DNA Testing: Is Peter Skaggs related to the Long Hunters?

Several descendants of Old Peter Skaggs have written to say that they are surprised that they don't have DNA matches with descendants of the Long Hunter Skaggs, e.g. Charles, Henry, etc.  Well, here is some interesting news.  There may be some DNA evidence to tie Old Peter to the Long Hunters.
A recent correspondent who DNA tested at 23andMe got a match with a proven descendant of James and Rachel Skaggs, the parents of the Long Hunters.  In fact this match has a double-dose of Longhunter involving some cousin marriage which made the relationship between the two tested relatives seem closer than it really was on paper.  I've spent a lot of time looking at this case and here is my conclusion:
  • Subject A is a proven descendant of Old Peter Skaggs, six generations separated.  This is a straightforward lineage that has been proven for decades.
  • Subject B is a proven descendant of James Skaggs (father of the Longhunters) through two daughters, Elizabeth, wife of John Hankins, and Lydia, wife of Mathias Harman.  These daughters of James were sisters of the famous Henry, Charles, Richard, etc. (The Long Hunters).  These relationships are proven in the Moses Skaggs Estate Papers.
Subject B had descendants of Elizabeth Hankins and Lydia Harman marrying each other multiple times over the centuries, making the DNA relationship to Subject A appear closer than the 8th cousins they appear to be on paper.  This also has made it difficult to unwind this whole thing so we can understand it.  However, this intermarriage has allowed us to detect the relationship with DNA testing even though it goes back about 300 years.  Of course there could be some overlooked relationship that none of us realize, e.g. adoption.

It would be a big help if Skaggs males would DNA test and report their Y-haplogroup result, especially proven descendants of the Longhunters.  If Longhunter descendants have a different Y-haplogroup than Old Peter's descendants (R1a1a) then we know they are NOT related families.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts