As announced on this list last October, the Hamilton National Genealogical Society has initiated a Hamilton surname DNA project for which I am the contact person and coordinator. At this point we have already collected several samples and sent them off to Family Tree DNA, the company that is doing the analyses for this study. Currently we are awaiting the initial results from the study. The purpose of the present note is to attempt to articulate why each of you should consider having a DNA analysis done for your Hamilton line and how the results could assist you in tracing your family history. This note is necessarily rather lengthy but I hope you will bear with me. First a little background will be given on the analysis that is being done in the Hamilton DNA project. In this study either 12 or 25 markers (the results will be more definitive with the 25 marker test) in the DNA of the Y-chromosome of each sample are examined. The Y-chromosome is unique in human DNA in that it is only found in males and is passed down from father to son virtually unchanged. The term 'virtually' is used because there is a small probability (less than 1 %) that a mutation will occur in the markers each generation. The net result then is that the markers being examined will have essentially the same (or very similar) values for you, your father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc., back many generations (10 to 50 or more). Obviously one cannot directly analyze such DNA back more than 2 or 3 generations because earlier ancestors have passed on. However, the power of the technique is that one does not have to analyze the DNA of ancestors; one can obtain meaningful genealogical information by comparing the results from your DNA analysis with the results from others. Consider, for example, that your direct male ancestor of say 10 generations ago had 2 sons, one of whom you are descended from, and the other who is the ancestor of another group of Hamiltons. The Y-chromosomal DNA from a living direct male descendant of the second son should be identical or very similar to your Y-chromosomal DNA. The corollary of course is that, if neither you nor the other Hamilton knew your lines back that far, finding your DNAs to be so closely matched would indicate that you have a common ancestor. That could open up new avenues for both of you to explore. Of course, if you find that your Y-chromosomal DNA does not match that of another Hamilton one could conclude that you are not closely related (at least through the Hamilton male line). It should be emphasized that the analyses for this study can only be done on samples collected from males since they are the only ones with the Y-chromosome. Furthermore, because the Y-chromosome is passed from father to son the study can only find relationships that occur through direct male lines. Since surnames usually follow direct male lines, our study has the potential to find many relationships among various Hamiltons. Those of you who are females with Hamilton ancestors can still participate in the study if you find a male relative (father, brother, uncle, male cousin, etc.) who is willing to supply a sample for analysis. By the way, sample collection is painless; it involves merely rubbing the inside of the cheek with a brush collector. One should point out that there are several situations where the DNA analysis might give an unexpected result. These are sometimes referred to euphemistically as 'non-parental' events. Some examples of such situations are: an unknown adoption in your line, an illegitimate birth or conception out of wedlock, some ancestor taking the surname of a stepfather, etc. Of course, if you have suspicions that one of these might have occurred in your line, obtaining a DNA analysis and comparing the results to those of presumed relatives where it is unlikely such an event happened could provide evidence whether such an event has occurred in your line. Many of us have been able to determine our Hamilton lines back to the 18th or 19th century (4 to 8 generations or so) but have been stymied in trying to trace our lines back further. Using DNA analyses one has the potential to be able to obtain information about earlier generations. For example, suppose you have a well documented Hamilton line back to about 1830 in Tennessee. You suspect that your earliest known Hamilton ancestor migrated to Tennessee from either Virginia or North Carolina but have not been able to make the connection. You know that there are several known Hamilton lines in Virginia and North Carolina so it seems a reasonable possibility. By having the DNA from one of your Tennessee Hamiltons analyzed and comparing the results to those obtained from the various Virginia and North Carolina Hamilton lines, one would obtain evidence which one is the most likely to be related to your line, and thus you would know where to focus further traditional genealogical research. One of the general questions the Hamilton DNA study will also be able to address is whether virtually all Hamiltons come from a common ancestor (say 500 to 1500 years ago) or whether there were several different initiating ancestors. It is believed that most Hamiltons originated in Scotland, although, prior to emigrating to the new world, many had previously migrated to England or been transplanted from Scotland to Ireland, especially in the 17th century. In early Scotland