Clay,
Below I’ll try to explain what we talked about last night. My wife Lillian Austin Clinard is your 4th cousin:
Lillian7 Austin (Frank Smith6, Clyde B.5, Clisbe, Jr.4, Clisbe, Sr.3, Arch Sr.2 Austin, Edward Riggs1)
Clay7 Austin (Joseph C. Jr.6, Joseph C Sr.5, William4, Archibald Jr.3, Arch Sr.2 Austin, Edward Riggs1).
The most recent common ancestor (MRCA) for Lil and you is Archibald Austin, Sr. He is 3rd great-grandfather to both of you. Thus, you and Lil are 4th cousins. Of course what I’m trying to prove through Y-DNA is the connection all the way back to Edward Riggs (1720-1820), probably a 4th ggfather to Lil and you.
I started my study about 18 months ago when I convinced Robert Austin, Lil’s 1st cousin, to take the Y-DNA test to prove that the father of Archibald, Sr. was Joseph Austin (1730-1811) of Southside VA. Y-DNA is useful, accurate, and inexpensive. It follows the father’s-father’s-father’s side of the family and remains basically unchanged from generation to generation. Since Lil has no Y-DNA (a female), it was necessary to use her male 1st cousin for the proof. The results for Robert were surprising. Instead of proving Joseph was the father of Arch, I proved that Robert was from the Riggs family with the following likely ancestry:
Robert7 Austin (Robert, Sr.6, Clyde B.5, Clisbe, Jr.4, Clisbe, Sr.3, Arch Sr.2 Austin, Edward Riggs1)
Of course the proof to the specific Riggs man, Edward Riggs (1720-1820), has taken me the better part of 18 months, so far, and I am still missing a piece of the proof, that which you could provide. I will discuss this later, below. I will also send you a CD with an extensive write-up. It’s called the “Story of Wealthy Pruett”, the known mother of Archibald (Pruett) Austin, Sr. Nancy Austin Fatheree, also a cousin of yours from TX, wrote this story with me.
At first I thought I must be wrong about Robert, so I convinced another of Lil’s 1st cousins to take the test. Clyde Austin’s results were identical to Robert Austin’s.
Clyde7 Austin (Clyde, Jr.6, Clyde B.5, Clisbe, Jr.4, Clisbe, Sr.3, Arch Sr.2 Austin, Edward Riggs1)
Clyde and Robert have a MRCA of Clyde B. Austin, their grandfather. Thus at this point I had proven that Clyde B was from the Riggs family. That’s about all the Y-DNA had done so far.
Then with the help of Nancy Austin Fatheree, I was able to get the Y-DNA from William Luther Austin.
William Luther8 Austin (William Brinks7, William Thompson6, Robert White5, William Thompson4, Clisbe Sr.3, Archibald Sr2, Edward Riggs1)
The Y-DNA of William matched Robert and Clyde perfectly. Clyde and Robert and William Luther have a MRCA of Clisbe Austin, Sr. Thus at this point I/we had proven that Clisbe Sr. was from the Riggs family.
To get to the next level back in time, I/we needed to find a male Austin descendant of Archibald Sr. through his son Archibald, Jr., brother of Clisbe Sr. I/we discovered John Ellison by plain luck in Hamblen Co. TN.
John E.7Austin (Woodrow6, Jacob5???, William4, Arch Jr.3, Arch Sr.2, Edward Riggs1)… this was the 1st attempt to get at Arch Sr. as the MRCA. This test backfired! John Ellison Austin had no Austin Y-DNA and no Riggs Y-DNA. I now suspect John’s break in the Riggs Y-DNA chain at Jacob who is probably not a son of William but rather of William’s daughter Sara and a man with the likely name of Stultz. But this is another story in itself which I’m also working on.
This led me/us to you with some help from John Ellison.
Here is your connection which probably by-passes the problem with John Ellison Austin. But I could be wrong.
Clay7 Austin (Joseph C. Jr.6, Joseph C Sr.5, William4, Archibald Jr.3, Arch Sr.2 Austin, Edward Riggs1).
Your MRCA with Robert, Clyde, and William Luther Austin is Arch Sr. If you match these other three men, then the proof of Riggs Y-DNA will be taken all the way back to Arch Sr. Then what?
There is a large Riggs Y-DNA study also in progress. And below is Horace Riggs whose Y-DNA is very close to that of Robert, Clyde and William Luther. It varies by one marker mutation, which is quite possibly a “perfect” match since these bothersome mutation do occur, though only every 5-6 generations or so.
Horace Lester7 Riggs III (Horace Lester6, Horace Lester5, John Woodson4, Samuel3, Clisbe2 Riggs, Edward Riggs1)
If Horace, whom I am in contact with, matches you, and since he shares a MRCA with you (and Robert, Clyde, and William Luther) of Edward Riggs (probably), then I/we will be very close to a proof that your ancestor is Edward Riggs (1720-1820). If the mutation that I talked about above can be explained through your Y-DNA, then the proof will be perfect. I suspect that the mutation took place in Archibald Sr. Your Y-DNA can prove that to be true.
Hope this is understandable.
I appreciate your willingness to think about adding your Y-DNA to this study.
Of course if you would participate, I would cover the cost and would have the Y-DNA kit delivered to your home directly from Family Tree, Inc. Results would be available in 6-8 weeks.
Please consider participation.
John Clinard
Loudon TN, 865-607-9191
I’ll mail the CD to you on Monday.
