STICKLE PROJECT REPORT

1 May 2020

As the first report of the Stickle Project, this is a summary of early results.  These results make it possible to pose an early question, "are the Stickle families of the US related; do they have a common ancestral family?"  

Project Status

Currently, we have eight members who have tested for at least 37 markers.  There are two additional Stickle men who have tested at the same level, and we hope to have them join, although their results are available to their matches.  One is deceased, but a request has been made to his son for membership.  Additionally, two of us have taken advantage of recent sale prices to expand SNP testing to "Big Y-700".

The project is growing, and you can help us to continue to expand our base by recommending the YDNA test to other Stickle males.  Financial assistance may be available.  Do not hesitate to contact the project administrators.

This report won't get into any of the technical details.  There are a couple of links in the "News" section of our public website if you feel like learning more.

Testing Results

At a minimum, you signed up for the STR test for at least 37 markers.  Those results give you a list of possible matches and the "genetic distance" between you and each match.

FTDNA also gives you an estimate of your haplogroup, which is based on STR testing.  They say that they base your "predicted" haplogroup on the test results of others who resemble you and have had additional testing.  You, too, may refine your haplogroup results with further testing.  

You can think of haplogroups as the branches of the male evolutionary tree.  Our forefather "Adam" would be the base of that tree, and periodic mutations would slowly split individuals from the original core of descendants to form branches.  There aren't that many main branches, but each branch has further branching down to "twigs".  So, if two people aren't on the same branch, their common ancestor is very far in the past (outside the genealogical time frame).  This report will review both haplogroup (SNP) and STR matching.

If you are wondering why you can't log on to FTDNA and do this yourself, you could to the extent that all Stickle males would show up in your list of matches.  But they won't, and you will see why below.  I will refer to members by only their first names, without further personal information.  Non-Stickle matches will be identified by surname and a number, surname being a key factor in our study.

Lawrence (me, I confess)J-M172 (predicted, with results of Y-700 pending).  

STR matching:  from 37 markers to 111 markers, my only matches also come from haplogroup J-M172.  The four, with genetic distance at 37 markers are:  D.L. 0 (my brother), Stickels-5 1 (non-member of the study), Glen 2, Wesley 3.

D.L.J-M172 (predicted)

STR matching:  Lawrence 0, Stickels-5 1 (non-member), Glen 2, Wesley 3.

GlenJ-M172 (predicted)

STR matching:  Stickels-5 1 (non-member), D.L. 2, Lawrence 2, Wesley 3.

WesleyJ-M172 (predicted with results of Y-700 pending)

STR matching:  Stickels-5 2, D.L. 3, Lawrence 3, Glen 3.

RobertE-M35 (predicted)

STR matching:Campbell-1 1, Sztykiel-4 (and 2 others) 3.

Mark A.R-M269 (predicted)

STR matching:Howell-2 0, Stickle-3 0, Perdue-7 0, Perdue-8 0,  Howell-3 1, Lyle-2 1, Stickle-9 1, Stickle-7 1, Howell-4 1, Howell-5 1.  Eight of these matches were Haplogroup R-M269, while the other three were also on an R branch.

ClaytonR-M269 (predicted)

STR matching:Howell-2 1, Stickle-3 1, Perdue-7 1, Perdue-8 1, Mark A. 1Four of the five were haplogroup R-M269 with the fifth another R branch.

KevinG-CTS7357 (tested)

STR matchingLeland Stickle 2, Stickley-1 2, Stickley-2 2, Rufener-1 2.  These matches are all from the haplogroup G:  G-M201, G-L497, and G-L42, respectively (with the latter two marked by terminal SNPs).  

LelandG_M201 (predicted)

STR matchingStickels-6 1 (see genetic distance of 3 to Kevin, above) and 2 other surnames from Haplogroup G.  Eight individuals with a genetic distance of 2, including G.F. Stickles, Kevin Stickle and four with the surname Stickley.

Conclusions

While the above represent only some preliminary results, one takeaway is that those carrying the Stickle surname do not necessarily have a common origin.  Four individuals belong to the J-M172 haplogroup, while also cross-match each other as STR matches.  The four are also known to have Stickle roots in 18th century Virginia.

Members of the Stickley family, some of which also have Viriginia roots, have wondered about a Stickle connection, even paying for "Stickels-5" (above) to be tested.  The G-CTS7357 member's STR matches certainly suggest there is a connection, at least with regard to some Stickle lines.  It is interesting to note that our member's matches at the 111 marker level, none very close, include four individuals with the surname Stickley, one Stickles, and two other surnames.  Our other "G" also shows Stickley connections.

Those members in the R-M269 haplogroup appear to have ties to both Howell and Perdue lines, while not being related to other Stickle lines through the male line.

Finally, the E-M35 member appears to represent another Stickle line and tradition altogether.  It is worth noting the one of his matches has the surname Sztykiel.

Instead of the Stickle families of the U.S. being able to find common ancestors, both in North America and earlier in Europe, it appears that there may be unrelated lines with the same surname.  At this point, such a conclusion is preliminary.  Furthermore, it should be emphasized that the foregoing discussion was based on a single chromosome, male DNA, and families may find themselves related in entirely different ways.

L. Stickell

Notes:  Making an effort to maintain confidentiality when referring to non-members may be a source of confusion.  The non-member matches mentioned above are indicated by the match's surname and a random number,  The purpose of adding the number is to illustrate when the non-member matches more than one project member.  The matches include only genetic distances of 0 and 1.  Including matches with greater genetic distances would show many more non-member matches to multiple members.