there is a very well documented Hamilton lineage starting with Walter Fitzgilbert in the late 13th century. This line led to many Dukes, Earls, Barons, etc. and for that reason is well documented. Undoubtedly many other Hamiltons, including many who ultimately emigrated to the new world, are unknowingly derived from this line. By comparing the Y-chromosomal DNA of such individuals with the DNA from well documented descendants of the ducal line one could conclude with a high degree of certainty whether they come from the same line or not. Personally I think that there are too many people with the Hamilton surname in the world for us all to be derived from the Walter Fitzgilbert line. Walter Fitzgilbert's main seat of power was in an area near Glasgow, Scotland and surnames did not come into common use in that area of Scotland until the 14th or 15th century. About that time the descendants of Walter Fitzgilbert came to be known as Hamiltons and the town (now a city) that grew up around their castle (or palace) was given the name of Hamilton. I suspect that when surnames came into common use some of the retainers or servants who lived in Hamilton and worked for the ducal Hamilton line just took the surname Hamilton. If that is the case then there will be several initiating ancestors who gave rise to the various current Hamilton lines. In any event, the DNA study will be able to clarify that point if various Hamilton lines have the same or similar DNA markers within their line but the markers are different from line to line. In order to answer the question whether there is mainly one, or there are many initiating Hamilton ancestors, one will need broad participation by many Hamilton lines. For this reason alone, I would like to encourage as many of you as possible to participate in this study. However, a potential added benefit from participation is that some more immediate questions may be resolved in your line (see earlier discussion) and that you may find totally unexpected relationships with other Hamilton lines. Some further information about the Hamilton DNA project can be found at the web site of the Hamilton National Genealogical Society at http://www.hamiltongensociety.org/dnaproject.htm To participate in the study you need to fill out an application form that can be downloaded from that site (or I can mail you a copy). The completed application along with a pedigree chart giving your earliest known Hamilton ancestor should then be sent to me at: Gordon Hamilton 806 McCormick Ave State College, PA 16801-6527 Telephone: 814-238-5695 Email: gah4@psu.edu For those of you who would like to obtain more information on DNA surname studies in general, the following are a few web sites that contain additional information. http://www.familytreedna.com/; this is the company we are using for the Hamilton surname study http://www.duerinck.com/project.html; a specific project with links to many others http://www.blairgenealogy.com/dna/; another specific project whose procedures we will follow closely in our study

Hello Gordon, I read about the Hamilton DNA project with great interest, but have a question: I have at least two Hamilton lines, one from my paternal Ggg grandmother, Sarah Hamilton Coats, and another, several generations farther back, that lies in the ancestry of my paternal Gg grandmother, Mary Ann Stewart Coats. Given the fact that these Hamilton lines, in my case, are NOT direct male line descent, is there any point to my getting involved in such testing? Regards, Larry D. Hamilton Coats ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Hamilton" <gah4@psu.edu> To: <HAMILTON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 4:42 AM Subject: [HAM] Hamilton DNA Project > As announced on this list last October, the Hamilton National Genealogical > Society has initiated a Hamilton surname DNA project for which I am the > contact person and coordinator. At this point we have already collected > several samples and sent them off to Family Tree DNA, the company that is > doing the analyses for this study. Currently we are awaiting the initial > results from the study. > > The purpose of the present note is to attempt to articulate why each of you > should consider having a DNA analysis done for your Hamilton line and how > the results could assist you in tracing your family history. This note is > necessarily rather lengthy but I hope you will bear with me. First a little > background will be given on the analysis that is being done in the Hamilton > DNA project. > > In this study either 12 or 25 markers (the results will be more definitive > with the 25 marker test) in the DNA of the Y-chromosome of each sample are > examined. The Y-chromosome is unique in human DNA in that it is only found > in males and is passed down from father to son virtually unchanged. The > term 'virtually' is used because there is a small probability (less than 1 > %) that a mutation will occur in the markers each generation. The net > result then is that the markers being examined will have essentially the > same (or very similar) values for you, your father, grandfather, great > grandfather, etc., back many generations (10 to 50 or more). Obviously one > cannot directly analyze such DNA back more than 2 or 3 generations because > earlier ancestors have passed on. However, the power of the technique is > that one does not have to analyze the DNA of ancestors; one