Leonard Y-DNA

 

DNA testing for genealogical purposes is in its early years.  Some of it has to do with creating uniform systems and methodologies for laboratory testing so that there is consistency and uniform quality with results that can be compared.  Some of it is in the need to build a data base and classification systems so that results can be meaningfully tabulated, organized, and interpreted.

 

Types of Testing

 

There have been two types of testing that have been of early testing for genealogical purposes.  One is the y-dna testing, which follows the male chromosome from father to son for thousands of years, skipping all daughters.  This makes the y-dna test particularly useful in most European cultures that pass surnames down the paternal line.

 

Y-DNA haplotypes are clusters of results obtained by y-dna testing. They are used to identify the haplotype of the progenitor of a group, the first father in a string of fathers and sons.  “Haplogroups are identified by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are loci on the DNA where a nucleotide has mutated to become another nucleotide.”  These mutations occur rarely and slowly over time, but through the patterns of mutations statistical estimates of how far back an individual ancestry diverged from other haplotypes can be made.

 

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing is useful in tracing someone’s maternal ancestry.  MtDNA is passed from a mother to all her children, but only her daughters can transmit it to the next generation.  Since surnames are generally passed through the paternal line, mtDNA testing is less easy to relate to genealogical studies. 

 

Most of human DNA is not sexually oriented like the male Y-chromosome or the female X-chromosome.  The rest of our DNA in our other 22 chromosomes is called autosomal.  Half of this autosomal DNA is inherited from each parent and so on back to the beginning of time.  Analysis of autosomal DNA is just beginning.  As yet, there is no reliable, systematic labelling and organization of data to make use of it in determining genealogically useful origins.  But this, too, will come with time and further research.

 

Haplogroups

 

“Each of us carries DNA that is a combination of genes passed from both our mother and father, giving us traits that range from eye color and height to athleticism and disease susceptibility.  One exception is the Y-chromosome, which is passed directly from father to son, unchanged, from generation to generation.

 

“Unchanged, that is, unless a mutation occurs – a random, naturally occurring, usually harmless change.  The mutation, known as a marker, acts as a beacon; it can be mapped through generations because it will be passed down from the man in whom it occurred to his sons, their sons, and every male in his family for thousands of years.

 

“In some instances there may be more than one mutational event that defines a particular branch on the tree.  What this means is that any of these markers can be used to determine your particular haplogroup, since every individual who has one of these markers also has the others.

 

“When geneticists identify such a marker, they try to figure out when it first occurred, and in which geographic region of the world.  Each marker is essentially the beginning of a new lineage on the family tree of the human race.  Tracking the lineages provides a picture of how small tribes of modern humans in Africa tens of thousand of years ago diversified and spread to populate the world.

 

“A haplogroup is defined by a series of markers that are shared by other men who carry the same random mutations.  The markers trace the path your ancestors took as they moved out of Africa.”[1]

 

Haplogroups are further broken down into subclades by the same process.  The National Geneographic Project, a five-year worldwide effort sponsored by the National Geographic Society, IBM, and the Waitt Family Foundation, is testing populations in all countries on all continents to gather data on haplogroups, their subclades, and individuals.

 

This information is being gathered at the level of 12 markers.  Further genetic testing can be done at the level of 25, 37, 43, or even 67 markers, which can be useful in narrowing down family relationships in genealogically meaningful timeframes (e.g. back to 1600, or back to when surnames became prevalent in England around 1200 AD).

 

Leonard Haplogroups

 

There have been 18 Leonards that I am aware of who have had their y-dna tested for at least 12 markers.[2]

 

Those 18 sharing the Leonard surname have been distributed through testing into the E3a, E3b, I, J, and R1b Haplogroups.

 

It would appear that Leonards of Irish and German descent generally fall in the R1b modal haplotype.  This is a common haplotype in northern Europe.

 

There aren’t enough Leonards tested in the E3a, E3b, I, and unassigned haplogroups and not enough is known about their ancestry to say very much about them yet.

