In 2009 we launched The Fretwell Surname DNA Project. We are looking for living males who have the Fretwell surname who would be willing to join the project. Following is an explanation of our objectives, and our earliest results.
We hope to:
Some of you know your ancestral lines with certainty. But many of us do not. For example, back beyond my g-g-grandfather, Leonard Fretwell (and his wife, Nancy Timberlake), my ancestral line is based on strong but circumstantial evidence. We'd love to firm up the circumstantial evidence and make it definitive through DNA analysis. DNA comparisons with those who firmly know their ancestry will help confirm mine (and those of all other descendants of Leonard Fretwell and Nancy Timberlake).
As with all such data gathering efforts, the original objectives are not limiting. The DNA results may lead us into new directions and new insights we never anticipated. And it also may well dissuade us of preconceptions we now hold dear. This is always the excitement of new scientific endeavor.
We currently have seven male Fretwells who have submitted their Y-DNA for analysis; and we have promises of two more to be submitted. If you are a male Fretwell, or know other male Fretwells who would like to participate, here is how to do it:
Go to Family Tree, and pay for a Y-DNA37 kit. The cost is currently $139.00, for a 37 marker DNA analysis. When you receive your Y-DNA sample kit, you will do a simple mouth swab-brush, place the brush in a vial, cap the vial, and mail it back to Family Tree. After a few weeks, you will receive an analysis of your deep ancestry (haplogroup) and a paper copy of your 37 marker Y-DNA analysis results.
When you get your results back, you can compare it with the several Fretwells already in our DNA database. But if you want more detail, mail me a copy of your results and your ancestry, and I will return to you a comparison of your results with the other participants in our project. For those who have given me permission to release their data and their names, you will get both. For those who have not given me permission to release their names, I will only release their DNA results with a general description, such as "a sixth generation descendant of Alexander Fretwell, son of William Fretwell and Mary Evatt.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to drop me an email. I'll do my best to provide an answer.
Marvin Fretwell
Here is the current status of our project so far. To date we have seven males of the Fretwell surname who have submitted Y-DNA samples, with five analyses back.
Fretwells who have submitted Y-DNA samples to Gene Tree or SMGF (Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation) so far are:
"Restricted" Fretwell -- The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: William Fretwell and Mary Evatt > Alexander Fretwell and Nancy Ann Barksdale > Richard Fretwell and Sarah Jane Barksdale > Richard Hamilton Fretwell and Almira Fisher > George Washington Fretwell and Unknown > Restricted > Restricted >
"Restricted" Fretwell -- The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: James Fretwell and Mary Woodhouse > William O. Fretwell and Elizabeth Smith > William Smith Fretwell and Mary Harrott > Thomas Harrott Fretwell and Mary Rowler > William Killingley Fretwell and Mary Ann Raby > Orson Pratt Fretwell and Sarah Ann Dutton > John Raby Fretwell and Lucille Fennemore > Restricted > Restricted>
"Restricted" Fretwell -- The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: William Fretwell and Mary Evatt > Thomas Fretwell and Nancy Ann Unknown > Leonard Fretwell and Nancy Ann Timberlake > Samuel Lafayette Fretwell and Louisa Ann Wells > William Lafayette Fretwell and Fannie Sparks Ramsey > Restricted > Restricted >
"Restricted" Fretwell -- The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: William Fretwell and Mary Evatt > Thomas Fretwell and Nancy Ann Unknown > Leonard Fretwell and Nancy Ann Timberlake > Samuel Lafayette Fretwell and Louisa Ann Wells > William Lafayette Fretwell and Fannie Sparks Ramsey > Marion Reynold Fretwell and Pearl Letta Snider > Marvin Ordell Fretwell and Ardith Marie Titland >
"Restricted" Fretwell -- Results not back yet. The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: William Fretwell and Mary Evatt > Thomas Fretwell and Nancy Ann Unknown > Leonard Fretwell and Nancy Ann Timberlake > John William Fretwell and Catharine Elizabeth Ford > Restricted > Restricted > Restricted >
Hugh Wyman Fretwell -- Results not back yet. The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: William Fretwell and Mary Evatt > Alexander Fretwell and Nancy Ann Barksdale > Richard Fretwell and Sarah Jane Barksdale > Restricted > Restricted > Restricted >
Fretwells who have submitted DNA samples to another lab are:
"Restricted" Fretwell -- This DNA analysis was for nine markers. The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: William Fretwell and Mary Evatt > Thomas Fretwell and Nancy Ann Unknown > Leonard Fretwell and Nancy Ann Timberlake > John William Fretwell and Catherine Elizabeth Ford > Sidney Green Fretwell and Minerva Ann Oard > Clarence Jesse Fretwell and Viola Belle McClain > Restricted > Restricted >
Fretwells who have promised to submit DNA samples to SMGF so far are:
"Restricted" Fretwell -- The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: William Fretwell and Mary Evatt > Alexander Fretwell and Nancy Ann Barksdale > Richard Fretwell and Sarah Jane Barksdale> James D Fretwell and Susanna Kittle > Richard A Fretwell and Cynthia Arminta Marple > Restricted > Restricted > Restricted >
"Restricted" Fretwell -- The living generations of his genealogy are restricted: William Fretwell and Mary Evatt > Alexander Fretwell and Nancy Ann Barksdale > Richard Fretwell and Sarah Jane Barksdale > Charles Henry Fretwell and Susan Luvena Jennings> Restricted > Restricted >
I have not released and will not release the names associated with anyone's DNA results nor any of the DNA results to any but project members, and then only to the extent that project members agree to.
I hope you can see that the project is well underway but far from complete. We hope you will participate. Genealogical DNA studies rely on multiple results to improve statistical reliability. Your participation will definitely help us, and in turn will make more information available to you.
Note: We started doing DNA anayses with SMGF and Gene Tree, but both entities are now defunct, due to donor collapse during the last recession. We are now confidently recommending Family Tree DNA, as the lab of choice. They currently offer the highest accuracy, and they are the testing partner for National Geograpic's Genographic Project.