Dear Poythress-List & participants, This is a report from your volunteer Group Administrator, Barbara Poythress Neal, regarding our Poythress-Surname Y-DNA Study. The Study now has 11 participants. Most participants signed up in 2003 and ordered the 25-marker test. For the 2 most recent participants, we're getting results from the newer, more detailed, 37-marker test. The first one of those 37-marker tests' results became available today for Vern, who knows he is a gg-grandson of William E. Poythress (who lived in Georgia from 1833-1907) & Martha J. Usher. Vern's first 25 markers are exactly the same as those for John B. Poythress, who also knows he is a gg-grandson of William E. Poythress (who lived in Georgia from 1833-1907) & Martha J. Usher. Further: Vern's first 25 markers are also exactly the same as those for Gene Poythress, Sr, of Florida, who knows that he is a grandson of John P.(probably Price) Poythress (who lived in Florida from 1833-1905) & Mary Ann Dolan. Several other participants' markers differ by one marker, and by only one "repeat" from Vern's: - Bud's marker #458 has 17 "repeats" where Vern & Gene & John B have 16 - Maynard's marker #458 has only 15 "repeats" where Vern & Gene & John B. have 16 - Karl, David, Kevin, & Dale's marker #464-c have only 16 "repeats" where Vern, Gene, John B., Bud & Maynard all have 17 I find it odd that Bud's and Maynard's markers #458 vary in opposite directions (+1 repeat, and -1 repeat) from those of known descendants of Georgian Wm E Poythress & a contemporary of Wm's, Floridian John P. Poythress. I'm hoping for some enlightening help from the below upcoming results and requests. RESULTS to come soon: 1. We are currently awaiting test clarification on one participant who only had the 12-marker test run. He had one of his 12 markers (#393) initially show up as being one "repeat" less than that of every other Poythress man's first 12 markers, so we have asked that his test be re-done to be sure that marker is different. 2. In several weeks, we should have 37-marker test results for Neil Sr., who knows he is a ggg-grandson of Lewis Poythress who lived from approximately the middle of the 1700s to about the middle of the 1800s in Virginia 3. Also in several weeks, we'll have results on two tests that will further refine Gene & Karl's results from the 25-markers to the 37-markers, so they can be more fully compared to the results from Vern and Neil. REQUESTS: 1. Refine: I would greatly appreciate it, if any of the others of you, who have had the 25-marker tests, would be willing to order the "Refine to 37 markers" test from Family Tree DNA. (The group-rate cost of the Refine 25-to-37 test is $59.) When a Refine test is run, no new swabs are needed; they just further test your original swab results. To order the Refine test, you must log in at www.familytreedna.com using your original kit number and your password/code number. An easy way to do that is to click on the link in one of their emails to you, since your kit number and code number are imbedded in that link. 2. More participants: If you are a man (or if you have a brother or male cousin of yours) who is of the Poythress surname, known to be born of a Poythress-surnamed man who was also the son of another Poythress-surnamed man, we would all greatly appreciate you joining our Poythress-Surname Y-DNA Study. Much information about the easy test process (swabbing the inside of one's mouth) is available at www.familytreedna.com -- photos of the test kit and much other info. If I can answer any questions to help in the decision to participate, I'll be glad to do so -- just email me at bp_neal@earthlink.net

To all but especially Linda & Debbie: Without addressing the technicalities of the DNA questions, I think Vern Poythress' known information (confirmed by DNA) gives us some interesting threads to pull on....while the documentation is limited the rest of all looks to me like it wants to fall into some kind of pattern. Start with three pieces of baseline information. FIRST, Barbara's conclusions from the DNA tests: "The first one of those 37-marker tests' results became available today for Vern, who knows he is a gg-grandson of William E. Poythress (who lived in Georgia from 1833-1907) & Martha J. Usher." "Vern's first 25 markers are exactly the same as those for John B. Poythress, who also knows he is a gg-grandson of William E. Poythress (who lived in Georgia from 1833-1907) & Martha J. Usher." "Further: Vern's first 25 markers are also exactly the same as those for Gene Poythress, Sr, of Florida, who knows that he is a grandson of John P.