Monday, November 20, 2023

Family Tree DNA Black Friday Sale 2023

The Family Tree DNA Black Friday Sale runs from November 20th through November 30th this year. If you are thinking about taking a DNA test, these are great prices, especially the Y-37 and Big Y-700 sale prices. If you want to take a test and have any questions, let me know. Here are the prices for all of FTDNA's DNA tests for this sale:



Sunday, November 19, 2023

Summary of Ackley Surname Project as of November 2023

It has been a while since I have written a summary of the data from the Ackley Surname Project at Family Tree DNA. We've had some new results recently that I have not yet reported on. This post is quite long, but I thought it was important to take a comprehensive look at what we know about the various groups of Ackley men who have joined the project.

STR Testing - Description and Results

Before jumping into STR testing results, a little refresher on STR testing is in order. Family Tree DNA offers three levels of Short Tandem Repeat (STR) testing: Y-37, Y-67, and Y-111. It is not necessary to understand all of the science behind this testing, but a few words on the basics might be helpful for understanding how these tests are used. According to the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG):  “A short tandem repeat (STR) in DNA occurs when a pattern of two or more nucleotides are repeated and the repeated sequences are directly adjacent to each other.” [1] According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH): “A nucleotide is one of the structural components, or building blocks, of DNA and RNA. A nucleotide consists of a base (one of four chemicals: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C)) plus a molecule of sugar and one of phosphoric acid.” [2] STR testing counts the number of repeats on specific segments of Y DNA (called markers), which are designated by the letters “DYS” followed by a number. The marker values for two men are compared, and if the number of non-matching markers (a measure known as genetic distance) falls below established thresholds, there is a high likelihood the two men are related. We have used Y-37 STR testing in the Ackley Surname Project to determine group membership; i.e., to check if a tester is in the group of Nicholas Ackley descendants or a member of some other group.

The table below gives a list of all men in the project who have tested at the Y-37 level or higher. Although most of the members carry the Ackley surname and are descendants of Nicholas Ackley, we have a number of other men with similar surnames who have joined to see if they might be related to the Ackley surname. The testers are grouped by surname and color-coded for easy identification in later data tables. I realize the font in these pictures is quite small, but you can click on any table/picture to open a larger version. Note that the Nicholas Ackley descendants are divided into two subgroups; the men colored in darker orange are descendants whose connections to Nicholas Ackley are known, while those in lighter orange are men whose connections to Nicholas are not known, but are presumed to be descendants because they match all of the other Nicholas descendants whose relationships are known. The descendancy column shows how each tester descends from their earliest known ancestor.

Among the light orange group are men who are members of what has become known as the "New Jersey Line" (kit numbers 938425, 947514, and 950608); they are descendants of Daniel Ackley of New Jersey. While the exact line of descendancy from Nicholas is not known, we now know from Y-DNA SNP testing that they are likely descended from Nicholas's son Samuel. Likewise, kit number B16608 belongs to a man who is a descendant of Lewis Ackley, who is the progenitor of what is known as the "Ohio Line". See this post for a discussion of these two lines.






As mentioned above, relatedness between two men is measured by genetic distance. In theory, the higher the genetic distance, the less chance two men are related. The table below shows the degree of relatedness based on the number of markers tested and the calculated genetic distance.




Note that at 37 markers, any two men whose genetic distance is greater than 5 are considered "Not Related". FTDNA does not report genetic distances greater than 5, so I used a program called Still Another Phylogeny Program (SAPP) [4] to calculate genetic distances between all men in the project at 37 markers, which are shown in the table below. Note that there are many genetic distance cells that are red, indicating that the men being compared are not related. Most of these cells occur for comparisons between men who have different surnames; i.e., Ackley vs. Hackley, etc. There are a few exceptions, which will be discussed in more detail below.  Also note that the genetic distances in all red cells are greater than 30, further validating the conclusion that the groups are unrelated to each other.



