My Y-DNA Christmas wish list: Most wanted paternal lines for my Y-chromosome checklist

I’ll be the first to admit: I am an addict. I’m completely hooked on the thrill of discovering a family paternal line’s terminal SNP and haplogroup, finding the family’s place in the great haplotree of humanity. I have invested in at least a dozen Big Y-700 test kits, and if I haven’t done one in a few months, I might feel inclined to order one for a line that isn’t even my family.

I have a checklist. I am attempting to collect definitive Y-DNA for all of my ancestral families, up to six generations out (for starters), 2⁷ (128) families. As it turns out, about half of them are not even on the list, due to unknown maiden names, unknown fathers, or other brick walls. There are currently closer to 2⁶ (64) on the list, fourteen of which I’ve marked “fulfilled.”

But for this Christmas, and every Christmas, the greatest gift anyone could give me—and that I in turn would like to give back to the world—is the gift of Y-DNA: Documenting the paternal line of your family for all posterity. Y-DNA is an incomparably powerful but sadly neglected resource in the genetic genealogist’s arsenal. I am shocked at how few paternal lines are documented publicly, and by how many potential testers I contact who have either never heard of Y-DNA or who don’t see the need for it.

I don’t want to take a lot of time in this post to go in-depth on Y-DNA—here are some slides on DNA basics that give a Y-DNA introduction—but I will say this: Y-DNA has an unparalleled power to pierce through the brick walls of a paternal line, often to stab so deep at the wall of obscurity as to appear to miss the target entirely or not hit anything at all. But what it is hitting is the very root of the family. People tend to take DNA tests with an eye to immediate satisfaction in the form of quick family connections and easy answers, and express disappointment when their Y-DNA test does not yield any immediate matches. But a Y-DNA test is different from an autosomal test. Reaping the bounty of a Y-DNA test often takes patience and legwork. In nearly every case I can think of where a Y-DNA test brought great genealogical fruit, I had to track down paternal lines, actively recruit second or even third testers, and upgrade tests to the limit. I’ve posted some of those stories:

• The Ancestry of James Matlock Kitchens – Where Y-DNA played the crucial role in sorting out two families and even refining Thomas Jefferson’s haplogroup. (Involved active tester recruitment and three Big Y tests.)
• Two Southern U.S. Dutton Families Find Their Y-DNA Roots, Part 1: Samuel Dutton of Lawrence County, Alabama, and the Duttons of Blount County, Alabama – Where Y-DNA proved my thesis and connected a family to its storied Quaker and Cheshire roots. (Involved active tester recruitment and two matching Big Y tests.)
• Connecting William Bowdoin: Finding my Alabama ancestor’s way home through history and DNA – Where Y-DNA proved my ancestor’s connection to the Bowdoins of North Carolina. (Involved actively recruiting group project members and soliciting a Big Y upgrade on an existing test.)
• … and more [1].

It is important to document a family’s paternal line not only because it is powerful, but because it is scarce. Once it is gone—once a patrilineal line goes extinct, on account of sons not having sons—it is gone for good, never again able to be known or documented. Y-DNA has the power to discover ancestry completely lost to obscurity, confirm or disprove genealogical hypotheses, and locate long-lost sons—but only if we study it when we have it.

The Y-DNA Checklist

So here is my Y-DNA checklist. I present this to you with several hopes in mind:

• That patrilineal descendants of these families might find my list, see my request, and volunteer to test their Y-DNA.
• That other researchers of these families might be able to offer their input and collaboration.
• That managers of various surname and haplogroup projects might help me identify lines that have been tested that I was not able to discover.
• That other genealogists might be inspired to pursue their ancestral families’ Y-DNA too.

As a reminder, the only people who are able to test for the Y-DNA of a family are direct, patrilineal, male-line descendants, that is, sons of sons of sons of these ancestors, who in most cases will share the surname. Other descendants can certainly help through their autosomal DNA, but only direct male-line descendants inherited their Y-chromosome from these paternal lines. You can order a Y-DNA test at Family Tree DNA.

