													Y-DNA Results for Meacham/Mitcham/Mecum etc.

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	a *	a	b													#												a	b					a	b	c	d		a	b		*	#				a	b

Southern Meachams
Southern Meachams
Group A with shared immigrant ancestor
WMS1	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	14	17	12	12	14	25	19	30	31	11	11	15	16	9	10	11	13	11	24	13	14	16	18	8	19	23	15	23	12	19	20	15	37	38
WMS2	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	12	x	14	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	19	18	15	37	38
WMS3	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	12	x	14	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	19	19	15	37	38
WMS4	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	12	x	14	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	19	19	15	37	38
WMS5	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	12	x	14	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	19	18	15	37	38
WMS6	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	12	x	14	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	12	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	19	19	15	37	38
OJM1	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	12	x	14	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	19	19	15	37	38
OJM2	14	11	14	12	13	28	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	14	17	12	12	14	25	19	30	31	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	13	11	24	13	14	16	18	8	19	23	15	23	12	19	19	15	37	38
OJM3	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	12	x	14	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	18	19	15	37	38
OJM4	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	x	x	x	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	18	19	15	37	38
JWM	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	14	17	12	12	14	25	19	30	31	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	13	11	24	13	14	16	18	8	19	23	15	23	12	19	19	15	37	38
RBM	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	x	x	x	25	19	29	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	19	19	15	37	39
TWM	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	11	x	17	12	x	14	25	19	30	x	11	11	15	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	13	14	16	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	20	19	15	37	38

Borderline: possible different immigrant ancestor
HMT	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	x	12	13	14	x	x	x	x	25	19	28	x	11	11	x	18	x	x	11	12	x	24	16	16	16	16	x	19	23	x	x	12	x	x	x	x	x


Group B with shared immigrant ancestor
HHM	16	11	14	12	13	30	25	10	11	13	12	14	11	10	14	17	14	12	12	24	20	32	30	11	11	16	15	9	10	11	11	11	24	12	14	15	16	9	19	23	15	24	14	x	x	x	x	x
BNK	16	11	14	12	13	30	25	10	11	13	12	14	11	10	14	17	14	12	12	24	20	31	30	11	11	16	15	9	10	11	11	11	24	12	14	15	16	9	19	23	15	24	14	x	x	x	x	x
NTM1	16	11	14	12	13	30	25	10	11	13	12	14	11	10	14	17	14	12	12	24	20	31	30	11	11	16	15	9	10	11	11	11	24	12	14	15	16	9	19	23	15	24	15	x	x	x	x	x
NTM2	16	11	14	12	13	30	25	10	11	13	12	x	11	10	x	x	x	x	x	24	20	31	x	11	11	x	15	x	x	11	11	x	24	12	14	15	16	x	19	23	x	x	14	x	x	x	x	x
NTM3	16	11	14	12	13	30	25	10	11	13	12	x	10	10	x	x	x	x	x	24	20	31	x	11	11	x	15	x	x	11	11	x	24	12	14	15	16	x	19	23	x	x	14	x	x	x	x	x
HBM1	16	11	14	12	13	30	25	10	11	13	12	14	11	10	x	17	14	x	12	24	20	31	x	11	11	15	15	9	10	11	x	x	x	12	13	15	16	x	19	23	x	x	14	18	19	16	34	36
HBM2	16	11	14	12	13	30	25	10	11	13	12	14	11	10	x	17	14	x	12	24	20	31	x	11	11	15	15	9	10	11	x	x	x	12	13	15	16	x	19	23	x	x	14	18	18	16	34	36
RMT	16	11	14	12	13	30	25	10	11	13	12	14	11	10	14	17	14	12	12	24	20	31	30	11	11	16	15	9	10	11	11	11	24	12	15	15	16	9	19	23	15	24	14	18	18	17	34	36