Ackley Men Who Are Not Descendants of Nicholas

As mentioned above, there are a few men with the Ackley surname in the project who are not descendants of Nicholas based on their Y-37 test results. The first group of these are men who are descendants of Johan Hendrick Eckler whose ancestors changed their surname to Ackley (darker brown grouping toward the top of the table). We have three project members in this group. A more complete discussion of the Eckler-Ackler-Ackley group can be found in this blog post.

We also have two Ackley men with English heritage who have tested and are not related to the U.S. Ackley men or to each other (lighter brown grouping at the bottom of the table). One of these men was born in England and has a paper trail of English ancestors. The other was born in Australia, but his father was born in England and also has a paper trail of English ancestors. For more information on these men, see the posts here and here.

The newest members of the project are two men who have the Ackley surname, but turn out not to be descendants of Nicholas Ackley. The Ackley line of descent for the first of these new testers is: 

Jacob Ackley (1764-1840) -> Samuel Jacob Ackley (1794-1874) -> James Lawrence Ackley (1823-1918) -> Elmer Ellsworth Ackley (1861-1946) -> Keith Ellsworth Ackley (1905-1999) -> Kit 998479

This man does not match any of the other Ackley men in the project, but somewhat surprisingly he does match two men with the Ackerly surname in the project (grouped with them in the aqua grouping at the top of the table). I have seen plenty of evidence in paper records (mostly England census) where the two names seem to have been used interchangeably for the same family over different census years. In those cases it is always difficult to know which of the names is the "correct" name. It is entirely possible that the two names originated in England as a single name (I don't know if Ackley or Ackerly was the original name) that split when they came to America. More testing and more research is needed to sort this out.

The line of descent for the second of the new testers is:

Benjamin Ackley (1758-1835) -> Benjamin Ackley (1810-1857) -> Uriah Ackley (1852-1928) -> Edward Ackley (1871-1946) -> Willard Ackley (1892-1967) -> Rexford Ackley (1913-2007) -> Private->Kit 1001089

This family lived in Bradford County, Pennsylvania for many generations. Some of the records for the earlier generations spell the name as Ackla or Acla rather than Ackley; as usual it is hard to know if those are misspellings or if the name was originally Ackla and gradually became Ackley. This tester did not match any of the other men in the project with any surname (grouped with the two UK men in the light brown group at the bottom of the table). As with the previous tester, more testing and research is needed.


SNP Testing - Description and Results

While STR testing has been used to test group membership as discussed above, we have used SNP testing to define the Ackley branches on the Y haplotree (sometimes known as the "Tree of Mankind"). This approach has been helpful in defining genetic branches for the sons of Nicholas Ackley, which in turn has helped some project members refine their genealogy research. SNP testing identifies Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. From Family Search: “A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP is pronounced snip) is a DNA sequence variation occurring when a single nucleotide - adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), or guanine (G) in the genome (or other shared sequence) differs between members of a species or paired chromosomes in an individual.” [3] For example, the substitution of a C for a G in the nucleotide sequence AACGAT, producing the sequence AACCAT, is a SNP. The Big Y test examines over 700,000 locations on the Y chromosome looking for SNPs. SNPs found are compared to a known, named list of over 260,000 SNPs (named variants in FTDNA terminology), and the individual is placed in the tree at the lowest (most recent) named variant for which he has tested positive. The FTDNA SNP test is known as the Big Y-700 test.

Of the 19 men in the Nicholas Ackley group, 12 have done a Big Y test. The results of these 12 tests have created a branch on the Y haplotree for Nicholas and sub-branches for 3 of his 4 sons who had male children. We have not yet had a descendant of Nicholas's son Thomas join the project. A fifth son, Nathaniel, does not appear to have had any children. FTDNA uses a graphic known as a block tree to represent branches of the haplotree. Here is the block tree for the Nicholas Ackley branch and sub-branches:


I have labeled the blocks (branches) for Nicholas and his sons Samuel, John, and James, and replaced the names of the testers with their kit numbers to protect their privacy. The combinations of letters and numbers in each of the blocks represent the SNPs that a given set of testers have tested positive for. If there are multiple SNPs in a block, that means that current testing has not been able to differentiate the time of formation of that group of SNPs and they are considered equivalent. Typically one of the equivalent SNPs is chosen to name the branch represented by the block of equivalent SNPs. For example, R-FGC52286 is the current name for the large blue block at the top of the block tree that represents Nicholas. 

