DNA and the Percentages

I've been looking at the database set up for the descendants of Benjamin Franklin. Of course they were able to construct a massive DNA project. Looking at this site has helped me understand what DNA can do for family historians. The chart (see above) with the predicted relationship percentages was especially helpful. Now I can see you can predict relationships 24 or more generations back, and also look at more recent generations. I did notice that mutations did not happen frequently.

It would be nice to have a known relative of James Forgey or Andrew Forgey tested. I have been trying again to find descendants. This is what I came up with.

James Forgey born 1766 Ireland had one son James R. Forgey

James R. Forgey  had two sons who left male children Gabriel and James R.

Gabriel Forgey's sons:

James N. Forgey

Gabriel Forgey he had two sons Versel Ray Forgey and Gabriel R. Forgey 

James N.  had two sons who lived in Bristol, Tennessee Charles and James Forgey. Charles died in the 1990s I don't know if he left any children.

James R. Forgey Sr.'s sons:

James R Forgey b. 1886 died 1931 Didn't leave any children? Could not find any listed on Census

Frank Harland Forgey b. 1894 d. 1968 Only had two daughters Marion and Catherine

David S. Forgey b. 1898 Was in WWII and stated at that time he had no children?

The Complexities of DNA

The envelope with the DNA Kit

After a great deal of reading about the different DNA tests available I came to the conclusion that the Y test would be the most useful. I ordered the Y 37 marker test. The autosomal test is too general to be useful at this point. I decided to test someone in the line of the Forgey family I have established a circumstantial case for. I am hoping someone in my line will be tested soon. If this person decides not to then I will have my uncle tested.
I am not sure exactly how many generations back I might be able to go with this test? It seems from what I read it establishes a family relationship 8 generations ago with a high degree of certainty.  Hopefully there won't be too many mutations in the markers tested. Over the generations mutations occur occasionally . I am hoping for at least a 35 out of 37 match between my family and John Forgey's descendants.
I am hoping two tests will breakdown my brickwall. I have been searching for other male descendants of Andrew Forgey and Margaret Reynolds in case I need more individuals for my DNA study. I found out there were few male descendants in their son James Forgey's line. He had only one son. Their son John Forgey had the largest number of male descendants. Most of his descendants still live around Chattanooga Tennessee. I don't know where the descendants of Andrew and Margaret's son Andrew settled? They lived in the Shelby County, Tennessee area in the late 1800's. I am not sure if there are any male descendants living now? They don't appear to be in that area now.
I should have no problem finding males in the Andrew Forgey and Anna Roller line to test. There are a number of male descendants in that line. A few years ago someone compiled a list of all know descendants in that line. It was 42 pages and listed a number of males. This list wasn't even complete.
I have been talking about a Forgey DNA study for years. Finally it seems like I am making progress in that direction. I have found two, Forgie and Forgy, results already posted on the internet to compare with as soon as I get the results. Hoping for a breakthrough soon!

Now for something a little different

I thank Liz Tapley the author of the blog My Tapley Tree... and it's Branches , and Randy Seaver Genea-Musings ,  for the chart idea. I made an ethnicity chart for myself. My ethnic breakdown is certainly more complicated than this. I probably have some Native American ancestry, and my Nicaraguan/Spanish line includes some German. My Austro-Hungarian line is likely also Jewish. Which brings me to a quandary should I take an autosomal DNA test, or have my uncle's Y DNA tested? When I started out with my DNA research in 1998 my primary question was whether the Kapple family was substantially Jewish as far as Ethnic origin. I was never really able to verify this using available records. It sounds like I might be able to get a percentage of Jewish ancestry with the autosomal test. On the other hand I have been doing lots of research on my Forgey line and would like to verify what I have found in records for the family. I mainly have a circumstantial case on this line. I would like to buy both tests but can't afford to now; it's either one of the other. Family Tree Finder is having a sale which only lasts until July 21st. So I will have to make a decision
quick.

Roller Church Records

I received a reply from the Reformation Lutheran Church in New Market, VA regarding their records for the Roller family. Unfortunately Anna Roller was not baptized there. The older children were. This is what they wrote:

I just got an email from our historian. Here is the news...we have what we think are complete records, but Anna's baptism is not recorded in any that we have. 

