The Cooley DNA ProjectSubmitted by: Doug Cooley |
DNA testing for genealogical purposes is a new and fascinating weapon we can add to our arsenal to assist us with our genealogy research. There has been much written on this subject over the last several years. The Internet or your library has many resources available to explain the science and benefit of DNA testing. Therefore, I won’t dwell on that here except to point you to several Internet sites with a good primer on this subject (see the end of this article). The CFAA has assigned me to lead an effort to find the ancestors of Benjamin using DNA testing techniques. I was one of the few attendees at this year’s reunion who has been tested. When the subject of DNA testing arose at the Friday morning business meeting, I raised my hand to inform the group that a Cooley Surname DNA project is already underway. This comment and my apparent superficial knowledge on the subject landed me the honor of chairing the project to identify Benjamin’s roots. The process will go something like this: We must gather DNA data for all possible descendants of Benjamin. The CFAA membership is an obvious place to start. More on this later in this article. Next we need to solicit participation from other Cooleys who have documented their lineage to the 16th Century and not to Benjamin. If we find a match, we have identified Benjamin’s ancestors. I am beginning my search with the assumption that Benjamin Cooley was born in St. Albans Parish, Tring, Hertfordshire, England to William Cooley (and other possible spelling variants) and Joan Arnott. There is evidence of a Benjamin born to these parents at the approximate time that “our” Benjamin would have been born. But is he “our” Benjamin? DNA testing is one possible way to prove (or disprove) this hypothesis. William and Joan had other children. If we can find their descendants, if we are satisfied with the documentation of their lineage, if they agree to submit to DNA testing, and if the result is statistically significant, we can reasonably be assured that we have found the English home of Benjamin. (Note: There are other theories for Benjamin’s origins that will be similarly explored.) This will be a challenging project to complete as you can imagine when you ponder the steps I outlined in the previous paragraph. But let’s take the first step. I encourage any Benjamin descendant reading this to submit his/her DNA to this test. There is no cost! Your privacy is assured. You will be making a significant contribution toward the achievement of our objective of identifying Benjamin’s roots. Encourage other Cooleys you know (children, parents, cousins, etc.) to submit. One need not be a member of the CFAA to participate. Y DNA: The Role of Surnames (From: Facts & Genes. Copyright (c) 2007 Family Tree DNA. All rights reserved.) One member’s interpretations and observations of his DNA test results. Here’s how:We will participate in the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF) research project. The DNA test is FREE. Everyone should order a FREE test kit and take the DNA test. SMGF tests Y-DNA, mtDNA and autosomal DNA. (Don’t be intimidated by the alphabet soup.) With a sufficient database they will be able to use all of this data to determine our ancestral heritage. Please read the DNA information at SMGF. Note: SMGF does not return results to the participant and they need a 4-generation pedigree chart. However, they provide a searchable database that is extremely useful for us to search. For those of you with access to the Internet, please visit the following site and follow the simple kit request instructions: http://www.smgf.org/pages/request_kit.jspx This can be done online quickly and painlessly. For those without Internet access, ask a friend to assist, or request a kit by either calling or writing to the following organization: Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Internet resources for learning more about this fascinating new research tool: www.smgf.org Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation www.familytreedna.COM Family Tree DNA dna.ancestry.com Relative Genetics www.dnaheritage.com DNA Heritage
The sites that have an active Cooley Surname project underway have a project coordinator assigned. That person is Gregory A. Parker, a Cooley descendant. Greg and I will be working on this project and can answer questions that are not answered in the above sites. Please reach us by email: Look to future issues of The Cooley Communiqué for updates on this project.
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