All testers below each block are positive for all of the SNPs in that block. Thus, the 12 Big Y testers from our project whose kit numbers are listed above were all positive for R-FGC52286 and the other equivalent SNPs in the Nicholas block. Moving down the tree, there are 5 testers who are positive for R-FTA24085, which we have been able to identify as the "Samuel Branch" based on traditional genealogy research.

Note that below R-FTA24085, block R-FT165378 spans only 3 of the 5 kits that have been identified as descendants of Samuel. This means that the 3 kits under that block (947514, 938425, and 950608) have tested positive for R-FT165378, while the other two kits (938369 and 938816) were negative for R-FT165378. The implication of this is that the 3 men under R-FT165378 must share an ancestor in which the mutation represented by that SNP formed, while the 2 men who do not have that mutation do not share that ancestor. The three men who are positive for R-FT165378 are in the "New Jersey Line" discussed previously. Although we know who their most recent common ancestor is (Jehu Ackley, see "Descendants of Samuel" family tree below), at this point we cannot label the R-FT165378 block with his name since we can't tell if the SNP formed in Jehu or some other ancestor between him and Samuel.

Going down one more level in the Samuel block, there is yet another block, R-FTA50958, which spans only two of the three kits under the R-FT65378 block. This again reflects the fact that the two men under that block (947514 and 938425) tested positive for the SNP known as R-FTA50958, while the other kit under R-FT65378 was not positive for R-FTA50958. The relationship between these two men is uncle and nephew, and the common ancestor between them is the father of kit #947514 and grandfather of kit #938425 (Paul on the "Descendants of Samuel" family tree below). We can in fact label this branch the "Paul Branch" on the tree, and we would expect any other descendants of Paul who do a Big Y test to fall under that branch.

The "John Branch" does not yet have any sub-branches below it because all 3 testers on that branch are closely related; in fact they are a father and two sons, and they are all positive for the same SNPs. As other descendants of John test, we would expect sub-branches to form under R-BY135594.

Similarly the "James Branch" does not have as many sub-branches as the "Samuel Branch". The two testers under R-FGC52300 are father and son and have defined their own sub-branch under the main branch of R-FT82490, but currently there are no SNPs separating the other two testers under R-FT82490, so we can only conclude that they are both descendants of James from the block tree. 

While the block tree is useful for displaying the relationships between Big Y testers and their haplogroups, it lacks the detail of more traditional family trees. Following are streamlined family trees showing the paternal lines of descent for Nicholas's sons Samuel, John, and James as well as partial trees for 4 men whose relationship to Nicholas is not yet known.








Next Steps


With the number of Big Y testers in the project and their distribution among Nicholas's sons, we now have a good structure to help other testers identify their connection to Nicholas. For example, if any of the four testers whose connections are not currently known were to take a Big Y, there is a high probability that those testers could learn which of Nicholas's sons they descend from. Further, if the right combination of members tested (such as members 648883 and 205619, who are both descendants of Zebulon Ackley), sub-branches could also be defined. As of this writing, two of those four members have recently purchased upgrades to Big Y, and we will soon learn more about their connections to Nicholas Ackley.

Even with the progress we have made, there is more that can be done to grow the Ackley portion of the haplotree. Finding the connection to England is still the highest priority; I will continue to search for English Ackley men and try to persuade them to test. Likewise, I will also search for Ackley men who are descendants of the untested sons of Nicholas's sons to try to define additional sub-branches. The detail provided by these additional branches could be helpful for testers who have not yet identified their exact connection to Nicholas.

Link of the Day


This is a link to an explanation of the Big Y test from FTDNA: https://blog.familytreedna.com/big-y-700/

Quote of the Day


“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” 

—Martin Luther King Jr.