(probably Price) Poythress (who lived in Florida from 1833-1905) & Mary Ann Dolan." SECOND, plug in the dates of the 3 Seminole wars: 1817-18, 1835-42, and 1855-58. This may be significant later when looking at the pension data. My theory (and it's ALL theory unless I cite a fact) here is that we have enough links to suggest kinship between the elusive Messrs. James P. Poythress and William E. Poythress....or, and here's the big hooker, the matching DNA results might only be suggesting a common ancestor further back. (as in Virginia probably). THIRD, FL service rolls show the following service: Poythress, James, Private, Vol. 7 Portress, William, Private, Vol. 7 Poythress, William T., 1st Lt, Vol. 7 Poythress, William T., Sgt., Vol. 7 Poythrys, William, 2nd Lt, Vol. 2 Porthrys, William, 2nd Lt, Vol. 2 Porthress, Wm. T, 2nd Lt, Vol. 7 The above service records are badly flawed information because we don't have any dates of service. A list member retrieved the above for us some years ago. The dates of service were either not listed or she didn't record them. This could be rechecked if we have a Florida volunteer. Here is my chronology and I'll leave it to Linda and Debbie to chase this one to ground because they have forgotten more about this branch than I'll ever know. 1790 (about) Presumed birth of James P. Poythress subtracting 21 years from the date of his first legal document. MCH 1811 James P. Poythress buys a lot in Jacksonborough (once a "planned" town to be the county seat of Screven County but the plan never materialized). The sellers are John & Mary Smith which I deem unremarkable. OCT 1814 James P. Poythress sells lot # 20 in Jacksonborough to Benjamin Freeman. The document shows James P. Poythress to be married to Mary Poythress who co-signed the deed. The deed is witnessed by "John Price"....perhaps the father of Mary and a darn good reason to name a son John Price Poythress. Mar 1816 James P. Poythress sells another lot to Benjamin Freeman. Same details. Oct 1821 James P. Poythress buys land on courthouse steps sold by the sheriff (suggesting to me that James P. Poythress is well off enough to participate in one of these transactions). Dec 1826 James P. Poythress sells 200 acres to Nicholas Barry. Deed signed James P. Poythress with no wife Mary as a signatory. Since James P. closes on his Gadsden County, FL grant in June 1827 we might assume he is lightening up to move to FL. Document is otherwise unremarkable. June 1827 James P. Poythress signs IN FL for his FL land in Gadsden County. Linda Clark Smith reports that the land currently known as "Poythress homeplace" is NOW in WESTERN Gadsden County and is property originally belonging to the family of Mary Ann Dolan, who married John P(rice?)Poythress in 1866. July 1827 George Poythress of Burke County procures land in adjoining Jackson Co., FL and will later die there, leaving a will referring to brother "Lewis Poythress" in Mecklenburg County, VA. 24 JAN 1828 Masonic Lodge formed in Gadsden County, first meeting on date above. Present (among others): James P. Poythress Aug 1828 James P. Poythress sells 200 acres to William Poythress for a nominal $5 suggesting a "family" price. The deed cites the two individuals as "of the same place"...Screven Co, GA or Gadsden Co, FL? This is, of course, NOT William E. Poythress who wasn't born until 1833. 1830 Census Gadsden County, FL. Males in HH James P. Poythress, 1 M under 5, 1 M 10-14, 1 M 15-19, 1 M 40-49 (the last likely James himself). 1830 Census Jackson County, FL HH= Addison Mandell, almost a cinch to be husband of Mary Elizabeth Poythess Mandell, George Poythress' daughter. In the HH is 1 M under 5. This family is no longer in Jackson County in 1840. 1845 James Poythress votes in Chattahoochee, FL in the first statewide election. 9 Jan 1846 James P. Poythress gets additional land in Gadsden County per FL land records. Dec 1846 A William T. Poythress (of Screven County) sells the above same 200 acres to Charles Stewart, 18 years after William Poythress bought it. Question: Is William T. Poythress selling the land to retire from farming or is William T. selling land he inherited from the William Poythress of the deed above? Mar 1847 William T. Poythress sells another 250 acres to Matthew Parker and Charles C. Stewart, attorney, handles the transction for William T. The same question remains: is this William E. or William T.? This would seem to correlate with William OR William T.'s appearance on the service rolls serving in a Seminole Indian war. Mar 1862 John P(rice?) Poythress enlists Confederate States Army in Caddo Parrish, LA. Wounded and captured at Battle of Stones River (Murphreesboro) Jan 1863 and exchanged at City Pt., VA May 1863 and discharged Aug 1863. PURE GUESSWORK: I'd make William E. Poythress the son of James P. Poythress and if we make John P. Poythress also the son of James P. Poythress then the two are likely brothers. And I'd be inclined to make Vern and John B. cousins coming down William E's line and I'd make Gene a cousin coming down the John P(rice?) Poythress line? And, while another "common ancestor" may indeed exist back many generations, the most immediate common ancestor would be James P. Poythress of Screven Co, GA and Gadsden Co, FL. Just a stab in the dark. Maynard