Group C with shared immigrant ancestor
JRY	15	16	19	12	13	31	21	10	11	13	11	14	11	11	x	16	13	x	13	26	21	29	x	11	11	15	17	8	9	11	x	x	x	13	16	17	19	x	19	19	x	x	12	19	16	13	33	36
ELM	15	16	19	12	13	31	21	10	11	13	11	14	11	11	x	16	13	x	13	26	21	29	x	11	11	15	17	8	9	11	x	x	x	13	16	17	18	x	19	19	x	x	12	19	16	13	33	36
NSM	15	16	19	12	13	31	21	10	11	13	11	14	11	11	x	16	13	x	13	26	21	28	x	11	11	15	17	8	9	10	x	x	x	13	16	17	19	x	19	19	x	x	12	19	16	13	33	36



Unique: each with different immigrant ancestor
MEA	14	13	14	14	12	28	22	10	11	13	11	16	10	11	x	17	x	x	x	23	20	28	x	11	8	14	15	8	9	10	x	x	x	12	14	15	16	x	19	21	x	x	10	18	17	14	35	37
LCM	15	18	18	12	13	30	21	10	11	14	11	14	11	12	15	16	11	12	14	26	21	32	30	11	11	15	16	8	10	10	13	12	20	13	16	16	18	11	19	21	13	21	11	x	x	x	x	x
SPM	17	15	16	12	13	30	21	11	11	14	11	14	x	12	x	x	x	x	x	25	21	30	x	11	11	x	18	9	10	x	x	x	x	13	15	16	17	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x



	a *	a	b													#												a	b					a	b	c	d		a	b		*	#				a	b

Northern Meachams
Northern Meachams
Group AA with shared immigrant ancestor
ATM	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	11	13	13	12	15	11	12	15	16	12	12	13	26	19	29	30	11	11	16	17	9	10	11	12	11	24	15	15	16	17	10	19	23	14	24	12	x	x	x	x	x
JRM	x	11	14	12	13	29	24	11	13	13	12	15	12	12	15	16	12	12	13	26	19	29	30	11	11	16	17	9	10	11	12	11	24	15	15	16	17	10	19	23	14	x	12	x	x	x	x	x
JMM	x	11	14	12	13	29	24	11	13	13	12	15	12	12	15	16	12	12	13	26	19	29	30	11	11	16	17	9	10	11	12	11	24	15	15	16	17	10	19	23	14	x	12	x	x	x	x	x
JAL	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	11	13	13	12	15	12	12	15	16	12	12	13	25	19	29	30	11	11	16	17	9	10	12	12	11	24	15	15	16	17	10	19	23	14	24	12	x	x	x	x	x
TCM	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	11	13	13	12	x	12	12	15	x	x	x	x	26	19	29	x	11	11	x	16	x	x	11	12	x	24	15	15	16	17	x	19	23	x	x	12	x	x	x	x	x
Borderline: possible different immigrant ancestor
RCM	14	11	14	12	13	29	25	10	13	13	12	x	12	12	14	x	x	x	x	24	19	29	x	11	11	x	17	x	x	11	12	x	24	15	16	16	17	x	19	23	x	x	12	x	x	x	x	x
FMC	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	10	13	13	12	15	12	12	x	17	x	x	x	25	19	30	x	11	11	16	17	9	10	11	x	x	x	15	15	16	17	x	19	23	x	x	12	17	17	16	36	39


Mecums with shared ancestor
Mecums with shared ancestor
GMR	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	11	13	13	12	15	12	12	x	18	11	x	13	25	19	28	x	11	11	15	17	8	9	10	x	x	x	13	13	15	17	x	19	23	x	x	12	17	18	15	36	39
JMC	14	11	14	12	13	29	24	11	13	13	12	15	12	12	x	18	12	x	13	25	19	28	x	11	11	15	17	8	9	10	x	x	x	13	13	15	17	x	19	23	x	x	12	17	18	15	36	39


Others (each unique)
Others (each unique)
MEE	14	13	14	14	12	29	22	10	11	13	11	16	10	12	x	17	x	x	x	22	19	28	x	11	11	14	15	8	9	10	x	x	x	14	14	15	15	x	19	21	x	x	11	19	16	14	34	36
MCH	14	11	14	12	13	29	23	11	13	14	12	15	12	12	x	18	12	x	14	24	19	29	x	11	11	16	18	9	10	11	x	x	x	15	16	17	18	x	19	23	x	x	12	17	17	15	37	39

Notes on the chart and sample information:

This chart reports Y-33/37/46 results in Ancestry’s format. There is a total of 48 markers. A value in every column means that sample underwent both the 37 and 46 marker test.

