Ashley-Oliver YDNA Match

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Ashley, Oliver

Contents 1 The Ashley-Oliver YDNA Match 1.1 STR Results 1.2 Big Y-700 Results 2 AuDNA Evidence 3 Other Ashley YDNA Evidence 4 Other Oliver YDNA Evidence 5 Possible Explanations for DNA Evidence 6 Genealogical Evidence 6.1 Discussion of Genealogical Evidence for First Explanation 6.2 Discussion of Genealogical Evidence for Second Explanation 7 Further Evidence that Would Clarify the Connection 8 Sources

The Ashley-Oliver YDNA Match

STR Results

As shown on the FTDNA Oliver Surname Project results page, Kit 938968 which claims descent from David Oliver of Maine (b. about 1645, d. before 1718) has a 105/111 match with Kit 464788 which claims descent from Joseph Ashley of Rochester, Massachusetts (b. about 1675, d. 1757). According to FTDNA's guidelines, "A 105/111 match indicates a more distant genealogical relationship. Over half of matches will be 9th cousins or closer, and most matches at this level are related as or more recently than 14th cousins." An analysis by Susan Hedeen (co-administrator of the FTNDA R-M222 Project) using Klyosov’s linear method for small data haplotype TMRCA STR calculations, suggests a common ancestor living 316+/-140 yb1959 or a window of 1503-1783 AD/CE, with mid-line suggested year being around 1643 AD/CE.

Big Y-700 Results

Oliver Kit 938968 and Ashley Kit 464788 subsequently took the Big Y-700 test, which confirmed the match and placed them in a new sub-branch of R-S588, with 21 shared unique variants and an average of 3 private variants (2 private variants for Kit 938968 and 4 for Kit 464788). A TMRCA calculation based on the average of 3 private variants suggests a most recent common ancestor living 250+/-50 yb1959 or a window of 1659-1759 AD/CE with the mid-line suggested year being a most recent common ancestor living around 1709 AD/CE.

AuDNA Evidence

A GEDmatch comparison of autosomal DNA test results for Oliver Kit 938968 and Ashley Kit 464788, using a minimum segment size of 7cm, found no shared segments. A comparison using a minimum shared segment size of 5cm found one shared segment of 5.6cm, which GEDmatch estimated indicated a MRCA (most recent common ancestor) about 7.7 generations back.

Other Ashley YDNA Evidence

The only other match of 62/67 or better that Ashley Kit 464788 has as of July 2021 is with Ashley Kit 72529. Ashley Kit 464788 and Ashley Kit 72529 determined, based on their genealogies, that their most recent common paternal line ancestor was Joseph Ashley's son Thomas Ashley of Rochester (b. 1704, d. 1762), with Ashley Kit 464788 being descended from Thomas' son Enoch Ashley and Ashley Kit 72529 being descended from Thomas' son William Ashley. Ashley Kit 72529 and Oliver Kit 938968 also have a match of 62/67. The fact that Ashley Kit 464788 and Ashley Kit 72529 match and have a genealogically-confirmed most recent common paternal line ancestor of Joseph Ashley's son Thomas Ashley of Rochester means that an Oliver man could not have been the father of an Ashley son in the paternal lines of Ashley Kit 464788 or Ashley Kit 72529 in a generation more recent than Joseph Ashley's son Thomas Ashley.

Other Oliver YDNA Evidence

As of September 2020, Ashley Kit 464788 and Ashley Kit 72529 are the only matches of 62/67 of better that Oliver Kit 938968 has. As shown on the FTDNA Oliver Surname Project results page, however, Oliver Kit 938968 does have a match of 33/37 with Oliver Kit 664335. (Oliver Kit 664335 also has a match of 33/37 with Ashley Kit 464788.) Oliver Kit 664335 claims descent from Jonathan Oliver (b. 1750, d. 1837), whose parentage is unknown.

Possible Explanations for DNA Evidence

The DNA evidence indicates that the most recent common ancestor of Oliver Kit 938968 and Ashley Kit 464788 was living in 1659-1759 AD/CE and, during that period, conceived an Oliver son in Oliver Kit 938968's line of male ancestry and an Ashley son in Ashley Kit 464788's line of male ancestry. That could happen by either (1) an Oliver male in Oliver Kit 938968's line of male ancestry conceiving an Ashley son (e.g., as a result of an extramarital relationship with an Ashley woman) in Ashley Kit 464788's line of male ancestry as well as an Oliver son in Oliver Kit 938968's line of male ancestry or (2) an Ashley male in Ashley Kit 464788's line of male ancestry conceiving an Oliver son (e.g., as a result of an extramarital relationship with an Oliver woman) in Oliver Kit 938968's line of male ancestry as well as an Ashley son in Ashley Kit 464788's line of male ancestry.

In the case of the first explanation, since Ashley Kit 464788 and Ashley Kit 72529 have strong genealogical evidence (supported by YDNA evidence) showing that they descended from two different sons of Thomas Ashley of Rochester (b. 1704), the Ashley son sired by the Oliver male would have to have been Thomas or one of his ancestors, which narrows the time frame in which the Ashley and Oliver sons were conceived by the Oliver man from 1659-1759 to 1659-1704.

