Davis/Davies/David - Family Project Website

Project Background:

GOAL: The purpose of the project is to supplement tradition genealogical research methods through Y Chromosome DNA testing in determining project member’s paternal ancestral line.

In the United States, the Davis surname is the 7th most common name. They are a racially diverse group, being 64.7% white, 30.8% black, and 4.5% other according to the 2000 US census. The Davies surname is the 988th most common surname, and is much less racially diverse, being 91.34 % white.

In Great Britain, this is reversed. There Davies is the 6th most common surname overall, and being the most common surname in 7 of the 22 Welsh councils. Davis is the 54th most common surname, but is 4th in Bristol and 5th in Gloucestershire.

PRICING: Here is the pricing for project members:

Y-DNA12 - 12 marker test for $99 (Non-group price is $149)
Y-DNA37 - 37 marker test for $189 (Non-group price is $259)
Y-DNA67 - 67 marker test for $269 (Non-group price is $349)

The 12 marker test will tell you your haplogroup, and people you MAY be related to. You may get some false positives with people who are not your surname. The reason is that most project participants are the Atlantic Modal Haplotype associated with haplogroup R1b, and as such will have the first 6 markers in common, and only 6 other markers from which to differentiate. The 37 marker test will give you much more definitive results as to who you are related to. And FTDNA is now offering the 67 marker test. Whichever you choose now can always be upgraded later for an additional fee as shown below:

Y-DNA12to25 for $49
Y-DNA12to37 for $99
Y-DNA12to67 for $189

Y-DNA25to37 for $49
Y-DNA25to67 for $148

Y-DNA37to67 for $99

RESULTS: The Results Chart is automatically updated by Family Tree DNA computers, except for the Most Distant Ancestor information which you update under USER PREFERENCES on your personal webpage, or you can e-mail the Group Administrator with this information. FAILURE TO PROVIDE YOUR MOST DISTANT ANCESTOR INFORMATION WILL RESULT IN REMOVAL FROM THE PROJECT.

Since the Results Chart has limited room for Most Distant Ancestor information, project members are encouraged to invest in software to create a GEDCOM file which is uploaded on your personal webpage. Software such as Personal Ancestor File can be obtained for free at www.familysearch.org or commercially with products such as Family Tree Maker.

The Results Chart has the capability to offer member subgrouping by color. If you are interested in this, please send the Group Administrator an e-mail. Include in your e-mail which kit numbers you would like to be part of your subgroup.

The Results Chart is large and may take a few minutes to load. Please be patient.

Please note the website http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~davisdna/ is no longer up to date as we do not have a webmaster to support it.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland (2007) by Bryan Sykes

The Seven Daughters of Eve (2001) by Bryan Sykes

Adam's Curse (2004) by Bryan Sykes

Deep Ancestry: Inside The Genographic Project (2007) by Spencer Wells

The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey (2004) by Spencer Wells

Trace Your Roots with DNA (2004) by Megan Smolenyak and Ann Turner

Genealogy and Genetics: A theme issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly - Volume 93, No. 4, December 2005.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING:

African American Lives (2006) DVD

A compelling combination of storytelling and science AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIVES is an unprecedented four-hour series on PBS that takes Alex Haley's Roots saga to a whole new level. The series will profile some of the most accomplished African-Americans of our time using genealogy and DNA to trace their roots down through American history and back to Africa. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. W.E.B. Du Bois professor of the Humanities and chair of African and African-American Studies at Harvard UniversityDr. Gates will provide access to the day-to-day lives of several prominent African-Americans drawing on photographs film clips music and early personal records while a team of researchers genealogists and forensic DNA analysts will conduct investigations into their family histories. By spotlighting African-American role models the series hopes to inspire millions to consider their own heritage and underscore for all Americans the importance of knowing their past in order to unlock the
future.

African American Lives 2 (2008) DVD

In February 2006 the PBS series African American Lives narrated by acclaimed Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates showed the results of extensive genealogical searches of prominent African Americans including composer and producer Quincy Jones talk show host Oprah Winfrey and comedian Chris Tucker. Reaction to the show spurred thousands of black Americans to begin or renew the search especially with the help of DNA testing to find their origins. Gates and PBS have teamed up for a sequel that will air in February 2008 but this version will have a twist: A member of the general public will be selected to have his or her genealogical roots traced. The winner s story will be told along with those of several celebrities including Chris Rock Morgan Freeman Tom Joyner Maya Angelou Don Cheadle and others.

Project News:
5/05/2008

2008 Y-Chromosome Phylogenetic Tree released. FTDNA may have updated your haplogroup with current standard nomenclature.

4/24/2008

GENOGRAPHIC NEWS: EARLY HUMAN POPULATIONS EVOLVED SEPARATELY FOR 100,000 YEARS

WASHINGTON, DC (April 24, 2008) —A team of Genographic researchers and their collaborators have published the most extensive survey to date of African mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Over 600 complete mtDNA genomes from indigenous populations across the continent were analyzed by the scientists, led by Doron Behar, Genographic Associate Researcher, based at Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, and Saharon Rosset of IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, NY and Tel Aviv University. Analyses of the extensive data presented in this study provide surprising insights into the early demographic history of human populations before they moved out of Africa, illustrating that these early human populations were small and isolated from each other for many tens of thousands of years.

