04 August 2011

The Florida Keys DNA Project has two pairs of possible matches for mtDNA among 26 participants who have submitted mtDNA test results as of 31 July 2011. 

The first pair with a match is in mtDNA haplogroup K1c1:

142469 Scotland, HVR1/HVR2, John Swasey 1584-1675

N57226 Denmark, HVR1/HVR2/FGS

Some work needs to be done to determine the common ancestor for this pair, who do not seem to be listed in the Bahamas DNA Project. They share HVR1 and HVR2 matches with Z77VM in MitoSearch - along with a few other MitoSearch entries indicating a Finnish maternal ancestor. They also match the HVR1 and HVR2 results for mtDNA Deme 5 in the Danish Demes Project. The Kit owners should contact me directly if they would like to work together to find a common maternal ancestor. If Kit 142469 was upgraded to an mtDNA Full Genome Sequence and the Coding Region results for both kits were shared with me, we could determine if an exact match exists. MitoSearch shows a fair number of potential mtDNA cousins for this pair with deep roots around the Baltic Sea.

The second pair with a match is in mtDNA haplogroup U4a1:

153846 Bahamas, HVR1, Mariah Russell b.c. 1839

498833 Bahamas, HVR1/HVR2

This pair is included in the U4a1 mtDNA group listed on the homepage of the Bahamas DNA Project. Their common maternal ancestor is listed as the matriarch "Mamie" with an mtDNA signature matching MX95W in MitoSearch. Based on the maternal lineages listed on the Bahamas DNA Project site there should be a rather large number of mtDNA cousins in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys. Some of the earliest settlers of Europe were in haplogroup U4 so it is widely distributed on the continent and can be found throughout the British Isles. Although widely dispersed and comprising over 2% of the entire European population, haplogroup U4 is found mainly in the east and north of Europe with particularly high concentrations in Scandinavia and the Baltic states. However, until additional evidence such as a full genome sequence match strongly suggests otherwise, it is safe to assume that the two participants currently in our group have direct maternal line ancestors in England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland within a genealogical timeframe. It is also very likely, but not yet possible to prove, they share a common direct maternal line ancestor within a genealogical timeframe, perhaps around the time of early European colonial settlement of the Bahamas.