DNA Surname Projects

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DNA Surname Projects

DNA Results Pages Were Last Updated On:

18 December 2016

Drake R1b DNA Project Results Page  Public Page at FamilyTreeDNA
Drake Non-R1b DNA Project Results Page  Public Page at FamilyTreeDNA
Robinson DNA Project Results Page  Public Page at FamilyTreeDNA
Hopkins DNA Project Results Page

IMPORTANT: If you arrived at this page via a DNA webring, you must return to this page to continue browsing the ring.  You may use your back button to return or simply click the "RETURN TO DNA SURNAMES PROJECTS" link at the bottom of each results page.

This site is a member of WebRing.
To browse visit Here.

 

PROJECTS WE ADMINISTER ON THIS SITE

The Robinson Project currently has a new administrator with FamilyTreeDNA.  Please click the link for the Public Page above for the most current information.  I will update this page but not until after 18 April 2011 (End of Tax Season)

 

Our Drake DNA Surname Project includes the surnames: Drake, Dratz and other variations.  We hope you will consider participating in our project if you have not yet done so.  Please remember that the Y chromosome only passes from father to son.   If your Drake ancestor is down a female line then comparing your DNA samples with those in our database could lead to incorrect conclusions, like comparing apples to oranges.   If you are not certain that you qualify for our project , please email me using the contact form and I will be glad to discuss it with you.  If you do qualify, please send me, via my email address above, the name of your Earliest Known Ancestor (EKA).   We also encourage participants to provide an ancestor chart for publication on our web page.   If privacy is a concern we need not publish the most recent generations. If you would like to participate in this portion of our project, then please send, via the same email address, an ancestor chart showing the names, vital dates and places of the parents for each generation you would like to include on your page.  If you would like to view the charts currently published, please visit our web page at the link in the table above.  We are grateful for your interest in our project and look forward to hearing from you.

 

Our Robinson DNA Surname Project includes the surnames: Robinson, Robertson, Robison, Robeson and other variations.  Although, these surname variations are normally distinct families, many times our ancestors, census takers and others varied the spellings so we have designed this project to service all of the variations of Rob*son.  We hope you will consider participating in our project if you have not yet done so.  Please remember that the Y chromosome only passes from father to son.   If your Rob*son ancestor is down a female line then comparing your DNA samples with those in our database could lead to incorrect conclusions, like comparing apples to oranges.   If you are not certain that you qualify for our project , please email me using the contact form and I will be glad to discuss it with you.  If you do qualify, please send me, via my email address above, the name of your Earliest Known Ancestor (EKA).   We also encourage participants to provide an ancestor chart for publication on our web page.   If privacy is a concern we need not publish the most recent generations. If you would like to participate in this portion of our project, then please send, via the same email address, an ancestor chart showing the names, vital dates and places of the parents for each generation you would like to include on your page.  If you would like to view the charts currently published, please visit our web page at the link in the table above.  We are grateful for your interest in our project and look forward to hearing from you.

 

The purpose of our Hopkins DNA Surname Project is to one day gain DNA evidence as to which branch of Hopkinses such men as Mark Hopkins of the Central Pacific Railroad's BIG FOUR, Stephen Hopkins, signor of the Declaration of Independence, the namesake of the Johns Hopkins hospital and others are in. And to credibly connect, or disconnect, any male Hopkins to any given Branch of Hopkinses through DNA testing.   We hope you will consider participating in our project if you have not yet done so.  Please remember that the Y chromosome only passes from father to son.   If your Hopkins ancestor is down a female line then comparing your DNA samples with those in our database could lead to incorrect conclusions, like comparing apples to oranges.   If you are not certain that you qualify for our project , please email Douglas Hopkins at [email protected] or myself using the contact form and either of us will be glad to discuss it with you.  If you do qualify, please send me, via my email address above, the name of your Earliest Known Ancestor (EKA).   We also encourage participants to provide an ancestor chart for publication on our web page.   If privacy is a concern we need not publish the most recent generations. If you would like to participate in this portion of our project, then please send, via the same email address, an ancestor chart showing the names, vital dates and places of the parents for each generation you would like to include on y our page.  If you would like to view the charts currently published, please visit our web page at the link in the table above.  We are grateful for your interest in our project and look forward to hearing from you. 