 

Six English Leonards fall into the J, more specifically, J2 haplogroup.  Five of these whose genealogy has been traced back to the 1600’s are descendants of James Leonard, 1620-91, of Taunton, Massachusetts (although there’s some disagreement as to who the ancestors of James were). 

 

Further, the J2 haplogroup is rather rare in the United Kingdom and Ireland.  “Today, descendants of this (the J2) line appear in the highest frequencies in the Middle East, North Africa, and Ethiopia, and at a much lower frequency in Europe, where it is observed exclusively in the Mediterranean area.  Approximately 20 percent of the males in southern Italy carry the marker, along with 10 percent of the men in southern Spain.”[3]

 

Another way of putting this is that in a worldwide sample of 51,253 haplotypes in a set of 447 populations on the yhrd.org site, there were 103 general matches, of which only 2 were exact matches.[4]  The greatest concentration of the general matches was 12 in Stip, Macedonia.

 

I have sent for a “deep clade” test, which should identify my and presumably other J2 Leonards’ subclade of the J2 haplogroup.  There are more than 30 identifiable subclades of the J2 haplogroup.  I’ll post more information here when the results are sent to me and I can translate them into something understandable.

 

The J2 Haplogroup and Leonard Genealogy

 

Given the relative rarity of the J2 haplogroup among the English, Welsh, Irish, Scotch, German and Scandinavian populations, this marker may be particularly helpful in identifying the common ancestry of those who trace their descendancy from James Leonard.

 

  • Henry Leonard’s descendants should also be J2’s.  Henry was James’ brother.
  • If direct male descendants of John, Solomon, and William Leonard can be found who are willing to get their y-dna tested, we will learn whether they have a common ancestor with James and Henry.
  • Branches of this Leonard family residing in England or elsewhere will be discovered.
  • Contrary opinions about the ancestors of James and Henry may be resolved (i.e.; whether they were effete English aristocrats or “truculent and profane” French ironworkers).
  • Verification of genealogical research into the various branches of James Leonard’s descendants.

 

There are two instances where people with other than the Leonard surname appear in the J2 haplogroup with a pattern of markers exactly matching those of James Leonard’s descendants.  In one case, the person traces his ancestry back to a Gilbert Worden who lived in Becket, Massachusetts, in 1813.  His y-dna doesn’t match the marker pattern of other Wordens.  I have not been able to contact the other person, a Ramshaw, with an exact match yet, but I’m told he doesn’t know of any Leonards in his ancestry.  There appear to be at least four possible answers in this situation:

 

  • The most recent common ancester was before the Leonards adopted the surname Leonard (which appears to have occurred in the 1400’s or 1500’s).
  • There are other families with exactly the same pattern of markers as the Leonards.
  • An ancestor of the person was actually a Leonard who was adopted by a Worden or other family.
  • An ancestor of the person was actually fathered by a Leonard in an extramarital relationship.

 

The latter two are what DNA Heritage (http://www.dnaheritage.com/tutorial4.asp) calls “non-paternity events.”  The latter occur at about 2 to 5% every generation, according to the statisticians.

 

Given that 2 to 5%, as more Leonards (and others) are tested, more of these types of situations may appear.  It’s also possible that other Leonards who trace their ancestry to James Leonard may find that they’re not in haplogroup J2 nor do they have a reasonably close match of markers.

 

Matching Markers

 

As more Leonards are tested for more markers (25, 37, 43, or 67 markers) beyond the basic 12 and can supply their genealogies back to James or before, we may be able to make some general hypotheses about what matches (e.g., 35 out of 37, 36 of 37, 37 of 37) mean in terms of the number of generations back a common ancestor may be found.