* DYS19a also known as DYS394, DYS19b is very rare; Y-GATA-C4 also known as DYS635

# For results from the FamilyTreeDNA lab, 5 must be added to DYS442, 2 to Y-GATA-A10, and 1 to DYS 441 and GATA-H4.1 for comparison to Ancestry’s lab results. Corrections have been made here to the FTDNA reported values.

x = not tested or no value

Red numbers = mismatch with close relative(s)

Bold numbers: see haplogroup prediction

[Markers tested] = For Ancestry, their Y-33 and Y-46 normally only record 30 and 43 values, since 3 of their markers are only very rarely found. 48 indicates an additional 5 markers were tested at FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA). For full results of those with 67 markers tested see separate chart at the bottom of this page.

{Generations to sample submitter} = earliest ancestor’s son counted as first generation

Sample Information:

WMS1 [67] – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son Joseph and grandson Edmond{8 generations to submitter}

WMS2 [67] – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son John and grandson James Allen{7 generations}

WMS3 [67] – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son Jesse {6 generations}

WMS4 [67] – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son Joseph and grandson Andrew Allen {7 generations}

WMS5 [37] – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son Joseph and grandson Willis L. {7 generations}

WMS6 [67] – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son John and grandson John Joseph{6 generations}

OJM1 [37] – descendant of John Meacham (“Old John”) b. 1745/1746, d. ca 1801 Richmond County, North Carolina via son James Henry b. 1776, grandson William R. b. 1818, and great grandson Joseph Leonard b. 1855 (twin of Benjamin James) {6 generations}

OJM2 [48] – descendant of John Meacham (“Old John”) b. 1745/1746, d. ca 1801 Richmond County, North Carolina via son James Henry b. 1776, grandson William R. b. 1818, and great grandson Benjamin James b. 1855 (twin of Joseph Leonard) {6 generations}

OJM3 [67] – descendant of John Meacham (“Old John”) b. 1745/1746, d. ca 1801 Richmond County, North Carolina via son William b. 1779, grandson William H. b. 1808 and greatgrandson William Clayton b. 1840 {7 generations}

OJM4 [37] – descendant of John Meacham (“Old John”) b. 1745/1746, d. ca 1801 Richmond County, North Carolina via son William b. 1779, grandson William H. b. 1808 and greatgrandson Jackson b. 1832 {6 generations}

JWM [67] – descendant of John Worth Meacham b. 1787 Orange County, North Carolina {5 generations}

RBM [37] – descendant of Richard B. Meacham b. 1760 Caroline County, Virginia {5 generations}

TWM [67] – descendant of Thomas Warren Mitcham b. 1822 Kentucky {3}

HMT [30] – descendant of Jeremiah H. Mitchum b. 1809 Anson County, North Carolina {4 generations}

HHM [43] – descendant of Henry Meachum, Sr b. 1766, d. 1836 in Anson County, North Carolina {6 generations}

BNK [43] – descendant of Banks Meacham b.1748, d.1820 in South Carolina {6 generations}

NTM1 [43] – descendant of Nathaniel Mitchum b. 1780, d. 1838 Lincoln County, North Carolina via son Logan b. 1805 and grandson William b. 1832 {7 generations}

NTM2 [30] – descendant of Nathaniel Mitchum b. 1780, d. 1838 Lincoln County, North Carolina via son Logan b. 1805 and grandson Joseph b. 1833 {5 generations}

