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This project was successful in establishing that all the Gooch lines tested with documentation to a specific line were related and had a single common ancestor. However, there are variations on how closely related they are to each other. It is interesting to note that those with the most similar naming patterns turned out to be the closest related.
The two lines most closely related are the Rowland Gooch of Louisa line and the line of John Gooch of Caroline. Both use the Gideon and Rowland name frequently and both use the Claiborne name, but in a less exalted position. As there is a generational difference between John and Rowland they may be as closely related as uncle/nephew. More distant from this group is William Gooch of Caswell. Though John Gooch's line followed William Gooch into the same area of Granville, they did so much later and there is no indication that the two families knew each other. William is likely a cousin of John Gooch or maybe even more distantly related. William of Albemarle turns out to be the most distantly related from all the groups. He is about the same age as William of Caswell and both come out of Hanover County, Virginia and both use the "Claiborne" name in key positions; however, they are not as closely related as suspected. It may be that the "Claiborne" names comes through one of the early female lines and has nothing to do with a direct Gooch-Claiborne marriage. Unfortunately, we cannot accurately estimate the distance between the two Williams and John Gooch as all three are of similar age. One can speculate that John and William of Caswell are first cousins and that William of Albemarle is a cousin removed one generation. The last key group to be tested was Stephen Gooch of King William, Louisa and Albemarle County. His family has the most different naming patterns among the lines, using the names Pollard and Pemberton with sons Thomas, Stephen and James. Records suggest he may be closely related to Rowland Gooch of Louisa, but the DNA test does not show this; however, he is not as distant as William of Albemarle.
The two lines most closely related are the Rowland Gooch of Louisa line and the line of John Gooch of Caroline. Both use the Gideon and Rowland name frequently and both use the Claiborne name, but in a less exalted position. As there is a generational difference between John and Rowland they may be as closely related as uncle/nephew. More distant from this group is William Gooch of Caswell. Though John Gooch's line followed William Gooch into the same area of Granville, they did so much later and there is no indication that the two families knew each other. William is likely a cousin of John Gooch or maybe even more distantly related. William of Albemarle turns out to be the most distantly related from all the groups. He is about the same age as William of Caswell and both come out of Hanover County, Virginia and both use the "Claiborne" name in key positions; however, they are not as closely related as suspected. It may be that the "Claiborne" names comes through one of the early female lines and has nothing to do with a direct Gooch-Claiborne marriage. Unfortunately, we cannot accurately estimate the distance between the two Williams and John Gooch as all three are of similar age. One can speculate that John and William of Caswell are first cousins and that William of Albemarle is a cousin removed one generation. The last key group to be tested was Stephen Gooch of King William, Louisa and Albemarle County. His family has the most different naming patterns among the lines, using the names Pollard and Pemberton with sons Thomas, Stephen and James. Records suggest he may be closely related to Rowland Gooch of Louisa, but the DNA test does not show this; however, he is not as distant as William of Albemarle.