 

Here is the 12 marker pattern for Leonard J2’s tested to date:

 

                                                Leonards 1-4   Leonard 5        Leonard 6

Locus               DYS#              Alleles              Alleles              Alleles

 

1                      393                  12                    12                    12                   

2                      390                  23                    23                    23       

3                      19*                  15                    15                    15                   

4                      391                  9                      9                      11                   

5                      385a                13                    13                    13                   

6                      385b                17                    17                    13                   

7                      426                  11                    11                    11                   

8                      388                  18                    18                    16                   

9                      439                  11                    11                    12                   

10                    389-1               13                    13                    13                   

11                    392                  11                    12                    11                   

12                    389-2               29                    29                    29

 

            *Also known as DYS# 394.

 

Leonards 1-4 include 3 Leonards who descend from James Leonard and 1 Leonard in England whose ancestry before 1750 is unknown, but whose ancestors are gunsmiths (hypothesis:  an earlier Leonard broke off from the family’s general ironworking to alloys and technologies specific to making quality rifles).  Leonard 5 traces his ancestry back to James and differs by one marker.  Leonard 6 is a J2, ancestry traced to the 1860’s, but differs by a total of genealogical distance of 10.  Leonard 6 is probably not related to the other Leonards within genealogical timeframes (the last 500 years), although may have a common ancestor thousands of years ago.

 

These tests yield results which are usually measured in the probability that someone with a given pattern of matching markers will have a “most recent common ancestor” (MRCA) with someone else in x generations.  Matching 12 of 12, for example, yields a probability that the MRCA was no more than 7 generations back and a 90% probability that the MRCA was no more than 23 generations back.  Testing for more markers reduces the number of generations need to reach a 50% or 90% probability for the MCRA.  For example, matching 37 of 37 markers would put the 50% probability at 4 generations back, while matching 67 of 67 would put it at 2 generations back. 

 

Please note:  These are statistical measures of probability.  Based on your genealogical research, you may have identified the MRCA in 5, 10, or 15 generations back.  The y-dna analysis supports what your genealogical research tells you (or perhaps tells you you are barking up the wrong family tree).  It does not guarantee an ancestor, nor does it supply his name.  It may provide hints as to where to look, or it may provide supporting evidence for what you’ve discovered through traditional genealogical research.

 

There is at least one Leonard, a descendant of James, who is awaiting his results, and another who is about to send in for his.  Several of us are considering or have sent for tests beyond the basic 12 markers, 37 markers seeming to offer as much useful precision as one is likely to need or want for our genealogical purposes.

 

Most of us have used the FamilyTreeDNA laboratory in Houston, Texas http://www.familytreedna.com.  This lab offers competitive prices and services, sends their results to the National Genographic Project, and has a small discount for those in family surname projects (think “Leonard”).  But there are other labs that offer comparable prices and services.

 

My impressions from poking around to learn more about DNA testing are that we’re really in the early stages of this branch of knowledge, that statistically valid sampling of the whole world’s 6 billion population is in process but not nearly complete, and that growth of the data base will eventually give us significant useful information.

 

Web Sites for More Information

 

National Genographic Project:  www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/   This site gives a good overview of the spread of peoples by haplogroup since our common ancestry in Africa 50,000 years ago.

 

FamilyTreeDNA Laboratory:  www.familytreedna.com   They offer laboratory services for DNA analysis. They are linked to the National Genographic Project.  They are linked to a Leonard surname project (www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/l/leonard/results.html).   

 

DNA Heritage:  www.dnaheritage.com  This site has several tutorials and other background information of interest.  DNA Heritage offers laboratory services for DNA testing and analysis.  There is only one Leonard listed under their surname project, and he’s in haplogroup R1b.

 

Ysearch:  www.ysearch.org   This site, allied with FamilyTreeDNA, allows you to upload your y-dna information from any laboratory and then to participate in a data base of roughly 43,000 records to find matches, either on a surname or a y-dna basis.

 

 


[1] National Geographic web site – National Genographic Project – for more information, see http://www.nationalgeographic3.com/genographic/.

[3] National Geneographic Project