The Eight

I have ordered or directed a lot of Y-DNA tests. But honestly, I don’t feel my checklist project has really made it off the ground until I’ve checked off at my “eight”, the families of my great-grandparents. So these are my most wanted for this year: Wilson, McCulley, and Minor.

Notes on reading this table:
# (Number): The sequential number of the family.
A: The ahnenfatel number of the first ancestor of the surname in my pedigree, color-coded by whether on my paternal or maternal side.
Most distant known paternal ancestors: A sequence of ancestors, most recent to most distant. < means the ancestor on the left came from the ancestor on the right. <<< means a series of one or more unknown generations. <? means an uncertain or questionable paternal line.
Rows highlighted in green mean the family Y-DNA is documented to my satisfaction; a genealogically recent haplogroup is verified.
Rows with the haplogroup shown in red mean the haplogroup is unverified, either because the identification of this haplogroup with my line is unproven or because the haplogroup is too broad, not refined enough.
Each haplogroup links to that group’s Discover report.
Rows with no haplogroup listed mean no data at all is available and no known patrilineal descendants have tested.

#	A	Family	Most Distant Known Paternal Ancestors	Comments	Haplogroup
1	1	Richardson	Peter B. Richardson (b. ca. 1785 North Carolina, d. 1849 Autauga, Alabama) < Peter Richardson (d. 1791 Randolph, North Carolina)	Have Big Y, our test	R‑FT266317
2	3	Aldridge (Alldredge)	William Alldredge (b. 1702 Anne Arundel, Maryland, d. 1786 Randolph, North Carolina) < Nicholas Aldridge (b. 1650s England, d. 1708 Anne Arundel, Maryland)	Have Big Y, our test	R‑FTB32679
3	5	Cook	James Council Cook (b. 1817 Marion, South Carolina, d. 1903 Autauga, Alabama) < Mathew Cook (b. ca. 1790 Marion, South Carolina, d. aft. 1850 Mississippi) <<< Henry Braswell (b. 1756 North Carolina, d. 1840 Marion, South Carolina) < Arthur Braswell (b. ca. 1730 North Carolina, d. ca. 1819 Robeson, North Carolina) < William Braswell (b. ca. 1693 Isle of Wight, Virginia, d. 1785 Nash, North Carolina) < William Braswell (b. ca. 1674 Isle of Wight, Virginia, d. 1720 Bertie, North Carolina) < Richard Braswell (b. ca. 1652 Isle of Wight, Virginia, d. 1724 Isle of Wight, Virginia) < Robert Bracewell (b. ca. 1611 Middlesex, England, d. 1667 James City, Virginia)	Have Big Y, our test	R‑FT309617
4	7	Dutton	Zachariah Dutton (b. ca. 1750 Charles, Maryland, d. 1829 Granville, North Carolina) < ? Thomas (NPE)	Have Big Y, our test	E‑FTA88333
5	9	Wilson[1]	Michael Wilson (b. 1792 South Carolina, d. 1856 Abbeville, South Carolina) < Charles Wilson (b. ca. 1762 Ireland, d. bef. 1810 Abbeville, South Carolina) < Michael Wilson (b. ca. 1734 Ireland, d. ca. 1784 Abbeville, South Carolina)
6	11	Harris	James S. Harris (b. ca. 1810 Baldwin, Georgia, d. aft. 1880 Elmore, Alabama) < Hardy Harris (b. 1783 North Carolina, d. 1857 Coosa, Alabama)	Have Big Y, our test	I‑Y23686
7	13	McCulley (McCullough, McCulloch)	Richard McCulley (b. 1832 Jackson, Alabama, d. 1875 Jackson, Alabama) < William McCulley (McCullough) (b. ca. 1790 Jefferson, Tennessee, d. bef. 1849 Jackson, Alabama)	Have broad reading, from FTDNA FF reading from autosomal match. Needs refinement.	R‑DF105
8	15	Minor	James N. Minor (b. ca. 1826 Edgefield, South Carolina, d. bef. 1880 Gwinnett, Georgia) < Mastin Minor (b. ca. 1790 Edgefield, South Carolina, d. aft. 1840 Gwinnett, Georgia)	Have broad reading, from 23AndMe autosomal match. Needs refinement.	R‑L21

The Sixteen

My Sixteen includes my most recent test, now at the lab, on Flowers—my first-even haplogroup J family. From this group I’ll add to my most wanted Coogler, Frazier, Wright, and Bullard.

