by Phillip G. Goff, GGFA Director of Genetic Genealogy
The genetic name for descendants of John Goff b. ca. 1717 Duplin Co., North Carolina (“John 1717”) is 1717 GOFF/GOUGH (US-NC-DUP) R-BY67755. This is a standardized title used for all genetic Goff/Gough/McGough families and contains a lot of information. The 1717 date refers to the estimated birth year of John 1717. Next are the forms of the surname used by descendants. Contained in the parentheses is a shorthand for Duplin Co., NC, USA, in order from largest to most granular political subdivision. The last part of the tag name is the most recent YSNP, or YDNA mutation, shared by all descendants of John 1717.
Big Y 700 is a DNA test that discovers YSNP mutations in test takers. By comparing two or more male line descendants of John 1717, these YSNPs can be placed in chronological order, like ancestors on a family tree. The first Big Y 700 test for this family was in 2021 and identified YSNP R-BY62578 as the most recent shared YSNP of the family. Later, a man with the Miller surname was found to share R-BY62578 in the pre-surname period. The Duplin Co., NC YSNP was refined to R-BY67755, which formed ca. 1639.
In early 2026, a new Big Y 700 result is expected for a second descendant of Dempsey 1758. It will likely share YSNPs with the original 2021 Big Y 700 test taker. This will establish another, and more reliable, method of sorting unlinked lineages to Dempsey 1758 or William 1761.
You can help connect all of the branches that descend from John 1717 in two ways. First, contact me about Big Y 700 testing if you descend from the Duplin Co., NC Goff/Gough family. Second, this family almost surely originated in the British Isles. On Facebook and elsewhere, please encourage males with the Goff or Gough surname to join the GGFA and take a Big Y 700 test. The GGFA has linked several Goff/Gough families back to the British Isles.
On this site, please be sure to visit the DNA pages under Archives & Research for the most up-to-date genetic findings on this and all Goff/Gough/McGough families.
For more information, please check our DNA Surname Study pages or email me at dna@goff-gough.com. Each new participant helps to fill in the history of the Goff/Gough families.
Phillip Goff is the co-author, along with Roy L. Lockhart, of The Four Goff Brothers of Western Virginia. Since 2004, he has run the Goff/Gough Surname DNA Study, which today has about 400 participants.