Welcome to the Martha Philips of Buncombe, NC DNA Project. Martha “Patsey” Philips was born in Burke County*, North Carolina in 1788. By 1850 she was the matriarch of a large, extended family. Based on US Census records she raised at least six children, three of whom are documented by name: Jane, Samuel and Axie. Both William and Carson Phillips, her neighbors in 1850, are very likely her sons. An older son, born between 1805 and 1810 is enumerated in the 1820 census. Martha may have been married two or more times, or not at all. Philips may have been her maiden name or a married name. Family legend tells that Martha’s daughter Jane was fathered by Tom Wilson. Research conducted in the 1960’s By Martha's 2nd great grand daughter Delia Tipton Brittain suggests that folks believed Tom Wilson was also the father of her youngest children, Samuel and Axie. It is likely that Martha was related by birth or marriage to a number of neighboring Philips families. She is linked to Thrower Phillips by an 1828 document and it appears that an elderly Winnifred Phillips, the widow of Lazarus Phillips, was living in Martha’s household in 1830. By the time of her death after 1850 Martha’s children had established large families of their own. No less than three grandchildren were named Martha in her honor. The purpose of this Family Finder DNA Project is to connect Martha’s descendants; provide a venue to discuss shared family history; and use DNA results to identify, understand and document relationships among her known and suspected descendants as well as the descendants of her Phillips neighbors. Initial project goals include: · Allow members to share historical information about Martha and her children · Identify Martha’s descendant lines as determined by her known and suspected children and identify ancestral focus couples in each line · Compare member’s autosomal DNA results to determine if relationships are clustered around ancestral focus couples · Identify and explore any X Chromosome matches among project members · Identify Martha's direct female line descendants and encourage them to take mtDNA tests to establish and confirm Martha's mtDNA haplogroup · Locate direct male line descendants of Martha’s four sons and compare their Y-DNA profiles to see if they shared one father · Determine what relationship Martha may have had with her neighbors Winnifred and Lazarus Phillips and their son Thrower Phillips · Compare autosomal DNA with descendants of other area Phillips families to see if there is a connection that may confirm a family relationship Project goals will develop over time. The project is open to anyone descended from Martha Philips and her Phillips neighbors who lived in Buncombe County, North Carolina. New members are encouraged to share their pedigree leading to Martha or Phillips ancestor. *The area where Martha was likely born became Buncombe County in 1791.