Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2012 17:16:13 -0330 (NST)
From: David Pike 
To: pike-dna-l@rootsweb.com
Subject: Three new results (for Groups 1 and 18)



Hi everybody.

It's been a very hectic time for me over the past few months, and I 
haven't been able to send out email updates as regularly as I would have 
liked.  On the other hand, there haven't been very many new results during 
this time, so I'll nearly be able to get caught up by saying a few words 
about three of them in the following paragraphs.


Brenda arranged for her cousin Robert to do a 37 marker test.  His results 
(kit number 248028) were found to be a perfect 37-marker match with Earl 
(28267) in our project's "Group 1".  As it happens, Earl is an eighth 
cousin of both Brenda and Robert.  Earl descends from an Elias Pike who in 
turn was a great grandson of John Pike who settled in Massachusetts in 
1635 (having come from Whiteparish in Wiltshire).  Brenda and Robert 
descend from Elias' brother Joseph.  Robert's genetic match with Earl 
represents our project's 17th perfect 37-marker match (and also our 49th 
perfect 25-marker match).


Stephen (kit number 251195) tested 37 markers.  In terms of genealogy, 
Stephen descends from the early Quaker Pike family at Pasquotank County, 
North Carolina, which in turn descends from a couple named John & Emma 
Pike who lived in London, England in the 1600s.  Stephen is now the second 
descendant of John & Emma to join our project, the other one being Harry 
(kit 132584).  Harry and Stephen match each other on 35 out of 37 markers, 
but on one of their mismatching markers their marker value differs by 2, 
given them a total genetic distance of 3.  As it happens, Stephen's 
results are a slightly better match with kit number 131559 (who is an 
anonymous member of our project's "Group 1"), since they mismatch on two 
markers, but each mismatch is only by a value of 1.


We now have 39 test results in our project's "Group 1", which is easily 
our project's largest genetic cluster, accounting for nearly a quarter of 
all Pikes that have so far been tested.  Previously we had noticed a major 
subdivision within "Group 1" based on the value of the second marker (the 
official name of which is DYS 390), for which eleven people have a value 
of 24 while the rest have a value of 25.  Given the present opportunity to 
review the information for "Group 1", it is interesting to see some 
patterns arising with other markers.  In particular, several of the people 
with a 24 for the second marker also have a value of 16 for the 25th 
marker (named DYS 464d), whereas everybody with a 25 for the second marker 
appears to have a value of 17 for the 25th marker.  A value of 19 on the 
33rd marker is also common among those with a 24 for the second marker, 
whereas a value of 20 on the 33rd marker is the norm for people with a 25 
on the second marker.  There are a few things that come to mind here. 
One is that these differences are further evidence that there really are 
two major branches of the "Group 1" family tree.  A second observation is 
that distinctive markers such as these may eventually help us to refine 
"Group 1" into various sub-branches (as a potential example, the three 
members of "Group 1" who share a value of 18 on the 20th marker appear 
likely to be more closely related to each other than they are to the rest 
of the members of "Group 1").  In order to identify which people might 
belong together in potential sub-branches, it would be helpful if 
everybody were to upgrade their test results to at least 37 markers when 
they get a chance.  It would also be a tremendous help for people to 
provide details of their Pike ancestry if they haven't already done so.


Turning now to the third new result to be mentioned, Dana (kit 242461) 
tested 67 markers and has a perfect 37-marker match with two other members 
of our "Group 18", one of whom (Ralph, kit 197443) happens to be Dana's 
father.  This is, I believe, the first instance of a father and son both 
testing their Y-DNA in conjunction with the Pike DNA Project.  No other 
member of "Group 18" had previously tested more than 37 markers, so Dana's 
67-marker test is also giving us our first glimpse of what markers 38-67 
look like for the family of Hugh Pike (born about 1657) of Newbury, 
Massachusetts.


In other news, the Genographic Project run by the National Geographic 
Society has launched a second phase.  Not until they start reporting test 
results will anybody really know just what all the details will be, but my 
impression at this stage is that they are testing a combination of mtDNA 
markers, autosomal DNA markers, and for men also Y-chromosome markers, all 
with a goal of shedding light on the deep ancestry of people.  As for what 
is meant by "deep ancestry", this could also be termed "genetic 
anthropology" since it has to do with tracing ancient human history and 
migration.  When I know more about what "Geno 2.0" offers, I'll let 
everybody know.  In the meantime though, here's a link to the Genographic 
Project's website: https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/


- David.