An early success of Y-DNA testing was the discovery that the Travis family descended from Asa Travis of Ohio around 1800, are all in fact descended from the line of Garrett Travis who lived in Westchester County, New York in the 1630s, bringing these two published family trees together as one.

Recently it has been discovered using Y-DNA testing that the following families all share a single male-line ancestor:

- the Travers family of Cork, Ireland, descended from Bryan Travers born c1520:

- the Travers family of Horton, Cheshire, UK and later of London, descended from Hamlet Travers born c1465;

- the Travers family and the Vess family of Dorchester County, Maryland USA, descended from William Travers born 1639/40;

- a Travers family from southwest Lancashire, UK, descended from Matthew Travers born 1714/15;

- an Allen family from Cheshire.

The details of how exactly these branches connect are now being worked out.

Another recent discovery shows how DNA can shed light on family origins, even when no connection to published Travis family trees can be established (yet). One group member descends from a Travis family marriage in Lancashire, England in 1787.  DNA testing showed a relationship to an Australian group member, a descendant of a sailor who was a crew member on a convict ship that sailed from England to Australia in 1808 – nothing is known of the sailor before this voyage.  Then a new member was tested and found also to be related - he descends from a Travis who married in Lancashire in1775.  All people tested had hit brick walls trying to extend their family trees back in time, but DNA testing shows them to be cousins, all in haplogroup R-FTA45533, this haplogroup being a new one, discovered based on their DNA tests. This example shows again that constant spelling of surnames over time cannot be relied on.  It also shows that the sailor ancestor probably came from Lancashire, which was completely new information as Dorset was the previous theory as to his origins.   What these three group members ideally need now is for someone else to match their DNA, who can trace their family history a little further back, to the time when their common ancestor was living.  We are actively seeking a Y-DNA tester of the Travis/Travers surname from Dorset. 

Do you have a success story based on Y-DNA testing?  If so, it would be great to hear from you!