NTM3 [30] – descendant of Nathaniel Mitchum b. 1780, d. 1838 Lincoln County, North Carolina via son Lawson b. 1819 {5 generations}

HBM1 [67] – descendant of Henry B. Meacham Sr. d. 1837 Baldwin County, Georgia via son Robert Bartlett and grandson James W. {6 generations}

HBM2 [67] – descendant of Henry B. Meacham Sr. d. 1837 Baldwin County, Georgia via son Robert Bartlett and grandson Thomas E. {5 generations}

RMT [111] – descendant of Robert Mitchum, 1776-1854, Virginia {5 or 6 generations }

JRY [67] – descendant of James Royal Mitchum 1799-1885, South Carolina {3 generations }

ELM [67] – descendant of Eleazar Alexander Mitchum b. 1772 in Virginia d. 1861 {5}

(Note of interest: the famous American actor Robert Mitchum is also a descendant of Eleazar Alexander Mitchum; he and the descendant who was tested share the same great-grandfather in the line going back to Eleazar.)

NSM [37] – descendant of Nealy S. Meacham 1847-1922 Alabama or Georgia {?}

MEA [67] – descendant of John Meacom/Mecom d. 1777 Southampton, Virginia {?}

LCM [43] – father b. 1920 lived in Arkansas and North Carolina; earlier ancestry unknown; closest DNA matches are from Cameroon, Africa

SPM [25] – descendant of Spain Meacham 1825-1896 {?}

ATM [43] – Meacham line via Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, Connecticut back to Jeremiah Meacham of Massachusetts b. 1613/14 presumably in England {11 generations}

JRM [43] – New Hampshire, Connecticut Meachams back to Jeremiah Meacham b. 1673 Massachusetts {7 or 8? generations }

JMM [43] – Utah, New York Meachams back to Jeremiah Meacham b. 1801 Vermont {5 generations }

JAL [43] – Meacham line through Illinois back to Samuel Meacham II b. 1739 Connecticut via son Thomas b. 1771 {7 generations}

TCM [30] – Meacham line through Illinois back to Samuel Meacham II b. 1739 Connecticut via son Elam {7 generations }

RCM [30] – Meachams of Ohio back to Uriah Mitcham b. 1779 Vermont {5 or 6? generations}

FMC [67] – descendant of Findlay Mecum, b. 1848, Ohio {?}

GMR [67] – Mecum line back to John Mecum, b. 1763 New Jersey {?}

JMC [67] – descendant of James Madison Mecum b. 1830 United Kingdom {?}

MEE [37] – descendant of Joseph Henry Meecham 1864-1932, Wales, United Kingdom {?}

MCH [67] – descendant of Samuel Machin b. 1728 Stoke on Trent, England {?}

Interpretation:

As a preamble, it should be stressed that this field of “genetic genealogy” is a very inexact science, since the mutations occur randomly and the rates are only estimated. The predictive models used by both FTDNA and Ancestry err on the conservative side, and it is clear from the data we have obtained from known lineages that the mutation rates in many cases are higher than their models predict. The most obvious example is found in OJM1 and 2. They descend from twins only three generations back, but the model used at FTDNA puts their probability of being related at 4 generations as only 42%, and as 69% at 6 generations. The occurrence of unique mutations is also seen in each branch of the WMS descendants, indicating that mutations occur more frequently than assumed in the models. It is impossible to know at this stage if this data represents an aberration (like getting 10 straight heads in a coin flip) or actually would average out when considered with thousands of other results.