Sources


1. International Society of Genetic Genealogy. "Short Tandem Repeat". ISOGG Website, accessed 25 Feb 2023.

2. National Institutes of Health. "Genetics Review - Nucleotide". National Center for Biotechnology Information Website, accessed 25 Feb 2023.

3. Family Search. "Y-Chromosome Single Nucleotide Polymorphism testing". Family Search Website, accessed 25 Feb 2023.

4. Vance, David. "Still Another Phylogeny Program (SAPP)." Available online at https://www.jdvsite.com/. Accessed 5 Oct 2023.




Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Ackley Family Genealogy Website and One-Name Study Announcement


 

I am writing this post to make readers aware of a website that I put together a few years ago while working with one of the members of the Ackley Surname Project that I administer at Family Tree DNA. After doing a Y-DNA test that led to the discovery that he was a descendant of Johan Hendrick Eckler on a line that had changed their name to Ackley (see this post for a discussion of that line), he put together a family tree for the Eckler/Ackler/Ackley family using a genealogy published by A. Ross Eckler in the 1970s as a starting point. He painstakingly went through the entire genealogy and added every individual to his tree and then expanded many of the lines to more recent generations, adding many sources for each individual along the way. The result is a well-documented, quite comprehensive tree for the Eckler/Ackler/Ackley line

Before discovering the Eckler connection, he had also started work on a tree for the Nicholas Ackley family, using the same meticulousness he had used to build the Eckler/Ackley/Ackley tree. That is to say, he found as many sources as he could to support the individuals he put into the tree, and didn't add anything he couldn't support. He granted me edit permissions to the tree, and I have continued to add individuals with the same care that he used. While this tree is in no way comprehensive at this point, I believe it is a good starting point that will only get better.

Both of these trees were built on Ancestry, and we thought it would be helpful to make them available on a website not tied to any subscription service so that anyone could view them for free. I created a website using the outstanding "The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding" software, and it has been available online for about two and a half years. We didn't publicize it at all because we considered it a work in progress, but it occurred to me that we aren't helping anyone if they don't know about the site and we also can't enlist the help of all you Ackley researchers to make the trees better if you don't know about it.

The web address for the website is:

www.ackleyfamilygenealogy.com

and the home page looks like this:


The header and color scheme should look familiar -- I tried to make it look as much like this blog as possible within the parameters available on each site.

The functionality of the website is pretty self-explanatory. There are several different ways to view the tree structure, and each individual has their own profile page with the usual vital dates and references to supporting sources. Photos and documents for each individual can be viewed on their profile page as well as in a master list of documents and photos that can be accessed from the main menu. In addition to the supporting documentation for each individual, we have uploaded several reference documents that are useful for researching the Ackley surname.

The website currently has only the trees for the Nicholas Ackley family and the Eckler/Ackler/Ackley family. I am in the process of researching British Ackleys and Canadian Ackleys as well as a couple of other U.S. Ackley lines that appear to be unrelated to either of the known U.S. Ackleys. As this research gets further along, I will add trees for these other family groups to the website.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I believe genealogy is more fun when people collaborate. I would love for this website to grow with the help of anyone who is interested in the Ackley surname. If you have pictures, documents, or any other items that you'd be willing to share on the website, please send me an email. Additionally, if you have information on Ackley individuals that are not found in our trees that you would like to share, we would love to have that as well. If it is a large number of individuals, you can share a GEDCOM file with me and I can merge it into one of our existing trees.

Ackley One-Name Study

I have recently registered the Ackley surname with the Guild of One-Name Studies, and the new website announced above will be useful in publishing the information I learn as part of that study. I have already been doing many of the activities typically undertaken in a one-name study, so it seemed like a no-brainer to register the Ackley name and make the data available to a wider audience.

The Guild is based in England, and members are committed to assisting each other with their studies. Although the usual genealogy techniques are used, a one-name study is a bit different from regular genealogy in that all occurrences of a surname are studied rather than just your own line. Here is a description of the elements of a one-name study from the Guild's website:

A One-Name Study (ONS) is a project researching all occurrences of a surname, as opposed to a particular pedigree (ancestors of one person) or descendancy (descendants of one person or couple).