can obtain > meaningful genealogical information by comparing the results from your DNA > analysis with the results from others. Consider, for example, that your > direct male ancestor of say 10 generations ago had 2 sons, one of whom you > are descended from, and the other who is the ancestor of another group of > Hamiltons. The Y-chromosomal DNA from a living direct male descendant of > the second son should be identical or very similar to your Y-chromosomal > DNA. The corollary of course is that, if neither you nor the other Hamilton > knew your lines back that far, finding your DNAs to be so closely matched > would indicate that you have a common ancestor. That could open up new > avenues for both of you to explore. Of course, if you find that your > Y-chromosomal DNA does not match that of another Hamilton one could > conclude that you are not closely related (at least through the Hamilton > male line). > > It should be emphasized that the analyses for this study can only be done > on samples collected from males since they are the only ones with the > Y-chromosome. Furthermore, because the Y-chromosome is passed from father > to son the study can only find relationships that occur through direct male > lines. Since surnames usually follow direct male lines, our study has the > potential to find many relationships among various Hamiltons. Those of you > who are females with Hamilton ancestors can still participate in the study > if you find a male relative (father, brother, uncle, male cousin, etc.) who > is willing to supply a sample for analysis. By the way, sample collection > is painless; it involves merely rubbing the inside of the cheek with a > brush collector. > > One should point out that there are several situations where the DNA > analysis might give an unexpected result. These are sometimes referred to > euphemistically as 'non-parental' events. Some examples of such situations > are: an unknown adoption in your line, an illegitimate birth or conception > out of wedlock, some ancestor taking the surname of a stepfather, etc. Of > course, if you have suspicions that one of these might have occurred in > your line, obtaining a DNA analysis and comparing the results to those of > presumed relatives where it is unlikely such an event happened could > provide evidence whether such an event has occurred in your line. > > Many of us have been able to determine our Hamilton lines back to the 18th > or 19th century (4 to 8 generations or so) but have been stymied in trying > to trace our lines back further. Using DNA analyses one has the potential > to be able to obtain information about earlier generations. For example, > suppose you have a well documented Hamilton line back to about 1830 in > Tennessee. You suspect that your earliest known Hamilton ancestor migrated > to Tennessee from either Virginia or North Carolina but have not been able > to make the connection. You know that there are several known Hamilton > lines in Virginia and North Carolina so it seems a reasonable possibility. > By having the DNA from one of your Tennessee Hamiltons analyzed and > comparing the results to those obtained from the various Virginia and North > Carolina Hamilton lines, one would obtain evidence which one is the most > likely to be related to your line, and thus you would know where to focus > further traditional genealogical research. > > One of the general questions the Hamilton DNA study will also be able to > address is whether virtually all Hamiltons come from a common ancestor (say > 500 to 1500 years ago) or whether there were several different initiating > ancestors. It is believed that most Hamiltons originated in Scotland, > although, prior to emigrating to the new world, many had previously > migrated to England or been transplanted from Scotland to Ireland, > especially in the 17th century. In early Scotland there is a very well > documented Hamilton lineage starting with Walter Fitzgilbert in the late > 13th century. This line led to many Dukes, Earls, Barons, etc. and for that > reason is well documented. Undoubtedly many other Hamiltons, including many > who ultimately emigrated to the new world, are unknowingly derived from > this line. By comparing the Y-chromosomal DNA of such individuals with the > DNA from well documented descendants of the ducal line one could conclude > with a high degree of certainty whether they come from the same line or > not. Personally I think that there are too many people with the Hamilton > surname in the world for us all to be derived from the Walter Fitzgilbert > line. Walter Fitzgilbert's main seat of power was in an area near Glasgow, > Scotland and surnames did not come into common use in that area of Scotland > until the 14th or 15th century. About that time the descendants of Walter > Fitzgilbert came to be known as Hamiltons and the town (now a city) that > grew up around their castle (or palace) was given the name of Hamilton. I > suspect that when surnames came into common use some of the retainers or > servants who lived in Hamilton and worked for the ducal Hamilton line just > took the surname Hamilton. If that is the case then there will be several > initiating ancestors who gave rise to the various current Hamilton lines. > In any event, the DNA study will be able to clarify that point if various > Hamilton lines have the same or similar DNA markers within their line but > the