In the case of the second explanation, since the line of Oliver Kit 664335 branches off with Jonathan Oliver (b. 1750), the Oliver son sired by the Ashley male would have to have been Jonathan Oliver's father or an earlier ancestor, which narrows the time frame in which the Oliver and Ashley sons were conceived by the Ashley man from 1659-1759 to 1659-1730.

Genealogical Evidence

Existing genealogical evidence suggests that the first explanation is most plausible, but does not disprove the second explanation.

Discussion of Genealogical Evidence for First Explanation

While no reasonably plausible parentage of David Oliver of Kennebec (b. about 1645, d. before 1718) has been identified, as discussed in the profile for Joseph Ashley of Rochester, Massachusetts (b. about 1675, d. 1757), although Joseph's parentage has never been definitely proven, the genealogical evidence suggests that it is most probable that he was the son of Thomas Ashley of Kennebec (b. about 1613, d. after 1687) and his third wife, Rebecca. As discussed in Thomas' profile, the first record of Rebecca as Thomas' wife is a 1675 deed co-signed by her, indicating that they were married sometime before 1675. David Oliver of Kennebec and Thomas Ashley of Kennebec (and hence his wife Rebecca) probably had extensive contacts from 1670 until 1687. As discussed in their profiles, both were living on the Kennebec River by 1670, probably removed briefly to Boston in 1677, and returned to Newtown on Arrowsic Island about 1679. A claim made by Laurence Dennis probably about 1715 with respect to a house and land in Newtown on Rousick (Arrowsic) Island in Kennebec River that had been deeded to him in 1687 by Thomas Ashley and his wife Rebecca described the lot as bounded on the north by a lot of John Wriford (Ryford) and on the south by a lot called David Oliver's.^[1] This means that Thomas Ashley and David Oliver were immediate neighbors while in Newtown. As discussed in his profile, Joseph Ashley, the possible son of Thomas Ashley of Kennebec, was probably born sometime in 1673-1682. In 1673-1682, Thomas Ashley was probably 60-69 years old, while his wife Rebecca was 22-32 and David Oliver was 28-37. As indicated in Thomas Ashley's profile, Thomas during his lifetime was a fisherman and a fur trader and had contacts in Boston. It was likely that he was away from home for extended periods. The totality of the genealogical evidence therefore suggests that it is quite plausible that David Oliver of Kennebec had an extramarital affair with Rebecca, the third wife of Thomas Ashley of Kennebec, and was the biological father of Rebecca and Thomas' son, Joseph Ashley of Rochester, Massachusetts, which would explain why two descendants of Joseph's son Thomas Ashley of Rochester had YDNA matches with a descendant of David Oliver of Kennebec.

Discussion of Genealogical Evidence for Second Explanation

The second explanation requires a paternal line ancestor of Thomas Ashley of Rochester (b. 1704, d. 1762) who had an Oliver son who was the common ancestor of Oliver Kit 938968 and Jonathan Oliver (b. 1750, d. 1837). The only paternal line ancestor of Thomas Ashley of Rochester (b. 1704, d. 1762) who has been identified who was old enough to have been an ancestor of David Oliver of Kennebec is Thomas Ashley of Kennebec (b. about 1613, d. after 1687). Based on their respective ages, Thomas Ashley of Kennebec could only have been an ancestor of David Oliver of Kennebec if he was his biological father. While that on its own would be reasonably plausible, there remains the need to explain how Thomas Ashley of Kennebec or some other Ashley was the ancestor of Jonathan Oliver (b. 1750, d. 1837). [Need to add discussion of why this is implausible]

Further Evidence that Would Clarify the Connection

• Thomas Ashley of Maine had a son, Thomas Ashley of Boston who had son a named Thomas who moved to North Carolina. If male lineal descendants of that Thomas Ashley of North Carolina were found to have YDNA that did not match that of descendants of Thomas Ashley of Rochester (b. 1704, d. 1762), that would suggest that Joseph Ashley of Rochester was the son of David Oliver of Maine instead of Thomas Ashley of Maine. Thomas Ashley of North Carolina may have been the Thomas Ashley who died in Bertie County, North Carolina about 1761. No living Ashleys have, however, been able to establish a sound genealogical line of descent from Thomas Ashley of Bertie. That fact that no Ashleys with origins in North Carolina have had a YDNA match with descendants of Thomas Ashley of Rochester may be significant, but may also just indicate that the son of Thomas Ashley of Boston who moved to North Carolina either has no living male lineal descendants or at least none that have been tested.
• If an Ashley descendant from a common Ashley ancestor with Thomas Ashley of Kennebec was discovered and found to have a YDNA match with descendants of Thomas Ashley of Rochester, that would make the second explanation more likely. Conversely, if such a descendant was discovered and found to not have a YDNA match with descendants of Thomas Ashley of Rochester, that would significantly strenghen the first explanation.
• If Oliver Kit 664335 (who is descended from Jonathan Oliver (b. 1850, d. 1837) took the Big Y-700 test and the results showed that his line diverged upstream of the most recent common ancestor of Oliver Kit 938968 and Ashley Kit 464788, that would establish that an Oliver was the common ancestor of all three.

^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Moore, Mrs. M. J. "Book of Eastern Claims." The Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder. Vol. VIII. 1895. p. 81. Link to page at hathitrust.org.