The First Results Are In! For details, see the Results section below.

(Read all the way to the end to find out if you are a Viking)

What are we up to?

The Results

The DNA project has so far tested six people. We choose people to test that are the most distantly related that we can find on purpose, because it is the mutations in DNA that happen over time that can give us the best clues. Testing two brothers would do little to identify a specific branch of the family tree, because it usually takes many generations for mutations to creep in and in most cases the brothers patterns would be identical. By testing widely spaced cousins (at least 5th cousins from previous test subjects when possible) we hope to be able to pinpoint specific mutations to specific branches of the family tree. Out of the first six people tested, representing approximately 50 total generations counting down from Edward Milstead, we have discoverd only two mutations. When you consider that 37 markers were tested for each individual that is only two mutations out of about 18,500 chances (50 generations times 37 markers = 18,500 chances), you see that mutations are very rare. For the subjects tested so far they are even less frequent that the normal 1 in 500 generations per marker.

Of the first six people tested, two of them are descended from two different sons of Matthew (Thomas and Noah). Each of these two are 5th cousins from each other. Two others are descended from William Milstead b. 1797 and are 2nd cousins.. Comparing these four tests allow us to "triangulate" on Matthew and establish a baseline DNA pattern for Milsteads from Charles County, MD who are descended from Matthew (and therefore descended from Matthew's grandfather Edward b.1656 in England). Close matches of the results from the descendants of William with the descendants of Thomas and Noah tend to support the theory that William is the son of one of Matthew's other sons, namely Walter. The final two tests are descendants of Joseph Milstead of Amherst, VA. These two are also 5th cousins from each other.

Warning: The next part gets technical, so for those of you who are not interested in the mechanics of how the tests work, you may want to skim on over this next part and jump down past the table below.

The numbers below show the number of times at a particular location on the Y Chromosome that a particular sequence of DNA (known as a marker) repeats itself. So, looking a the result for Kit Number 68356, the first marker is marker number DYS393 and it has 13 repeats. The next marker is DYS390 and it has 23 repeats. Notice that these repeat counts are the same for all six individuals at almost (but not quite) every marker. People that share a common ancestor have very similar repeat counts at these marker locations. People who are not related will differ significantly. For people who are related, the longer ago the shared ancestor, the greater the difference in marker repeat counts is likely to be because of mutations that happen over time.

DNA testing does not conclusively prove exactly how two people are related, at least not with the current state of the art. . However,there are a few conclusions we can draw by comparing the documentary evidence with the DNA results. We effectively have a 37 out of 37 match between kits 68354, 69123, and 68358 (See note 2 below for an explanation of why the mutation at marker 448 can be ignored. These four tests taken together establish the baseline for the most recent common ancestor of these three people. Documentary evidence shows that this ancestor could not have been anyone more recent than Matthew Milstead who lived in Charles County, MD circa 1741-1805. Further documentary evidence proves that Matthew is the most recent common ancestor between 68356 and 68358. The mutation at marker 389-2 occurred somewhere in the lineage of 68356, but otherwise he is a perfect match for the baseline Milstead Lineage I also.

This close match between these four individuals, along with the documentary evidence establishes Milstead Lineage I as the baseline for all Milstead males descended from Edward Milstead (Matthew Milstead's grandfather) who immigrated from England to Port Tobacco, MD in 1674. Although it is possible that there could be a small number of mutations from Matthew to his grandfather Edward, we can say that any individual that tests in the future and closely matches this pattern is descended from Edward or a close relative of his from England.

Once the baseline for descendants of Edward Milstead was established, the next goal for the project was to compare test results for descendants of Joseph Milstead of Amherst, VA to determine if Joseph was closely related to Edward Milstead 1656-1734. There is no documentary evidence for or against a connection. Kits 72172 and 72547 are from 5th great grandsons of Joseph Milstead of Amherst, VA who are 5th cousins from each other. Both of them 37/37 match with the baseline. This means that Joseph Milstead was closely related to Edward Milstead, either by virtue of being his descendant (most likely) or by being descended from another immigrant from England that was closely related to Edward (highly unlikely). This test result also conclusively pushes the Milstead Lineage I baseline back at least one more generation, since Joseph Milstead was born 23 years before Matthew Milstead. It is likely (nearly certain based on documentary evidence taken together with these results) that Joseph and Matthew were either brothers or 1st cousins.

As discussed above, it is believed that William Milstead, b.1797, Charles County, MD is the son of Walter Milstead and grandson of Matthew Milstead b. abt. Jan 1741, also in Charles County, MD. Matthew Milstead is a documented direct ancestor of the individual from Kit Number 68356 going back seven generations. The probability that the two descendants of William Milstead b.1797 share a common ancestor with 68356 within seven generations is high. These results prove that 68356, 68354, 68358 and 69123 are closely related and tend to add strength to the hypothesis that William Milstead is the son of Walter Milstead. At the very least, it significantly decreases the already remote possibility that William was a separate immigrant.