#	A	Family	Most Distant Known Paternal Ancestors	Comments	Haplogroup
9	17	Bowdoin (also Bowden, Bowdon)	William Bowdoin (b. 1802 Randolph, North Carolina, d. 1870 Autauga, Alabama) < Josiah Bowdoin (b. ca. 1780 Granville, North Carolina, d. ca. 1857 Meriwether, Georgia) < William Bowdoin (b. ca. 1742, d. 1821 Conecuh, Alabama) < William Bowdon (b. ca. 1720, d. 1773 Granville, North Carolina)	Have Big Y, not our test but am project admin.	I‑FTB80215
10	19	Coogler (Kugler)	Jacob Coogler (b. ca. 1791 Orangeburg, South Carolina, d. 1837 Richland, South Carolina) < Mathias Kugler (b. ca. 1748 Germany, d. aft. 1810 Lexington, South Carolina) < Mathew Kugler (b. Germany, d. bef. 1790 South Carolina)	Have broad reading, needs refinement: Gleaned from GEDmatch listing; need own test to refine	I‑P37
11	21	Bullard	William Riley Bullard (b. 1818 South Carolina, d. 1874 Sabine, Louisiana) < William "Jefferson" Bullard (b. 1790-1800 South Carolina, d. aft. 1840 Autauga, Alabama)
12	23	Neeley (also Neely)	John Neeley (b. ca. 1822 Fairfield, South Carolina, d. ca. 1879 Coosa, Alabama) < Victor Neeley b. 1796 Fairfield, South Carolina, d. 1865 Richland, South Carolina) < John Neeley (b. ca. 1765 Fairfield, South Carolina, d. 1841 Fairfield, South Carolina) < Richard Neeley (b. ca. 1732 South Carolina, d. 1798 Fairfield, South Carolina) < Victor Neeley (b. ca. 1710 Ulster, Ireland, d. 1780 South Carolina) < John Neeley (b. ca. 1680 Ulster, Ireland, d. 1756 South Carolina) <<< William "with Sword" Neely (b. ca. 1596 Scotland, d. 1666 Donegal, Ireland)	Have Big Y, our test	R‑FTF47215
13	25	Parker (Parke)	Thomas Benton Parker (b. 1844 Lawrence, Alabama, d. 1913 Lawrence, Alabama) < Lewis Parker (b. 1809 Tennessee, d. 1879 Lawrence, Alabama) < William Parker (b. ca. 1774 Virginia, md. Tabitha Bohannon) <<< John Parke (b. ca. 1677 England, d. Virginia) < Roger Parke (b. 1648 England, d. ca. 1737 Hunterdon, New Jersey)	Have Big Y, our test	R‑FTC74761
14	27	Frazier (Frazer)	Sowell Frazier (Frazer) (b. 1764 Bertie, North Carolina, d. 1851 Forsyth, North Carolina) < William Frazer (b. ca. 1730 North Carolina, d. 1793 Granville, North Carolina)	Have broad reading, from FTDNA FF match; possible but unconfirmed refined match. Would prefer to find my own tester to confirm.	R‑P312 > R‑BY181500
15	29	Flowers	Andrew Jackson Flowers (b. 1824 South Carolina, d. 1904 Cullman, Alabama) < Andrew Flowers (b. ca. 1787 Virginia, d. aft. 1860 Gwinnett, Georgia)	Big Y pending, our test	J‑M172
16	31	Wright	Isaiah Caswell Wright (b. ca. 1800 Columbia, Georgia, d. ca. 1838 Jones, Georgia) < Isaiah Wright (b. ca. 1760 Virginia, d. 1799 Jones, Georgia) < Dionysius Wright (b. ca. 1725 Virginia, d. ca. 1779 Abbeville (Greenwood), South Carolina)	Have broad reading, from FTDNA FF match; inquiring about upgrading his test to Big Y	R‑L151

The extended list

I’ve run the full list out to generation 7, Ahnentafel #256, though there are many names still missing. I would love your help on any family.

