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For most people who have the Family DNA testing, they can find a direct link by paperwork to their ancestor, BUT, when it comes to adoption, name changes and other unforeseen predicaments, it is very difficult to trace.
I can only use our own experience to help with an explanation.
We started out with McNeal/MacDonald of Barra and Jura. It was a very rare signature. There are only 7 others who match closely enough to say 'yes we are from the same ancestor.' The matches were either one away up to 4 away (110 out of 111 markers to 107 markers out of 111).
Our one away matched a MacMillion of VA. I wrote a cousin (third cousin) in WV and asked him what oral tradition has been handed down? He wrote me back to state, our Great Great Aunt had handed down that we were really MacMillons but had to change the name to Williams because of the trouble over your way Kelly. He was meaning Scotland.
It came together when I spoke to a kind lady from Lewis who was a direct from a Farqhar MacDonald. She told me of the legend, one of the son's of the Glencoe MacIans escaped to Caithness. His son, John was a very well known shepherd. He was a wonderer. His wife was Mary McKay or McCoy, He drops of the face of Scotland's records at the time our John McMillion and Mary McCoy show up in VA. This kind lady also told me, MacIan is also called MacKay in the highlands.
The MacMillions, McCoys, Williams and Ochiltree are all married within each family for 4 generations.
When I excepted the fact we are really MacMillions, the rest of the puzzle fell into place. John MacMillion had to be John MacDonald of the MacIan, Glencoe.
The families who came to Virginia after Culloden who have stayed together over 250 years were William McCoy, John MacMillion, John Burns, Alexander, Matthew and Michael Ochiltree, Ambrose Williams and William Blaeke. Other families who came in in the 1790s were Wilson, Skidmore, Ruddell, Steele, Lewis and Alexander.
DNA is very difficult but once you look at the surrounding facts either by knowing your clan history and names to history of the time frame. You can eventually over come the mountain of doubt.
My father's DNA is much easier as we have the family back to 1680. Our Halley was in servitude when he came to Virginia. Father has only had the 37 marker test but it is enough to put us into the Orkney families. Our first match is a Sinclair of Orkney. Stuart looked up the Halley name in Blacks. This is when we find a Thomas Halley serving as a solicitor in Deerness Orkney.
My mother has the RL165 Viking and my father has the U106 L48+ Viking. Both lines being very rare with only a handful of other matches therefore much easier to trace than matching 100's.
I can only use our own experience to help with an explanation.
We started out with McNeal/MacDonald of Barra and Jura. It was a very rare signature. There are only 7 others who match closely enough to say 'yes we are from the same ancestor.' The matches were either one away up to 4 away (110 out of 111 markers to 107 markers out of 111).
Our one away matched a MacMillion of VA. I wrote a cousin (third cousin) in WV and asked him what oral tradition has been handed down? He wrote me back to state, our Great Great Aunt had handed down that we were really MacMillons but had to change the name to Williams because of the trouble over your way Kelly. He was meaning Scotland.
It came together when I spoke to a kind lady from Lewis who was a direct from a Farqhar MacDonald. She told me of the legend, one of the son's of the Glencoe MacIans escaped to Caithness. His son, John was a very well known shepherd. He was a wonderer. His wife was Mary McKay or McCoy, He drops of the face of Scotland's records at the time our John McMillion and Mary McCoy show up in VA. This kind lady also told me, MacIan is also called MacKay in the highlands.
The MacMillions, McCoys, Williams and Ochiltree are all married within each family for 4 generations.
When I excepted the fact we are really MacMillions, the rest of the puzzle fell into place. John MacMillion had to be John MacDonald of the MacIan, Glencoe.
The families who came to Virginia after Culloden who have stayed together over 250 years were William McCoy, John MacMillion, John Burns, Alexander, Matthew and Michael Ochiltree, Ambrose Williams and William Blaeke. Other families who came in in the 1790s were Wilson, Skidmore, Ruddell, Steele, Lewis and Alexander.
DNA is very difficult but once you look at the surrounding facts either by knowing your clan history and names to history of the time frame. You can eventually over come the mountain of doubt.
My father's DNA is much easier as we have the family back to 1680. Our Halley was in servitude when he came to Virginia. Father has only had the 37 marker test but it is enough to put us into the Orkney families. Our first match is a Sinclair of Orkney. Stuart looked up the Halley name in Blacks. This is when we find a Thomas Halley serving as a solicitor in Deerness Orkney.
My mother has the RL165 Viking and my father has the U106 L48+ Viking. Both lines being very rare with only a handful of other matches therefore much easier to trace than matching 100's.
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