And then there's the double whammy--I spent years "fleshing out" the family of John Mason and Mary Nelson in Stafford, sure John was --some how, any how!--related to my James Mason ("of Stafford County" in a 1769 deed) in Culpeper.  Comes the first DNA test from a descendant (provable on paper) of John--no match. You can imagine my reaction to that! Short, pithy, four letters. But then--after I had abandoned all idea of continuing to research John--along come two more descendants--and they DO match my James Mason.  So back to working on the Stafford Masons... I go around with a permanent Mason whiplash. 

Meanwhile, we're also matching Masons in Bedford/Botetourt and one in KY...as well as one in GA ca. 1818--and not a clue how!  Somewhere, back in the now paperless 1600s, probably in the Stafford area of VA, there's a common ancestor---but I've gone from one brick wall to six though DNA.

Please--all of you with Masons in VA: find more than one DNA donor so we can sort out the hundred of DIFFERENT (and so far, none related to Gunston Hall--so much for that myth...) Mason families in colonial Virginia! 

Karen Dale 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: marsha moses<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
  To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
  Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 7:02 AM
  Subject: Re: [VA-ROOTS] DNA Evidence


  DNA testing is so much fun.  But it is indeed sad to throw out 20  
  years of research and wonderful family stories that are suddenly "not  
  yours".  I have proved to myself beyond the shadow of a doubt that my  
  children do not connect to the Civil War soldier named Archy Moses  
  that I spent many hours "fleshing out" over the years.  I don't know  
  if I will ever solve the question of with which Scots-Irish man they  
  do connect, however, it is VERY evident that their ancestry is Scots- 
  Irish or Irish or Scots from the DNA results and that the surname is  
  NOT Moses.  I worried about sharing the results with my son, but he  
  said with all honesty that it was the first time I had ever told him a  
  genealogy story that he was really interested in.  I highly recommend  
  getting involved with the DNA testing that is out there for  
  reassurance that you are on the right trail or as in this case for  
  proof that you are looking in the wrong direction.  Marsha Moses



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