PIATT-L Archives

Archiver > PIATT > 2002-10 > 1035561343


From:
Subject: [PIATT] DNA dialogue?
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 15:55:43 +0000


Over last weekend I attended a meeting of the Monroe Co Chapter of the Ohio
Genealogical Society where Harley Dakin spoke of his involvement in the Cline
Family DNA study. I found his account fascinating and have been thinking about
it this week in terms of whether a similar study might be able to assist the
Piatt/Pyatt/Pyeatt family.

Apparently there are many, many Clines in Monroe Co and across the river in WV.
Mr Dakin was interested in his ancestor Alexander Cline who was found living with
Moses Williamson in a neighborhood where they were surrounded by other Cline
families. While the other Clines were documented to be brothers, cousins and so
forth, no connection between Alexander Cline and the others could be established
by printed records or family tradition. In fact, no connection between Alexander
Cline and Moses Williamson could be established, nor between Williamson and the
other Clines. It was a mystery.

Cline researchers were wondering if Alexander Cline was really a Cline at all.
Was he an adopted orphan or, perhaps, born on the wrong side of the blanket? The
researchers felt that a DNA study could answer the question of whether Alexander
Cline was related by blood to the others. An appropriate number of direct male
descendants of the several Cline ancestors was found to participate in the study.
DNA samples (swabs taken from inside the cheek) were taken and sent to the lab.
When the results were received it was no surprise to find that the descendants of
the other Clines carried 12 identical genetic markers. But the pleasant surprise
was to find that the descendant of Alexander Cline carried the _same_ 12 markers.
So there was proof that Alexander Cline was a blood relative of the others.

Y-DNA is that passed from father to son, to son, to son, and so on. It changes
slowly over a long period of time. Analysis of the Y-DNA of two men can tell if
they had a common male ancestor and can also give a range of generations in which
that common ancestor is likely to have lived. The higher the number of markers
in the DNA test and the higher the number of matches of markers between the DNA
sequences of the individuals, the more recently the commmon ancestor is found in
their lines.

Let's think of the dead ends we have in Piatt research. Charles and Elijah are
the earliest found in NY, Benjamin and William in Augusta Co VA. Were these four
men brothers? If Y-DNA of direct male descendants of these four individuals are
sequenced and have sufficient identical markers, then the answer is yes that
these four would be brothers or cousins as they would share a common male
ancestor.

Do we know any further than Amos and Julianna Engle Piatt, Ebenezer Pyatt,
Benjamin Piatt and Sarah Donahue Piatt, James and Mary Donahue Piatt, William and
Hannah Tindall Piatt, Moses and Jane Smith Piatt, William and Mary Smith Piatt?
These people were all found away from New Jersey in the period between the end of
the Revolution and 1820. How closely related are they? How long have we been
stuck on them? And what about the many other lines I'm less familiar with --
Pyatts and Pyeatts? Certainly there are dead ends there, too.

The purpose of the lengthy post is to ask if we should start a dialogue on the
list to discuss whether a DNA study would be of benefit to Piatt research.
Remember that only Y-DNA of direct male descendants would be used for such a
study. Anyone with a female in his line of descent from a Piatt would be
ineligible. Piatt ladies are also not elegible. However, a Piatt lady with a
Piatt brother or male Piatt cousin could use him as a substitute. Male
descendants with a non-Piatt name could also substitute a male cousin, uncle or
nephew with the Piatt name in the same way as Mr Dakin had to do in his Cline
study.

We have some good thinkers on this list so I feel we should be able to have a
good discussion of this idea.
--
Laverne Ingram Piatt
Ontario, OH
lapiatt@.att.net


This thread: