DNA is particularly helpful with common names like Turner and with families that have been in this country for a long time--so have formed many branches, particularly if a number of those branches lived in counties with lost records! 
 
The most helpful DNA project I've been involved in is MASON. In fact, the only way we're going to be able to distinguish between the many, many Mason families in colonial Virginia is through yDNA.  Every Mason male remotely interested in family history should do this test. See the results page at 
http://www.ncroots.com/DNA-Mason-Worldwide/. And be aware that some of the claims of "oldest known ancestor" are simply wrong guesses!
 
The Mason name was VERY common in colonial Virginia.  It sometimes seems there was at least one Mason family in every county!  There were three Mason families in 1600s Stafford--none related according to DNA. The famous George Mason line moved to Dogue's Neck in Fairfax early. The George of Aquia line moved to Prince William by 1727.  The remaining Masons in Stafford in the 1700s were all relatives of John Mason (father William), born. ca. 1722, married Mary Nelson. This family was large with many males and quickly became widespread through migration. 
 
Through DNA we can see the migrations out of Stafford. There's no paper trail  to connect various Masons to the core family in Stafford,  but DNA has given us Masons related to John of Stafford throughout the Northern Neck and into southwest VA before the Revolution, into GA and KY in the earliest years of the 19th century. We do have an addition to documentary evidence in the newly found (and published online) Stafford Order Book, 1749-1755.  And in it there is paper evidence (supported by DNA) that Gilbert Mason of Bedford Co. VA was from Stafford.
 
Keep digging.  Sooner or later something will surface.  In just the 25 years I've been working on Stafford Masons, there have been amazing finds--results of both DNA and hard work slogging through old documents!   
 
Karen Dale
 


 
> Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:51:30 -0700
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [VA-ROOTS] Best DNA
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> List Members,
> 
> 	I too think that DNA is a very important genealogy tool.  My Turner family was in Loudoun Co., VA from 1790 to 1800.  The family split & one line went to Bedford Co., PA & the others went to Clermont Co., OH.  I am from the Bedford Co., PA line.  I cannot find my ancestors in PA or VA prior to 1790.  I had a male Turner cousin do DNA.  The branch that went to Clermont Co., OH said the family was related to the Tourneur family of Harlem, NY.  I could not prove it & paid a NY genealogist over $1,000 to do research & he could NOT prove we were related to the Tourneurs.  I found a Tourneur whose mother (who had died) was into genealogy & I paid for him to do a DNA test.  It proved we were NOT related.  I still get emails every time a link is made to the Tourneur line (It is a couple times a month).  So far there are no matches to the Y DNA 37 for the Turner line, but it proved we were NOT related to the Tourneurs.
> 
> Lucy Turner Cronin
> 
 		 	   		  
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