Which extraordinary DNA ancestor are you most closely connected to?

Question

Following our recent WikiTree Challenge in partnership with mitoYDNA.org, this week we're looking at profiles with extraordinary mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA lines, starting with Katherine Swynford. She was a wife of John of Gaunt, and great-grandmother of Richard III.

Here are other ancestors to check your connection to:

• Renée Breau
• Jane Coles
• Gofraid of Lochlann
• Ivar II of Waterford
• Ocaan Ro
• Michele Sauvagie
• Catherine Strutt
• John Thorpe
• Charibert von Neustria
• Katharina von Pfannberg

Which one is most closely connected to you? If you're one of the 29.5 million of us who are connected to each other on our big tree, you can check with the Connection Finder.

In addition to the above and our many Featured Connections, you can check your connections to any category on WikiTree, such as mtDNA Haplogroup H and WikiTree Challenge Guest Stars. Click the green MyConnections button in the upper right hand corner of the category page.

Let us know how you're related below. If you want to share your connection on social media with cousins and friends, click the "get shareable image" below the results, e.g. King Charles III and Katherine Swynford. Then just upload it along with the URL of your direct connection. (Please refrain from sharing your connection on the featured profiles themselves, though. It clutters conversations on research and collaboration. Thanks!)

Help us find and improve the profiles for next week's Gordon Lightfoot and Co. feature.

Comments

I see that Charles III has 349 direct descents from Katherine Roet in Wikitree. (I have 3.) He has 1757 direct descents from her father in law Edward III. (I have 1.)

An exercise like that puts things in perspective and helps explain why having one Edward III descent is not so unusual.

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Here is my list. It's odd for me as most of these ties aren't DNA direct related. (Dispite the title)

 They are related through my one of my step grandfathers. (Grandma married 5x) 

I am also still trying to figure out the degrees to generations deal.

•  22 degrees from Katherine Swynford 
•  18 degrees from Renée Breau 
• 19 degrees from Jane Coles
• 36 degrees from Gothfraid Of Lochlann
• 33 degrees from Ímar of Waterford 
• 36 degrees from Ocaan Ro
• 19 degrees from Michele Sauvagie
• 19 degrees from Catherine Strutt 
• 19 degrees from John Thorpe 
• 44 degrees from Charibert von Neustria
• 27 degrees from Katharina von Pfannberg
• 24 degrees from Betsy Ko

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Katherine Swynford is my 18th great grandmother through my paternal grandmother. Exciting!

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Katherine Swynford is my 17th great grandmother through my paternal great grandmother, Cornelia (Sterling) Seymour - Sterling-2655

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I am 20 degrees from her.

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Charibert von neustria is my 43 great grandfather. Which also included Pepin the short a descendant.

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Bonnie: it would be very unusual, perhaps impossible, to find a DNA match to people this far back in time UNLESS it was through a direct male or female line (Y DNA or mitochondrial DNA). I think they were selected because there are claims of such modern matches via a pure male or female line?

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What makes these particular lines so "extraordinary"?  What does WikiTree mean by that?

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Andrew: Okay. Though some like me are said to be related, but if you look at the path it's not at all a direct path. I have more connections via marriage then DNA, even close to me on WikiTree.

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I'm not sure only having one isn't very unusual, as opposed to ordinary, however considering the royal family essentially would have had their trees mapped for them, and having had it done so for a very long time, as it is central to the nature of what they do, in order to even do something equivalent, it requires mapping ancestry and other lines that aren't always going to be immediately evident.

I guess it depends on the gateway ancestry - my own is the Staffords (Grafton) to Audrey Barlow - and there is another Stafford with not much history in Britain that married into the same family after arriving in New England in the 1600's.

I've read about it not being uncommon to have multiple gateway ancestry when someone has a fair number of early ancestry in New England (in my case it is all Great Migration -not Mayflower) -but I haven't found any other than Audrey Barlow (Almy).

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Katherine (Roet) Swynford 19th ggm through both my mother and father;

Gofraid 31st ggf through my father, 34th ggf through my mother

Ivar (Ímar) of Waterford 28th ggf 

Charibert (Neustria) 39th ggf through my dad, 42nd ggf though my mother

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We share the same ggf information. So, I looked, and we are 9th cousins through the Magruders.

