Cottrell Genetic Genealogy Research

  
There are many of us in genealogy  who are trying to unravel  the mysteries of their family lines.   Descendants of the Cottrells that settled or passed through Ohio in the early 1800’s seem to be having an especially difficult time.   There are those that feel that the evolving science of genetic genealogy may be useful   to help solve some of these mysteries. I am a firm believer that genetic genealogy is a very valuable tool for anyone with a serious interest in family history. 

For those not familiar with genetic genealogy and in particular   Y-DNA testing , this test has the ability to establish and verify   surname father to son genetic   lines over many generations   as the Y-DNA passes relatively unchanged from father to son.   So in our case in theory we should be able to establish our recent and not so recent common male Cottrell ancestors   through Y-DNA testing.   In very simple terms the series of values we receive from our Y-DNA test results  are called a haplotype. For example DYS19=14 DYS 385a=14,DYS385b=11 and so on up to the number of markers tested.   These results are very easy to compare with other peoples test results and there are several databases which you can check for matches. Each person tested  gets a series of markers and the  particular value for those markers.   The closer the match the more likely and recent   the relation. The higher resolution tests  that include more markers can even   help define various lines within a family.   So for example   if   George Cottrell   and Adam   Cottrell   were both sons of Asher Cottrell then male   descendants of George  and Adam  alive today should have a Y-DNA   series of values or Haplotype that are fairly similar as they have both inherited their Y-DNA  down the line from Asher   and had it pass down from male to male  through the generations.   If tester 1 and tester 2 both descended from George and were today brothers or first cousins we would expect a near perfect match of say 37 out of 37 markers. If tester 1 descended from George and tester 2 descended from Adam and today were distant cousins  we could see a perfect match but it is also likely that there could have been some mutations along the way so we might see only 31,32 or  33 out of   37   match.   Having a large pool of testers helps verify these lower resolution matches because we can usually find a middle ancestor that links the two families together.   If there have been more then a few mutations over the years which results in a change of values we should be able to get an idea where the mutations occurred by testing more individuals within that line. 

There are a number of us trying to get behind our early to mid eighteen hundred ancestors.I believe my line is from Asher Cottrell, the one born Greene County Ohio 1810  married to Sarah Shaner and settled in Darke County Ohio.  In addition to Asher Cottrell several of us are trying to establish if we descend from Hiram Cottrell and if so how.  We are also trying to place the children of  (John) Lemuel  Cottrell the Baptist Preacher and Obediah Cottrell all of Green County and later Darke County Ohio. Some of us have already determined that we have an unusual value for one of the alleles or markers.   Most of the Cottrells that migrated from Virginia have the most common value of 385b=14 for that marker . So far there are three of us with the more unusual value of 385b=11.   I have a   theory that there is a distinct Cottrell lineage with this 385b=11 value but we need more testers to find out more about when and how this change in value occurred. At the same time we may be able to find out more about any possible link of this line with Hiram Cottrell.  

So far only fifty or so Cottrells have joined the various Cottrell Surname projects.   Some of the more successful other surname projects have hundreds of participants, one project has over four hundred   members. Needless to say with that many members a lot of connections between lines have been successfully established and verified. One of the issues with Y-DNA testing is ones individuals results do not have very much value. A   large group of results however can be very valuable.
Depending upon the testing company  they will  strip all your personal identifiable information from the results, assigning an ID   number to the results and then grouping your results with the oldest ancestor that you have a paper trail for. So for example if   Asher Cottrell is that   oldest ancestor your results might be labeled
.

Y127666 Asher Cottrell Green County Ohio 1810.

 (Note this is an example of a 12 marker test, the free tests will have as many as 46 markers. )

Most of the labs will   provide for a means of notifying those that you have a very close match with to give you the opportunity to compare notes.   To anyone involved in traditional   genealogy research this is considered a helpful tool in their research efforts.   Each of the major labs has their own way of presenting their results.   In some cases the selection of lab will depend upon which of the Cottrell surname projects you wish to join.  You can see examples of how the results are used at the two Cottrell surname project sites listed below.   Tests are easy, completed at home   by mail   and require just a swab of the inside of your cheek   to collect the sample. Results take between 2 and 12 weeks depending upon the lab selected. 

Costs for a 37-46 Marker test depending upon the lab run around $189.00. If by some chance you have unbroken male descendancy from  Asher Cottrell married to Sarah Shaner or Lemuel Cottrell the preacher married to Catherine reaves, or Hiram Cottrell married to Elizabeth Reaves  the one who  died 1854 in Bowersville then the test would be free. Let me know if that applies to you . The free test is for either a  43 marker test from dnaHeritage.com  and includes participation in the Cottrellweb.com Cottrell surname project or a 37 marker test through Family Tree DNA with participation in their Cottrell surname project.

