one-name.org
One Name Studies and DNA testing techniques
Over the past 30+ years I have focused my research on the history, genealogy and members of the Yancey / Yancy family any time and any place (whether I was blood related or not - and without any limitation on race or ethnicity).
This is generally referred to as a "One Name Study" - - you can find an organization that links one name studies together under one over all umbrella - called the GUILD of One Name Studies:
Now I will be frank - I am not a big fan of this organization - but you can get an idea of how common one name studies are and how people of a common surname can join together in common research and apply various analysis and methods in comparing and contrasting information about members of a common surname group.
Now because in most of our cultures surnames are passed down on the male line - - people with the same surname and a common ancestor - would normally have the same YDNA (with some explainable exceptions).
Because of the common paradigm between how surnames are inherited and how YDNA is inherited - YDNA testing is very useful among those doing a one name study.
I began my Yancey research over thirty years ago - when I was but a teenager. I really had no idea as I began - whether all Yanceys traced back to a single group of immigrants or a single set of old world ancestors or not. I was just collecting info over time and trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together - and focusing on much more than just my direct Yancey lines - but rather gathering info on Yanceys any where and any time and any color.
As the years and decades went by and as I gathered more and more - resulting in a database of about 75,000 people in this extended Yancey Family - - it did appear as if most all WHITE Yanceys did seem to have a common ancestry going back to the state of Virginia about 1700. But I also found a few rare cases where it seemed there were Yancey families who had no connection whatsoever - but rather came form different families (usually immigrants) who changed their name - and by sheer coincidence - there name also became Yancey - even though there seemed to be no blood connection.
(Note that the Yancey name - does not really trace back (on paper) to Europe (or anywhere else) and there is no proof of the Yancey name existing outside of America. It appears to have been a name that was coined here in America.
So in 2013 - when DNA testing had already become popular a group of us took YDNA tests to ascertain the answer to TWO questions 1) were we all related via a common ancestor - from about the year 1700? 2) Whether or not we were descended from a family by the name of Nanney - that Family lore had told us for decades that we were descended from.
We took a YDNA test (not the same as Ancestry.com autosomal test) and within a short period of time we had very clear answers - that did not really need further paper research to clarify. The quick answers were that we (most all of us) indeed did have a common ancestry and were one single family. and that we did NOT share any common ancestry with members of the Nanney family of Wales - also tested. the answers were black and white and did not need us to further research family trees to find common ancestry - the black and white answer we knew applied to only one single thread of our "genealogical rope" - that of our paternal Yancey line.
Now if a person is simply trying to maximize the number of matches they may have with other DNA test takers - and not so much focused just on the Paternal line - then the autosomal test - is by far the best approach. - though you do have to be willing to do (the sometimes hard work) of following up such matches with comparing and analyzing the the matches and corresponding trees - to really understand where the precsie connection lies - which the autosomal test - doesn't tell you just "out of the box"
The approaches for autosomal and YDNA testing and what they are best tuned for - are somewhat polar opposites. In the case of two people who have already made contact with each other and suspect they have a common Paternal line of descent - YDNA gives a black and white quick answer. BUT if you dont have those connnections and are just looking for matches in general - the autosomal test will give much better results - but required a fair amount of follow up work.
SO - if you are looking to find common male line ancestry with others by a given surname
and you already have made contact with such people - and now are just asking the question as to common ancestry- YDNA can be the way to go.
So what are some of the best ways - to generate a database/association/group of people with a common surname and/or common male line descent?? (even before you have done the DNA testing? - who could all take a YDNA test? I will follow up this post with a sequel to answer that question.
BUT YDNA testing quickly allows for a entire group of single surname researchers - to find who in the group - really are blood related and which are not - even though they all carry the same surname.
For example on Familytree DNA - you will find numerous SURNAME Projects - to allow people to take YDNA tests and see how many dna groupings there are within a single surname group. Some names like SMITH or JOHNSON would have hundreds or thousands of different YDNA groups - - because just the fact that they have a given surname doenst mean their ancestors all came to this same surname because of one person - but rather many hundreds of people - establishing the use of such a surname.
here is the group site on FamilyTree DNA
https://www.familytreedna.com/group-project-search?
thousands of groups exist for given surnames - with people trying to figure out which DNA group of that surname they belong to.
and you may even have people who were adopted etc - who might have used their YDNA to figure out what the surname of their true father was - or at least what was his YDNA grouping.
another interesting thing is just how mcuh I have been able to leverage about my own particular Yancey line - because instead of just focusing on my own line (as so many researchers do) - rather I focused on all Yancey everywhere - a totally comprehensive approach. Because of this approach - after many years of research - I was able to answer many questions about my own line - that I never would have been able to reach - had I not taken this approach - as well as many different methodologies that worked for me - that wouldn't have worked if i was only focused on my own line.
BUT beware: a one name study is not for the timid genealogist - it will take an incredible amount of work and resources across many years - though crowd-sourcing has made much of it so much easier than it was in the "old style" of genealogy of the 20th century.
I will follow this up with another post about how one can most efficiently and quickly compile a list of researchers or interested parties on a given surname,
that has been another source of incredible work for me in the past 30 years
having corresponded with many thousands of researchers on the Yancey line.
GENEALOGY - the more you do - you only result in more to do then you did the day before - the puzzle only grows bigger and more complex - even though you continually to add pieces
anyone out there also involved in "one name studies"?
the approach is totally different than the focus of just your own pedigree lines.
@Adoption and Unknown Family Research
@FamilySearch Tips and Tricks
@Nanney Family Genealogy
@Yancey/Yancy Family Genealogy
@Kavanaugh Family Genealogy
@Justiss/Justice Family Genealogy
@Nuckolls Family Genealogy
@Cass / Case Family Group
@Ansley Family Genealogy
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One name studies can be so useful to so many people. In the beginning, it is just gathering information. After awhile the pieces start to fit together.
Thanks for sharing this information with others.
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Very informative. Thank you, Dennis.
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I specifically chose FTDNA for testing because I wanted to work with scientists, not lay persons. I've been in the one name study Greer for about 12 years now. Then another group snagged me because my father's DNA fell into some rare SNP they are working on. Those scientists are way down a rabbit hole. I get an update every few years.
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it depends who you are working with at FTDNA
each group has an admin - and not all (or even most??) admins are scientists.
my experience with FTDNA - has not been with scientists . . .
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