DNA Results

Haplogroup:
A substitution of 1 molecule for another of about the same size would create a different Haplogroup. This is a major mutation and can be thought of as the hour hand on a genetic clock.

The fucia Pidcocks are descendants of William Hazelgrove Pidcock. Descendants of 3 of his four wives have tested and a Y-DNA signature for William Hazelgrove Pidcock is emerging. Their genealogy indicates they emigrated from Nottinghamshire and they are seeking other descendants of Nottinghamshire Pidcocks to confirm the connection.

The yellow Pidcoes descend from Emanuel Pidcock, who was born in 1742 in Bucks Co. but moved to Lycoming Co. PA. The name change took place with his sons, Benjamin and Moses’ descendants; however,
William Pidcock, a brother, retained the Pidcock name and moved to Ohio in the 1830’s. They seek descendents of all sons to confirm the Pidcoe/Pidcock connection.

The apricot & lime green Pidcock lineages both trace back to the marriage of John (Pydcoke) Pidcock and Mary Mee (nee Bradley) on Nov. 17, 1701 at Holy Trinity, Ratcliffe on Soar in Notinghamshire, England. The branches descend from John Pydcocke’s great grandson, George’s sons: John and Richard. The Y-DNA signatures of the modern day descendents of John and Richard indicate they are not related through a direct male line. Some where in the 4 or more generations since George Pidcock’s birth in 1783 at least 1 undocumented conception has occurred, differentiating the branches. Another undocumented conception in either the common lineage up through George’s birth or in the other descendant’s branch may explain why neither branch matches the Y-DNA of the 3 clusters of Pidcocks.

The gold Pitcock lineage may trace back to the Pidcock lineage from the marriage of John (Pydcoke) Pidcock and Mary Mee (nee Bradley) on Nov. 17, 1701 at Holy Trinity, Ratcliffe on Soar in Notinghamshire, England. This linage is documented for Kenneth Maltby Pidcock. Thomas Clinton Pitcock & Doelph James Pitcock match each other 37/37 indicating they share a relatively recent common ancestor. If they share a common ancestor with Kenneth Maltby Pidcock, it was long ago because they differ from him on a number of sites (many of which are known to have a high mutation rate).

They all descend from John Pydcocke’s great grandson, George’s sons: John and Richard. The Y-DNA signatures of the modern day descendents of John and Richard indicate they are not related through a direct male line. Some where in the 4 or more generations since George Pidcock’s birth in 1783 at least 1 undocumented conception has occurred, differentiating the branches.

The turquoise American Pitcocks & Pidcocks clearly descend from a branch of the Derbyshire Pidcocks. Their genealogy was lost crossing the ocean. They seek genealogical information about possible emigrant ancestors and may have found him in William Pidcock who arrive in Burlington NJ in 1679 on the Friends Adventure. Testing of markers 26-37 will help characterize each branch of this family.

The cyan American Pidcocks descend from 3 different sons of Jonathan Pidcock, the grandson of 17th century Bucks Co, Pennsylvania settler, John Pidcock. They lack pedigree and DNA matches across the ocean. This family’s DNA mutated quickly over 250 years. FamilytreeDNA, whose probabilities are based on observed marker mutations overall, recognised that the Benjamin->Alan line (32652) is closely related to the Charles->Frank line (32782) and to the Thomas->Joseph line (37888). However, it did not recognise that the 32782 and 37888 lines are equally closely related to each other. It predicted a likelihood of a common ancestor within 300 years as only 29%. More participants with roots in Pennsylvania/NJ are needed to understand the breadth of variation in this family, so they will be able to recognise a transatlantic match when one occurs. This group contains 2 mysteries: From which son is participant 70937 descended? and Is participant N20262 descended from a Pidcock or from another family whose ancestors were kindred to Pidcocks before surnames were assigned?

