This has turned out to be an exciting year for Canton research. I have not personally done a great deal of ‘paper research’ because I really had to give my energies to moving house in quite exacting circumstances. In the middle of all that, I happened to read the most recent article by Susan C. Meates about DNA-tests and genealogy (references are in one of the newsletters I sent and will be repeated on this blog soon). This really inspired me as it showed how DNA testing of the Y-chromosome (passed through the male line only, from father to son, normally with a common surname) could help to overcome the lack of early written sources.
Susan has her ear to the ground on these things and had noticed that the registered surnames of many Guild members were already taken as DNA projects, sometimes by people who had no great interest in the name apart from wanting to trace their personal line. She showed how it was possible to set up a project even if you didn’t have time to activate it at once, so I took a deep breath, read lots more, then set up a project with Family Tree DNA.
By October, finally settled in our new home, other factors contributed to make me activate the project. While sorting my papers I was observing how many once-strong Canton lines were dying out. I can immerse myself in Cantons of, say, the nineteenth century, finding out things which make them come alive to me, yet - it seemed - losing track of the fact that male survivors of several once-robust lines can be counted on one hand. Once a line has expired, that’s it, and it’s too late to hope that DNA tests will come to the rescue.
I sent (at least) three long newsletters, covering most aspects of the Project, and I worried that the recipients would either be bored or, worse, that the letters would end up in trash folders - though I sent attachments by blind copy, such things often don’t get through filters and the like. However, I have been delighted that three male Cantons replied very quickly to say they would take part - I can’t say how much this has been appreciated. At the time of writing, all have applied for tests, two have received and returned the kits, and the third kit is even now winging its way from USA to UK. Results take something like 5-7 weeks to come through and we have Christmas in the middle … However, they should be available quite early in the new year and they can be seen at https://www.familytreedna.com/surname_join.aspx?code=B79774&special=True
To avoid the problems of e-mail newsletters, I have gone over to this blog-format as a means of communicating with everyone, so I will write something about the test results here as well.
I have found it very useful to go to the FTDNA homepage and search for other surnames in my family. If you find one of your names, it’s worth checking the link to that webpage, where you should see examples of test results. For instance, in the further reaches of my Pembrokeshire family are ancestors called CODD (Bosherston and thereabouts in 18C). There is a Codd DNA Project, with only a few tests in as yet but some striking results. And, by the way, their history is not too dissimilar to that of the PEM Cantons.
Today I have taken advantage of a new facility of the Guild of One-Name Studies to publicise the Canton Surname Project. You can see this at www.one-name.org/members/register.shtml and click on DNA websites. An important publicity advance is that on 1 Jan 2008 Susan Meates will have an article on the subject of the Guild of One-Name Studies in a top US and Canadian genealogical journal. There is more and more interest in this subject, thousands more people visiting such sites as FTDNA and, we hope, coming across the CSP.
However, we still badly need more people to come forward from my existing Canton network, especially because their basic modern genealogy is usually well-established, and against this we can evaluate the new DNA information. I have personally been scribbling (well, typing) like mad, spreading the word, not just around my (now few) male Canton cousins but also around their sisters, aunts and cousins. Please reflect on your relations and how you could do the same!
If this has an end of year feel about it, that is deliberate as I shall be away from home three times between now and the end of December. I shall be checking my e-mails every two or three days, either at home or away, so will not be right out of touch, but this blog will be quiet for a while - unless you contribute, which would be very welcome. (I will gladly make an exception if we have new tests or results to report.)
In the new year I plan to cover more general Canton news, new family history sources, some specific Canton lines and variants of the surname.
I do hope that you will enjoy looking at A Canton Christmas Card on this blog.
Seasons greetings and all good wishes,
Sheila