Figuring out what the differences in Y-DNA mean for genealogy is thus a rather confusing field at the moment. Some older literature counted the number of matches, eg 35 out of 37 markers that match. But because a mismatch may be more than one mutation apart (eg a value of 14 vs 16), it became more meaningful to count the number of mutations. “Genetic distance” measures the number of mutations separating two samples. For example, comparing WMS1 and WMS4 there is a genetic distance of 2, but for NTM1 and NTM2 the distance is 1. Of course, it would not be so simple and one must now adjust for certain markers that have a faster mutation rate (such as DYS464a-d where, according to some but not all experts, the differences only give a value of 1). A genetic distance of more than 5 usually means a separation of more than 12 generations, hence very little chance (less than 1%) of a common ancestor in America, unless most of the mismatch markers are those with a faster mutation rate (DYS 385, 389, 390, 439, 449, 456, 458, 459, 464, 570, 576, CDY). RMT is a case in point, as all of the mismatches except 461 are on the faster markers, so despite the high genetic distance it might still belong to Group A. Another factor is the two-step mutation (eg. HMT’s 28 vs 30 for others in Group A on DYS439); it has been argued that this should be counted as 1 on genetic distance, but others dispute this.

Group A results indicate they are highly likely related to a common ancestor within 12 generations or less. Group B results likewise have close agreement and high probability that they descended from their own common ancestor different from Group A’s. Group C plus MEA, LCM, and SPM are very far away from all of the others, each being in different “haplogroups” (a DNA category like genus; see discussion below).

Group AA results also indicate all are highly likely to be related within 12 generations or less. They also belong to a different haplogroup and thus have no common male ancestor with Group A or B for several thousand years. RCM and FMC with genetic distances of 4 or 5 from the mean of the cluster could indicate a different immigrant ancestor, but their affiliation remains unclear.

GMR and JMC agree on all 67 markers tested. MEE and MCH are not related to northern or southern Meachams or Mecums known from Y-DNA results in America, and are much more than 500 years removed from them.

In terms of probabilities, JRM and JMM have 0 genetic distance and thus a probability greater than 90% of sharing a common male ancestor within the last 200 years. WMS1 and JWM have a genetic distance of 1 with 41 compared markers, yielding a 90% likelihood they share a common male ancestor within the last 300 years. ATM also has genetic distance of 1 with JRM and JMM, thus similar 90% probability of common male ancestor in America.

Implications for Meacham genealogy

Tracing origins and “relatedness within 300 years” back to an “immigrant ancestor” is a convenient expression, since the ancestors of most Meacham lines (at least those that have attracted the most genealogical attention) had arrived in America by 1700, but one cannot be absolutely certain that all lines descend from a single person and not from an unknown brother, uncle, cousin, etc.

There are some important discoveries revealed by the DNA data. First, the Group A of Southern Meachams with shared immigrant ancestor reveals a very significant relationship among the well-known lines of Wm. Sr., John Worth Meacham and “Old John.” Since the line from Wm. Sr. is fairly well established back to John Micham of Middlesex who lived more than 340 years ago, they all can be traced back through him (or a male relative) to the same immigrant ancestor – possibly John Micham himself or his father (perhaps the “John Michem” for whose transport to Virginia a land patent was claimed in 1652). Whoever the immigrant ancestor was, the data clearly indicates that not only Wm Sr. but Old John and John Worth also descended from John Micham of Middlesex or possibly his brother, uncle, etc. Based on the average generation interval (25 years), Old John would have been the third or fourth generation after John of Middlesex, and John Worth the fifth. It had always been suspected that these Southern Meachams of the early 18^th century were all related, and the DNA results indicate that many of them were. The much debated origins of Richard B. have also been definitely answered: he is in this Group A and his father (named by him as “John”) may have been Old John, or another John closely related to Old John and Wm Sr..

From the perfect 37/37 match between WMS3, WMS4 and OJM1, one can further conclude that Old John and Wm. Sr. were either brothers or first cousins. From a probability table prepared by FamilyTreeDNA (see http://www.familytreedna.com/faq-markers.aspx) such a match has a 95% probability of having a common male ancestor within 7 generations. Since both descendants go back 6 generations to Wm Sr. and Old John respectively, the common ancestor should be only one or two generations further back. Going three or four generations back to John Micham of Middlesex or his father (?John Michem) would push the probability towards 99%.

