Almost nine years ago I submitted a cheek swab to Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) thus entering the world of genetic genealogy. Unfortunately, this was a mitochondrial DNA test and it didn’t prove to be helpful. That same year I also talked my father into submitting his DNA for Y-DNA testing in hopes of breaking through our Sutton brick wall. He entered the genetic DNA world at the age of 83 and grumbled all the way. These tests were and still are expensive DNA tests that can deter people unless they are adamant in using paper and genetic resources to do genealogy research. No DNA discoveries were made until 2014, when I realized a new test referred to as autosomal DNA testing, was available and this test was much more affordable! In fact, it would allow me to connect to DNA cousins related to both my father and mother. I was thrilled and even more so when I discovered that FTDNA didn’t require another kit to be submitted, for either of us, as long as the DNA hadn’t degraded. Given that my father had died in 2010, I was happy to submit his DNA kit for testing. Have I made discoveries? Yes!
FTDNA Chart Showing Close Relative and Colorized Icons for Paternal & Maternal Lines
If anyone out there is using this company and hasn’t imported a tree or recruited family members then much of what is offered through FTDNA is not being utilized. That is unless the ethnicity component is all that is wanted. The above photo shows by adding your mother and father (or a close relative from your paternal and maternal line) then the tools can analyze and assign your DNA cousins to the paternal or maternal line—sometimes both! Some interaction by the test-taker has to take place such as defining the relationship of known DNA relatives and, this is done, by linking them to the correct place on the family tree. Once this is done, it doesn’t take long for the definitions to take place by color-coding them into the blue, red, or purple people icons. The hard part is then trying to decide how test takers are related to you especially if a tree has not been added.
I have several close relatives on FTDNA but was glad to meet my second cousin (once removed), Pam Epperson, and third to fifth cousin, Dave Brogan through this company. I have already written about the trip to Tennessee that resulted in a visit to the graves of my 2x’s great-grandparents, Nelson and Martha Epperson, made possible by Pam Epperson. Dave Brogan and I know we match through the Barnard line but, given he matches my father and cousin Diana at higher levels on two chromosomes, I am inclined to think there could be another shared ancestor so we continue to collaborate. His map skills recently helped me find old Thomas Sutton’s farm in Claiborne County on the Sutton Branch of the Powell River! I also enjoyed the pleasure of a visit by Dave and his wife as their road trip in 2017 took them through Oklahoma.
Map of the Powell River including the Sutton Branch location in Claiborne County, Tennessee
My favorite discovery has been one that is both frustrating yet still exciting as it has chipped away at a brick wall. I am a fan of Roberta Estes’ blog, DNAeXplained, as she explains how she has utilized the genetic tests and tools available to research her family tree. She published an article on her blog in 2014, Margaret Herrell (c1810-1892), Twice Widowed Church Founder, 52 Ancestors #43, in which she discussed the connections of her ancestor to the Thompson Settlement Church (Lee County, VA) and the Rob Camp Baptist Church (Claiborne County, TN). Ms. Estes included some extractions of the minutes of the Thompson Settlement Church that mention the trials and tribulations of some of the members. What caught my eye in the article was the following, “Brother Smith Sutton even turned himself in for drinking too much and getting angry.” This article wasn’t discovered until 2018 through an Internet search for Suttons in Lee County, Virginia and also led to my new distant cousin, Greg Clark, who lives in Indiana. He shared information on Smith Sutton that linked the Sutton line to Lee County, Virginia, and Caswell County, North Carolina. A court document that was given to him by another researcher linked Smith Sutton to a son named Zacheus Sutton. Zacheus left Lee County, Virginia in 1820 for Indiana along with his father-in-law, Hezekiah Applegate. Since Greg’s paternal line was not Sutton then I asked if he knew a Sutton male from Zacheus’ line that could submit a Y-DNA kit and he did! He had a first cousin who agreed. This cousin’s Y-DNA matched to my father’s kit with a genetic distance of “2” at the 67-marker level. That’s considered a close connection for this test. What is interesting is he is not an autosomal match to my father. The reason(s) for this is because the amount of DNA that can be autosomally DNA tested only goes back about five generations and there is also DNA recombination.
Chart created by Legacy Tree Genealogists showing amount of DNA inherited through 5 generations
According to researchers, DNA recombination leads to a DNA shuffle. I am not a scientist but to keep this simple, many articles say this is the reason we all have our own unique genetic code and that makes sense. I used to say to my sister when she didn’t match to the same genetic cousin, is “you didn’t get that same chunk of DNA.”
Interestingly enough, this does not mean that the descendants of old Thomas Sutton’s line won’t match to the descendants of Zacheus Sutton’s line because we do on other DNA testing sites that have larger databases that include many descendants of Zacheus. I have submitted DNA kits to 23andMe and Ancestry, and uploaded my kits to GEDMatch and MyHeritage just to cover as many bases as possible in my research. Ancestry has given me connections to more cousins such as Betty Turner and Mickey Trent, just to name a couple, that also descend from my 2x’s great-grandparents James and Melissa (nee Bray Wolfe) Sutton. My thanks to Betty for sharing photos and information with me.
I am seriously on the hunt for distant Suttons who want to submit a Y-DNA kit so this line can be better researched. Sadly, there are only three men that are in Haplogroup Group I1 (I-M253), Family B, that include Greg Clark’s cousin, my dad, and another man who was only tested at 25-markers. Calling all Sutton men! Did you know there is a Sutton Y-DNA Group on Family Tree DNA? If you are interested in knowing more about your paternal line, please submit a Y-DNA test and if you are frugal then watch for the sales that will most likely happen on National DNA Day which is April 25 (mentioned on Roberta Estes’ blog). Thanks!
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