the article and data that initiated the Ravenstonedale project
our project page on the Family Tree DNA website
DENT,
DUCKETT,
EWBANK,
FAWCETT,
FOTHERGILL,
GARTHWAIT,
GOULDINTON,
GRAINGER,
GREEN,
GUY,
HEBLETHWAITE, HAISTWELL,
HANDLEY,
HALL,
HEWETSON,
HOLME,
HUNTER,
INMAN,
JOHNSON,
KNEWSTUBB,
LONGHORN,
LOVELL,
ADAMTHWAITE,
ALLATSON/ELYATSON,
ALDERSON,
BAYLIFFE,
BELL,
BLADES,
BLAMIRE,
BLAND,
BLANKERNE,
BLIRTHORNE,
BONSELDE,
BOVELL,
BOUSFIELD,
BOWNESS,
CAUTLEY,
CHAMBERLAIN,
CLEMENT,
COATLEY,
COKE,
COOK,
CORNEY,
CUMSTON
RUDD,
SAWER,
SHAW,
SCAIFE,
SPOONER,
SWINBANK,
TAYLOR,
THOMPSON, THORNBOROUGH,
TODD,
TOWNSON,
WALKER,
WALLER,
WARD,
WHARTON,
WHITEHEAD,
WILKINSON,
WILSON
,
MASON,
METCALFE,
MILNER,
MOSS,
MURTHWAIT,
NELSON,
NICHOLSON,
OVEREND,
PEACOCK,
PARKE,
PEARSON,
PRESTON,
PARKIN,
PERKIN,
PETTY,
PEARES,
PINDAR,
RAKESTRAW,
RICHARDSON,
ROBERTSON,
ROBINSON,
ROGERSON,
*important note
Mitochondrial (mtDNA) tests are a very unique type of test, seldom used solely for genealogical purposes, as they show connections with others who share your DIRECT MATERNAL line, which not only becomes more difficult to trace the further back in time you go, as the surname changes every generation, but it is also very hard to establish genealogical connections with others you may match, as there is little guidance as to just how far back your matches may have occurred (e.g. they could easily go back to a time before surnames were even in use!), but the geographical information may be very useful.
As an example, I purchased a yDNA kit for my son way back in 2009, and as it was a special offer, the test included yDNA, mtDNA and Autosomal DNA. I was quite hopeful about his mtDNA results as, like my own, his maternal line goes back directly to Ravenstonedale in the mid 17thC! He now has 47 mtDNA matches (though for some reason I can only access the first page of match results!): but of those I can view that have provided any information about their earliest known maternal line ancestor, many are shown as having been born in the early 1800s in the USA with a couple in Scandinavia and just one in Scotland (none mention the rest of the UK at all). Some of his mtDNA matches included family trees but oddly the majority of the individuals shown on their trees are just described as 'Private' (I have obscured the name of the tester, but I didn't need to obscure any of her ancestors) .......
....................(I'm not sure everyone understand the purpose of taking DNA tests at all!!)
Ravenstonedale DNA project
Ravenstonedale DNA project
How to join the Project
If you are interested in the Project, whether or not you wish to participate yourself in the DNA aspect, you can still join in by providing information about your early Ravenstonedale ancestry. Eventually, I hope to include a separate page for each Surname that is represented, containing details of the earliest holders of the surname and if possible descendancy trees showing when and how the surname migrated to other parts of the UK and the rest of the world. Please contact me using the link on the left if you wish to contribute this sort of information for YOUR Ravenstonedale ancestry.
Participants who wish to participate in the DNA Project MUST provide the Project Administrator with a documented paper trail to an ancestor who lived in Ravenstonedale BEFORE 1800.
-
For yDNA tests, this must be through the direct paternal line
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For mtDNA tests, this must be through the direct maternal line (but see note at foot of page)
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For Family Finder tests, this can be any direct ancestor
If you hold one of the surnames listed below, or on the FAMILIES page, AND have genealogical evidence showing that your most distant known DIRECT ancestor carrying this surname came from north-west England, please contact me with all the relevant information and I will do my best to check whether there is any record of them in the Ravenstonedale parish registers or other parish records.
If you have already had your DNA tested with Family Tree DNA as part of a surname project, a haplogroup project or another geographical project, AND you meet the criteria specified above, you are welcome to join this project too. There is no limit on the number of projects you can join. Just log in to your personal page on the Family Tree DNA website, and click on JOIN PROJECTS. If your surname is one of those listed below, you will automatically see the link to the Ravenstonedale Project, if not you will find the project listed under 'Dual Geographical Projects'. As this is a closed group, you will need to complete the request form with the relevant information about your connection to Ravenstonedale.
New participants in the DNA project can order either a 37 marker y-DNA test (to learn about their direct paternal line), an mtDNA test* (to learn about their direct maternal line) or a Family Finder test (to learn about their genetic cousins and their deep ancestral origins). To benefit from a Group Project discount, visit our project page at Family Tree DNA (link on the left) to see if there is a voucher offering a saving. Enter the relevant code on your order form. You will also need to submit full details of your connection to Ravenstonedale before we can accept your Join Request.
To discover more about what is involved, visit our page about DNA testing - or you may like to follow the link on the left to the website of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, or read the Wikipedia entry on Genetic Genealogy. If you have any specific questions about this project, or would like some advice as to the most appropriate DNA test to buy, please do not hesitate to email me using the Contact link above.
If you have taken an autosomal DNA test with another company (e.g. Ancestry, 23 and Me or My Heritage) it is possible to transfer your raw data to Family Tree DNA - which is the company the holds our Ravenstonedale DNA Group Project. You will need to transfer your data to FTDNA before requesting permission to join our Group Project. Details on transferring data can be found here. 37 marker yDNA tests (which can only be taken by males and will provide information about your direct male line ancestors) can ONLY be purchased from Family Tree DNA.