Another major surprise finding came from the haplogroup R1a that characterizes Group B, whereas all in Group A are R1b. The haplogroup is a category akin to genus, and people in a different haplogroups would only have a common male-line ancestor many thousands of years back. Henry B. Meacham, Robert Mitchum and Henry H. Sr are very well known in genealogy, and some researchers have proposed their origin in Albemarle Parish (Surry and Sussex Counties) Virginia – a late 17^th/early 18^th century Meacham hearth often assumed by some to be related to that of Christ Church Parish (Lancaster and Middlesex Counties), Virginia. Now it is clear that these are two separate clans with different ancestry. Group B also have a common male ancestor within 300 years, and as often speculated it could be Henry or Joshua Meacham of 17^th century Sussex County.

The results from a descendant of Banks Meacham (BNK) are a 30 out of 30 match with one of Nathaniel's descendants (NTM2) and a 42 out of 43 match with another (NTM1). Taken together, this is equivalent to a 37/37 match at FTDNA, and as such it has a 95% probability of having a common male ancestor within 7 generations. This DNA is in all likelihood an exact replica of the common male ancestor's, constituting the "core" or original Y-DNA passed down unchanged amid the mutations that affect most descendants. This is called the "ancestral haplotype" or "lineage haplotype" which is the basic DNA of the lineage ancestor. In most descendants the “core DNA” will vary by one or more mutations which in turn characterize each branch, but rarely it survives many generations (see this simple illustration ). We see the same phenomenon in the results of WMS3, WMS4 and OJM1 which match exactly at 37 markers even though, as far as documented genealogy goes, they descend over many generations from two different ancestors (Wm. Sr. and Old John).

The DNA data also indicates that the paternal ancestors of Jeremiah H. Mitchum, the Confederate soldier from North Carolina, probably came from a different immigrant, and those of John Meacom of mid-18^th century Virginia certainly. So we now have four lines among “Southern Meachams” that go back presumably to Britain, with Group C pointing to Africa – all with no common male-line ancestor since the beginnings of surname use about 800 years ago. All of this runs counter to some traditional assumptions about Meachams in America, not only the “three brothers” myth, but also the simple assumption that the Southern Meacham line derived from the only immigrant listed on the early ship manifests with a similar name – Jo. [John] Machem. The evidence always seemed to me to run strongly against this view, and I wrote about this fifteen years ago (see http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wmeacham/immigrts.htm). Right now the indications are that we are dealing with quite a few immigrant ancestors with surname Meacham/Mitcham, etc., not to mention several possible American Mecum lines (GMR and JMC in one, FMC and MEA possibly representing others).

For Northern Meachams, however, the DNA data so far seems to support the traditional notion of descent from a single immigrant ancestor – Jeremiah Meacham of Massachusetts. As noted above, RCM and FMC seem just barely close enough to be included, despite the genetic distance, since Jeremiah the immigrant was born (presumably in Britain) about 400 years ago. But there remains a question about their affiliation to “Old Jeremiah.”

The Meacham DNA samples thus far available from the United Kingdom do not shed any light on the American Meachams. For Mecums there is a remarkable agreement between GMR and JMC. A genetic distance of 1 at this level of testing means it is virtually certain that JMC and GMR were both descended from a common ancestor within 200 years. Interestingly, in the Mecum group of DNA matches are also two others with 67 markers tested and genetic distance of 1 and 0 from GMR and JMC, but the surnames are Beedy (origin unknown) and McIntire (Maine, US). For the zero (complete 67-marker match) the probability is 95% that they are related within five generations or less. These anomalies are known in the trade as "non-paternity events" (NPE’s) – a completely illogical term that is applied when the Y-DNA conflicts with the known or suspected ancestry. A better term would be “variant paternity events” or VPE's. These arise from several possible situations: a name change; an adoption, formal or secret; a child whose mother was widowed/abandoned/divorced then re-married and the child took the surname of the step-father; adultery by the wife; an out-of-wedlock child by a daughter given the family surname. All of these happened frequently, and many researchers believe that many “unique” surname lines of Y-DNA are actually VPE's.

