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Mitochondrial

Mitochondrial DNA

Image courtesy of The Wellcome Centre Mitochondrial Research

Looks like a mouthful but it is pronounced “My toe kon‘ dree al”. Mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA for short, is part of your cell structure that we all get from our mothers. Yes, both men and women inherit this BUT, only the females can pass it on. And unlike other DNA, it does not change (mutate) very often. This makes it another good piece of evidence to use when looking for ancestors. On the other hand, due to our society’s naming convention, it also makes it harder to determine how you are related.

When a woman and man unite in marriage, the normal practice in our culture is for the woman to change her last name to that of the man. If you take a DNA test for mtDNA and look at the results and find close genetic matches, the names will probably not be familiar to you. The genealogical connection probably goes back many generations and there were many name changes in that time. Your mother’s maiden name is probably different than yours and her mother’s maiden name was different than her last name and so on.

To help figure out how you are related using mtDNA, you must examine your family tree and make a list of the maiden names of your mother and her mother and her mother – as far back as you can go. While that may help to identify someone who is in your direct maternal line, you may have a mtDNA match with someone who is an ancestor of one of the daughters in your direct maternal line. You would also need to examine all the daughters in your mtDNA line and their descendants.

Below is a list of those in my direct mtDNA line going back to around 1730. Use this list of names to compare to your mtDNA results to help you figure out relationships.

  • Atkinson
  • Berry
  • Covington
  • Etheridge
  • Eubank
  • Fallis
  • Harrison
  • Long
  • Morrison
  • Rice
  • Rodgers
  • Simmons
  • Williams

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My mtDNA Ancestors

Maternal Grandmother – Edwina Morrison

  • Birth –  07 April 1888 in Taylorville, Christian County, Illinois
  • Marriage – James Edward Berry on 21 October 1908 in Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma
  • Death – 12 August 1965 in Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma
  • Daughters:
    • Virginia Berry (Harrison)  born 1911
      • Edwina Harrison (Covington) born 1934
      • Virginia Ann Harrison born 1936
    • Sarah Jane Berry (Rodgers) born 1927

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Maternal Great Grandmother – Virginia Long

  • Birth – 24 November 1863 in Rochester, Sangamon County, Illinois
  • Marriage – Edgar Gilman Morrison on 18 June 1884 in Christian County, Illinois
  • Death – 28 September 1923 in Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma
  • Daughters:
    • Clara Noi Morrison born 1886
    • Edwina Morrison (see above)
    • Virginia Clara Morrison (Harrison) born 1896
      • Patricia Harrison (Atkinson) born 1917

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Maternal Great Great Grandmother – Eliza Anna Rice

  • Birth – 29 March 1838 in Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky
  • Marriage – Benjamin Franklin Long on 17 April 1862 in Taylorville, Christian County, Illinois
  • Death – 29 October 1922
  • Daughters:
    • Virginia Long (see above)

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Maternal Great Great Great Grandmother – Julia Fallis

  • Birth – 5 June 1800 in St. Charles, St. Charles County, Missouri
  • Marriage – William F Rice on 23 January 1820 in Henry County, Illinois
  • Death – 1 March 1871
  • Daughters:
    • Sarah C. Rice born 1830
    • Ellen A Rice born 1834
    • Eliza A Rice (see above)

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Maternal Great Great Great Great Grandmother – Edna Simmons

  • Birth – 12 February 1779 in Berkley, Norfolk County, Virginia
  • Marriage – George Fallis on 15 February 1798 in Virginia
  • Death – 1860 in Pleasureville, Henry County, Kentucky
  • Daughters:
    • Julia Fallis (see above)
    • Susanna Fallis born 1806
    • Eleanor Scott Fallis born 1808
    • Nellie Fallis born 1808
    • Sarah Simmons Fallis born 1812
    • Elizabeth Ann Fallis born 1814
    • Nancy Martin Fallis born 1817
    • Edna Franklin Fallis born 1819
    • Amanda Franklin Fallis born 1822

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Maternal Great Great Great Great Great Grandmother – Julia N Etheridge

  • Birth – 1765 in Currituck County, North Carolina
  • Marriage – Jesse Simmons in 1782 in Currituck County, North Carolina
  • Death – 1794 in Halifax County, North Carolina
  • Daughters:
    • Edna Simmons (see above)
    • Sarah Ann Simmons born 1786
    • Charity Simmons born 1791

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Maternal Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandmother – Mary Williams

  • Birth – 1730 in Currituck, Edgecombe County, North Carolina
  • Marriage – Amos Etheridge in 1750 in Currituck, Currituck County, North Carolina
  • Death – 1789 in Currituck, North Carolina
  • Daughters:
    • Julia N Etheridge (see above)
    • Dinah Etheridge
    • Ann Etheridge

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