Discussion of McClure Results
Last Update 29 July 2008
The ultimate purpose of this page is to discuss our DNA results. Looking at the results page and the Patriarch page is recommended as you read the below discussion. As more male McClures get tested and more pedigree's are submitted, the below discussion will be fine tuned. Members will use results to focus traditional genealogy. Please feel free to contact the administrators or the participants to comment on this discussion or to add input to the discussion.
1. M-1 & M-7 share the exact same mutation at 464d (16) And a paper trail to a common ancestor, Andrew McClure b. c1740. M-7 has an additional mutation at CDYa (39) that M-1 does not have. The mutation at 464d must date back to at least c1740 or earlier and was passed down to both. The CDYa mutation at M-7 must date from 1784 or later. It is like mutations that are looked at when attempting to connect McClure lines, but when you look at M-1 & M-7 one can't help but notice they have a lack of mutations from the Lineage 1 Modal. That in its self speaks volumes. There are seven participants that also share the trait of very few mutations, M-32, M-18, M-15, M-20, M-21, M-17 and M-2. All of these men share a very high percent of probability of a common ancestor before 1700, some as high as 90%. None of the seven have a paper trail to M-1 & M-7, but research should now be focused on those family pedigrees.
2. M-10, M-11, & M-16 all share an exact value in slow mutating marker at 447 (24). The odds of all three having a random match are exceedingly slim. A paper trail exists giving M-11 & M-16 a known common ancestor in ____ McClure b. c1785. No paper trail currently exists for M-10 placing him with the same common ancestor, but given the common mutation at 447, it is almost certain he belongs to this branch. M-10 paper trail research should be focused in this direction. M-10 has a 97% chance of a common ancestor with M-11 & M-16 before 1700.
3. M-6 & M-8 share the exact mutations at two different markers, 13s at 439 and 39s at CDYa. M-6 & M-25 also share exact mutations at two different markers, 13s at 439 and 19s at 576. M-25 also shares 13's at 439 with M-8. Two matching mutations between any two testee's - probabilities are very high for shared ancestry (statistically very difficult to have two random matches). M-6 & M-25 have a 96% chance of a common ancestor before 1700. Likewise, M-6 and M-8 have an 88% of a common ancestor before 1700. Now, to make matters interesting, M-3 shares three mutations with M-25. 19's at 576, 35's at CDYa, and 39's at CDYb. But, M-3 has three other mutations that M-25 does not have, thus causing a little bit more "Genetic Distance" between them resulting in an 82% chance of a common ancestor before 1700. No paper trail has pointed to a common ancestor between these four participants, but these results point to an area of focus for traditional (Paper trail) research.
4. M-2 shows a genetic distance of 2 when compared to M-17 and they share exact mutations at CDYa, both has a value of 37. That would indicate that the mutation at CDYa for both M-2 & M-17 came from a common ancestor. The Father of the aforesaid Andrew McClure is unknown to us, but evidence is building that he was of the line of John McClure (b. abt. 1665) & his son David McClure (b. 1687) that settled in the Brookfield, Worcester, Massachusetts area. This same McClure line had descendants that migrated to Vermont in the mid 1700's and also migrated into the Western NY area. M-17's earliest known Ancestor is Richard McClure b. c1690 with strong evidence that Richard was a son of aforesaid John McClure. The genetic closeness of M-17 & M-2 supports this relationship. The paper trail for M-2, & M-17 should be revisited and more testee's should be found that stem from the line of John and Andrew.
5. M-14 only has the 12 marker test and although the results show a common ancestry, no further conclusions can be drawn. Additional marker tests to at least 37 markers are recommended.
6. M-15 & M-20 are Father and son. Their DNA is identical. They too have very few mutations from the McClure Lineage 1 Modal. They only have one mutation over the 37 marker panel from the Modal, a 39 at CDYa. When you add markers 38-67 there is only one additional mutation a 22 at 413a. Over the course of their 67 markers there is about a 91% chance of a common ancestor with M-1, M-7 & M-8 on or before the early 1700's. M-1 & M-7 have a known, paper trail, common ancestor in Patriarch Andrew McClure born 1740, location unknown and married Mary Wilson in Rowan, North Carolina. M-8, on the other hand is from an old Pennsylvania line of McClure's with a Patriarch William McClure Born probably in Northern Ireland, died 1747 in Pa. and married to a Margaret ______. There is no known paper trail connecting M-8 to M-1 or M-7. With percentages this high, there is little doubt of a common ancestor between these men. With William being the oldest Patriarch, he could easily be the common ancestor, but traditional research and more DNA testee from these lines will be needed. M-15 & M-20 also have a slew of others that have a high percentage of probability of a common ancestor. Please look at note number 1 and you will see a large number of participants that come very close to M-1 & M-7 (in the 90% range), but not as close to M-15 & M-20 (in the 70-80% range). These are called "In Betweeners" and are very important in establishing that common ancestor.
7. M-18 is without a doubt sharing a common ancestor with most of the group, but that ancestor is yet to be determined. He only has one mutation from the modal and that is a 39 at CDYb. Although there are several participants with that same value in the CDYb, he does not share ANY of the other mutations with the 39 at CDYb men. This is called a "convergence match", or in other terms it is a random match with the other 39's. M-18 has about a 90% chance of a common ancestor, before 1700, with the following participants; M-1, M-7, M-10, M-16, M-15, M-20, M-21, M-22, & M-32 and vice versa.
