Just before Christmas John B. Wells broached the subject of sponsorships
for the DNA project.
We are nearing 300 participants including a good 40 who have not been
tested yet and 20 who are in the Phase III group collected during Phase I.
Although I have not posted anything in quite a while to the lists, the DNA
project is still quite active and well. We are starting to see samples
that are very interesting. I will post more on this later.
Right now I am working on a large update of the DNA portion of the Web site
where I will be reorganizing the results pages to group certain families
together and reduce the number on a page. Probably will be at 9 or 10
pages then. I am also coloring the differences so they are more apparent
on the results display. And I am grouping extended families so they are
indicated as being from the same genetic source but with the actual
connections still wanting. For example we now obviously have two different
branches of the Little Wells family and possibly three of the Governor
Thomas Welles family not to mention several linking the Zachariah Wells,
Aaron Wells, Augustus Wells, Robert Wells and a couple of others.
We also now have a suspicion that what we thought was the Thomas
Wells/Frances ___ (b: Cir 1653) of Maryland DNA pattern may not be
correct. We are currently lining up a descendent of a different branch
from the one originally tested to confirm what we suspect. If this turns
out to be what I think it may, it will indicate that the descendents of
Joseph Wells and Charity Carrington may be connected to the wrong
family. But it is much too early to predict how this will turn out.
It may be another week before I have that done because other things keep
getting in the way.
Meanwhile, one thing that is going to be critical for all of us whether we
are in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the UK is to get more UK
participants involved in the project. In the UK the price is a major
obstacle. What I would like to suggest is that those of you who have
participated in the project directly at no cost in phase I consider
contributing to our sponsorship fund. Also those of you who have ridden
along on the tails of your cousins please consider helping out the
project. For that matter, anyone who has Wells ancestors and wants to help
us figure out this major puzzle both on the DNA side and thus the genealogy
side of Wells Family History, I would encourage you to consider this.
Right now the Dollar is down against the Pound. I am also expecting the
Lab may reduce their price a bit in the Spring due to competition. I am
not sure of that yet. If we can get the cost of the tests down to where
those who feel they can not now afford them are willing to participate we
will make better progress. We would also use this in the US and elsewhere
when we have a potential participant we think can add significantly to our
knowledge. If it is someone who is clearly connected by genealogy to a
branch we have a good DNA pattern for, we probably would not offer the
support. But if it is someone we suspect connects to a branch of which we
are unsure or is a strapped "brick wall" researcher we would certainly look
at it.
I am sure there are a number reading this who could use some help and would
like to participate. We do have some funds contributed over the past two
years available. I would have to check to see how much, but it isn't a lot.
If you are willing and able to contribute to this fund, whether it is $5 or
$100 or whatever you are comfortable with, please send the payment payable
to Wells Family Research Association to my address in the signature block
at the end of this message. We are making great progress but we still have
a long way to go. Make no mistake, we also have some results that do not
match anyone else. We will be applying our best efforts to try to trace
these down. One tool that will be a great help is when the (formerly BYU)
Molecular Genealogy Project database becomes available. That may be this
Spring. Then we can check the unmatched patterns against the thousands
they have collected and keep our fingers crossed. I expect we will have
at least 600 participants when the DNA dust settles.
Orin R. Wells
Wells Family Research Association
P. O. Box 5427
Kent, Washington 98064-5427
<OrinWells(a)wells.org>
http://www.wells.org
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