Growth of Big-Y test results has helped three groups of Walls so far. There are now a number of groups with matching Big-Y results, three of which have enough matches to reach further conclusions about branches and TMRCA. We will continue to report those groups here. More info below.

To date we have more than twenty Wall distinct matching DNA types and more than thirty Walls who haven't found a match yet.

Big-Y makes SNP comparisons possible. The key to making good progress on determining the branching for each clade is getting additional testers upgraded to Big Y. This is especially true if there's no very close STR match and/or the STR values are "modal" (common) values that give no other indication of branching. STR markers alone, even 111-marker results, are insufficient for figuring out branching. The branching that we're interested in is the genealogical timeframe, specifically 400-500 years into the past. We can now estimate relationships in that range.

This group is interesting, and it incorporates additional surnames. The most distant Big-Y tester is currently Godfrey. MRCA is likely many hundreds of years ago. Except for him, the current TMRCA estimate is in the range of 200 years, based on SNP counts from Big Y. This estimate will change with additional upgrades/testers. Given the TMRCA estimate, it's possible that all Wall testers here could fit under a single ancestor, within a Colonial America timeframe.

One thing that would help this group is additional Family Finder results, as this group is being explored for possible relationships to Group 02a. Family Finder allows us to look for possible connections on lines other than the Y line, as long as the connection isn't too distant.

A recent Big-Y result from a descendant of McNairy Wall revealed a new branch, defined by SNP FGC81055, which was previously ambiguous. If your Y result is less than 111 markers, you should upgrade to Big-Y or 111 (unless you already have a known relationship to another Big-Y tester - contact us if you have questions). Certain SNPs can't be directly compared Y500 vs Y700, so contact us if you need advice on upgrades or testing.

There are pedigrees I don't know in this group. It's helpful to know your lineage when looking at theories and strategies. Something everyone can do that would help is get a basic tree entered in your account. You can also contact me, treece at gsp.org to be sure I know yours.

This is a large group of about 150 testers, some of which are in the Pittman project and some in the Wall project and some in both projects. Big-Y testers continue to grow, and the results have guided genealogical conclusions. There is now a lineage in this tree that the Pittman project thinks can be documented back to Captain Thomas Pittman of Colonial Virginia (born probably in England, early 1600s). Previously, the genetic connection to him was speculation. Stay tuned, as this tree advances at a good clip.

This tree is based on SNP and marker comparisons. The date analysis indicates TMRCA for all testers show here is around 400 years before present. This clade is studied extensively at the Pittman project, and it currently appears that there is a Wall branch roughly parallel with a Pittman branch. The Pittman side has better testing and more testers, and the Wall tree would benefit from more focus. The ancestral surname is not yet known, and we seek new testers whose lineage may tie in prior to Colonial America.

Some testers could unlock new branches on this tree, but they have not responded to attempts to correspond. Some may be deceased. I know most of the lineages here, but not all of them. Please make sure you have at least a basic tree entered in your account; contact us if you need help.

There is some more information about this clade at the Pittman project, as well as wikitree, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Captain_Thomas_Pitman_Y-DNA_Study

(referenced from the Pittman project)

It's been difficult to get a handle on this group because a number of the SNPs are not called in the Y500 test. After recent upgrades, I'm able to conclude that these SNPs are equivalent, further back on the tree, whether or not they are called in an individual test result (of the results so far): FT83462 FT112438 FT112439 FT82363 FT82473 FT82563 FT82726 FT83367 FT83423 FT98369. With only seven Big-Y results and a great deal of variance in SNP counts, we can't be too certain of the TMRCA estimate. There are also SNPs we can't compare due to differences between Y500 and Y700. Having said that, the current TMRCA estimate is 380 years before present testers. I would not be surprised if this number changes significantly when we get some new test results. If we use that number and 1950 as the average birth year of existing testers, it'd put the common ancestor born around 1570. Again, use a huge grain of salt because the estimate is based on slim data at the moment, and there is a very wide margin of error.

Pretty much all testers here should consider a Big-Y upgrade unless you have a known relationship to one of the other Big-Y testers.

111-marker and Big-Y results for group 02b, as interpreted by SAPP.