Y-DNA is a male-only DNA that is passed, relatively unchanged, from father to son, generation after generation. As such, it is an excellent supplemental tool for traditional genealogical methods. In other words, my Y-DNA results are identical to that of my sons, and, to my father. Also, my Y-DNA results are identical to my grandfather, and his father, and his father, etc etc etc. 

 

When two or more males with the same surname have matching Y-DNA results, they are said to be "related to a common male ancestor" in the past.

 

Prior to DNA testing, traditional genealogy (paper trail) connected me directly to John Cooke, died 1775, of Cumberland County, VA., BELIEVED-TO-BE son of Abraham Cooke & Martha, his wife, of New Kent/Hanover, VA., through John's son James Cooke (d1782). The records of Cumberland County, VA (deeds, will, orders, marriages, land tax records, personal property records, land grants, family bibles) proved my descent from this John Cooke (d1775), aka "John Cooke, Sr". 

 

As a direct descendant of John Cooke, I was Y-DNA tested in 1993 at FamilyTreeDNA and my results were posted.

Others, who had paper trails back to "Clayton Cooke", "Nathaniel Cooke (lineage of Charles Cooke, son of Abraham Cooke, Jr)", "John Cooke of Prince Edward County, VA", "Robert Cooke (lineage of Charles Cooke, son of Abraham Cooke, Jr), etc, were also Y-DNA tested. Their results were posted and matched my results.

 

THEREFORE, we can state that the following "ancestors" are related, and their genealogies confirmed:

1.  Clayton Cooke (son of William Cooke of St Martin's Parish, Hanover County, VA, who died abt 1752);

2.  Abraham Cooke, JUNIOR (through his son Charles Cooke, Sr, via grandsons Charles, Jr, Robert, and Nathaniel Cooke);
3.  John Cooke, "Jr" of Prince Edward County (son of John Cooke of Cumberland, VA) through his grandson Dr. William Gray Cook;
4.  John S Cooke (probably the same John S. who married Charlotte, lived in Rutherford, Tennessee, & who descends from John Cooke of Cumberland Co, VA through his son Stephen Cooke (who died in Buckingham, VA,ca1810);
 

PRIOR TO DNA, the PRESUMED family tree that we had collectively accumulated, based on traditional methods, was as follows:

 

Abraham Cooke married Martha Clayton and had:

1. William (had son Clayton)

2. John

3. Matthew

4. Hannah

5. Abraham, junior

6. Benjamin?

7. Robert?

8. Frances, who married Edmund Butler?

 

 NOTE: The Partridge Store Accounts, 1735-1755, proved that a "William Cooke" had a son named "Claten". It also proved that this William had a brother named "John". ("Matthew" and "Hannah" were proved as children of Abraham Cooke based on the entries in the Vestry Book of St Peter's Parish, New Kent County, VA. "Abraham junior" is believed to also be listed in the same, but as "Cox").

 

DNA testing of descendants of #1, #2, and #5 has confirmed a relationship between #1, #2, and #5 above.

In short, we have triangulated back to a MALE COOKE, likely father of William, John & Abraham Cooke, Junior. Other evidence, such as the use of the name "Clayton", and the naming of a girl, "Martha Claten Butler" (believed granddaughter of Abraham Cooke and Martha Clayton), has circumstantially proved that we are descended from Abraham Cooke.

 

The Y-DNA Results DNA signature for the "Abraham Cooke Family" has been posted in the FamilyTreeDNA Project site, "Cook DNA Project", designated as R1b-Lineage 2: 

 

http://www.familytreedna.com/public/cook/default.aspx?section=yresults

 

Recently, others, with links to the United Kingdom, have also matched to "our" lineage. These gentlemen (Offley, Crawford, etc) are distant matches, and are likely related BEFORE the use of surnames. In addition, two Norwegians have been shown as distant matches, and may prove to be a clue to our PRE-UK origins.

 

MORE TO COME...............