May 2015

This announces the launch of a Don Carlos/Carloss Y-DNA surname project to shed light on some of the questions that have stumped Don Carlos/Carloss family genealogists for decades. Are the families who trace their origins to colonial VA, NC and SC related?  Is there a genetic basis for the lore common across these different family lines that the immigrant who first came to America was exiled from Spain as a royal persona non-grata…then travelled to Virginia via Cuba? Or are the family roots in England where the majority of early Virginians originated?  Additionally we also want to find if there was a common US ancestor at some point for the different Carlos lines (probably the immigrant John Careless/Carloss,first appearing in the records of St. Peters Parish, New Kent Co, VA around 1722, but perhaps genetic evidence will suggest the common ancestor was earlier).  

With the advent of genealogical DNA science and the rapidly growing Y-DNA database we now have new ways to combine science with traditional genealogy research to answer some of these basic questions and to look for connections between different family lines in the US, Spain and the British Isles.  Or rule them out.  

We have identified a number of family lines whose links have never been sorted out -- and we expect new lineages will be added as participants join the project.   Participation of males from these different groups will enable us to use Y-DNA test results to reconfigure these tentative groupings and either support or refute relationships.  Participants will be grouped on the similarity of their DNA test results.  New lineages may be added and existing lineages may merge. Comparing genealogy records will be vital to this process. Very tentatively, and we underscore tentatively, Don Carlos/Carlos genealogy researchers, whosework we are aware of, trace their most remote US ancestor back to the following different progenitors:  

• John Careless/Carloss  (b. abt 1695) first appears in records of St.Peter’s Church, New Kent Co, VA in 1722 and is the presumed father of Archelaus Carlos who died in Caswell Co NC; and most likely of other yet to be identified descendants

• Archelaus Carlos (b. 1734) in New KentCo, VA, later documented in Sussex Co, VA;  d. in Caswell Co, NC, with many descendants of son William Carter (b. abt 1769) initially found in Illinois and Iowa; and many descendants of  son Robert Cole  (b. 1770)  found in Missouri

• Archelaus Carlos (b. abt 1770) in VA (unknown county), migrated to Chatham County, NC

• Robertson Carloss  (b. abt 1770) in VA (unknown county)  migrated to Marlboro County, SC

• Edward Carloss (b. abt 1740), place unknown, appears in Brunswick County, VA records in 1769. Descendants in VA and SC

• John Carlos (b. abt 1729), place unknown, documented in Dinwiddie/Brunswick Counties, VA in 1759, then Northampton and Franklin Co, NC, with descendants of son Cole Carlos in Trigg Co, KY andStuart/Sumner Co, TN  

   

We will be updating this information as the project progresses.     

Howto Join and Order a Test Kit:  We are inviting males to participate who carry one of the Don Carlos/Carlos surnames listed for the project (or variant spellings) and have an unbroken direct male line (that is from father, paternal grandfather, paternal great-grandfather, and his father etc. etc.).  The project is for males taking a Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) test.  As females do not carry the Y-chromosome, females interested in Don Carlos/Carlos genealogy are encouraged to enlist a male relative carrying the Don Carlos/CARLOS surname to takethe test. This can be a father, brother, paternal grandfather, or paternal uncle or cousin.  For information on how to join and order a kit, please see:  https://www.familytreedna.com/project-join-request.aspx?group=DonCarlosCarloss&projecttype=S.  

We encourage interested males to order the Y-DNA-37 test, if possible.  

We are asking participants to submit a pedigree (GEDCOM) or a descendant tree, although this is not a requirement for participation. The Pedigree chart should go back as far as possible to your earliest known CARLOS ancestor.  This should be documented information.  Include as many birth,  marriage and death dates and locations as possible, as well as maiden names for spouses.   For the sake of privacy do not include names or other information about living persons.

 Funds. Funds are available to assist anyone who needs support in order to join the project and donate a Y-DNA sample. This DNA Project is part of the Don Carlos one-name study which has been registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies, London, England.

Transferring Y-DNA results from another testing company:  Instructions can be found at:  https://www.familytreedna.com/landing/ydna-transfer.aspx.