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26 Mar 2011
Because of the rate that new Y-DNA markers are being discovered, Family Tree DNA has recently modified their numbering system. For this same reason the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) has also modified their numbering system to match that of Family Tree DNA. You can check out the ISOGG at their web site at www.ISOGG.org.
4 Mar 2009
A member of our Blackwell Surname Project, Joshua Beau Blackwell, has recently published a book. Entitled "Used To Be A Rough Place In Them Hills" , it covers the "moonshine" culture of the "Dark Corner" near Greenville, South Carolina in the early part of the 20th Century. The book can be found on-line at the Barnes & Noble web site. Beau received a PhD. in History last year.
25 Feb 2009
One of the two locations named Blackwell found in the Domesday Book is the one in Derbyshire. In the years 1665-66 the Black Death, which had made another appearance in England reached Eyam, a town located about six miles to the north-east of Blackwell. Among the people listed as dying from the Plague was an Anthony Blackwell on 24 Dec. 1665, a second Anthony Blackwell on 21 Feb. 1666, Ann Blackwell sometime in March 1666, Margaret Blackwell on 16 Apr. 1666 and Sarah Blackwell on 13 Aug. 1666. Dr. Stephen O’Brien, a geneticist from the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. was studying the results of deceases such as Plague and came to the conclusion that the people who survived the Plague may have had an advantage in their genes. He was able to locate a Joan Plant, who on her mothers side is ten generations removed from a Francis and Margaret Blackwell from Eyam. On conducting DNA test on her and others from this city, he was able to discover a gene, the CCR5-∆32 gene.
FamilyTreeDNA offers this test under their Advanced Test for $25.00. Some people have a major deletion within this gene on one or both pair of Chromosome 3. If your test result is normal, normal, this means that you have no copies of the gene with the deletion. A result of del32, normal means that you have one copy of the gene with the deletion; a result of del32, del32 means that both copies of your CCR5 gene contains the deletion. This could mean you are less likely to contact deceases such as plague, ebola, and perhaps even HIV/AIDS.
3 Feb 2009
R1b1b2 (M269) Sub-groups
Analysis of the current results for those who tested in the R1b1b2 (M269) haplogroup is showing the they can be divided into two very distinct groups. Deep Clade results for one group show that they are R1b1b2a1a (U106+). This group is considered by researchers to be West Germanic in origin and is made up of people of Frisian, Anglo-Saxon and Lombard heritage. The second group are R1b1b1a1b (P312+). The origin of this group is considered to be the Pre-European Celtic peoples that were found in western Europe and the British Isles at the time of the Romans expansion into those areas.
21 Jan 2009
BLACKWELL LOST ON THE TITANTIC
Stephen Weart Blackwell who was born on 6 Sept 1866 to former U.S Senator and Mrs. Jonathan H. Blackwell is listed as one of those who died in the sinking of the Titantic. Although a body initially identified as his was recover, it appears his body was never actually recovered. He has a marker in the Blackwell family grave in the Hopewell churchyard in Trenton. The stone simply states "Lost at sea on the Steamer Titantic".
20 Jan 2009
BLACKWELL/BLACKWYN
According to an e-mail that was posted on the Blackwell GenForum on 17 August 1999 by Robert M. Blackwell the Blackwell families from the Leicestershire/Arnesby area actually are from the Blackwyn family.
He states:
"The name of Blackwell of Leicestershire should not be confused with Blackwells from other counties prior to 1700. Before 1700 the family name in Leicestershire was Blackwyn.
The change I believe was brought about by the Ecclesiastical officials on their visitations to the churches throughout the County upon seeing so many variations to the spelling of the final three letters of the name (ie. wyn, win, wen) and fetching the name into line with Leicestershire's adjacent county of Derbyshire of Blackwell.
The alteration is clearly shown in the church records of Shearsby and can be confirmed by reference to the I.G.I. which shows the births in the name of Blackwin, then marriages of the same individuals in the name of Blackwell.
The family resided in Shearby from the time Richard Blackwyn was ordained as the Rector of Knaptoft 1560-1587 one of the richest diocese in the county of Leicestershire. Richard Blackwyn had married late in life - at the age of fifty - subsequently fathering four daughters and two sons. This family leaves Shearsby in the middle of the sixteen hundreds, emerging in Willoughby Waterless, and Arnesby where the family is in evidence for roughly two hundred years.
Before Richard Blackwyn was Rector of Knaptoft he had been Sub Deacon to the Priory of St. Clement, of the Order of St. Dominic, known as 'Blak Frears in Le Asshes' in the City of Leicester. His signature is found on the formal Act of Surrender to the Crown at the time of the Dissolution in 1538.
The Blackwin Family at this time were greatly involved in local administration of the City of Leicester prior to industrialisation. William Blackwyn was an Alderman, the name of Blackwyn in fact appears a number of times in the City documentation associated with the Wyggeston Hospital Trust from 1300.
The name of Blackwell/wyn has a long and eventful link with Leicestershire both City and County."
