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| Plot of an autosomal cluster analysis |
So far the DNA analysis of Baldwin's line has concentrated primarily on the Y-chromosome of male descendants in order to confirm both paternal genetic descent and the public paper record. That's because the Y-chromosome is passed down from father-to-son along with the surname, and it is a powerful tool for following the paternal line back to a common, distant male ancestor. These studies also can be used to connect male lines back to ancient times; well before the advent of surnames.
But we have other chromosomes in our cells besides Y; a second sex chromosome (X to go with the Y for males and two X [XX] for females), and 22 chromosomes that are known as the "autosomes". Autosomal DNA is inherited equally from both parents, and for any one person it is a random mix coming from four different directions (from both sets of grandparents). Autosomal DNA analysis lets you examine both your maternal and paternal lines at the same time. But because the DNA is diluted at each generation by the addition of a new parental line, the results are only really accurate back to the fourth or fifth cousin level.
Back when I began my Y-chromosome analysis I also submitted an autosomal test. The price was right and I figured it might be useful for finding additional male cousins for Y-chromosome testing. While the Family Tree DNA database only allowed me to confirm some of my side lineages through autosomal DNA (for example my biological connection to the Wine, Griffith and Hager families on my paternal side and Johnson, Allen and Ridgley families on my maternal side), I had very limited luck matching to any Lunceford/Lunsford families. At least any that posted a family tree or responded to my email inquiries. That was until I transferred my results to MyHeritage.com. Almost immediately I was able to find several interesting Lunceford/Lunsford connections. For privacy reasons I will not disclose their actual match names here, but I will discuss their ancestral lines.
The first significant match was to a Carter family who descends from Samuel Shelton Lunceford. He was the brother of my great-great grandfather and was one of three sibling brothers who left Fauquier County Virginia in the mid to late 1800s to settle in Missouri. We already had a very strong paper record genealogy for these folks, but biological (genetic) confirmation always is a welcome addition to any family project.
But a genetic breakthrough was in store..............
Going back to our Y-chromosome analysis, we previously were able to confirm paternal genetic descent from Baldwin's first son, Benjamin Lunsford (abt 1793-1869) through his Anna Ball line. Absolute confirmation of Baldwin's Y-chromosome haplotype requires the testing of a living male who descends from his second wife's line (Judith Creel). Finding a willing test subject for this analysis so far has not been successful. But there is a glimmer of hope using autosomal DNA. Two significant matches were found in the MyHeritage database to Baldwin's Judith Creel line. One was to a Lunsford male who descends from Maphis Franklin Lunsford (1910-1992). Maphis descends from Wormley Lunceford (1814-1893). Until this match, I had no idea Maphis had any sons. The second connection to the Creel line is through Baldwin's daughter Judith Lunceford (abt 1817-1890). This connection comes to us through the McCausland family.
It was exciting to have discovered two seperate connections to Baldwin's Judith Creel family. But for final confirmation I still need to find a living Lunceford/Lunsford male from that line to agree to do a Y-chromosome test. So far my emails and Facebook Messenger requests to potential descendants have been ignored. But the search continues.
One final match is worth noting. It is a very distant cousin match where the DNA confidence is low. But in this family there is a Lunsford clan from Arkansas and Tennessee. While there always is the possibility that having Lunsfords in their tree is coincidence and my DNA match is actually coming from another lineage, this would be the first time I've seen anything matching us to a Lunsford clan in the deep south. Could this somehow be related to Rodham, Baldwin's suspected brother who left Fauquier County after the Revolution to live in Kentucky? Or are they descended from Northern Neck Lunsfords who went south instead of migrating to what was to become Fauquier County? Only time will tell.
While Family Tree DNA is more Y-chromosome centric, I have to admit I prefer the dashboard and analytical tools at MyHeritage for examining autosomal matches. The figure at the top is an example of a cluster analysis. For privacy reasons I've removed the match names. This is a readout of my matches arranged in clusters (each match is a square) where they match to me but also to each other. Colored squares are matches and greys are non-matches. This process helps group related matches to individual family lines. The red cluster in the upper left corner are the Lunceford/Lunsford matches. While the tan and yellow clusters are for lines from my maternal side. I'm still analyzing the smaller clusters trailing off to the lower right corner. Aside from the DNA itself, each match requires looking at their submitted family trees. Some are extensive and it is easy to find a familiar surname connection. While many either don't have a tree or they just don't bother to respond to emails.
These new autosomal matches prove that even though it is easy to become single minded when pursuing Y-chromosome studies for the paternal line, it is important not to discount the autosomal data as well. One never knows what interesting connections might arise.
