LEWIS Surname DNA Project
Encyclopedia
Surname project
A surname DNA project is a genetic genealogy project which uses genealogical DNA tests to trace male lineage.Because surnames are passed down from father to son in many cultures, and Y-chromosomes are passed from father to son with a predictable rate of mutation, people with the same surname can...
with well over 300 participants, was created in 2003 as a nonprofit organization to develop a collection of Lewis
Lewis (surname)
Lewis is a surname in the English language. It has several independent origins.One of origins of the surname, in England and Wales, is from the Norman personal name Lowis, Lodovicus. This name is composed of the Germanic elements hlod and wig, meaning "fame" and "war"...
family groups who descend from various male Lewis ancestors. DNA analysis
Genealogical DNA test
A genealogical DNA test examines the nucleotides at specific locations on a person's DNA for genetic genealogy purposes. The test results are not meant to have any informative medical value and do not determine specific genetic diseases or disorders ; they are intended only to give genealogical...
of the Y chromosome
Y chromosome
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development if present. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs...
, carried exclusively by males, provides a tool for identifying participants who share a common male ancestor. When used in unison with documented Lewis pedigrees, these tests can also aid in establishing links between Lewis groups who previously were thought to be unrelated.
Because many Lewis surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
researchers have exhausted traditional genealogy research methods without identifying their elusive Lewis ancestor, this project combines genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
and genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
in an effort to break through the proverbial "brick wall".
Warner Hall Lewis DNA Project
The Warner Hall Lewis line has been documented to descend from Rhys Goch of Ystrad Yw ca. 1100 and is the only surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
documented to do so on the paternal line. Before this, the line is purported to descend from a long line of Welsh rulers going back to the Votadini
Votadini
The Votadini were a people of the Iron Age in Great Britain, and their territory was briefly part of the Roman province Britannia...
tribe ca. 300 AD. Due to the historical importance of this ancient line, a special project has been set up by Legend of Lewis through the Lewis surname DNA project to offer partial scholarships for DNA testing of descendants
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
with documented genealogies to this line. See Augustine Warner
Augustine Warner
Augustine Warner , was born in Norwich, Norfolk, to Thomas Warner and Elizabeth Sotherton. He was the progenitor of the Augustine Warner Family, who arrived in Virginia in 1628 at the age of seventeen, one of a group of thirty-four brought in by Adam Thoroughgood...
.
Dragons have long been associated with Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the arms borne by their leaders. The Flag of Wales
Flag of Wales
The Flag of Wales consists of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with many heraldic charges, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many renderings exist....
is the only country in the world on which a dragon is depicted. The Coat of Arms used by this paternal line since Caradoc
Caradoc
Caradoc Vreichvras Arm) was a semi-legendary ancestor to the kings of Gwent. He lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is remembered in Arthurian legend as a Knight of the Round Table as Carados Briefbras ....
Freichfras 500 AD was that of a dragon holding a bloody hand in its mouth. The term for bloody was gules (red) and may or may not have meant actual blood. The legend of the red hand as shown on the Flag of Ulster
Flag of Ulster
The Flag of Ulster is a historic banner used to represent Ulster, one of the four provinces of Ireland. It is still used today to represent the province at some sporting events and formed the basis of the Ulster Banner, the flag of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1953 and 1972...
, may have been the basis of this imagery
Image
An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
. The theory involves the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
of the self severed hand thrown to the shores of Ireland to assure the owner be the first to touch Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and claim his choice of lands, see the Red Hand of Ulster
Red Hand of Ulster
The Red Hand of Ulster is a symbol used in heraldry to denote the Irish province of Ulster. It is less commonly known as the Red Hand of O'Neill. Its origins are said to be attributed to the mythical Irish figure Labraid Lámh Dhearg , and appear in other mythical tales passed down from generation...
. Rhys Goch of Ystradyw arms are among the Blayney Coats of Arms carved in black oak over the fireplace of the dining room at Gregygnog (now a residential educational centre of the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
(Prifysgol Cymru), and the Institute of Rural Health).
In any case, the Lewis Coat of Arms was brought to Virginia in 1653 by Emigrant John Lewis. It was etched on his and his family's tombstones discovered in 1948 by Dr. Malcolm H. Harris on Poropotank Creek in King and Queen County, Virginia and is found on the Warner Hall Lewis silver.
Wales DNA Project results
The Wales DNA ProjectWales DNA Project
The Wales DNA Project was established in December 2006 by Janet Lewis Crain as a volunteer effort to allow all persons with Welsh ancestry on their Y chromosome and/or mtDNA lines who have been DNA tested to enter this information into one database in order to further the genetic research of Wales'...
which is attempting to trace Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
genetic ancestry on both the Y chromosome and mtDNA lines, has purported results representing one Lewis line documented back to Rhys Goch ca 1100 AD. The line has been traced to 300 AD. Because the Lewis surname was only adopted by this line in the 17th century, many other surnames could match this line.
See also
- Genealogical DNA testGenealogical DNA testA genealogical DNA test examines the nucleotides at specific locations on a person's DNA for genetic genealogy purposes. The test results are not meant to have any informative medical value and do not determine specific genetic diseases or disorders ; they are intended only to give genealogical...
- Genetic genealogyGenetic genealogyGenetic genealogy is the application of genetics to traditional genealogy. Genetic genealogy involves the use of genealogical DNA testing to determine the level of genetic relationship between individuals.-History:...
- Surname projectSurname projectA surname DNA project is a genetic genealogy project which uses genealogical DNA tests to trace male lineage.Because surnames are passed down from father to son in many cultures, and Y-chromosomes are passed from father to son with a predictable rate of mutation, people with the same surname can...
- Meriwether LewisMeriwether LewisMeriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
, an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator