Question

Keterson/Voils can anyone help? DNA matches Kesterson by birth!

Answer 1

Hi Ann, Your question is, "Kesterson/Voils - Can anyone help with a connection? DNA shows William Voils a Kesterson by birh."  Correct?  

What DNA test was used? YDNA?  Did someone living do the DNA test?  How did you get William's DNA, since he was born and died in the 1800s?  How do you know he is the disconnect?  

My experience is that in colonial and early America, orphans from one family were often taken in and raised as a member of another family.  Meaning William could have been born a Kesterson and was adopted and raised as a Voil.  But that is only one possibility.

Comments

Ancestry DNA was used on several branches of William Voils including my brother. All matched Kesterson by birth and not VOILS. It is a mystery. Most accept William's Mother as Patience Kesterson. My DNA matches that generation. She was the daughter of William Kesterson. She married David Voyles in 1817 and William has several different birth dates out there from 1808 to 1822. I was told William did not know when exactly he was born. Any thoughts? Could David have been a Kesterson too with or without knowing? Thanks for answering. Ann Voiles Hill

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Hi Ann, 

I assume that the Ancestry test that your brother took was their autosomal DNA test.  If you have done an autosomal test, you will have matches anywhere in this list of surnames, including the question marks:  http://www.wikitree.com/treewidget/Voiles-12/10  Your brother's autosomal test will have a similar range of possible surname cousin-connections.  As you can see, simply having an autosomal match with other Kestersons does not necessarily mean that is your only surname connection.  You would have to triangluate his results with other genetic matches.

I suggest that your brother do a 37 marker yDNA test.  That will tell you both if he matches other Voils men or other Kesterson men.  YDNA is passed from a father to each of his sons, so it will only give results about your brother's paternal line of forefathers (father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc. with no females in the line.)

You can order a yDNA37 kit from FamilyTreeDNA.com.  These are the Kesterson yDNA tests in the Kesterson DNA Project:  https://www.familytreedna.com/public/KestersonDNAProject/default.aspx?section=yresults  and these are the Voils yDNA tests in the Voyles DNA Project:  https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Voyles/default.aspx?section=yresults

If your brother's yDNA test matches a kit in either of these groups, you will know by scientific genetic proof which is his paternal family surname.

You can order a yDNA37 test through this link:  http://https://affiliate.familytreedna.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=600 This WikiTree affiliate link will give a small credit to WikiTree to help cover the cost of operations.  You can also order the test through either of the two mentioned DNA Projects.  Kitty