Receiving my AncestryDNA results prompted me to look again at family history research relating only to my direct ancestors. I had thought I was doing quite well – with one line going back ten generations to my 8x great-grandparents. However, because of the doubling of numbers at each generation, we all have mind-bogglingly large numbers of direct ancestors.
Of my potential total of 2046 ancestors over ten generations, I know the names of only 119 of them, or just under six per cent. Twelve of these are women whose maiden names I don’t know. However, as regards autosomal DNA (measured in the AncestryDNA test), going further back than my 4x great-grandparents, from each of whom I’d expect to have 1.56 per cent of my DNA, will make it increasingly unlikely that I have inherited any DNA from a specific ancestor.
My eight great-grandparents (from each of whom I should have inherited about 12.5 per cent of my DNA):
| Isaac Williams | 1863-1937 | born Wolverhampton, died Swindon, Staffordshire |
| Harriet Corns | 1866-1929 | born Wombourne, died Swindon, Staffordshire |
| Samuel Jones | 1849-1937 | born and died Pattingham, Staffordshire |
| Sarah Ann Smith | 1854-1923 | born Greensforge, died Pattingham, Staffordshire |
| Albert Crump | 1868-1937 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Rosanna New | 1865-1940 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Henry Moore | 1867-1937 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Ann Haden | 1872-1956 | born and died Wolverhampton |
My 16 2x great-grandparents (from each of whom I should have inherited about 6.25 per cent of my DNA):
| Isaac Williams | 1839-1891 | born Rawmarsh, Yorkshire, died Swindon, Staffordshire |
| Sarah Baldwin | 1841-1914 | born Greets Green, died Swindon, Staffordshire |
| Charles Corns | 1840-1912 | born Wombourne, died Swindon, Staffordshire |
| Sarah Bromley | 1838-1919 | born Wombourne, died Swindon, Staffordshire |
| Thomas Jones | 1804-1853 | born Ellesmere, Shropshire, died Pattingham, Staffordshire |
| Ann Turner | 1806-1886 | born Blymhill, died Pattingham, Staffordshire |
| William Smith | 1832-1886 | born Claverley, Shropshire, died Pattingham, Staffordshire |
| Elizabeth Chambers | 1831-1902 | born Wombourne, died Codsall, Staffordshire |
| Henry Crump | 1833-1908 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Elizabeth Carrier | 1832-1911 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Benjamin New | 1835-1891 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Sophia Hipkiss | 1832-1911 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Timothy Fern | 1844-1911 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Selina Moore | 1848-1916 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| James Haden | 1831-1901 | born Stourbridge, died Wolverhampton |
| Harriet Mary Gell (alias Henstock) | 1836-1907 | born Nottinghamshire, died Wolverhampton |
30 out of my 32 3x great-grandparents (from each of whom I’d expect to have inherited about 3.125 per cent of my DNA):
| James Williams | 1803-1871 | born Church Aston, Shropshire, died Wilden, Worcestershire |
| Charlotte Summerhill | 1814-1884 | born Saul, Gloucestershire, died Wilden, Worcestershire |
| John Baldwin | 1812-1889 | born and died Stourport, Worcestershire |
| Mary Jones | 1810-1867 | born Yarpole, Herefordshire, died Stourport, Worcestershire |
| Frederick Corns | 1812-1853 | born and died Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| Harriet Powney | 1818-1889 | born and died Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| Robert Bromley | 1806-1859 | birthplace unknown, died Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| Sophia Baker | 1811-1864 | born and died Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| James Turner | 1783-1822 | born and died Blymhill, Staffordshire |
| Margaret Horton | born 1785 | born Blymhill, Staffordshire |
| Richard Smith | 1801-1874 | born Worfield, died Claverley, Shropshire |
| Elizabeth Price | 1807-1842 | born Shropshire, died Claverley |
| Edward Chambers | 1787-1863 | born Kinver, Staffordshire, died Greensforge, Staffordshire |
| Ann Williams | 1789-1860 | born Rudge Heath, Shropshire, died Greensforge, Staffordshire |
| George Crump | 1803-1864 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Mary Ann Bird | born abt 1814 | born Wolverhampton |
| Richard Carrier | 1800-1861 | born Worfield, died Claverley, Staffordshire |
| Elizabeth Dobson | 1802-1864 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| William New | born 1801 | born Wolverley, Worcestershire |
| Maria Williams | 1799-1851 | born Trysull, died Wolverhampton |
| John Hipkiss | 1801-1846 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Lucy Smith Inscoe | born 1805 | |
| John Fern | 1816-1887 | born Braunston, Northamptonshire, died Wolverhampton |
| Ann Hales | 1819-1897 | born and died Wolverhampton |
| Joseph Moore | born 1804 | born Warwickshire |
| Elizabeth Cook | born 1807 | born Wolverhampton |
| Edward Yeadon | 1787-1854 | born and died Stourbridge |
| Elizabeth Watkins | born 1792 | born Stourbridge |
| Abraham Henstock | 1816-1884 | born Derbyshire, died Wigan, Lancashire. |
| Elizabeth Gell | 1818-1892 | born Derbyshire. Died Lancashire, |
The missing two names are the parents of Thomas Jones, who was born in Ellesmere, Shropshire c. 1804 (there are four baptisms of a Thomas Jones there between 1803-1806).
