by Phillip G. Goff, GGFA Director of Genetic Genealogy
On the GGFA Facebook site, a poster asked the following paraphrased question:
I am in the Goff-1717 family. I am having trouble finding generations prior to John Goff (1717-1809 Duplin Co., NC). The Big Y 700 test offered by FamilyTreeDNA (“FTDNA”) says my haplogroup’s most recent ancestor dates to 1650. Shouldn’t that imply John Goff’s grandfather or great-grandfather? And if so, if the site knows the ancestor, is there a way to find out who that 1650 ancestor is?
GGFA members have a powerful tool to help analyze their Big Y 700 results. The tool is called DNA Family Groups and is located under Archives & Research on the GGFA site. Each genetic family includes a narrative and phylogenetic analyses.
The poster is in the genetic family called 1717 GOFF/GOUGH (US-NC-DUP) R-BY67755. The phylogenetic chart reveals that four Big Y 700 test takers have paper trails leading to John Goff (1717 – 1809) and another Big Y 700 participant has a lineage that traces to William Goff (b. 1794 GA / KY). There is a hint via marker DYS449 that the descendant of William Goff (b. 1794 GA / KY) may trace to William Goff (b. 1761 NC), son of John Goff (1717 – 1809). Alternatively, this Big Y 700 participant may descend from an earlier Goff ancestor.
FTDNA uses only genetic information to draw trees and place dates on branch nodes. They do not review or consider paper trail family trees. As such, they do not consider and likely do not know the name of John Goff (1717 – 1809) or of any of his ancestors.
FTDNA estimates that the five Big Y 700 participants share an ancestor who was born ca. 1638, with a 95% probability that the actual date is between 1452 and 1773. This estimate is based on a mathematical computation of the number of YSNP differences between the five Big Y 700 results and is calibrated using archeological dating of ancient human remains from academic studies.
Breaking down the John Goff brick wall requires YDNA testing of Goff/Gough males who are not yet connected to any genetic family. YSNP R-BY67755 was likely present in John Goff (1717 – 1809) whose birth year of 1717 fits neatly inside FTDNA’s 1452 – 1773-time estimate. Testing more descendants of John Goff will reveal how disconnected branches descend from him, but will not his ancestry.
The best strategy to push earlier than John Goff is to recruit Goff/Gough males with paper trails that do not connect to any of the known 45 genetically-distinct Goff-Gough-McGough families. For example, the “1564” family now has four branches, none of whom were aware of the other prior to Big Y 700 testing. These test results are helping to shape the branches of this family back to the 1500s.
For more information, please check our DNA Family Groups 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.