The BRADBERRY_BRADBURY DNA Project - Family Project Website

The BRADBERRY_BRADBURY DNA Project

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Group Administrator: Brent Bradberry brentbradberry@cpcinternet.com

Project Surnames:

Bradberry	Bradbury

Project Background:

This project is the result of frustration; specifically my frustration at a brick wall in my own BRADBERRY paternal line (about 1810 in Virginia). I soon discovered that I was not alone. But new developments in DNA analysis have made it possible to augment conventional genealogy by comparing the Y DNA patterns of men in order to determine their relatedness, and thus to confirm (or disprove) paternal lines. There are now many DNA projects involving various surnames and as the number of participants grows, success stories are becoming more frequent. So the BRADBERRY-BRADBURY project was started in December 2006.

The spelling of our surname can be inconsistent. In my family's old bible the name is spelled three different ways on the same page (BRADBERRY, BRADBURY, BRADBERY). Therefore this project invites “BRADBERRY” men of any spelling to join. Whenever I write BRADBERRY, unless otherwise indicated I mean any spelling. I use the BRADBERRY spelling because that is what I grew up with and am accustomed to; I would not be at all surprised to find previously unknown cousins who use a different spelling. There have been BRADBERRYs in North America since the 17th century and the BRADBURY spelling is usually associated with the northern colonies, while BRADBERRY is more common in the south, but of course there are exceptions. Also, although I am writing from a North American perspective, I hope that BRADBERRYs around the world (especially the U. K. and Australia) will find this project helpful.

If you wish to join this project, please click on the link “REQUEST TO JOIN THIS PROJECT” in the upper left of the main page. You will have a choice of several Y DNA tests, in the approx. range $100 - $300. I recommend that you choose at least 37 markers in order to gain enough information to be of genealogical value. If you are joining from the National Geographic project or from another testing company you should consider upgrading the number of markers. You may join with 12 markers, but you will find comparison with other men's DNA to be less helpful in determining close relationships. During the course of the project we should expect to find several unrelated paternal lines. I have read that our surname is from the Anglo-Saxon term for “wooden fort” or “broad settlement”. Whichever meaning is more accurate, certainly our name refers to some sort of settlement. There may well be more than point of origin of our name, and unrelated men may have taken the same surname when surnames came into common use.

When you have joined the project and your test results have been received, they will be posted on this website on the “Y Results” page. I would like to include also the name and dates of your most distant known paternal ancestor.

DISCLAIMER. I have no financial interest in this project, and no connection with the Family Tree DNA company. I am a volunteer and strictly an amateur. If you have any questions, please contact me. I don't have all the answers but I may be able to refer you to an authoritative source. Welcome!

Brent Bradberry
Moscow, Idaho USA
January 2007

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Project News:

I'll use this page for items of interest to project members and others, and will update approximately monthly.
JAN '08
1. I recommend that project members join the appropriate Y-Haplogroup project. This is entirely free, and takes only a couple of mouse clicks. First click on the blue "JOIN" button on your FTDNA personal page, then scroll down until you come to the yDNA projects. Joining one of these projects adds to the cumulative knowledge about the various Y-Haplogroups and helps you to learn more about your deep ancestry, before the advent of surnames.
2. Also consider sending a DNA sample to the Sorenson Molecular Genetic Foundation. This is also entirely free and very easy. The SMGF database offers yet another way to find DNA matches (both yDNA and mtDNA). Go to www.smgf.org to get all the information. A personal note: It took about a year for me to find the results of my SGMF testing (they don't send you the info; you have to search their database). It has been worthwhile for me, since SMGF tests some different markers than does FTDNA, I now have a total of about 76 markers. The more data, the better!

Project Results:

JAN '07 The first two members are of different haplogroups: I1a and R1a. This indicates at least two distinct unrelated Bradberry families. Interestingly, both participants trace their earliest paternal ancestor to early Virginia, and both participants are from haplogroups with old world associations with far northern Europe.

JAN '08 The project now has five members, four of whom have their yDNA analyses completed and one whose is in progress. The results so far show three distinct and unrelated paternal lines representing three haplogroups: I1a, R1a, and R1b1. A likely explanation is that several (perhaps many) unrelated men took the surname BRADBURY (all spellings) several hundred years ago when surnames came into use by ordinary people. The shape of our family tree is just beginning to emerge from the mists of time (please pardon the purple prose) and should become clearer as the project grows and we accumulate data. Meanwhile, here are some facts about our three lines:
THE R1a BRADBERRYS. The earliest known paternal ancestor is Lewis BRADBERRY, b. 1765 in Henry Co., Virginia. This line has close yDNA matches with men descended from William BROOKS, b. c. 1780 in North Carolina. In the 1881 U.K. census, the BROOKS surname was popular near Bolton, Lancs.
THE R1b1 BRADBURYS. This line descends from Cyril BRADBURY, b. c. 1905 in Lincoln, Lincs. There are close yDNA matches to men with surnames BENNETT and METEYARD. The 1881 census shows both BENNETTS and BRADBURYS most numerous around Stockport, in greater Manchester (near Bredbury). I can find no information on the METEYARDS.
THE I1a BRADBERRYS. This line descends from Richard BRADBERRY, b. c. 1776 (place unknown), d. 1826 King William Co., Virginia. There are very close matches to men named FOSTER, WHITEHEAD, and BUIE. In the 1881 census, FOSTERS were widespread and BUIES were not numerous enough to be statistically significant. However WHITEHEADS and BRADBERRYS were numerous in the greater Manchester area, especially Oldham and within about a twenty mile radius of Fountains Abbey.

WHAT DO THESE NON-SURNAME MATCHES MEAN? I don't know. However, one plausible explanation is that when surnames first came into common usage, closely related men (even brothers) sometimes took different surnames, just as unrelated men took the same surname. At any rate, the evidence so far suggests that our surname may have its origins in the region east of Manchester.