As for which lab to choose Familytree DNA is best if you want to know who else besides Cottrells in the Cottrell projects you might match with. They also have a 67 marker test compared to only 43 or 46 at the other labs. The biggest drawback is family tree DNA can take a very long time for results. One recent test took from 11/28/07-2/28/08.   The Labs that use Sorenson (Ancestry and DNA Heritage) have much faster results between 15 and 28 days.

If you are interested feel free to contact me at mark@capeflier.com   If you are interested but have some questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.  

 
More information about Y-DNA and Genetic Genealogy   is available at:  

Familytreedna.com   See also the Cotrell Surname project on the Family Tree DNA site.

 DNAHeritage  This company uses Sorenson Genomics  known for fast reliable results and they are the testing company used by

Cottrellweb.com This is the   website for one of the other well known Cottrell Surname projects.
dna.ancestry.com   This leader in Genealogy research uses   a very reputable and established lab for their tests Sorensen Genomics.

Thank you   in advance for your consideration.

Our Cottrell  genetic genealogy research is currently focusing on descendants of the following Cottrell families. 

•  Owen K Cottrell  *  Born 4/19/1934 Cement City Michigan 

            Married to Joan M.  Novack son of

•   William C Cottrell *  Born 5/10/1903  Darke County Ohio

            Married to Lucy Toman son of

•   William Cottrell  *  Born 9/3/1873  Darke County Ohio 

              Married to (Eva) Myrtle Gibson son of

• John B.M. Cottrell Born  9/7/1840  Darke County Ohio

           Married Sarah Spillers

•  Asher R Cottrell  10/9/1810 Greene County Ohio

            Married Sarah A Shaner 

 I hope to see additional descendants of this specific Cottrell line have their Y- DNA tested so we can determine if there are others in this line who share the haplotype that features the DYS 385b value of 11 and to see if we can determine the origin of this variation in Haplotype.  I have some theories that this value originated in this line between 1743 and 1811.  The only way to determine what may have  happened is through additional data from  additional  Cottrell testers. Decendants of the above family may qualify for free Y-DNA testing and if interested should contact me for details.

More about where to obtain Y-DNA testing. 

 DNAHeritage 

DNA Heritage is the company used by the http://www.Cottrellweb.com surname project. They use Sorenson Genomics labs a testing lab with a proven record for fast turnaround and quality results. The 43 Marker test costs $189.00 for Cottrell project members and the cost will be paid by us if you qualify.

 Ancestry.com  

  Ancestry.com  offers Genetic DNA testing processed through Sorenson Genomics Labs. 

They offer a 33 marker Y-DNA test for $149.00 and 46 marker test for $199.00. The test is will be paid by us if you qualify for our free test offer. Although this is a new service of Ancestry.com  The Lab they use, Sorenson Genomics is an established  leader in Y-DNA testing. Due to the variations in Cottrell lines I suggest everyone start with the higher 46 marker resolution test.

Familytree DNA  offers a  link to one of the most popular Cottrell Surname projects however in this era of general instant information the 4-12  week wait for results can be frustrating. I believe discounts are available if you join the Cottrell Surname project before ordering your test kit. Again if you qualify all costs for your test are paid by us.

Whats involved?

Y-DNA testing is easy. The lab sends you a test kit by mail . Following the included instructions you rub  the inside of your cheek with a Q-tip type  swab and place in the return envelope.  The whole process takes about half an hour including ordering,mailing and obtaining the sample. The speed of results vary by lab from ten days to twelve  weeks. You will be given a code to access your results and will have the opportunity to compare your results with other close matches.

Why should I have my Y-DNA tested ?

It is human nature to want to know where we came from and why we are who we are.  Most families have at least one genealogist.  It is very sad that in this age of digital communication that many families including the Cottrells do not have factual information about their ancestors only 200 short years ago.

Genetic Genealogy has the ability to fill in the blanks and help us capture our family history before it is lost forever.

What about my Privacy ?

The DNA that is extracted is very specific  to the tracing of male lineage and would not be useful to anyone for  investigating medical conditions. In short Y-DNA is of great use to genealogists trying to document family history and is of limited use to others.

 Why is Genetic genealogy an important part of genealogy?

As we try and piece together our family history there often is a lack of primary source documentation  available to verify family relationships. This is especially true prior to 1850 when many areas of the US did not have a formal method of recording such simple events as births and marriages.  In other areas of the Country formal records have been destroyed by fires which were frequent in our early courthouses.  Some family trees are supported by nothing more than anecdotal evidence and in some cases the conclusions that were drawn are simply incorrect. Genetic genealogy allows us to reconstruct these family relationships and document the paper trail with scientific fact.