Because of the rate that new Y-DNA markers are being discovered, Family Tree DNA has recently modified their numbering system. For this same reason the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) has also modified their numbering system to match that of Family Tree DNA. You can check out the ISOGG at their web site at www.ISOGG.org.
4 Mar 2009
A member of our Blackwell Surname Project, Joshua Beau Blackwell, has recently published a book. Entitled "Used To Be A Rough Place In Them Hills" , it covers the "moonshine" culture of the "Dark Corner" near Greenville, South Carolina in the early part of the 20th Century. The book can be found on-line at the Barnes & Noble web site. Beau received a PhD. in History last year.
25 Feb 2009
One of the two locations named Blackwell found in the Domesday Book is the one in Derbyshire. In the years 1665-66 the Black Death, which had made another appearance in England reached Eyam, a town located about six miles to the north-east of Blackwell. Among the people listed as dying from the Plague was an Anthony Blackwell on 24 Dec. 1665, a second Anthony Blackwell on 21 Feb. 1666, Ann Blackwell sometime in March 1666, Margaret Blackwell on 16 Apr. 1666 and Sarah Blackwell on 13 Aug. 1666. Dr. Stephen O’Brien, a geneticist from the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. was studying the results of deceases such as Plague and came to the conclusion that the people who survived the Plague may have had an advantage in their genes. He was able to locate a Joan Plant, who on her mothers side is ten generations removed from a Francis and Margaret Blackwell from Eyam. On conducting DNA test on her and others from this city, he was able to discover a gene, the CCR5-∆32 gene.
FamilyTreeDNA offers this test under their Advanced Test for $25.00. Some people have a major deletion within this gene on one or both pair of Chromosome 3. If your test result is normal, normal, this means that you have no copies of the gene with the deletion. A result of del32, normal means that you have one copy of the gene with the deletion; a result of del32, del32 means that both copies of your CCR5 gene contains the deletion. This could mean you are less likely to contact deceases such as plague, ebola, and perhaps even HIV/AIDS.
3 Feb 2009
R1b1b2 (M269) Sub-groups
Analysis of the current results for those who tested in the R1b1b2 (M269) haplogroup is showing the they can be divided into two very distinct groups. Deep Clade results for one group show that they are R1b1b2a1a (U106+). This group is considered by researchers to be West Germanic in origin and is made up of people of Frisian, Anglo-Saxon and Lombard heritage. The second group are R1b1b1a1b (P312+). The origin of this group is considered to be the Pre-European Celtic peoples that were found in western Europe and the British Isles at the time of the Romans expansion into those areas.
21 Jan 2009
BLACKWELL LOST ON THE TITANTIC
Stephen Weart Blackwell who was born on 6 Sept 1866 to former U.S Senator and Mrs. Jonathan H. Blackwell is listed as one of those who died in the sinking of the Titantic. Although a body initially identified as his was recover, it appears his body was never actually recovered. He has a marker in the Blackwell family grave in the Hopewell churchyard in Trenton. The stone simply states "Lost at sea on the Steamer Titantic".
20 Jan 2009
BLACKWELL/BLACKWYN
According to an e-mail that was posted on the Blackwell GenForum on 17 August 1999 by Robert M. Blackwell the Blackwell families from the Leicestershire/Arnesby area actually are from the Blackwyn family.
He states:
"The name of Blackwell of Leicestershire should not be confused with Blackwells from other counties prior to 1700. Before 1700 the family name in Leicestershire was Blackwyn.
The change I believe was brought about by the Ecclesiastical officials on their visitations to the churches throughout the County upon seeing so many variations to the spelling of the final three letters of the name (ie. wyn, win, wen) and fetching the name into line with Leicestershire's adjacent county of Derbyshire of Blackwell.
The alteration is clearly shown in the church records of Shearsby and can be confirmed by reference to the I.G.I. which shows the births in the name of Blackwin, then marriages of the same individuals in the name of Blackwell.
The family resided in Shearby from the time Richard Blackwyn was ordained as the Rector of Knaptoft 1560-1587 one of the richest diocese in the county of Leicestershire. Richard Blackwyn had married late in life - at the age of fifty - subsequently fathering four daughters and two sons. This family leaves Shearsby in the middle of the sixteen hundreds, emerging in Willoughby Waterless, and Arnesby where the family is in evidence for roughly two hundred years.
Before Richard Blackwyn was Rector of Knaptoft he had been Sub Deacon to the Priory of St. Clement, of the Order of St. Dominic, known as 'Blak Frears in Le Asshes' in the City of Leicester. His signature is found on the formal Act of Surrender to the Crown at the time of the Dissolution in 1538.
The Blackwin Family at this time were greatly involved in local administration of the City of Leicester prior to industrialisation. William Blackwyn was an Alderman, the name of Blackwyn in fact appears a number of times in the City documentation associated with the Wyggeston Hospital Trust from 1300.
The name of Blackwell/wyn has a long and eventful link with Leicestershire both City and County."