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Debra, I am pleased to learn of another cousin.

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Hello Judy,  They are extraordinary due their presence on a direct paternal (or maternal) lineage spanning numerous generations, and having a direct descendant with their DNA profile featured on mitoYDNA.org.

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OK, that is what I thought. The message was a little confusing without this missing information. :) I wonder how many people replying understood it that way?

Answer 1

33rd great granddaughter of Gothfraid

Answer 2

I was just exploring some of these last night. I had several direct ancestors and relatives on the Mayflower, including John Howland.

I am a direct descendant of Kathrine Swynford (18th g-grandson through my father, 21st g-grandson through my mother); Blanca de Castille (23rd g-grandson through my father, 24th g-grandson through my mother); Afonso de Portugal (25th g-grandson through my father, 24th g-grandson through my mother); Valdemar den Store av Danmark (25th g-grandson through my mother); Ivar of Waterford (30th g-grandson through my father, 29th g-grandson through my mother); Gofraid Of Lochlann (33rd g-grandson through both parents); Charibert von Neustria (41st g-grandson through father) (uncertain).

I am also a direct descendant of the Plantagenet kings of England through both of my parents. King Edward III (19th g-grandson); King Edward II (20th g-grandson); King Edward I (21st g-grandson); King Henry III (22nd g-grandson); King John (24th g-grandson through my mother only); and King Henry II (24th g-grandson through my mother only).

I'm looking forward to exploring other ancestor histories!

Answer 3

21 degrees from Katherine Swynford.

17 degrees from Renee Brun.

18 degrees from Jane Coles.

34 degrees from Gothfraid of Lochlann.

33 degrees from Ímar of Waterford.

34 degrees from Ocaan Ro.

15 degrees from Michele Sauvagie.

15 degrees from Catherine Strutt.

No connection to John Thorpe.

42 degrees from Charibert von Nuestria

25 degrees from Katharina von Pfannberg. .

Comments

Katherine (Roet) Swynford (18th gr maternal grandmother) 20 degrees

Gofraid of Lachlann (34 maternal gr  grandfather) 34 degrees 

Ivar II of Waterford (31st paternal gr grandfather) 33 degrees

Charibert Von Neustria (41st maternal gr grandfather) 42 degrees

The others no direct connections.

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Answer 4

Why are they all western European? Almost all are English, 3 are Irish, the rest Dutch or German.  There's most definitely "extraordinary DNA ancestors" from all over the globe, the unfounded connections to Chinggas Khan aside.

Comments

They are extraordinary because they are on a direct paternal (or maternal) line which extends back a large number of generations and they have a direct paternal (or maternal) line descendant whose DNA is in mitoYDNA.org.  Unfortunately there is not yet a non-European who fits that criteria.

Answer 5

I am most closely connected to three people on this list!

• Katherine (Roet) Swynford is my 17th GGM
• Gofraid (Godfrey) Of Lochlann is my 32nd GGF,
• and possibly Charibert (Neustria) von Neustria is my 40th GGF (still uncertain).

Answer 6

Michèle Sauvagie - 16°
Renée Breau - 17°
Jane (Bond) Coles - 18°
Catherine (Unknown) Strutt - 19°
Katharina (Pfannberg) von Pfannberg - 26°
Ivar of Waterford - 34°
Ocaan Ro - 35°
John Thorpe - ???

Katherine (Roet) Swynford - 21° - 19th ggrandmother
Gofraid (Godfrey) Of Lochlann - 35° - 34th ggrandfather
Charibert (Neustria) von Neustria - 43° - 41st ggrandfather

2 ggfathers & a ggmother.

Answer 7

33rd great grandson to [[https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Godfrey-676 Gofrey]] 

33rd great grandson to [[https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Of%20Waterford-1 Ivar of Waterford]]

42 great grandson of [[https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Neustria-20 Charibert of Neustria]]

Answer 8

Renee Breau, 9th ggm, 11 Degrees

Gothfraid of Lochlann, 31st ggf, 33 Degrees

Ivar of Waterford, 33rd ggf, 35 Degrees

Catherine Strutt, 13th ggm, 15 Degrees

Charibert Neustria, 39th ggf, 41 Degree

Katherine Swynford, 20th ggm, 22 Degrees

Answer 9

WikiTree says Gofraid of Lochlann is my 33rd great grandfather.

