I don't think many of us taking part in the DNA
program are searching for Chapman connections in the
whole U S in the broad sense of the word....I think
most of us are trying to see if we're related to
others of the Chapman surname in a specific part of
the country. For instance, I'm descended from
Frederick County, VA Chapmans where there were four or
five Chapman families; I'd just like to see if there
is a connection between any of those families. I also
would like to verify a definite connection to Chapmans
in the Brooke County, VA area. I'm having problems
with documentation and am hoping that the DNA will
help me see if I'm heading in the right direction,
research-wise. My first cousin today agreed to take
part in the DNA program and I'm anxious to get started
on it.
Pat Pulasky (nee Patty Chapman)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAR Wrote:
You don't need DNA testing to know that Chapman roots
in the New World
(except for those who may have anglicized their names
from Kaufman or
similar) are going to come from the British Isles. I
don't think the
Vikings or Christopher Colombus (whoever actually got
there first) would
have found native Americans called Chapman!
Whereas there are some families whose roots go back
to >a
single
immigrant family, Chapman is such a common name in
the
>British Isles - almost
as common as Smith - that in 400 years, and
particularly during the
mass emigration of the 19th and early 20th centuries,
Chapmans from
thousands of different families must have made their
way to the US and
Canada. It seems a bit unrealistic to me to expect
to >find matches easily
among today's Chapmans in the United States (or
Britain
>for that matter),
without taking thousands and thousands of DNA
samples.
MAR in France