 

WOULD I BENEFIT MOST FROM THE 12, 25 OR 37 MARKER TEST

    Most people find it easier financially to start with the 12 marker test and then upgrade as needed.  Be aware that with the 12 marker test, you may receive either a false positive or a false negative match.  I have seen several examples of two donors with a perfect 12/12 who find that the relationship falls apart at the higher resolutions.  I have also seen examples were a 10/12 match turns into a 35/37 at the higher resolutions. If you are not aware of anyone currently in our database with whom you expect to have a close match, then I would start with the 12 marker test.  I will monitor your results and let you know when to upgrade.  To get the most out of the project, you need to plan on upgrading eventually to the highest resolution.  If you have any questions about which tests you should order, please contact me and we'll discuss your specific situation.

SHOULD I CONSIDER DOING A SNP TEST OR THE MTDNA (FEMALE) TEST

    In my experience, the MtDNA, or maternal test, is only useful in very specific circumstances.  Remember it tells you where your direct female line originated, say 10,000 years ago.  You will need to find another female donor whom you suspect is descended from your Earliest Known Female Ancestor and with whom you can compare results.  Finding that female donor can be a chore.  For example, I want to know if DNA supports the conclusion that my 2nd Great Grandmother was Native American as is stated on the 1850 Cherokee County, AL census.  Her name was Sarah Brown Drake, her daughter was Frances Drake Sellars.  I now have to find who Frances' daughter married and then who her granddaughter married before I can find someone to take the test.  Remember the surname changes each generation.  Do not order a MtDNA test until after you have discussed your specific situation with me.

    As for the SNP test.  FTDNA estimates what your Haplogroup is anyway and they are seldom wrong.  Do not order this product either until you have talked with me.

    Your money would be much better spent paying for an upgrade to a current test.

 

JOIN ONE OF OUR PROJECTS

    If you think you might want to join our project, send me an email using the form below.  This makes it easier for me to keep track of who has joined our projects, when they joined and who the donors' Earliest Known Ancestors (EKAs) are.  You will notice on the DNA results pages that several of the EKAs are "Unknown."  These are results from donors who joined through FamilyTreeDNA and with whom I have had no contact.  If you do join through FTDNA, please email me and provide at least the name and vitals for your EKA and preferably an ancestor chart as described above.     

    Complete the following form and click the submit button.  You will be taken to the MailMerge Gateway to view your entry.  After you have reviewed your entry, click on your browser's back key to return to this page.  I will then receive an email containing the information you entered on the form.  I will then contact you for the final details needed to complete your registration.

*** NOTE: PLEASE USE THE TAB KEY TO MOVE BETWEEN FIELDS, PRESSING THE ENTER KEY WILL SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST. ***

 

DNA SURNAME JOIN REQUEST

First Name:     Middle Name:      Last Name: 

Address Line 1: 

Address Line 2: 

City:    State:      Postal Code:     Country: 

Telephone Number:    Email Address:    Email Address: 

Surname Project you wish to join: 

My Earliest Known Ancestor was:

He was born on in

He died on in

Please enter any additional comments in the box below.

 

 

Note: You will be taken to a screen called MailMerge Gateway to view your entry. Simply click on your browser's back key and you will return here.

 

    JUST WHO AM I ANYWAY

    My name is Don Drake.  I live in Moyock, NC, just south of Virginia Beach, VA. and I operate a small tax practice.  The practice does keep me pretty busy and so there may be times that I am a little slow in posting the results and for that I beg your patience.  I began researching my father's family way back in 1988.  I became involved with DNA research in the spring of 2001.  We have always used FamilyTreeDNA but I am not affiliated with them in any way and do not receive any form of compensation from them.  I do however, have a good working relationship with the staff at FTDNA and should be able to quickly resolve any issues you may have.  The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and always willing to help and to explain technical questions that might arise. 

LINKS TO EXPLORE 

    The following provide great information for someone just learning about DNA and genetic genealogy.  Most of the links were taken from the web site for The International Society of Genetic Genealogy. Please take a look at their site, they have some valuable information.   For great tutorials and research topics you can also visit FamilyTreeDNA and DNAHeritage at the links provided below.  All of these links will open a new window.

DNA 101

Newbie DNA Testing Info & Resources

mtDNA Testing Comparison Chart

Y-DNA Testing Comparison Chart

Charles Kerchner's Book List

Family Tree DNA

DNA Heritage

International Society of Genetic Genealogy

 

THE GENESIS OF OUR DNA PROJECTS - HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED

    During the early spring of 2001, Jack Drake, a cousin descended from Benjamin Drake1 of Carter County, Tennessee, approached the members of the Benjamin Drake mailing list with the idea of using DNA technology to enhance our genealogy research.  Two individuals who share a DNA pattern are also likely to share a common ancestor.   If we could find other Drake descendants who share our DNA, then we would concentrate our search for Benjamin's parents on those lines.  If we gathered DNA samples from as many lines as possible, then we would begin to see groups of like DNA among those results.  The descendants from each DNA group could then pool their research efforts.

