Challenges Ahead for 2014

by Doug Wilson, Group Administrator
doug@dougwilson.com

Many of our members joined in 2013, bringing with them new dimensions to the Singletary family tree. This project's goals were then refined to include clarifying the marker mutations of sub-branches of the Singletary family in America.

We yet hope to identify the specific branches and generations that fathered Dennis Donham (b1751 in Woodbridge, NJ, USA), a definite descendent of Jonathan Dunham alias Singletary with DYS449=27; and Peter B. Alston (b1796 in South Carolina, USA), a definite descent of another of Richard Singletary's sons with DYS449=28.

To make such things possible, considerable effort was made this year to engage new members from that limited number of folks with very specific paternal lines of descent in the Singletary, Dunham/Donham, and Booth families. Most recently we added a new member from the Vigo County, Indiana, Donham line.

This addition reinforces the likelihood that Jonathan Dunham alias Singletary had a marker mutation. So far, all  descendents of Richard Singletary's eldest son, Jonathan, have a DYS449=27. All descendents of Richard's other sons have a DYS449=28. Of course, the more paternal descendents of Richard that join the  project and show these results the more confidence we can have in this conclusion. Results like this from descendents of each grandson of Richard Singletary could verify this is a marker mutation point.

Accordingly, I have regrouped the Y-DNA results to just these two groups, Jonathan's descendents and Richard's other sons' descendents. The colorized chart of the results best highlights the marker differences within those groups. I hope that this format will help us define further mutation points and sub-branches. Please let me know what works best for you. Ask questions.

Finding paternal descendents of these English families, Singletary and Booth, will continue to be a challenge for this project in 2014. So far, only one person in England with a maternal grandfather named Singletary has been found. There may be a few Singletarys in America with known British origins, descended of a handful of Singletary males that emigrated from 19th and 20th century England. For instance, a John Singletary arrived in 1871 New York. Or George, who arrived in 1924 New Orleans.

Then there's Richard's true surname — which could be Booth. alias Singletary proposes that he may be the son of Sir George Booth, baronet of Dunham Massey, heir to the House of Dunham. To date, two descendents of the Booths of Dunham bearing the Booth surname have been located. However, they are descended of Anne Booth, a half third cousin twice removed from Sir George.

The Booth surname was adopted by Anne's great grandson, William Bache, when he was granted the titles and estates of the cadet branch, Booth of Twemlow.  Their family genealogist confirms that the senior paternal line from Sir George went extinct in 1711. He could offer no evidence of a living paternal descendent of the Booths of Dunham Massey and deferred to a knowledgeable Booth family member.

Each renewed effort includes new strategies and approaches. Professional genealogists and academics are being approached in search of these documented descendents.
Please feel free to suggest any how or where to find the paternal descendents of Richard Singletary, an English-born Singletary, or Booth of Dunham Massey.

If you are a paternal descendent of Richard Singletary, please join the Singletary Surname Project.

With a bit of luck and perseverance, 2014 could become the year of a long-awaited discovery.

Help solve the mysteries with YOURDNA!