markers are different from line to line. > > In order to answer the question whether there is mainly one, or there are > many initiating Hamilton ancestors, one will need broad participation by > many Hamilton lines. For this reason alone, I would like to encourage as > many of you as possible to participate in this study. However, a potential > added benefit from participation is that some more immediate questions may > be resolved in your line (see earlier discussion) and that you may find > totally unexpected relationships with other Hamilton lines. > > Some further information about the Hamilton DNA project can be found at the > web site of the Hamilton National Genealogical Society at > http://www.hamiltongensociety.org/dnaproject.htm > > To participate in the study you need to fill out an application form that > can be downloaded from that site (or I can mail you a copy). The completed > application along with a pedigree chart giving your earliest known Hamilton > ancestor should then be sent to me at: > > Gordon Hamilton > 806 McCormick Ave > State College, PA 16801-6527 > Telephone: 814-238-5695 > Email: gah4@psu.edu > > For those of you who would like to obtain more information on DNA surname > studies in general, the following are a few web sites that contain > additional information. > > http://www.familytreedna.com/; this is the company we are using for the > Hamilton surname study > http://www.duerinck.com/project.html; a specific project with links to many > others > http://www.blairgenealogy.com/dna/; another specific project whose > procedures we will follow closely in our study > > > ==== HAMILTON Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe write an email with just the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the text > Hamilton-L-Request@RootsWeb.com for mail mode in plain text > Hamilton-D-Request@RootsWeb.com for digest mode in plain text > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

Gordon, Question: since there are several DNA labs, is there an interchange of information between them? Or, how would one DNA sample be known among others who were tested? Or, how would one compare his DBA results with results from other labs/ Thanx, Charlie Hamilton -----Original Message----- From: Gordon Hamilton [mailto:gah4@psu.edu] Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 5:43 AM To: HAMILTON-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [HAM] Hamilton DNA Project As announced on this list last October, the Hamilton National Genealogical Society has initiated a Hamilton surname DNA project for which I am the contact person and coordinator. At this point we have already collected several samples and sent them off to Family Tree DNA, the company that is doing the analyses for this study. Currently we are awaiting the initial results from the study. The purpose of the present note is to attempt to articulate why each of you should consider having a DNA analysis done for your Hamilton line and how the results could assist you in tracing your family history. This note is necessarily rather lengthy but I hope you will bear with me. First a little background will be given on the analysis that is being done in the Hamilton DNA project. In this study either 12 or 25 markers (the results will be more definitive with the 25 marker test) in the DNA of the Y-chromosome of each sample are examined. The Y-chromosome is unique in human DNA in that it is only found in males and is passed down from father to son virtually unchanged. The term 'virtually' is used because there is a small probability (less than 1 %) that a mutation will occur in the markers each generation. The net result then is that the markers being examined will have essentially the same (or very similar) values for you, your father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc., back many generations (10 to 50 or more). Obviously one cannot directly analyze such DNA back more than 2 or 3 generations because earlier ancestors have passed on. However, the power of the technique is that one does not have to analyze the DNA of ancestors; one can obtain meaningful genealogical information by comparing the results from your DNA analysis with the results from others. Consider, for example, that your direct male ancestor of say 10 generations ago had 2 sons, one of whom you are descended from, and the other who is the ancestor of another group of Hamiltons. The Y-chromosomal DNA from a living direct male descendant of the second son should be identical or very similar to your Y-chromosomal DNA. The corollary of course is that, if neither you nor the other Hamilton knew your lines back that far, finding your DNAs to be so closely matched would indicate that you have a common ancestor. That could open up new avenues for both of you to explore. Of course, if you find that your Y-chromosomal DNA does not match that of another Hamilton one could conclude that you are not closely related (at least through the Hamilton male line). It should be emphasized that the analyses for this study can only be done on samples collected from males since they are the only ones with the Y-chromosome. Furthermore, because the Y-chromosome is passed from father to son the study can only find relationships that occur through direct male lines. Since surnames usually follow direct male lines, our study has the potential to find many relationships among various