Ivar of Waterford my 33rd g grandfather.

Ocaan Ro my 28th grandfather.

Cheribert Neustria my 41st grandfather.

Could this be possible? Or one of many WikiTree  errors … false, made-up genealogies?

Answer 10

*Ivar's 30th great granddaughter

*Gofraid's 33rd great granddaughter.  

*Charibert's 40th great granddaughter

Answer 11

Three of these are actually an ancestor connection:    Godfried of Lochlann -My 33 great grandfather.

Catherine Stutt - my 13th great grandmother (15 degrees)

Charibent Von Neustria - my 41 great grandmother

Renee Breau - 15 degree; Jane(Bond) Coles - 17 degrees Ocaan Ro - 33 degrees; Michele Sauvagie - 17 degrees; Katrina Von Pfannberg - 23 degrees.

The rest of them I have no connection

Sharon

Answer 12

My closest connection is Renée Brault at 11°. She is my 9th great grandmother through my dad.

Answer 13

I have some double digit grandparents on this list:

Michèle Sauvagie - 16°
Renée Breau - 16°
Catherine (Unknown) Strutt - 18°
Jane (Bond) Coles - 18°
Katharina (Pfannberg) von Pfannberg - 23°
Ivar of Waterford - 32°
Ocaan Ro (abt. 0970) - 35°
John Thorpe

Katherine (Roet) Swynford - 19° - 17th G-G-Mother
Gofraid (Godfrey) Of Lochlann - 32° - 31st G-G-Father
Charibert (Neustria) von Neustria - 41° - 40th G-G-Father

Katherine (Roet) Swynford is connected to me through my Wilson/Lawson/Higginbotham/ Noland line.

Gofraid (Godfrey) Of Lochlann is connected to me also through my Wilson/Lawson/Higginbotham/ Noland line.

Charibert (Neustria) von Neustria is connected to me also through my Wilson/Lawson/Higginbotham/ Noland line.

Answer 14

He is not listed here, but, just found out, my husband, is a 2nd cousin 3×removed to, General George Smith Patton, Jr., thank you to ancestry. Frank is also related to, John ,SIr Knight of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, sherwood, england. 1514-1587

Answer 15

R. Breau Connection Finder (wikitree.com)  20 degrees via my Father's Scottish branch

Answer 16

This makes Katherine (Roet) Swynford the 17th great grandmother of K.

Jane (Bond) Coles 15th great grandmother of K.  

Gofraid (Godfrey) Of Lochlann 31th great grandfather of K.

Ímar of Waterford 30th great grandfather of K. 

Charibert (Neustria) von Neustria 39th great grandfather of K.

Comments

Can anyone explain why the DNA is special I can not find why it is ? or is it just who they are ?

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Hello K.,  The Y-DNA (in these examples) is special because it is connected to a direct paternal line which extends back a large number of known generations.  Similarly, the mtDNA is special because it is connected to a direct maternal line which extends back a large number of generations.

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Thank you Peter I have been doing this for a while but, Still have a lot to learn that is really amazing I'm at walls with my main male lines because they come form other countries and my mother and one of my aunts I know have rare blood and they say their father my grandfather had even rarer but I am brick walled at this point but this is my fathers side this DNA line.

Thanks again

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Hello K.,  If you or your relatives have DNA tested then please add that information to your (or their) DNA Tests page.  If they are living then help them add their DNA test information to their DNA Tests page.

Answer 17

Katherine (Roet) Swynford is my 19th great grandmother.
Jane Cole 19 degrees
14 Degrees from Renée Breau
34 Degrees from Gothfraid Of Lochlann
34 Degrees from Ocaan Ro
17 Degrees from Michele Sauvagie
17 Degrees from Catherine Strutt
Charibert von Neustria 39th great grandfather
25 Degrees from Katharina von Pfannberg

Answer 18

20 from Renee Breau is my closest. Through my Dad’s French and Scottish lines.

Answer 19

Just curious... Why do you call them extraordinary DNA ancestors ?

Answer 20

Katherine (Roet) Swynford 17th great granddaughter 

Jane (Bond) Coles 15th great granddaughter

Ivar of Waterford 30th great granddaughter

Charibert (Neustria) von Neustria 39th great granddaughter