I've come up with a new theory about the parentage of my 3*great grandmother Jemima Parker thanks to a set of DNA matches to my maternal 2nd cousin.
This has led to a review of known, and believed, information about Jemima and a fairly easily reached conclusion that a Jemima baptised 1788 in Saffron Walden to a Sarah Parker is a much better fit than the previously identified 1793 baptism in Braintree Essex to parents William Parker and Charlotte Parkerson.
It really does pay to review early, well all, research occasionally.
A previous researcher had determined the 1793 baptism was correct and was unquestioned by me in my early days of working on this family back in the 1990s.
Jemima's death certificate however does say she was born in Saffron Walden - and that her father was a William Tyrrell. Well I suppose he may well still be, jury out on that one.
As a year, 1788 does fit the scant other information we have slightly better than 1793 but there's not much in that.
What is not so easily proven is that this Sarah Parker is one and the same as the one later marrying James Tyrrell in 1793, also Saffron Walden but I am comfortable with this assumption (for now).
If correct, the relationships of the DNA matches to the descendants of three lines of descent from Sarah Parker married to James Tyrrell (1793 Saffron Walden) range from 34 cMs to a descendant (Half 4C1R) of daughter Elizabeth; 8cMs to a descendant (Half 5C) via daughter Mary Ann; and 7cMs to a descendant of son William (a Half 5C3R).
Updates have been published for my web pages and WikiTree, other trees etc will follow in due course.
As to proving this, the circumstantial evidence is the Saffron Walden connection between the families and the timing of Jemima's baptism vs mother Sarah's subsequent marriage.
More DNA tested descendants showing up as matches on any of the sites would help.
So if you are a DNA tested descendant of any of those listed on my Clinton / Parker brickwall WikiTree page, please do make sure you are on all the sites accepting transfers (MyHeritage, FamliyTreeDNA, GEDmatch) even if you tested elsewhere or at only one of these.
Transfers are free, although more tools are available at each site for a small fee,
Having your DNA on any of these increases the chances of turning up matches to cousins who have not tested where you have.
Be aware that the more distant the relationship beyond 3rd cousins (itself only 95% odds of a mach being detected) the chances of a DNA match between any two specific people gets increasingly smaller, no matter what the paper trail.
But you may still match someone else who is - and holds the clue.
Don't know how to do transfers?
Check out Roberta Estes' blogpost for instructions
If you need help for transfers, please get back to me, I'm happy to help.
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