Scruggs Surname Y-DNA Project
SFA has sponsored a Y-DNA project since 2003 with exciting results. DNA results indicate that there is a common Scruggs ancestor about 10 generations back, possibly in the late 17th century, which happens to coincide with the first known Scruggs in America, Richard, who appears in Virginia records in 1655.
WHY A DNA PROJECT?
SFA wanted to find out if the members of our organization who were not known to be related actually are related. We all had the Scruggs surname, or had ancestors with the surname, but SFA did not know if all the members were actually related to each other by a common ancestor, either in America or in the generations shortly before the start of colonization by England.
While DNA results in themselves never prove exactly who was father to whom, they do indicate if two males almost certainly have a common ancestor within a given period of time.
TEST RESULTS:
SFA identified an initial group of 13 males with the Scruggs surname who represented the most fully documented separate lines in the association. The first results were astoundingly clear. Twelve of these males are clearly descended from a common ancestor. Ten were perfect matches on the 12-marker test. Two others matched on 11 of the 12 markers, with a one-step mutation on one of the markers. Two lines tested were anomalies, perhaps indicating adoptions into the family.
One man did not share the same Y-DNA at all. The line carries the name Scruggs back into colonial times and is clearly associated with the other Scruggs families that lived in the area. Does this reflect an adoption into the family, the child of a Scruggs unmarried daughter, or some other scenario? It remains a mystery that we hope to solve one day.
Y-DNA testing has become more sophisticated since those early days. Now, rather than testing 12 markers, the tests look at 67 or 111 markers. Currently the vast majority of our Scruggs testers, over 50 men, carry a Y-DNA chromosome that indicates genealogical descent from a single paternal ancestor. Some of these men are proven through documentary research to be descendants of Henry Scruggs (presumably born in early 1660’s) who married Anne Gross in 1685 in New Kent County, Virginia. We feel confident that Henry was the son of Richard Scruggs who came from England to Virginia by 1655.
A handful of our testers, also with the surname Scruggs, have a different Y-DNA. Documentary research on their lines leads to two different men with the surname Scruggs who lived in the 18th century. These both clearly seem to have close connections with the Scruggs who descended from Henry and Anne Gross Scruggs. Perhaps an as yet undiscovered adoption or another situation explains this.
To see the public website that shows the results of the Scruggs surname project, click on the following button.
NOTE: See the solid RED LINE on the public webpage. The group of testers represented in that section all descend from Henry (born early 1660’s) and Anne Gross Scruggs (or possibly a brother of Henry if he existed and had male heirs). The group of testers represented in the section under the solid YELLOW LINE on the public webpage each descend from one of the two different men in the 18th century with a different Y-DNA mentioned above.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
We all have DNA that is unique to ourselves. Your unique DNA came directly from your parents at the moment of conception, half of the chromosomes from your mother and half from your father. Although your particular combination is unique, obviously the various chromosomes are not. Basically, you have your genealogical history written in yourself. The DNA of the Y chromosome is unique to men, so it always passes from father to each and every son, barely changing for centuries as it passes down the line. That makes it a very interesting tool for genealogists in societies where the surname of the father becomes the surname of the child. Y-DNA analysis will not prove precisely who someone’s paternal ancestor is, but it tells whether the tested subjects are definitely related through the male line.
HOW THE TEST IS CONDUCTED:
The test involves swabbing the inside of the mouth, placing the swab into a vial, and mailing it back to Family Tree DNA. Here is a webpage that provides full information: https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/4414739994767-Taking-Your-DNA-Test-#determine-the-type-of-kit-you-have-0-0
HOW TO JOIN
Order a Y-DNA test from FamilyTreeDNA.com. The pricing varies based on the number of “markers” tested. Either 67 or 111 markers is our preference, but 37 markers is a good place to start if cost is an issue. Please note that FamilyTreeDNA.com has regular sales, usually around “DNA Day” (April 25), Father’s Day, Veterans Day, and a long holiday sale (Thanksgiving through Christmas). Sales prices apply both to new tests and also upgrades to move to more markers. Once your test results are available, you can sign in with your kit number and join the Scruggs surname project by clicking on “Group Projects” on the navigation bar at top.
Credits:
Photo licensed from Adobe Stock Photos