Hamiltons. Those of you who are females with Hamilton ancestors can still participate in the study if you find a male relative (father, brother, uncle, male cousin, etc.) who is willing to supply a sample for analysis. By the way, sample collection is painless; it involves merely rubbing the inside of the cheek with a brush collector. One should point out that there are several situations where the DNA analysis might give an unexpected result. These are sometimes referred to euphemistically as 'non-parental' events. Some examples of such situations are: an unknown adoption in your line, an illegitimate birth or conception out of wedlock, some ancestor taking the surname of a stepfather, etc. Of course, if you have suspicions that one of these might have occurred in your line, obtaining a DNA analysis and comparing the results to those of presumed relatives where it is unlikely such an event happened could provide evidence whether such an event has occurred in your line. Many of us have been able to determine our Hamilton lines back to the 18th or 19th century (4 to 8 generations or so) but have been stymied in trying to trace our lines back further. Using DNA analyses one has the potential to be able to obtain information about earlier generations. For example, suppose you have a well documented Hamilton line back to about 1830 in Tennessee. You suspect that your earliest known Hamilton ancestor migrated to Tennessee from either Virginia or North Carolina but have not been able to make the connection. You know that there are several known Hamilton lines in Virginia and North Carolina so it seems a reasonable possibility. By having the DNA from one of your Tennessee Hamiltons analyzed and comparing the results to those obtained from the various Virginia and North Carolina Hamilton lines, one would obtain evidence which one is the most likely to be related to your line, and thus you would know where to focus further traditional genealogical research. One of the general questions the Hamilton DNA study will also be able to address is whether virtually all Hamiltons come from a common ancestor (say 500 to 1500 years ago) or whether there were several different initiating ancestors. It is believed that most Hamiltons originated in Scotland, although, prior to emigrating to the new world, many had previously migrated to England or been transplanted from Scotland to Ireland, especially in the 17th century. In early Scotland there is a very well documented Hamilton lineage starting with Walter Fitzgilbert in the late 13th century. This line led to many Dukes, Earls, Barons, etc. and for that reason is well documented. Undoubtedly many other Hamiltons, including many who ultimately emigrated to the new world, are unknowingly derived from this line. By comparing the Y-chromosomal DNA of such individuals with the DNA from well documented descendants of the ducal line one could conclude with a high degree of certainty whether they come from the same line or not. Personally I think that there are too many people with the Hamilton surname in the world for us all to be derived from the Walter Fitzgilbert line. Walter Fitzgilbert's main seat of power was in an area near Glasgow, Scotland and surnames did not come into common use in that area of Scotland until the 14th or 15th century. About that time the descendants of Walter Fitzgilbert came to be known as Hamiltons and the town (now a city) that grew up around their castle (or palace) was given the name of Hamilton. I suspect that when surnames came into common use some of the retainers or servants who lived in Hamilton and worked for the ducal Hamilton line just took the surname Hamilton. If that is the case then there will be several initiating ancestors who gave rise to the various current Hamilton lines. In any event, the DNA study will be able to clarify that point if various Hamilton lines have the same or similar DNA markers within their line but the markers are different from line to line. In order to answer the question whether there is mainly one, or there are many initiating Hamilton ancestors, one will need broad participation by many Hamilton lines. For this reason alone, I would like to encourage as many of you as possible to participate in this study. However, a potential added benefit from participation is that some more immediate questions may be resolved in your line (see earlier discussion) and that you may find totally unexpected relationships with other Hamilton lines. Some further information about the Hamilton DNA project can be found at the web site of the Hamilton National Genealogical Society at http://www.hamiltongensociety.org/dnaproject.htm To participate in the study you need to fill out an application form that can be downloaded from that site (or I can mail you a copy). The completed application along with a pedigree chart giving your earliest known Hamilton ancestor should then be sent to me at: Gordon Hamilton 806 McCormick Ave State College, PA 16801-6527 Telephone: 814-238-5695 Email: gah4@psu.edu For those of you who would like to obtain more information on DNA surname studies in general, the following are a few web sites that contain additional information. http://www.familytreedna.com/; this is the company we are using for the Hamilton surname study http://www.duerinck.com/project.html; a specific project with links to many others http://www.blairgenealogy.com/dna/; another specific project whose procedures we will follow closely in our study ==== HAMILTON Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe write an email with just the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the text Hamilton-L-Request@RootsWeb.com for mail mode in plain text Hamilton-D-Request@RootsWeb.com for digest mode in plain text ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

Charlie, The DNA project is a good idea. I guess you can say I am lucky because both my father and brother are being tested but not for the Hamilton line. Take the story of the "John Randolph of Virginia" and the Edward Fitz Randolph of New Jersey, the lines have married into one another, dropped the "Fitz" from the name, and in general confused genealogist for years ! With the help of DNA we have begun to help each other find the correct line. When President George Washington authorized the first official United States Census in 1790 there were 477 Hamilton families listed, with 113 of them living in the State of Pennsylvania, of which one of them was my Hamilton's, John Hamilton ESQ b 1741 in New Comnock, Argyll, Scotland who's roots we have been able to trace and document back to Archibald Hamilton b 1625 Dunfermine, Fife, Scotland. So, I look forward to everyone's results, Dave

Dear Gordon Hamilton, Am I understanding correctly that only males may be considered for this DNA project? The surname has not been used in our family since my great grandmother,Henrietta Hamilton,of Wake County NC,born ca 1866,died 1950. Thanking you for your patience, Diane Renfrow ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Hamilton" <gah4@psu.edu> To: <HAMILTON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 5:42 AM Subject: [HAM] Hamilton DNA Project > As announced on this list last October, the Hamilton National Genealogical > Society has initiated a Hamilton surname DNA project for which I am the > contact person and coordinator. At this point we have already collected > several samples and sent them off to Family Tree DNA, the company that is > doing the analyses for this study. Currently we are awaiting the initial > results from the study. > > The purpose of the present note is to attempt to articulate why each of you > should consider having a DNA analysis done for your Hamilton line and how > the results could assist you in tracing your family history. This note is > necessarily rather lengthy but I hope you will bear with me. First a little > background will be given on the analysis that is being done in the Hamilton > DNA project. > > In this study either 12 or 25 markers (the results will be more definitive > with the 25 marker test) in the DNA of the Y-chromosome of each sample are > examined. The Y-chromosome is unique in human DNA in that it is only found > in males and is passed down from father to son virtually unchanged. The > term 'virtually' is used because there is a small probability (less than 1 > %) that a mutation will occur in the markers each generation. The net > result then is that the markers being examined will have essentially the > same (or very similar) values for you, your father, grandfather, great > grandfather, etc., back many generations (10 to 50 or more). Obviously one > cannot directly analyze such DNA back more than 2 or 3 generations because > earlier ancestors have passed on. However, the power of the technique is > that one does not have to analyze the DNA of ancestors; one can obtain > meaningful genealogical information by comparing the results from your DNA > analysis with the results from others. Consider, for example, that your > direct male ancestor of say 10 generations ago had 2 sons, one of whom you > are descended from, and the other who is the ancestor of another group of > Hamiltons. The Y-chromosomal DNA from a living direct male descendant of > the second son should be identical or very similar to your Y-chromosomal > DNA. The corollary of course is that, if neither you nor the other Hamilton > knew your lines back that far, finding your DNAs to be so closely matched > would indicate that you have a common ancestor. That could open up new > avenues for both of you to explore. Of course, if you find that your > Y-chromosomal DNA does not match that of another Hamilton one could > conclude that you are not closely related (at least through the Hamilton > male line). > > It should be emphasized that the analyses for this study can only be done > on samples collected from males since they are the only ones with the > Y-chromosome. Furthermore, because the Y-chromosome is passed from father > to son the study can only find relationships that occur through direct male > lines. Since surnames usually follow direct male lines, our study has the > potential to find many relationships among various Hamiltons. Those of you > who are females with Hamilton ancestors can still participate in the study > if you find a male relative (father, brother, uncle, male cousin, etc.) who > is willing to supply a sample for analysis. By the way, sample collection > is painless; it involves merely rubbing the inside of the cheek with a > brush collector. > > One should point out that there are several situations where the DNA > analysis might give an unexpected result. These are sometimes referred to > euphemistically as 'non-parental' events. Some examples of such situations > are: an unknown adoption in your