More Tools for DNA Genealogy

I've found a couple of useful tools out there for DNA research.

• GEDMatch has a tool that provides the family tree for your DNA matches so you can compare their tree to yours to find the connections
• The 23andMe testing service has a new tool that triangulates your DNA matches, i.e. you select a DNA match and 23andMe provides a list of third parties that match both you and the person you selected.  The benefit of triangulation is that if three persons match on the same segment of DNA there's over a 90% chance they have the same common ancestor.  Less false positives and wild goose chases.

It would be great if several Skaggs descendants on GEDMatch and 23andMe would use these tools to match other descendants and trace back to a common ancestor.  We might be able to find out from the DNA of current descendants how old Skaggs ancestors were related.

Famous Skaggs: Skaggs...Texas Ranger

A long-lost Skaggs played a role in the Texas Revolution and the beginning of the Republic of Texas.  He was involved in the initial defeat of Mexico by the Army of Texas and later joined the Texas Rangers to patrol the frontiers of the new Republic of Texas and fight the Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto.

The Elkins Family of Halifax County, Virginia

Some Skaggs, Elkins and Bishop researchers believe that the Ruth Bishop who married John Bishop in Montgomery County, Virginia c. 1780 was previously married to a John Scaggs and had the maiden name Elkins.  Many of these researchers believe that this Ruth Elkins Scaggs Bishop was the daughter of a Ralph Elkins and Frances Brown who lived in Halifax County, Virginia prior to the formation of Pittsylvania County from Halifax in 1767.

Pittsylvania County, Virginia

Skaggs researchers who are interested in Old Peter’s parents should spend some time investigating the Skaggs of Pittsylvania County, Virginia.  Pittsylvania was formed from Halifax County in 1767 and they did an initial tax census of the new Pittsylvania in 1767.  A lot of interesting information for Skaggs researchers comes from that 1767 tax list.

The Skaggs DNA Project

I recently checked the Skaggs DNA Project website at http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/skaggs/results for current Y-chromosome test results.  There’s a lot of noise on there with most of the results not even Skaggs and one of the Skaggs results attributed to Forkbeard Skagg, King of England or some such nonsense.  Don’t let that silliness fool you, there are five Skaggs results out there that separate the Skaggs into two basic Y-chromosome families: 1) R1a1a and 2) R1b1a1a2.  I did a little detective work on these five test results and here’s what I came up with: