About us
The original goal of this project was to establish the Y-DNA of Joseph Loomis via his descendants. This goal has been met. Three members of our project with documented descent from three different sons of Joseph Loomis tested with Big Y700 and are positive for the SNP BY17805. This proves that BY17805 was Joseph Loomis' terminal SNP, as he passed it on to each of these sons.
A second goal is to look for specific markers that might point to descent from one of Joseph Loomis' sons as opposed to another. If such distinctions exist, they would allow a person with uncertain descent from Joseph Loomis to concentrate their research to that son's line with whom they match. To this end, we are using David Vance’s SAPP program to analyze our data. This program uses STR, SNP, and genealogical data to look for branching points in the family tree. It is also helping us understand how the greater family fits together. At this point, we are limited by the large number of men who have tested only at low STR levels. We need project members to test at least at the Y111 level or, preferably, with Big Y 700.
As an example of how the SAPP program is helping us understand the greater family, it has shown that one man positive for BY17805 is not descended from Joseph Loomis but is in a parallel branch. This suggests that his descent is possibly from Joseph’s brother or his cousin. Currently, we are leaning to his cousin, but we are lacking a paper trail and need men descending from the cousin to test and join our project. But this suggests that BY17805 did not originate with Joseph Loomis, rather with his father, grandfather, or even farther back.
Third, the Loomis surname has undergone several iterations since its origin in 13th century Lancashire, England. We want to prove or disprove a connection within genealogical time between the Loomis family and families with variations of the surname such as Lomas, Lomax, and Lummus. Thus far, with Big Y 700 testing, we have been able to establish such a connection within genealogical time with Loomes, Lomas, and Lomax in three men. All three represent lines which remained in England after Joseph Loomis emigrated to America and who are not descended from him. We have also established a connection with Lummis via a Y 37 test; this needs to be refined with Big Y 700 testing.
Fourth, we seek a better understanding of who we are by determining the origins of our family. The linguistic origin of our surname is Anglo-Saxon, and Charles A. Hoppin concluded that our family are also Anglo-Saxon. Determination of ethnicity via DNA testing is in its infancy. Currently, it is best at determining geographic origins rather than ethnic. Furthermore, ethnicity is a slippery topic. Is there any group of people, for example the Anglo Saxons, who are comprised of a single haplogroup? Probably not. It is probably more correct to say that we are trying to determine the cultural group with which our family arrived in Britain. We need many more men to test at Big Y 700 to determine when the Loomis family arrived in Britain. From that we can extrapolate with which group we arrived. Currently, we have a block of 33 equivalents between SNP FT20286 and our current, terminal SNPs. It may be that we will only be able to estimate when the family arrived in Britain after that block of 33 equivalents is broken up. With our current results, however, it appears that our family may have arrived in Britain long before the Anglo-Saxons. Only more testing will provide a final answer.
A second goal is to look for specific markers that might point to descent from one of Joseph Loomis' sons as opposed to another. If such distinctions exist, they would allow a person with uncertain descent from Joseph Loomis to concentrate their research to that son's line with whom they match. To this end, we are using David Vance’s SAPP program to analyze our data. This program uses STR, SNP, and genealogical data to look for branching points in the family tree. It is also helping us understand how the greater family fits together. At this point, we are limited by the large number of men who have tested only at low STR levels. We need project members to test at least at the Y111 level or, preferably, with Big Y 700.
As an example of how the SAPP program is helping us understand the greater family, it has shown that one man positive for BY17805 is not descended from Joseph Loomis but is in a parallel branch. This suggests that his descent is possibly from Joseph’s brother or his cousin. Currently, we are leaning to his cousin, but we are lacking a paper trail and need men descending from the cousin to test and join our project. But this suggests that BY17805 did not originate with Joseph Loomis, rather with his father, grandfather, or even farther back.
Third, the Loomis surname has undergone several iterations since its origin in 13th century Lancashire, England. We want to prove or disprove a connection within genealogical time between the Loomis family and families with variations of the surname such as Lomas, Lomax, and Lummus. Thus far, with Big Y 700 testing, we have been able to establish such a connection within genealogical time with Loomes, Lomas, and Lomax in three men. All three represent lines which remained in England after Joseph Loomis emigrated to America and who are not descended from him. We have also established a connection with Lummis via a Y 37 test; this needs to be refined with Big Y 700 testing.
Fourth, we seek a better understanding of who we are by determining the origins of our family. The linguistic origin of our surname is Anglo-Saxon, and Charles A. Hoppin concluded that our family are also Anglo-Saxon. Determination of ethnicity via DNA testing is in its infancy. Currently, it is best at determining geographic origins rather than ethnic. Furthermore, ethnicity is a slippery topic. Is there any group of people, for example the Anglo Saxons, who are comprised of a single haplogroup? Probably not. It is probably more correct to say that we are trying to determine the cultural group with which our family arrived in Britain. We need many more men to test at Big Y 700 to determine when the Loomis family arrived in Britain. From that we can extrapolate with which group we arrived. Currently, we have a block of 33 equivalents between SNP FT20286 and our current, terminal SNPs. It may be that we will only be able to estimate when the family arrived in Britain after that block of 33 equivalents is broken up. With our current results, however, it appears that our family may have arrived in Britain long before the Anglo-Saxons. Only more testing will provide a final answer.