A new Meacham lineage, connection and “variant paternity” were revealed in the results of JRY, ELM and NSM, forming a new group. Their haplogroup is E1b1a which is distinctly sub-Saharan African. The matches for these results at FTDNA were to the Bunch surname group. It is known that a free black or mulatto named John Bunch (believed to be the same person who was transported to Virginia as an indentured servant sometime before 1656) acquired land in New Kent County, Virginia in 1662. His son Paul gave significant bequests in his 1726 will, including land in Halifax County, Virginia, to one Joseph Meacham, possibly Paul’s son by a Meacham woman. If so, it is not strictly speaking a VPE but rather a simple case of matrilineal naming. This may also be how John Bunch acquired his surname. Joseph is believed to be the ancestor of several Meacham families counted as “free colored” or “other” (than white) in the Halifax County censuses of 1800-1820. There are Mitchums of color believed to be derived from Joseph in the same years’ censuses in South Carolina. Many descendants of both Joseph Meacham and Paul Bunch are believed to have crossed the color line in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries.

Haplogroup:

Prediction from Y-DNA markers with probability higher than 90%

· If DYS426 is 12 and DYS392 is 11, one is probably a member of haplogroup R1a1.

· If DYS426 is 12 and DYS392 is not 11, one is probably a member of haplogroup R1b.

· DYS426=11 and DYS388=12 then one may belong to either haplogroup N3 or E

High probability that all those with test results above are in haplogroup R1a and R1b, except for:

LCM, JRY, NSM, ELM – E1b1a

MEA – I1

The following affiliations have been confirmed by direct haplogroup (SNP) testing:

FMC, MCH, JMM – R1b1a2

MEA – I1

Testing Companies:

Ancestry and Sorenson – WMS1, OJM2, JWM, HHM, NTM1-3, HMT, BNK, LCM, ATM, JRM, JMM, TCM, RCM

FamilyTreeDNA – WMS1-6, OJM1-4, RBM, TWM, HBM, RMT, FMC, MEA, GMR, JRY, ELM, NSM, JMC, MEE

Unknown – MCH, SPM

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The 67 Marker Chart

Southern Meachams

																									G
	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	4	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	A	Y	4	6	5	5	c	4	4	5	5	3	5	5	6	4	4	5	4	4	5	5	4	4	5	4	4	4	5	4	6	5	4	5	6	4	5
	9	9	9	9	8	2	8	3	8	9	8	5	5	5	5	4	3	4	4	6	6	6	6	6	T	C	5	0	7	7	d	4	3	3	7	9	9	3	4	7	0	1	2	1	5	9	3	9	3	5	4	8	2	4	1	6	8	7	4	9	6
	3	0	4/	1	5	6	8	9	9	2	9	8	9	5	4	7	7	8	9	4	4	4	4	0	A	A	6	7	6	0	y	2	8	1	8	5	0	7	1	2	6	1	5	3	7	4	6	0	4	0	4	1	0	6	7	8	7	2	0	2	5
			19		a-b				I		II		a-b							a	b	c	d		H4	IIa-b					a-b					S1a-b					S1			a-b

GROUP A
GROUP A
WMS1	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	16	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	20	19	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	22	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
WMS2	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	18	19	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	22	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
WMS3	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	19	19	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	22	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
WMS4	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	19	19	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	22	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
WMS6	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	12	11	19-23	15	15	19	19	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	22	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
OJM1	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	19	19	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	21	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
OJM2	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	28	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	19	19	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	21	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
OJM3	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	19	18	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	22	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
JWM	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	19	19	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-25	17	10	12	12	15	8	12	22	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12
TWM	13	24	14	10	11-14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9-10	11	11	25	15	19	30	13	14	16	18	11	11	19-23	15	15	19	20	37-38	12	12	11	9	15-16	8	10	10	8	10	11	12	23-23	16	10	12	12	15	8	12	22	20	14	12	11	13	11	11	15	12