Y-DNA Checklist 2024 ‒ The checklist of my ancestral families’ documented, definitive Y-DNA.

Most Wanted for 2024–2025

1. Wilson – Michael Wilson (b. 1792 South Carolina, d. 1856 Abbeville, South Carolina) < Charles Wilson (b. ca. 1762 Ireland, d. bef. 1810 Abbeville, South Carolina) < Michael Wilson (b. ca. 1734 Ireland, d. ca. 1784 Abbeville, South Carolina).
2. McCulley (McCullough, McCulloch) – Richard McCulley (b. 1832 Jackson, Alabama, d. 1875 Jackson, Alabama) < William McCulley (McCullough) (b. ca. 1790 Jefferson, Tennessee, d. bef. 1849 Jackson, Alabama)
3. Minor – James N. Minor (b. ca. 1826 Edgefield, South Carolina, d. bef. 1880 Gwinnett, Georgia) < Mastin Minor (b. ca. 1790 Edgefield, South Carolina, d. aft. 1840 Gwinnett, Georgia).
4. Coogler (Kugler) – Jacob Coogler (b. ca. 1791 Orangeburg, South Carolina, d. 1837 Richland, South Carolina) < Mathias Kugler (b. ca. 1748 Germany, d. aft. 1810 Lexington, South Carolina) < Mathew Kugler (b. Germany, d. bef. 1790 South Carolina).
5. Frazier (Frazer) – Sowell Frazier (Frazer) (b. 1764 Bertie, North Carolina, d. 1851 Forsyth, North Carolina) < William Frazer (b. ca. 1730 North Carolina, d. 1793 Granville, North Carolina).
6. Wright – Isaiah Caswell Wright (b. ca. 1800 Columbia, Georgia, d. ca. 1838 Jones, Georgia) < Isaiah Wright (b. ca. 1760 Virginia, d. 1799 Jones, Georgia) < Dionysius Wright (b. ca. 1725 Virginia, d. ca. 1779 Abbeville (Greenwood), South Carolina).
7. Bullard – William Riley Bullard (b. 1818 South Carolina, d. 1874 Sabine, Louisiana) < William “Jefferson” Bullard (b. 1790-1800 South Carolina, d. aft. 1840 Autauga, Alabama).
8. James [Ahnentafel #33] – Robert Buchan James (b. 1803 Stafford, Virginia, d. 1874 Elmore, Alabama) < Benjamin James (b. 1768 Stafford, Virginia, d. 1825 Laurens, South Carolina) < John James (b. ca. 1732 Virginia).
9. Cooper [Ahnentafel #69] – Unknown father of Emily Elizabeth Cooper (b. 1809 Orangeburg, South Carolina, d. 1846 Autauga, Alabama) and Ezekiel K. Cooper (b. ca. 1805 South Carolina, d. ca. 1865 Autauga, Alabama). The family of my William Bowdoin’s wife.
10. Keel [Ahnentafel #107] – Jesse Keel (b. ca. 1779 North Carolina, d. ca. 1850 Madison, Alabama). My essential Alabama pioneer ancestor.

If you are a descendant of, or know anything about, any of these families, I would very much appreciate your help!

How to participate in Y-DNA testing

1. Order your own Y-DNA test at Family Tree DNA, now on sale for the holidays!
2. Be sure to enter your genealogical information for your test, especially your most distant known ancestors.
3. Join group projects for your surname, haplogroup, and region.