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Terry Barton

Terry is co-founder and President of WorldFamilies.net - which is dedicated to serving the genetic genealogy community.  The focus is on projects, project administrators and the individuals who are using dna to further their genealogical research.

Terry is an 8th generation Texan, living in Georgia since 1973.  He is an Engineer who earned his MBA in mid-career, retired from the corporate world and now works full time on WorldFamilies.net.

He is an ardent family historian, an amateur genealogist, and a pioneer in genetic genealogy.  He treasures all of the friends he's made through genealogy, especially the many "cousins" he has found.

 


Atlanta Area Coordinator - International Society of Genetic Genealogy 
Editorial Board - Journal of Genetic Genealogy (a founding Board Member)
Coordinator, DNA Special Interest Group - Genealogy Society of Cobb County
Vice President - Barton Historical Society (President from 2002-2012)
Administrator - Barton Surname DNA Project (since inception in 2001)
Co-Administrator - Hodges-Hodge DNA Project (since inception in 2004)

Speaking engagements:

Tery has shared his learnings in Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington DC and London, England.

Contact Terry for details if you wish to attend a presentation, as most of these
organizations will allow a few non-members to attend - if arranged in advance.

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DNA Special Interest Group - ALL DATES ON HOLD UNTIL SCHEDULING ISSUES ARE RESOLVED

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Coming:

Past:

Terry has been featured in articles and interviews about his work in using DNA in genealogy:

For the ISOGG Speakers List, go to www.isogg.org
 
Some of the more interesting ancestors that Terry has found are listed here. In case you're wondering about the photos in the WorldFamilies banner, the little girl is his grandmother, Josephine Cresap Waddell Barton (1897-1974) and her mother (Mabel Clair Rentz Waddell (c1875-c1956), while the man is his gggg-grandfather, Eben Woodward (1790-1837)). Last update: 7-25-12.

 

  • Thomas Edgerly, "Sailed from Yarmouth, England in the ship "Arabella" on 8 Apr 1630" One of the seven Judges of His Majesties Province of New Hampshire"; Founder of the Edgerly family, which stayed in Durham/New Durham NH for nearly 300 years until descendant, Daniel Edgerly "Came down the beautiful Ohio ... to Cresap Grove WV ... to woo Eleanora Keene Cresap and later married her there".  (No known descendant yDNA tested)

  • Thomas (1,2,3) Barton of Stafford County, VA. Settled on the Quantico River in 1678 (on land that is now downtown Dumphries VA, next to the Quantico Marine Base). Thomas (1) signed the 1675 planter's protest against Sir William Berkeley, but somehow avoided being punished after the resulting Bacon's Rebellion.  Thomas (2) returned home one June Sunday afternoon in 1700 to "ye most horrible murder in these parts"  Indians had raided his farm and killed his 3 children and a family of five who were staying with them. (Barton Lineage I - R1b1a2a1a1b3c2    - yDNA identified on 111+ markers)

  • Mary Lovett Tyler and her daughter, Martha Tyler Geer, of Andover MA.  Mary was accused of witchcraft in 1692 and  forced to confess - as she was told she would be hanged if she did not confess.  She recanted her confession to Cotton Mather and was ultimately found "Not Guilty" in open court.  Her daughters Hannah, Martha and Joanna were also accused and later acquitted.  For some reason, Mary's husband, Hopestill Tyler, chose to move his family to Preston CT in 1697.  hmmm.  I wonder why? (Tyler Family Group R1b1a2 1c - yDNA identified on Martha's Grandfather - Job Tyler at 67 markers)
  • George Harlan, a Quaker from Monkwearmouth ("nigh Durham in Bishoprick, England") who crossed into County Down, Ireland for a few years before moving to what is now Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1687.  His descendants of Terry's line were good PA Quakers until 1746/7.  At that time, grandson Aaron was living in Union District SC and was "complained of for his marriage by a priest, and neglecting meetings."  In 1749, he was "disowned at Centre Meeting." (Harlan Haplogroup R1b, Lineage I - yDNA tentatively identified on 37 markers)
     

  • Colonel Thomas Cresap, renowned frontiersman, led Maryland's interests in boundary dispute with Pennsylvania that was later resolved by the Mason-Dixon line.  Member of the Ohio Company sent to survey and settle the Ohio Country, Surveyor of the Braddock Road, active in the French & Indian War.  (Cresap Haplogroup I, Lineage I - yDNA identified on 34 of 37 markers)

  • David Barton, Road Surveyor, Mill Owner, Keeper of an "Ordinary" (tavern), frequenter of the court records in the Northern Neck of VA.  According to legend, was killed by British-led Indians while on a Daniel Boone led expedition to blaze the Wilderness Trail into Kentucky in 1775. (yDNA same as Thomas (1,2,3) Barton)

  • Captain Michael Cresap, Captain of the Maryland Rifles, a militia unit called up in 1775 at the beginning of the American Revolution. Died in New York City, while returning home, ill after a 25 day, 650 mile forced march from western Maryland to Massachusetts and is buried in Trinity Cemetery, on Wall Street.  He received a full military honors parade in NYC.  Michael was falsely accused of killing an Indian leader during a 1774 uprising.  Thomas Jefferson included the charge in his writings.  Family historians have spent the past 200 years arguing against the charge.  According to family legend, George Washington wrested family land from Michael's heirs in what is now West Virginia.  (yDNA same as Thomas Cresap)