Out of my 64 4x great-grandparents, I have the names of 33. Each of these should account for 1.56 per cent of my DNA.
| William Williams | living in Church Aston, Shropshire, 1803 | |
| Mary | wife of William Williams | |
| Stephen Summerhill | 1792-1862 | born Saul, Gloucestershire, died Kidderminster, Worcestershire |
| Anne Niblett | 1794-1875 | born Westbury, Gloucestershire, died Kidderminster, Worcestershire |
| Thomas Baldwin | 1779-1849 | Worcestershire |
| Sarah | wife of Thomas Baldwin. Died between 1819-1841. | |
| James Jones | born 1786 | born Worcestershire. Died between 1841-1851 |
| Jane ?Davies | born 1789 | wife of James Jones |
| Joseph Corns | 1780-1855 | born and died Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| Elizabeth Meredith | born 1778 | born Sedgley, Staffordshire |
| John Powney | born 1796 | born Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| Sarah ?Davies | 1790-1847 | died Wombourne, Staffordshire. |
| Edward Baker | 1781-1851 | died Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| Nancy/Ann New | 1786-1849 | buried Pattingham (abode Ounsdale, Wombourne), Staffordshire |
| Walter Turner | 1749-1833 | born and died Blymhill, Staffordshire |
| Ann Fletcher | 1751-1797 | born Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire, died Blymhill, Staffordshire |
| Richard Smith | 1757-1834 | died Worfield, Shropshire |
| Ann Blaney | 1756-1837 | died Worfield, Shropshire |
| Thomas Crump | 1778-1847 | died Wolverhampton, Staffordshire |
| Ann Brooks | 1781-1849 | died Wolverhampton, Staffordshire |
| Thomas Dobson | 1766-1843 | died Wolverhampton, Staffordshire |
| Elizabeth Foxall | 1769-1845 | died Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. |
| Edward New | ||
| Susannah | ||
| Benjamin Williams | died 1805 | died Trysull, Staffordshire |
| Sarah | wife of Benjamin Williams | |
| Charles Inscoe | ||
| John Fern | c. 1777-1833 | born ?Northamptonshire, died Wolverhampton |
| Ann Faulks | ||
| William Hales | 1794-1860 | born Broseley, Shropshire. died Wolverhampton, Staffordshire |
| Maria Astbury | born 1796 | born Birmingham |
| William Yeadon | 1747-1828 | born and died Old Swinford (Stourbridge), Worcestershire |
| Elizabeth Cook | wife of William Yeadon |
I only have the names of eight of my 128 5x great-grandparents, from whom I’d expect to have inherited 0.78 per cent of my DNA.
| Stephen Summerhill | born 1745 | |
| Sarah Cratchley | born 1756 | born in Dursley, Gloucestershire |
| William Niblett | born 1757 | born in Huntley, Gloucestershire |
| Elizabeth Cowmeadow | born 1758 | |
| Richard Corns | 1735-1807 | born and died in Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| Mary Worton | died 1808 | died in Wombourne, Staffordshire |
| Thomas Turner | born 1709 | born in Blymhill, Staffordshire |
| Rebecca Morris | married Thomas Turner in Weston-under-Lizard, 1747 | |
| John Foxall | married Mary Turner at Wolverhampton 1763 | |
| Mary Turner | married John Foxall at Wolverhampton 1763 |
4 Comments
hi Tracey…interesting post and got me thinking! Totalled up my direct ‘known’ descendants and got 76 plus and one or two possibles!
Have been recently helping my sister in law to investigate her Crump line and have got it back four generations – all Birmingham based!
Best wishes Bev.
Hi Bev
Good to hear from you. Glad the Crump research is progressing. I wouldn’t be the least surprised if there’s a link to the Wolverhampton-based Crumps somewhere.
All the best,
Tracey
Greetings from a fellow genealogy researcher and member of the the Geneabloggers Tribe. just came across your site courtesy of Geneabloggers Tribe. I need to tot up my known as opposed to potential ancestors too.
I have forebears from Whitmore, Staffordshire.
Regards
Anne
from the antipodes
Thanks, Anne. I found it quite a useful exercise to do as it really focused my research, especially on women’s maiden names. It’s also handy to have a post that lists names and places as it makes it easier to contact DNA matches and see if they can spot a link with their research.
Good luck with your research, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Regards,
Tracey