking back at census records, family narratives, or any other records that might indicate where an adoption, name change, or illegitimate birth might have happened in your family. If you find really close matches with other surnames, contact those men using the address FTDNA provides you or by writing to them through the secure email at YSearch to ask where their ancestors lived. If a family of that name lived very near your ancestors a few generations, consider whether there might have been a non-paternal event. Some don't want to learn of an illegitimate birth in their family. What difference does it make anyway? It won't change who your ancestors helped you to become. (7) If there is still no match found, just wait. Some day, another person will be tested who will match you. This is one reason it is important that we leave good records of our DNA tests with others in our family who carry that surname. If they aren't interested, ask them to just file away the paper record of the test anyway. Maybe their grandchildren will be glad to get it. Will, I hope these suggestions might help you or someone else a little to find a match. I don't claim to be an authority on this... just learning like everyone else. Lura CARROLL Southard "A new cousin a day keeps the boredom away." ........................................................................ ........ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carroll, William (USANYS)" <William.Carroll@usdoj.gov> To: <gc-gateway@rootsweb.com>; <carroll@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 2:11 PM Subject: Re: [CARROLL] John Carroll of Beachville, Ontario,and his descendants |I took the 37-level test some time ago, kit no. 76803, but I'm unsure | how to interpret the results. My recorded paternal ancestry goes back | ten generations to William Carroll "in his day of Ballycrenode" (18th | century), a townland about three miles SE of Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. My | great-great grandfather James Carroll (1819-1892) was born in Ballincara | near Templederry, 6 or 7 miles SE of Nenagh, and emigrated in 1835 with | most of his siblings to the US, eventually settling in Baltimore. | | Will Carroll | New York City |................................................................ |