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FELSTEAD DNA PROJECT

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Group Administrator: Edward Felstead edward.felstead@virgin.net

Project Surnames:

Felstead

Project Background:

This project started as a result of a search for my own G-G-Grandfather WILLIAM FELSTEAD who was found on just one Census Return in Chester,England in 1861.
His age was 22yrs and his birth place was given as "Born America - British Subject"
Some seven years later the birthplace of WILLIAM has not been located in "America" but even if it was it is likely his stay was transient.
Circumstantial evidence suggests his full name was William John Felstead and he may have been born in Nova Scotia but was brought back to England in time for the 1841 Census.
After marrying in England in 1860 he left his wife ,and at least one child, sometime after the 1861 census.
Further circumstantial evidence suggests his destination was Boston,Massachusetts where he had a successfull business as a Tinsmith.
Over these seven years a tremendous amount of data has been accumulated re FELSTEAD's from virtually every corner of the globe and which I wish to make available to anyone with an interest in the FELSTEAD family name which is now so rare that an estimate in Burke's Peerage in 1995 gave a figure of approximately 3000 FELSTEAD's worldwide.

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Project Goals:

To identify my own FELSTEAD family ancestry and to include any FELSTEAD (or variant) with an interest in preserving the FELSTEAD family name
Variants include FELSTED,FALSTEAD,FILSTEAD,PHELSTED,PHEALSTEAD and possibly many more.

Project News:

The FELSTEAD DNA PROJECT on FTDNA is running concurrently with a similar project on the SORENSON MOLECULAR GENEALOGICAL FOUNDATION.
By submitting samples to both sources it is possible to compare results and search both databases
The Sorenson DNA results for Subject (1) below can be compared directly with the FTDNA results
for the FELSTEAD Kit 17654 as the samples were from Father and son.
Using this comparison it is possible to compare 36 markers for all Sorenson participants even though Sorenson and FTDNA only use 25 Common Markers.
The technique involves searching the Sorenson database for matches using a system of trial and error
Thus knowing the ancestry of the Sorenson participants,at least in part,it may be possible to determine if any of the group have a Common Ancestor and where that Ancestor might be located.
The results in our group have been very encouraging in that it is likely that the participants (1) through to (5) have a Common Ancestor within 12 Generations.
Participant (2) has a clear line of descent from a FELSTEAD family in HERTFORDSHIRE which suggests that the Most Recent Common Ancestor for all the group from (1) to (5)was in HERTFORDSHIRE.
Participant (3) from CANADA has an English Ancestor born in 1823.
Current research suggests this ancestor also came from HERTFORDSHIRE.
Participant (4) has a very clear line to an ancestor in LEICESTERSHIRE and to date no link with HERTFORDSHIRE can be found.
Participant (6) from the United States is most likely from the same family as FTDNA Kit 39656 and a direct comparison can be made.
This result suggests that this FELSTEAD family do not have a common ancestor with the FELSTEAD's listed from (1) to (5)
This family are descended from a WILLIAM FELSTEAD
listed on the 1851 Census of London as being born in Chigwell,Epping,Essex in 1814.
To date there is no reliable evidence that this is true and much more detailed research is required
Conclusion
The first five participants in the SORENSON trial all match on at least 33 of 36 Markers and,very importantly,share the same surname.
It is probable therefore that these five FELSTEAD's share a common ancestor from HERTFORDSHIRE.

Update 1st October 2005
The complete 37 marker values have been uploaded for FELSTEAD (FTDNA Kit Number 39656 - See below)
This participant,based in the United States,is known to be a descendant of a WILLIAM FELSTEAD whose birth place is given as Chigwell,Epping,Essex.
The results are not what was expected in that there is only a 23/37 match with FELSTEAD reference sample FTDNA KIT 17654/Sorenson Participant (1))
There are two possibilities which spring to mind to explain this -
(1) There is a completely separate FELSTEAD line from ESSEX.
(2) There is a problem with the paternity of the ancestor WILLIAM FELSTEAD born 1814 Essex.
This could be a birth outside of marriage to a FELSTEAD female and WILLIAM was given the name of his mother or posssibly WILLIAM was adopted into a FELSTEAD family and he was given the FELSTEAD name.

Update 4th October 2005
The results for a possible variant to the FELSTEAD name have been uploaded.
This is a FILSTEAD family from the United States.
It is now possible to compare three members from the group who have all been tested by FTDNA.
The comparisons give some quite revealing results.
FELSTEAD (England) Kit 17654 matches 23/37 with FELSTEAD (United States) Kit 39656 and 13/37 with FILSTEAD (United States)Kit 17653.
FELSTEAD (United States)Kit 39656 matches 14/37 with FILSTEAD (United States) Kit 17653.

The Haplogroup Prediction for the two FELSTEAD participants with FTDNA is E3b whereas the FILSTEAD Haplogroup Prediction is R1b

These comparisons and Haplogroup predictions clearly demonstrate that there is no chance that these three families have a common ancestor within
a genealogical time frame and also that the FILSTEAD family may belong to a completely different migratory group.

Project Results:

(1)FELSTEAD (England)36/36 Match with FTDNA KIT 17654.
This is used as the reference sample.
Participants Father and Son.
Father tested with FTDNA (Kit 17654)and Sorenson (FELSTEAD(5)below.)
Son tested with Sorenson ((1)above)

(2)FELSTEAD (England) 35/36 Match with reference sample in Sorenson database

(3)FELSTEAD (Canada) 34/36 Match with reference sample in Sorenson database

(4)FELSTEAD (England) 33/36 Match with reference sample in Sorenson database

(5)FELSTEAD (England) 29/29 Match with reference sample in Sorenson database
Missing data on Sorenson reduces possible search to 29 Markers.
This participant is from the same source as FTDNA Kit 17654.

(6)FELSTEAD (United States) Kit 39656 23/37 Match with reference sample Kit 17654 and 14/37 Match with FILSTEAD (United States) Kit 17653.
This participant has also submitted a sample to Sorenson and has a 12/21 Match with the reference sample.
Missing data on Sorenson reduces possible search to 21 Markers.

(7)FILSTEAD (United States)Kit 17653 13/37 Match with reference sample Kit 17654 and 14/37 Match with FELSTEAD (United States) Kit 39656
This participant has also submitted a sample to Sorenson - Results not yet available.

Match results are sorted first by surname and then by marker value. Note that due to the random nature of mutations and the difference in mutation rates at different markers, results lower on the list may be closer genetically than results higher on the list. For example, a 33/36 match may be more closely related to you than a 34/36 match.PLEASE NOTE: If there are a significant number of mismatches (e.g. when only 30/36 markers match), a common ancestor is likely to have lived at an earlier time than can be traced with traditional genealogical records. If this is the case, the result will only provide clues as to the population of the shared ancestor, not their specific identity.

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