GROUP B
GROUP B
HBM1	13	25	16	10	11-14	12	12	10	13	11	30	15	9-10	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	13	15	16	11	13	19-23	15	16	19	18	34-36	12	11	12	8	17-18	8	11	10	8	11	10	12	22-22	16	11	12	12	12	8	14	23	21	12	12	11	13	11	11	12	13
HBM2	13	25	16	10	11-14	12	12	10	13	11	30	15	9-10	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	13	15	16	11	13	19-23	15	16	18	18	34-36	12	11	12	8	17-18	8	11	10	8	11	10	12	22-22	16	11	12	12	12	8	14	23	21	12	12	11	13	11	11	12	13
RMT	13	25	16	10	11-14	12	12	10	13	11	30	15	9-10	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	15	15	16	11	13	19-23	16	17	18	18	34-36	12	11	12	8	17-18	8	11	10	8	11	10	12	22-22	16	11	12	12	12	8	14	23	21	12	12	11	13	11	11	12	13



GROUP C
GROUP C
JRY	13	21	15	10	16-19	11	12	11	13	11	31	17	8-9	11	11	26	14	21	29	13	16	17	19	11	11	19-19	15	13	16	19	33-36	11	11	11	8	16-16	8	10	10	8	10	10	12	20-22	18	11	12	13	17	7	13	28	21	13	12	12	13	9	11	11	12
ELM	13	21	15	10	16-19	11	12	11	13	11	31	17	8-9	11	11	26	14	21	29	13	16	17	18	11	11	19-19	15	13	16	19	33-36	11	11	11	8	16-16	8	10	10	8	10	10	12	20-22	18	11	12	13	17	7	13	28	21	13	12	12	13	9	11	11	12

The values here are as reported by the FamilyTreeDNA, which differ in the order and in certain cases the values used by Ancestry.

Sample Information:

WMS1 – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son Joseph and grandson Edmond {8 generations to submitter}

WMS2 – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son John {7 generations}

WMS3 – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son Jesse {6 generations}

WMS4 – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son Joseph and grandson Andrew Allen {7 generations}

WMS6 – descendant of Wm. Meacham Sr d. 1808 in North Carolina via son John and grandson John Joseph{6 generations}

OJM1 – descendant of John Meacham (“Old John”) b. 1745/1746, d. ca 1801 Richmond County, North Carolina via son James Henry b. 1776, grandson William R. b. 1818, and great grandson Joseph Leonard b. 1855 (twin of Benjamin James) {6 generations}

OJM2 – descendant of John Meacham (“Old John”) b. 1745/1746, d. ca 1801 Richmond County, North Carolina via son James Henry, grandson William R. b. 1818, and great grandson Benjamin James b. 1855 (twin of Joseph Leonard) {6 generations}

OJM3 – descendant of John Meacham (“Old John”) b. 1745/1746, d. ca 1801 Richmond County, North Carolina via son William b. 1779 {7 generations}

JWM – descendant of John Worth Meacham b. 1787 Orange County, North Carolina {5 generations} (John Worth is believed to be a son of James, son of Wm Sr. d. 1808)

TWM – descendant of Thomas Warren Mitcham b. 1822 Kentucky {3}

HBM1 – descendant of Henry B. Meacham Sr. d. 1837 Baldwin County, Georgia via son Robert Bartlett and grandson James W. {6 generations}

HBM2 – descendant of Henry B. Meacham Sr. d. 1837 Baldwin County, Georgia via son Robert Bartlett and grandson Thomas E. {5 generations}

RMT – descendant of Robert Mitchum, 1776 - 1854, Virginia { ? }

JRY – descendant of James Royal Mitchum 1799-1885, South Carolina {3}

ELM – descendant of Eleazar Alexander Mitchum b. 1772 in VA d. 1861 {5}

…..………………………………………………………………………………………..

Latest Revision: July 15, 2014

Compiled by William Meacham

[email protected] [for correct email address delete xy]

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More Results Needed – There’s history in them genes!