It was a surprise to find different Pidcock/Pitcock families in America. Do English Pidcocks, who have lived side-by-side for centuries also descend from distinctly different families? More participants are needed to learn how quickly mutation occurs within each family and determine whether the R1b Pidcocks / Pitcocks/ Pidcoes are actually 1 family with a fragile Y chromosome subject to frequent mutation as is seen in the “blue” Pidcocks.

Haplogroups Haplogroup identifies the migration group of our ancient ancestors.
‘R1b’ is the most common haplogroup in European populations. It is believed to have expanded throughout Europe as humans re-colonized after the last glacial maximum 10-12 thousand years ago.

The’I’ lineage is nearly completely restricted to northwestern Europe. It is believed to have originated in the Paleolithic in Central Europe and moved northwest. The Anglo-Saxons and Vikings are products of the ‘I’ haplogroup. About 65% of Brits are in Haplogroup ‘R1b’ and 22% in ‘I’ (Surnames, Genes and the History of Britain, M.A. Jobling).
The Central-Eastern part of England experienced the most continental introgression. Danish Vikings operated in this region.

No matter how closely the DNA marker counts match, individuals from different Haplogroups are not closely related. Their DNA just happens to have mutated to a common pattern over the centuries. This is called ‘genetic Drift’.

Surnames Surnames came into common use about 1,000 years ago. In the United Kingdom (very un-united at that time), people chose names based on profession (Smith, Wright, Baker, Cooper, …), color (Black, White, …), Given name (Thomas, Thompson, Jack, Jackson, …, Pydda?), local (Dale, Lowe, …). People with the same DNA pattern could pick totally different surnames because their professions or first names differed.

The first 12 Y chromosome markers tested by familytreeDNA have a slow mutation rate. So, it is possible to have an exact match or be off by just 1 or 2 mutations from someone with a different last name. This could indicate a common ancestor before surnames were established.

A near match (0-2) of 25 or 37 markers between people with different surnames invites other possibilities such as ‘false paternity’ (adoption, illegitimacy) or simply genetic drift.

Now what about the other case, people with the same surname but different DNA? If the difference is >2 in the first 12 markers, it may be a case of genetically different people choosing the same surname based on a common profession (Baker, Smith) or given name. But how common is it for one family to name themselves after their pied-cock? let alone several totally separate families?

It may also be the case, that an individual was ‘adopted’ by a group, and always considered a part of the family, way back then. In that case, only now is the genetic distinction revealed.

Another possibility, is a change in surname at the time of immigration. The names of immigrants are some times mis-read/spelled/heard or otherwise mangled and changed at port of entry. Also, a young man making a fresh start in a new land or on the frontier, might choose for himself the surname of someone unrelated, whom he loved or respected.

Please send other possible explanations.

Click here for possible sources of our name.

So, how do you find the non-Pidcocks/Pitcocks who are near matches?

On your familytreeDNA personal page, under the SetupPreferences tab, for Please choose your preference for matching purposes: if you set “I want my matches to be set against the entire database”, then the fact that you are a near match will appear under other people’s “Haplogroup” and “Recent Ethnic Origins” tabs, anonymously. If you match, you will also appear under their “Y-DNA matches tab” with your email address.

The Y-search public database offers a way to compare your DNA results with other people only a few mutations away. These individuals may have shown up anonymously on your “Recent Ethnic Roots” or “Haplogroup” pages. They may also have had their DNA tested elsewhere. It is easy to upload your DNA results to Y-search (so others can find you) from your familytreeDNA Y-DNA matches page. Uploading your pedigree (GEDCOM file) is optional.

FamilytreeDNA provides a prediction tool, FTDNATiP , of how far back a common ancestor would have occurred with different degrees of probability. This is helpful for isolating the time frame when different branches of a family separated genetically. It can also be used to isolate the time frame of “false-paternity” events that would result in individuals with different DNA sharing a last name. Descendents tracing their roots back to a common ancestor born after the event share a common DNA pattern, those from ancestors before the event do not. Likewise, in comparing results between individuals with similar DNA but different names, it can predict the window in which the “false paternity” event occurred.

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