MtDNA, inherited down the maternal line, was used to discover the age of the famous 'mitochondrial Eve' in 1987. This work has since been extended to show unequivocally that the most recent common female ancestor of everyone alive today was an African woman who lived in the past 200,000 years. Paleontology provides corroborating evidence that our species originated on this continent approximately 200,000 years ago.

The migrations after 60,000 years ago that led modern humans on their epic journeys to populate the world have been the primary focus of anthropological genetic research, but relatively little is known about the demographic history of our species over the previous 140,000 years in Africa. The current study returns the focus to Africa and in doing so refines our understanding of early modern Homo sapiens history.

Doron Behar, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, said: "We see strong evidence of ancient population splits beginning as early as 150,000 years ago, probably giving rise to separate populations localized to Eastern and Southern Africa. It was only around 40,000 years ago that they became part of a single pan-African population, reunited after as much as 100,000 years apart."

Recent paleoclimatological data suggests that Eastern Africa went through a series of massive droughts between 135,000-90,000 years ago. It is possible that this climatological shift contributed to the population splits. What is surprising is the length of time the populations were separate - as much as half of our entire history as a species.

Saharon Rosset, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, NY and Tel Aviv University, said: "The analysis of such a massive dataset presents statistical and computational challenges as well as great opportunities for discovery of the events that shaped our history and genetic landscape. For example, we can see evidence of a population expansion period starting around 70,000 years ago, perhaps leading to the out of Africa dispersal shortly afterward."

The timing of these events coincides with the onset of the Late Stone Age in Africa, a change in material culture that many archaeologists believe heralds the beginning of fully modern human behavior, including abstract thought and complex spoken language.

Previous studies have shown that while human populations had been quite small prior to the Late Stone Age, perhaps numbering fewer than 2,000 around 70,000 years ago, the expansion after this time led to the occupation of many previously uninhabited areas, including the world beyond Africa.

Dr. Spencer Wells, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and Director of the Genographic Project, said: “This new study released today illustrates the extraordinary power of genetics to reveal insights into some of the key events in our species' history. Tiny bands of early humans, forced apart by harsh environmental conditions, coming back from the brink to reunite and populate the world. Truly an epic drama, written in our DNA.”

Paleontologist Meave Leakey, Genographic Advisory Board member, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and Research Professor, Stony Brook University, added: "Who would have thought that as recently as 70,000 years ago, extremes of climate had reduced our population to such small numbers that we were on the very edge of extinction."

To see the entire article go to http://www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic

12/30/2007

Please note the e-mail address for the Group Administrator has changed to DAVISDNA@VERIZON.NET

Gift certificates are expired.

11/11/2007

Only the two $15 mtDNA 2007 Gift Certificate remain available.

11/10/2007

For the Holiday season, FTDNA has made available the following gift certificates for our project:

two $30 Y-DNA37 2007 Gift Certificate
two $15 Y-DNA25 2007 Gift Certificate
two $15 mtDNA 2007 Gift Certificate

These are for NEW members only, no upgrades, and are to be used by December 31, 2007.

If you are interested in any of these, please reply to this e-mail. They will be distributed on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVE basis.

11/04/2007

A couple of important announcements:

First, Pat Griffith is retiring from active stewardship of the Davis/Davies/David surname project. Pat has been the Project Group Administrator since its inception 5 years ago. It will be hard to replace her experience, leadership and dedication. I hope you will join me in thanking Pat for all she has done. I will be taking her place. Pat will stay on temporarily as co-administrator until I find a backup for when I am on vacation or ill. If you are interested, please let me know.

Secondly, FTDNA has given the project Group Administrators the capability to offer member subgrouping by color. If you are interested in this, please send me an e-mail. Include in your e-mail which kit numbers you would like to be part of your subgroup

On October 20th and 21st, I attended FTDNA's 4th conference on Genetic Genealogy in Houston, Texas. Among the topics presented were:

Roberta Estes gave a presentation on the lost colony of Roanoke Island, NC. One hundred fifteen settlers were left on Roanoke Island in 1587 while the ship returned to England for supplies. In 1590, when the ship returned, the settlement was gone. Roberta's project is to solve the mystery of the missing colony. She will be looking for DNA traces of the Europeans among the Native Americans of the area.

David Soria, a research fellow with the National Geographic Society's Genographic Project, showed some slides from a recent trip to gather DNA from indigenous people in Peru.

John Butler, from the DNA measurements group of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), said that standards exist for only a handful of the markers that FTDNA offers. So when the government catches up on issuing standards, be aware that FTDNA may be making some adjustments to existing counts. Also take note that competing testing labs may not be using the same standard, so please take this into account when comparing results from tests outside FTDNA.

Elby Davis
Group Administrator volunteer
Davis/Davies/David DNA project

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