  • Abishai Woodward, whose family was in Connecticut in the 17th century, was a carpenter from New London, Connecticut.  Abishai was employed to build the first lighthouse on Bald Head Island, NC in 1784.  A few years later, in 1803, he built the first Lynde Pointe Lighthouse at the mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook Harbor.  (Through an Internet contact, Terry acquired a copy of Abishai's son, Eben's portrait, which was done in New Orleans in the 1820s.)  (Woodward-Woodard Haplogroup I, Lineage II - yDNA identified at 65 of 67 markers)

  • Elder John Parker, a Primitive Baptist Preacher, was the father of the fiery Rev. Daniel Parker, founder of the first Baptist Church in Texas.  John was a member of the same Baptist church in Franklin Co GA as Conway Oldham Barton's father, Thomas Barton (another ancestor of Terry's).  He was also a preacher in TN and IL before moving to TX in 1833. John was killed at Fort Parker in an 1836 Comanche Indian raid that captured his granddaughter, Cynthia Ann, who later married an Indian Chief and was the mother of Quanah Parker, most famous of the Comanche Indian Chiefs. (Parker DNA Project, Family Group 5 - Haplogroup R1b1a2a1a1a4 - yDNA identified at 65 of 67 markers)

  • Conway Oldham Barton, Planter, was born on his grandparent's plantation in SC and spent his early childhood in GA.  He moved with his father, Thomas, "the first white man to settle on the north side of the Tallapoosa River", which is now Montgomery AL and then moved his own family to Columbus MS and Caddo Parish LA, before finally settling on the banks of the Brazos River in TX.  The family received Federal Land grants in AL, MS & LA, indicating that they were the original settlers on the land - Conway must have been one of those planters who cleared the forest and then moved on when the land was "farmed out"  He lost a fortune in the "War Between the States", which included losing 157 slaves who were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation and 150 bales of cotton confiscated by the US Govt. after the war.  (yDNA same as Thomas (1,2,3) Barton)

  • Reverend Joseph Perkins Sneed, a Methodist Circuit Rider, who preached in early Texas, before and after the Texas Revolution.  A slave owner, "He also devoted a decade of his ministry - far more than any other white preacher during the development of Texas statehood - to black slaves."  (Sneed Haplogroup R1b, Lineage II - Haplogroup R1b1a2a1a1a4 - yDNA tentatively identified at 65 of 67 markers)

  • Private John Barton, who served with Hood's Texas Brigade, one of the most storied fighting units of the Civil War, lost an arm in the cornfield at Sharpsburg (Antietam).  He later served as Milam County County Sheriff for several terms.  (Terry has a copy of his full-uniform photo, probably taken in Richmond in 1861, and the Colt navy pistol which was tucked into his belt in the photo.)  (yDNA identified on 106 markers)  Terry recently visited the battlefield and was stunned to see how small and insignificant the "cornfield" appears - 35 acres where 8 to 12,000 soldiers (depending on the narrative) fell on the morning of September  17, 1862 -  America's bloodiest day - ever.  The lecturer stated that control of the cornfield changed hands "... between 14 and 24 times ..." which gives insight into how fierce the fighting really was.  (yDNA same as Thomas (1,2,3) Barton)

  • Private Richard Hodges, ran away from his home state of Tennessee as a teenager.  He enlisted in the 22nd Texas Infantry in 1862.  In 1864, he was under arrest for desertion.  (This is the only branch of Terry's family that can't be traced into the 18th century.  Family genealogists had suspected that Richard changed his name or possibly wasn't really from Tennessee.  Terry has used DNA testing to prove that Richard really was a Hodges and now has some leads on his family in Tennessee - which will hopefully lead to a breaking through the blank wall of Richard's heritage.)  (Hodges-Hodge Haplogroup R1b, Lineage I - Haplogroup R1b1a2a1a1a4 - yDNA tentatively identified at 111 markers)  This ancestral family was apparently Friesian, settling on the Medway River in Co Kent c 250 AD. 

  • Joseph James Barton, raised by his grandmother and great-aunt after his mother died when he was three months old.  Partnered with two uncles in the cattle ranching business on the High Plains of Texas shortly after the Comanche Indians were subdued.  Upon learning that a railroad was going to pass through his ranch, JJ built a town and beautiful home.  The railroad didn't come and terrible blizzards killed most of his cattle.  The town was moved away and only the big house and a few sections of land were saved.  Eventually, the house was donated and moved to the National Ranching Heritage Center, where it is the centerpiece of their outdoor museum.  (Terry played in the house as a boy and grew up on a remnant of the great ranch.)  Terry has prepared and delivered a presentation on the story of the Barton House and family several times.  (yDNA same as Thomas (1,2,3) Barton)

Terry has really "caught the bug" and now leads (or co-leads or sponsors) a number of his ancestral Surname DNA Projects.  Unfortunately, he hasn't found a male to represent all of his families.  (members of projects - as of 4/3/09)
Terry also has ancestral DNA results on his Hassell and Parker families through other DNA Projects.
Terry is exploring his maternal heritage, with mtDNA tests on his father, himself (his mother's line) and his son (his wife's line).  As his mother and father have the same mitochondrial result  - T1, he now co-leads the mt-T1 project and is seeking ways to make mtDNA testing more useful to the genealogist.  The most recent project is the research project on Haplogroup T, which uses the Full Genetic Sequence - led by a team of 4 researchers.
Terry is also exploring the value of geographical projects through the Va-1600s project, which is open to researchers with a yDNA or mtDNA test combined with a paper trail to Virginia in the 1600s.

The latest dna test for genealogy - the "Family Finder" test has just hit the market - and Terry is trying it too.  More later on that.

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