Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 10:11:40 -0330 (NST)
From: David Pike 
To: pike-dna-l@rootsweb.com
Subject: Two more results, plus some news from Family Tree DNA



Hi everybody.

In this message I want to mention two new DNA results within our project, 
as well as to convey some other news about developments involving genetic 
genealogy.



For the first new result, Taed (kit number B4027) tested all 111 of the 
standard markers that Family Tree DNA offers for Y-DNA tests.  Taed's 
strongest match is on 66 out of 67 markers with Walter (176927) in our 
project's Group 10 (nobody in Group 10 has yet tested more than 67 
markers, so we cannot yet compare at the level of 111 markers).  Based on 
the DNA results, and given that our Group 10 is comprised of people with 
the McPIKE surname or a variant of it, it seems likely that Taed also has 
McPIKE roots.

This is a new insight for Taed, since the identity of his paternal 
grandfather is unknown.  What little information has been found about him 
has suggested that his name might have been David NELSON, that he was from 
San Francisco, California, and was in or near Daytona Beach, Florida, in 
early 1944, possibly serving in the armed forces at the time.  After 
Taed's grandmother passed away, two photographs were found in her 
belongings, one of a man believed to be from Columbia, South Carolina, and 
the other of a man believed to be from Miami Beach, Florida.  Possibly one 
of these men is Taed's grandfather.  Both photographs can be viewed here:
   http://www.math.mun.ca/~dapike/family_history/pike/DNA/index.php?content=Pedigrees/B4027.html 
Whether one of them might actually be a McPIKE is not yet known, although 
a search for McPIKE service records is something that the DNA results now 
suggest might be worthwhile.



The other result that I want to mention in this message is for Raymond 
(273844) who tested 37 markers and was found to be a very close match (36 
out of 37 markers) with Roger (167779) in our project's Group 17.  This 
match was anticipated, given that Raymond and Roger are third cousins once 
removed, each of them descending from John Pike who lived at St. Lawrence 
on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland.

One noteworthy item about Raymond's results is that he carries a different 
value on the 26th marker (named DYS 460) than the rest of the members our 
Group 17.  Presumably this marker mutated somewhere between Raymond and 
his ancestor John.  Actually, we can isolate it a bit further, since Peter 
(161522) and Raymond both descend from John's son Thomas.  Peter has the 
same marker value as most of the members of Group 17, so Raymond's 
distinctive marker value would therefore have arisen either with Raymond, 
or his father, or grandfather, or great-grandfather (who was a son of 
Thomas and grandson of John).  Mutations like this one can assist with 
genealogy, especially when we are able to associate them with particular 
branches of a family tree.



Changing topic now, I recently attended Family Tree DNA's annual 
conference for project administrators.  Bennett Greenspan, the company's 
president, used the conference's closing remarks to announce a sale on 
several DNA tests.  This promotion lasts until the end of 2013. 
Discounts are now in effect for both new customers who are ordering their 
very first DNA test as well as for many upgrades that existing customers 
might want to have done.  For Y-DNA testers, this is a good opportunity to 
upgrade and get more markers, which in turn makes for better and more 
reliable comparisons when assessing Y-DNA matches.

Another piece of news from the conference is that a new Y-DNA test was 
unveiled, called the "Big Y" test.  This test is exploratory in nature, in 
that its goal is to identify markers of a special type (technically, these 
markers are SNPs - Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms).  These markers are 
different from the standard ones that comprise the 37, 67 and 111 marker 
Y-DNA tests (technically, these ones are STRs - Short Tandem Repeats). 
What is significant is that the "Big Y" test aims to test about ten 
million locations on the Y chromosome and identify all SNPs that might be 
found there.  It is premature to say for sure, but potentially this test 
could discover SNPs that are so recent that they can distinguish different 
branches of a single family tree from one another.  They may also enable 
the structure of a tree to be determined in cases where we do not know 
just how the branches fit onto the main trunk, as is the case with several 
of our Pike groups (such as Groups 1, 2, 6, 8 and 17).  There are some 
caveats to mention, one of which is that this test is so new that we 
really do not know what to expect from it.  Also, it is not inexpensive. 
But it might appeal to some of us who are a bit adventurous and so I 
wanted to mention it to everybody now while its introductory discounted 
price is in effect (which is only until the end of November).

Having just mentioned Group 8 in passing, I want to say that while at the 
Family Tree DNA conference I met one of the administrators for the LANGTON 
Surname DNA Project, which includes variants such as LINTON and LINTERN. 
As it happens there is a genetic cluster in the LANGTON project that has a 
Y-DNA profile that is similar to that of our project's Group 8 cluster. 
In the case of the LANGTONs, it appears that they originate in Somerset, 
possibly near the village of Castle Cary.  It is therefore possible that 
our Group 8 might have its origins in the same area.  There were Pikes in 
nearby parishes (such as Shepton Mallet, where there is even a Pike Lane) 
but as yet I am not aware of any who have done any Y-DNA testing.

One last item to share with everybody is that in October there was a 
genetic genealogy conference in Dublin, Ireland.  Many of the 
presentations that were made there were recorded and are now available for 
online viewing at YouTube's "Genetic Genealogy Ireland" channel:
   http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHnW2NAfPIA2KUipZ_PlUlw
These are informative and well worth watching.


- David.