    We started by collecting samples from the descendants of Benjamin Drake1, expecting those samples to match, and they did.  As other Drake descendants joined the project we began to see some exciting results.  We found that descendants from Benjamin Drake2 of Davidson County, Tennessee and Samuel Drake, who operated a ferry on the Juniata river in Pennsylvania, matched our DNA pattern exactly!  This means that there is a strong possibility that Benjamin Drake1, Benjamin Drake2 and Samuel Drake were closely related.  We now know where to concentrate our research efforts.

    The theory behind DNA research is that a father and his son share the same Y chromosome.  This Y chromosome has specific markers which are passed from father to son.  Every ten generations or so, these markers begin to change (mutate).  If two living individuals have perfectly matching Y chromosome markers then they should share a common ancestor within the past ten generations.  Consider the following example from actual results. Samples were donated by living, male descendants, who each provided the name of his earliest known ancestor (EKA), when that ancestor was living and where he was found.  That information is contained in the first three columns.  The remaining columns are the 12 markers used in the test. 

Earliest Known Ancestor Time Period Location DYS#
393 390 19 (394) 391 385a 385b 426 388 439 389-1 392 389-2
Jacob Drake 1779-1856 Carter Co., TN 13 25 15 10 11 14 12 10 10 13 11 31
Abraham Drake 1763-1840 Carter Co., TN 13 25 15 10 11 14 12 10 10 13 11 31
Elijah Drake 1781-1853 Carter Co., TN 13 25 15 10 11 14 12 10 10 13 11 30
Simon Drake 1795 Wake Co., NC 13 24 14 10 11 14 12 12 12 13 13 30
Benjamin Drake. 1730 Davidson Co., TN 13 25 15 10 11 14 12 10 10 13 11 31

    Jacob Drake and Abraham Drake above, were brothers and the sons of Benjamin Drake1 of Carter County, Tennessee.  As expected, the 12 marker test results are exactly the same, indicating that the living DNA donors likely share a common ancestor within 10 generations.  Documentation found using traditional genealogical research methods show, with reasonable certainty, that Jacob and Abraham were in fact brothers and that there does exist a direct, lineal connection with the DNA sample donors.  DNA technology and traditional genealogical methods both support the conclusion that the two living donors share Benjamin Drake1 of Carter County, Tennessee as a common ancestor.

    Notice that the test results from Simon Drake's descendant show differences on five out of the twelve markers.  This would suggest that Simon had no close familial relationship with Jacob and Abraham.  On the other hand, test results from Benjamin Drake2's descendant match the first two exactly, indicating that Benjamin2, Abraham and Jacob were closely related.

    Now look at the test results from Elijah Drake's descendant.  Notice that they match exactly on eleven out of the twelve markers and that marker number 398-2 differs by only one mutation.  In this case, we have documentation showing, with reasonable certainty, that Elijah, Abraham and Jacob were brothers.  Why the difference?  Remember that we expect a mutation, such as this one, every ten generations or so.  Each time a marker mutates then the father and the son will have a single digit difference on one of the twelve markers.  In this case, a mutation likely occurred between Elijah and the living donor.  Since we have documentation showing the brotherly relationship between Elijah, Abraham and Jacob, then this single mutation is insignificant and can be ignored.

    If you would like more information on DNA research in general, then please go to www.familytreedna.com.  

         Note: 26 June 2003.  The following information was received from FamilyTreeDNA explaining mutation patterns of some of the markers. 

"It is obvious from our observation of 1000's of samples that some markers change or mutate at a faster rate than others.  While that actual 'faster rate' has not yet been definitively calculated, not all markers should be treated the same for evaluation purposes.

The markers in red have shown a faster mutation rate than the average, and therefore these markers are very helpful at splitting lineages into sub sets, or branches, within your family tree.

Explained another way, if you match exactly on all of the markers except for one or a few of the markers we have determined mutate more quickly, then despite the mutation, this mismatch only slightly decreases the probability of two people in your surname group who match 11/12 or even 23/25 of not sharing a recent common ancestor." (end of quote)

       

Drake DNA Project
Robinson DNA Project
Hopkins DNA Project

 

this site is a member of WebRing.
To browse visit Here.

 

 If you would like to  participate in either the Drake or Robinson DNA projects, please email Donald Drake using the contact form, or Douglas Hopkins at [email protected]

 

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