We've found Jacob and wife Eva Roller had three children baptized: Maria Magdalina, Johannes, and Eliner. Grandparents were Johannes and Catarina Roller. 

These entries are in Davidsburg Church Baptisms 1785-1845, New Market, VA . 
We also have Johannes Rolled, no date.

Our Historian found no cemetery records with those names and suggested you check Rader's church records at the Heritage Center, Dayton, VA. She thinks she saw Roller records there.


According to the snippet above Lewis Zirkle donated the land for Davidsburg Church now Reformation Lutheran church. The Rollers may not have lived in New Market, but had their children baptized there because of the family connection? 
I have priced around the cost of getting a copy of these records at several places. The library of Virginia has the manuscripts of these records. They want $25 for a copy.  I've decided to order a microfilm copy from the FHL and save $20. This is a description of the records: http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F/ITAU4IQ1GUUP4H2V5UGDP9LBCQVIEKT41XNLSD2UMJ3BKKCVJN-15204?func=full-set-set&set_number=005332&set_entry=000004&format=999 

Alex Forgey's Son?

1787 Tax List For Washington County VA

A piece of info which could be a major breakthrough regarding Alexander Forgey and his line surfaced this week.  A descendant of Alexander G. Forgey brought a 1787 Washington County Tax List to my attention. A very useful bit of info was provided on this list. A column was set up to record males between the ages of 16 and 21. They were not identified by name, only the number of those in that age range living in household were provided. One male in that age range lived in Alexander Forgey's household. We presume this is a son, but with no ID don't know for sure?  I have ordered an  FHL Microfilm with tax lists from 1782 to 1805. I hope that one of these lists contains the name of Andrew Forgey at some point (the film is on back order, so I may have to wait awhile to see it). 

The 1787 and 1797 Washington County, Virgina Tax Lists are free online. They are selling CDs with the intervening years for $20.00 apiece at this site. No Forgeys appear on the 1797. Alexander Forgey sold his 300 acre land grant in 1795. It appears that the family relocated elsewhere at that point in time. I am thinking they migrated to Knox County, TN, near family. 

It was thought by the author of the book A genealogical history of the Forgy, Forgey, and Forgie families in America, Lucille Wallace, that Jacob Forgey and Hugh Forgey, sons of Archibald, were Alexander's sons. Archibald's line does not use the name Alexander at all. Instead this family uses the same naming patterns as the Hawkins County, Tennessee Forgeys.

A genealogical history of the Forgy, Forgey, and Forgie families in America,  By Lucille Wallace.

Alex Forgey Washington County, VA

I am doing some research on the presumed brother of  Andrew Forgey b. 1732 i.e. Alexander Forgey. My goal is to find out whether Alexander G. and Andrew are his sons.  He and Andrew apparently migrated to Washington County, VA around the latter part of the 1770's. Washington County, VA research is challenging because of record losses. This snippet from The Annals of Southwest Virginia describes some of the missing records:

I've found very few documents mentioning Alexander Forgey. He married Agnes Meeks in Washington County, VA in 1786. I also found Alexander in the Washington County, VA will book. This entry is not related to a will, but is a bill of sale between himself and his father-in-law Samuel Meek. An image of this is posted above.I interpret the above document as meaning that Alexander Forgey's wife went back to her father? I found an Agnes Forgy marrying a James Rogers on 26 Apr 1789 in Washington County, VA. I don't know whether that is a reference to his daughter? (By the way Anne is a nickname for Agnes) I wondered whether Agnes may have divorced Alexander. This is unlikely because early divorces were legislative and none seem to have been awarded before 1803, and only about half a dozen were awarded for that County after 1803 up until divorce was outlawed in the mid nineteenth century. I checked the Legislative Petition Database  and did not find any references at all to Forgey/Forgy.

The land sale below seems to confirm that he didn't have a wife in 1795. All of the other sales on the page refer to husbands and wives.

Land records are some of the few surviving records for that county. A 1782 Commissioner's Certificate for Alexander refers to the same land as the 1785 Grant Document, and the land sale posted above. The land Grant was awarded to him by then Governor Patrick Henry.  It sounds like he was assigned the commissioner's certificate by someone else. These Certificates were awarded to those who settled the area before 1778.

These are some of my sources for Alexander Forgey.