Darley Surname Y-DNA Project- Background

The Darley family has spread to many parts of the British Isles, Australia, the United States and Canada.

We welcome the ALL Darley family members, regardless if they are related to my 5th Great Grandfather Thomas Darley and look forward to learning your ancestral history.

DNA Research study for all men surname Darley or a variant. One primary objective is to research the Descendants of Thomas Darley of Georgia and how they related to all known Darley families

Darley name is registered at Guild of One-Name Studies @ http://one-name.org/name_profile/darley/

Thomas Darley, Birth:  02 JAN 1760in Shevoick, Cornwall Co, England, Death:18 APR 1832in Harris, Georgia, United States

As a sea captain, the young Thomas Darley attempted running the British blockade off the coast of South Carolina during the American Revolution. He was captured and made a POW but, once identified, was forced into service by the British. He fought in one battle where he nearly lost his life. He used the Mason sign of distress which was recognized by an American Patriot and was his life spared. He became a traveling Methodist minister after the Revolution and devoted the rest of his life to spreading the word of Methodism throughout the young South Carolina and Georgia.

He rode horseback throughout the Low Country of South Carolina preaching and helping start numerous churches and later formed a circuit where he would preach. When Methodism needed a preacher in Georgia, Rev. Thomas Darley was at the lead.