(for those with AmericanAncestors subscription, the new article, by Kory L. Meyerink, is in the Winter 2023 NEHGR at https://www.americanancestors.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/nehgr-register-177-1-winter-2023-entire.pdf ).
First -- I think your plans regarding Francis sound reasonable, and thanks for bringing this new research into Wikitree.
Second -- I have a few comments, one about the NEHGR article and second about my own French ancestor, who is a bit of a stray --
a) Is a genetic distance of 5 at 67 markers really close enough to conclude that the testers common ancestor could be Jacob French, b abt. 1555? Could we say that such a distance would lead to an expectation of a common ancestor from around that period, or that we can't rule out such a period for the common ancestor? I guess the question is really, "I thought a genetic distance of 5 at 67 markers suggested a common ancestor who would likely be earlier than b abt 1555... primarily because of how one of the Y surname projects I follow on FTDNA seems to be handled...
b) I'm descended from Samuel French and Sarah Cummings. Beyer inserts Samuel (her own ancestor, as well) as a second son so-named after William's first son Samuel died, but does so with no evidence other than that he is supposed to have come from Billerica ( https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhist00byubeye/page/62/mode/2up?view=theater ). This relationship is the state of affairs on WIkitree right now.
PGM does not offer that conclusion, but on page 2:593 has a note propounding two theories -- (a) that Richard French of Cambridge who had land at Billerica was "probably related... in some way" to William and John French; and (b) that his son Samuel was the same as Samuel who married Sarah Cummings in Chelmsford ( https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/great-migration-immigrants-to-new-england-1634-1635-volume-ii-c-f/image?volumeId=7373&pageName=593&rId=22175530 ).
Meyerink's article has a footnote which states "Y-DNA tests from some of his alleged descendants do not match those of Jacob and William French’s descendants."
Is there any other good research on the matters of Richard and Samuel French? It appears to me that Mara French has more records on them than anyone else does ( http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com/FFA/DNA/xrefChartTestShort.htm and http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com/FFA/CHARTS/Chart006/ ).
If the above represents all we know about Richard and Samuel, is it time to (a) create a profile for Richard and Martha of Cambridge (I don't see one here on WT) and (b) detach Samuel from his current parents and make him a child theirs?