Just as we almost all go back to a common ancestor in Africa 60,000 years ago I am beginning to wonder if there is common Hays ancestor of the Ulster Scot Presbyterian Hays’ who migrated first to Pennsylvania, then VA and ultimately TN and KY when the Cumberland Gap opened. Naming patterns common the Ulster Scots are used here also to assume relation. The 1st born male was usually named for the Paternal Grandfather, 2nd for the Maternal Grandfather, 3rd & 4th after an uncle. The name of a child who died in infancy was often used again in the same family. “Nephew” in written records refers to Grandsons and it wasn’t until around the Revolutionary war that we begin to see middle names used and the addition of a Sr or Jr. and “Grandson” used.
FamilyTreeDNA offers Y-DNA tests with 12, 25, 37, 67, 111 markers, and Big Y-700 (which doesn’t give you a probability for relationships (more later). I recently received my “Big Y-700” test results back and the listed most common ancestor for those I match with are both Patrick Hays of PA and John Hays of VA, assuming their posted family trees are correct. The Big y test showed a close match with JBH who identified Patrick Hays (PA) as the Earliest Known Ancestor (EKN) and we have a common Y-DNA Haplogroup of R-FT115175. The 111 test shows a JSH (R-M269) with a genetic distance of 5 related to Patrick Hays and JBH again with a genetic distance of 6. The 67 marker shows JSH at a genetic distance of 3, EGH (R-M269) with a genetic distance of 3 and the EKA as John Hays, 1752 Rockbridge, VA. (initials of people used to politely mask identities).
As I understand it (remember I am an amateur!, go to https://isogg.org, International Society of Genetic Genealogy for more), the Genetic Distance is the number of differences in a tested marker, Short Tandem Repeat (STR) and the test number is the number of markers tested. The Big Y looks at 700 STR’s and also tests Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP, “snips”) which help identify paternal lineages 10-20 generations back. For example, there are 15 markers between me and my closest match, JSH (R-M269) as I took a larger test. Again ISOGG and FTDNA have much more information on these (and other DNA) topics.
The records (Chalkley) show a John Hays (wife Rebecca) and children self importing to Rockbridge, VA in 1740 and on the same day a Patrick Hays (wife Frances) with children. John Hays also has grown sons who arrived in VA the same time as he did. Many sites suspect these two are brothers which is incorrect (IMHO). The Bibliographic Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, PA (Encyclopedia) show that a Patrick Hays (wife Jean) arrived in Derry PA with his brother Hugh, William, and James. Patrick (PA) and Patrick (VA) having different wives and children names obviously aren’t the same person. So what is the relationship between the three and can my DNA test help?
Patrick (PA) was born in 1705 in County Donnegal, Ireland and came to PA in 1728 with his brothers. It is quite possible that other Hays’ came at the same time, remember, it was not uncommon for nearly the entire Church memberships or villages to leave for the Americas at the same time on the same ship, or perhaps they came shortly after with Patrick (PA) as as a stopping off point. Beverly Manor (1736) and the Borden Grant (1739) hadn’t been open to settlement yet. It also appears that Patrick (PA), John (VA) and Patrick (VA) were men of some means as they paid their passage (most came over indentured, more on that in a later blog) and could afford to purchase land. PA offered 50 acres to each man under the headlight system but much of the available good farm land was taken and more expensive to buy. The Borden Grant offered 100 acres for self importers (you had to put up a cabin and settle) and each 100 acres for a shilling.
By my calculations I estimate that John (VA) and Patrick (PA) are 8 generation from me (possibly 9). My closest match at 111 markers, JSH shows Patrick (PA) as EKA and the comparison chart estimates that there is a 76.48% probability and at 67 markers a 85.82% probability. EGH who has John (VA) as her EKA also has a 67 marker 85.82% probability. MBH at 67 shows a 51.48% probability and at 111 a 61.51% probability at 8 generations. I’m not sure why the percentages move like they do and I’ll need to do more research on that. The fact that my closest match JBH has a lower probability leads me to believe that my line does not go through John (VA) or Patrick (PA) Hays and might go through Patrick (VA) or another Hays related to him. At 10 generations JSH is at (111) 89.48 and (67) 93.34, JBH is (111) 79.93% and (67) 69.62, and EGH (67) is 93.34. At 12 generation EGH is (67) 97.09%, JSH is (111) 95.74%, and JBH (111) is 90.67%.
Using the name patterns common to Ulster Scots I see that Patrick (PA) has Brothers Hugh, William, and James and his son’s are (in birth order) David, Robert, William, Samuel, and Patrick. Patrick (VA) has sons named William and Samuel. John (VA) has sons Andrew, Charles, John, and James (deceased by 1750) with Grandsons named James and John, Jr. This indicates to me that Patrick (VA) is the nephew of Patrick (PA) with no indication if Hugh, William, or James is his father. John (VA) and Patrick (PA) are not brothers and the lack of a common name in their family trees indicates that their relationship is further than their Grandfathers.
Patrick (PA) and John (VA) sit 8 generations from me, their Grandfathers 10 but it is at 12 generations that probabilities go above 90% for all connected to me on Family Tree DNA. So going back to 12 generations from me to 1650 if A Hays had 4 sons (1675) and each of them had 4 sons (1700) which includes the about year that John (VA) and Patrick (PA) were born the two of them would have 64 cousins. And given the fact that the Ulster Scots in northern Ireland stayed among themselves due to their Presbyterian religion and that they came over to America in bulk, and given the DNA probabilities, it is highly likely that there is a Common Ancestor about the 1650’s.
But given the lack of records prior to and into the 1700’s which can identify people and their relation to each other and given the fact that the Hays, after arriving in PA in the early 1700’s spread out to new territories as the nation expanded, being among the first pioneers to settle Greene, TN (closely following the Wautauga Settlement in 1776), among the original settlers of the Cumberland Settlement (1779, Nashville), and 1775 blazing the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky and settling there, the record will end before we get to Northern Ireland and we’ll have to rely on DNA to finish the story. To this end I encourage everyone to get their Y-DNA done at Family Tree DNA, https://www.familytreedna.com/, and find your relatives and ancestors there.
My line going backwards has a James, Thomas Jefferson (obvious where that came from), Robert Alexander, William A., George, and William b. 1773 in Rockbridge, VA d. 1857 Greene, TN and that last is my wall (for now). Patrick (PA) and Patrick (VA) both have William in their line so name matching has me suspect my line is through Patrick (PA) or one of his brothers (a father to Patrick (VA). But only field research and luck will confirm this.
And the historical research continues.