8. M-9 was an early tester with a paper trail to a large Virginia line of McClure's. I doubt there is a McClure researcher that never came upon the line that includes Halbert McClure born about 1685 in County Donegal, Northern Ireland. He was son of James Andrew McClure, born about 1660 also in County Donegal. James Andrew McClure is the Patriarch of this large and old McClure family. Since M-9 has tested, several other McClure's of this line have come forward to test. M-9, M-22 and M-33 share a paper trail to the Patriarch, James Andrew McClure. The M-33 67 Y-DNA test results are due in on or before 19 Sept. 2008. There are a fair number of participants that show no paper trail or even a hint of a connection to this line, but DNA test results show otherwise. M-3, M-4, M-18, M-21, M-25, M-29 all show percentages of over 90% chance of having a common ancestor in the line of James Andrew McClure, on or before the mid 1600's, which coincides with the birth period of James Andrew McClure!
9. The DNA results for M-12, M-24, M-26, M-27, M-28, & M-35 are sure signs of additional McClure Lineages. There are several reasons for multiple lineages. Surnames trace their beginnings to around 1100 AD. It would not be reasonable to assume every McClure stems from one man. There were most likely several men that acquired the McClure name. The name just did show up as we know it today. It evolved and it too mutated into some of the McClure surnames we know today. Another reason for other lineages come from the MacLeod Clan's battle with Cromwell at Worcester in 1653. The clan is made up of many Septs (or families). The total defeat of the Clan at that battle was so severe and the fact that Cromwell stayed in pursuit of many of those families, that many changed their names and fled to Northern Ireland. Many adopted the surname McClure and I think we might be singing that in these six men, or at least for some of them. Adoptions were not anywhere as formal as they are today, and that may account for the DNA surname disconnect. Within many families a sister of a man may have died in child birth or died young, it was not uncommon for the brother to raise the boy as his own, and he goes forward with the McClure name but different DNA. In 400 some odd years that boy could have hundreds if not thousands of descendants, but the adoption fact was long lost and faded by time. The reasons are numerous, but as we locate more McClures and test them and find matches we will declare the other lineages. All McClures, but with different DNA and one heritage back to a Scotland controlled by Norse kings initially.
10. M-34 is a man from South Africa and has a surname of Mitchel. His Patriarch is James Mitchel born 1803 in Northern Ireland and died in 1881 in Northern Ireland. He contacted us (McClure Administrators) because his Y-DNA 67 markers are very close to the McClure Lineage 1 Modal and it is not very close to the Modals in the Mitchel Project. Over 67 markers his closest member in the project is M-6 with almost a 60% chance of a common ancestor in or before the early 1700's and a 83% chance in the early 1600's. There a few others such as M-1, M-15 & M-20 that are a few percentage points less than the M-6 numbers. There is one member that only has a 37 marker test and shows a much higher possibility of a common ancestor to M-34 over 37 markers. M-21 has about a 75% chance in or before early 1700's and a 90% chance to early 1600. We cannot explain this possible connection except this may be a reverse example of the those that were defeated and survived the battle of Worcester in 1653 and were originally McClures that changes their name to Mitchel??? It could also be a McClure that was raised by a Mitchel family back 300-400 years ago?? M-34 has no knowledge of a McClure tie in his paper trail genealogy. He will remain with our project and hopefully an exact match may come along that will give him more McClure family history to work with.
11. M-31 and M-4 share several mutations. They match mutations at CDYa and CDYb and 439. M-31 has additional mutations in slow mutating markers 389 I and 389 II. M-4 also has mutations in those same markers but they do not match. And M-31 has another mutation at slow marker 391 that M-4 does not have. When these are run through the calculator we find that M-31 and M-4 have about a 75% chance of a common ancestor before the early 1700's and a 92% chance to the early 1600's.
12. M-30 has the full 67 marker test and shows a close connection to M-15 & M-20 with only a genetic distance of 4. Over 67 markers that is calculated at about a 83% chance of having a common ancestor near or before the early 1700's and that increases to about a 95% chance to the early 1600's. M-30 has one mutation at markers 389 II, GATAH4 & 607. M-15 & M-20 do not have those mutations. That accounts for 3 of that genetic distance of 4. And M-15 & M-20 have a mutation that M-30 does not have at 413a which accounts for the rest of that 4. M-30, M15, & M-20 share a an exact mutation, a 39 at CDYa. M-30 descends from the Indiana McClures and it would be very helpful if another male McClure from that line came forward for a test to help determine where those mutations developed.
13. M-23 has a very unique set of markers with the first two markers 393 showing a 14 and 390 showing a 23. These mutations are not seen on any McClure tested to date. His only other mutation over 37 markers is a 36 at CDYa. M-23 is a descendant of a very old Pennsylvania McClure line. M-23 shares an identical mutation, a 36 at CDYa with M-21. But, M-21 does not share the two unique mutations at 390 and 393, but it is calculated that they have a common ancestor before 1700. The two do not share a paper trail connection at this time. The M-21 pedigree only goes back to the early 1800's whereas the M-23 pedigree goes back to the late 1600's or early 1700's with the immigrant Richard McClure from Northern Ireland that settles in Paxtang, Pa. There is plenty of room for a common ancestor here in the United States. M-21's Patriarch was John McClure who's birth is unknown at this time and died in 1837 in Alabama, wife is unknown. This possible DNA connection is yet another example of how close our McClure families are in America and how close our common heritage can be is alarming at times. The obvious step is for another male to come forward from the Paxtang McClures. First to see if that unique set of mutations exists in other lines of the Paxtang group, and if not we will be able to place an estimated date as to when they may have occurred. Consider this a call for other Paxtang McClures to come forward.
General comments by some very knowlegable people in the field indicate that the majority of members in this project most likely share a common ancestry. The similarities in test results over a large geographic area in the US point to possible close family associations in Northern Ireland or Scotland.
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