line, an illegitimate birth or conception > out of wedlock, some ancestor taking the surname of a stepfather, etc. Of > course, if you have suspicions that one of these might have occurred in > your line, obtaining a DNA analysis and comparing the results to those of > presumed relatives where it is unlikely such an event happened could > provide evidence whether such an event has occurred in your line. > > Many of us have been able to determine our Hamilton lines back to the 18th > or 19th century (4 to 8 generations or so) but have been stymied in trying > to trace our lines back further. Using DNA analyses one has the potential > to be able to obtain information about earlier generations. For example, > suppose you have a well documented Hamilton line back to about 1830 in > Tennessee. You suspect that your earliest known Hamilton ancestor migrated > to Tennessee from either Virginia or North Carolina but have not been able > to make the connection. You know that there are several known Hamilton > lines in Virginia and North Carolina so it seems a reasonable possibility. > By having the DNA from one of your Tennessee Hamiltons analyzed and > comparing the results to those obtained from the various Virginia and North > Carolina Hamilton lines, one would obtain evidence which one is the most > likely to be related to your line, and thus you would know where to focus > further traditional genealogical research. > > One of the general questions the Hamilton DNA study will also be able to > address is whether virtually all Hamiltons come from a common ancestor (say > 500 to 1500 years ago) or whether there were several different initiating > ancestors. It is believed that most Hamiltons originated in Scotland, > although, prior to emigrating to the new world, many had previously > migrated to England or been transplanted from Scotland to Ireland, > especially in the 17th century. In early Scotland there is a very well > documented Hamilton lineage starting with Walter Fitzgilbert in the late > 13th century. This line led to many Dukes, Earls, Barons, etc. and for that > reason is well documented. Undoubtedly many other Hamiltons, including many > who ultimately emigrated to the new world, are unknowingly derived from > this line. By comparing the Y-chromosomal DNA of such individuals with the > DNA from well documented descendants of the ducal line one could conclude > with a high degree of certainty whether they come from the same line or > not. Personally I think that there are too many people with the Hamilton > surname in the world for us all to be derived from the Walter Fitzgilbert > line. Walter Fitzgilbert's main seat of power was in an area near Glasgow, > Scotland and surnames did not come into common use in that area of Scotland > until the 14th or 15th century. About that time the descendants of Walter > Fitzgilbert came to be known as Hamiltons and the town (now a city) that > grew up around their castle (or palace) was given the name of Hamilton. I > suspect that when surnames came into common use some of the retainers or > servants who lived in Hamilton and worked for the ducal Hamilton line just > took the surname Hamilton. If that is the case then there will be several > initiating ancestors who gave rise to the various current Hamilton lines. > In any event, the DNA study will be able to clarify that point if various > Hamilton lines have the same or similar DNA markers within their line but > the markers are different from line to line. > > In order to answer the question whether there is mainly one, or there are > many initiating Hamilton ancestors, one will need broad participation by > many Hamilton lines. For this reason alone, I would like to encourage as > many of you as possible to participate in this study. However, a potential > added benefit from participation is that some more immediate questions may > be resolved in your line (see earlier discussion) and that you may find > totally unexpected relationships with other Hamilton lines. > > Some further information about the Hamilton DNA project can be found at the > web site of the Hamilton National Genealogical Society at > http://www.hamiltongensociety.org/dnaproject.htm > > To participate in the study you need to fill out an application form that > can be downloaded from that site (or I can mail you a copy). The completed > application along with a pedigree chart giving your earliest known Hamilton > ancestor should then be sent to me at: > > Gordon Hamilton > 806 McCormick Ave > State College, PA 16801-6527 > Telephone: 814-238-5695 > Email: gah4@psu.edu > > For those of you who would like to obtain more information on DNA surname > studies in general, the following are a few web sites that contain > additional information. > > http://www.familytreedna.com/; this is the company we are using for the > Hamilton surname study > http://www.duerinck.com/project.html; a specific project with links to many > others > http://www.blairgenealogy.com/dna/; another specific project whose > procedures we will follow closely in our study > > > ==== HAMILTON Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe write an email with just the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the text > Hamilton-L-Request@RootsWeb.com for mail mode in plain text > Hamilton-D-Request@RootsWeb.com for digest mode in plain text > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >