First letter to Clay Austin

Clay, 

Below I’ll try to explain what we talked about last night. My wife Lillian Austin Clinard is your 4^th 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 3^rd great-grandfather to both of you. Thus, you and Lil are 4^th 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 4^th ggfather to Lil and you.

I started my study about 18 months ago when I convinced Robert Austin, Lil’s 1^st 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 1^st 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 1^st 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 1^st 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.