Pendleton County Stone DNA Test

Thanks to tips from two people who saw my call for a tester from the Stone family of early 1800s Pendleton County, Virginia (now West Virginia), I have now located someone who has agreed to proceed with testing. This particular Stone line is one I’ve considered to be a possible ancestral family for my own Stone line for several months now. There are several bits and pieces of circumstantial evidence that look to perhaps link the two family lines, but I have yet to come across any documentation which shows a conclusive connection. It will be nice to be able to, at long last, hopefully make a firm conclusion as to whether or not there is a close relationship between the two paternal lines using DNA evidence. Results of this pending test are expected to be back by the middle of September.

Besides the Pendleton County family, I have also had similar interest in the Stone family of early 1800s Greene County, Pennsylvania, due to the close proximity to Monongalia County, Virginia (now West Virginia), and there having been at least one intermarriage between the two family lines. There is a contact I’m working with right now in regards to her nephew possibly being willing to test. Should he decide to proceed, I’ll post that a test candidate has been found. In the meantime, if anyone else knows of a direct paternal line descendant of the Stone family of early 1800s Greene County, Pennsylvania, who has taken a Y-DNA test, or may be interested in taking a Y-DNA test, please contact me.

Another Stone DNA Testing Update

I’ve had more success in my search for testing candidates. After much looking, I managed to find a direct paternal descendant of Jacob Stone (http://www.danstone.info/g0/p302.htm), who was recorded in the Iowa state census of 1856 in Round Prairie Township, Jefferson County. I’ve long believed this is the same Jacob Stone who is the son of my fourth great grandfather, Henry Stone, although I have not yet linked Jacob (of the Iowa census) with Henry in my family tree [February 19, 2014 note: I have since linked them now that the DNA results are in]. There are three key reasons for my thinking they are the same Jacob Stone:

1) Jacob Stone’s birth of circa 1794 is consistent with the projected birth year range of Henry Stone’s children, and is also consistent with him later fighting in the War of 1812, which Henry Stone’s son, Jacob, is reported to have done.

2) Jacob Stone is recorded in the Iowa state census of 1856 in the household of George Stone (who I’m assuming is very likely his son). By matching up the children, it can be seen that this same George Stone and his family are recorded in the U.S. census of 1850 in Monongalia County, Virginia. Monongalia County is where James Stone (my third great grandfather) and Henry Stone are known to have lived.

3) James Stone is also recorded in the Iowa state census of 1856 in Round Prairie Township, Jefferson County. James, Jacob, and George are all recorded as having lived in Iowa for two years.

The results of this DNA test should finally allow me to prove or disprove whether this Jacob Stone is indeed Henry Stone’s son. Results are expected back in March 2014. In the meantime, I mailed off letters yesterday to a couple more potential test candidates, both direct paternal descendants of Henry Stone’s son, George Stone, who moved to Greene County, Pennsylvania.