A one-name study may concentrate on aspects such as geographical distribution of the name and the changes in that distribution over the centuries, or it may attempt to reconstruct the genealogy of the lines bearing the surname. A frequent aspiration is to identify a single place of origin for the name, especially if the name appears to derive from a place name.  However, for many names – for example those indicating an occupation like Butcher, or a patronymic-type surname such as Peterson – there will not be a single origin.  Some one-namers also run an associated DNA surname project to assist with the analysis of origins.

The objective of a one-name study is not just the collection of data; collection is a means to an end. A one-name study aims to research the genealogy and family history of all persons with a given surname (and its variants). As part of this, it attempts to ascertain such things as:

    • The origin of the name or early references
    • The name’s meaning: is it patronymic, topographical, toponymic, occupational, etc? Or a mix of these? (See Surnames for more information on this.)
    • Relative frequency
    • Distribution in geography and time
    • Patterns of immigration and emigration
    • Name variants and “deviants” [1]
As I get deeper into the research for this study, I will publish results on this blog.

Quote of the Day


The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. 

--Walt Disney

Link of the Day


This is the link to the Guild of One-Name Studies: https://one-name.org/

Sources


1. Guild of One-Name Studies. "One-Name Studies". Website visited on 19 Jun 2023.





Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Willard Leroy Ackley (1890-1969), Chief of the Sokaogon Band of Chippewas and Nicholas Ackley Descendant

This is the story of Willard Leroy Ackley, who became Chief of the Sokaogon Band of Chippewa Indians in northern Wisconsin. His Chippewa name is Gaabaisgon, which means Walk Around the World.


Chief Willard Leroy Ackley (Gaabaisgon) (photo from Pamela Burley on Ancestry)

Note of Thanks

I am grateful to Stuart Whiteeagle Ackley for reading several drafts of this post and for providing personal memories and insights about Chief Ackley (a man he knew as Uncle Willard) and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community. Stuart recalls Uncle Willard as "a remarkable statesman, even though he was forced into an Indian school run by Catholics in the UP [Upper Peninsula of Michigan].  He spoke English and Ojibwe perfectly and he gave us all Indian names when we celebrated our 1st birthdays." [22]

Stuart also provided the correct spelling for many of the Indian names found in this post. Stuart's great grandfather is Charles Ackley, who was a son of the elder Willard Leroy Ackley (1828-1894), who will be discussed below. Stuart is currently working on a book that tells the story of the Sokaogon Chippewa people.

Ojibwe or Chippewa?


You will see the words Ojibwe and Chippewa used interchangeably in this post. The words are entirely equivalent; Chippewa is the French version of the English word Ojibwe. The Ojibwe call themselves Anishinaabeg, which means "True People" or "Original People". [22], [27]

Ancestry


Willard Leroy Ackley was a descendant of Nicholas Ackley [1]. His line of descent was:





It will be useful to examine the details of Willard's grandfather's life, also named Willard Leroy Ackley, to learn how this branch of the Ackley family came to northern Wisconsin. The elder Willard Ackley was born in Coventry, Chenango County, New York; there are many different birth years given in various sources. In the 1880 census he is listed as 52 years old, which would make his birth year about 1828 [2]. On his headstone his birth year is given as 1818 [3], while the "History of Langlade County" claims he was born around 1830 [4]. Stuart Ackley believes that 1828 is the correct birth year, and that the birth year for his wife is actually 1830, not 1802 as shown on the headstone [22].


Headstone of Willard L. Ackley from Find-A-Grave (photo by Kathleen Engelbretson)


Willard and his brother Adelbert (also known as Elbert) decided to look for opportunities in the west since their older brother Jesse would inherit the family farm. In 1844, when Willard was just 16 and Elbert was 21, t
hey traveled by horse and wagon from their home to the Erie Canal and then took a steamship through the Great Lakes from Buffalo, New York.  They cruised to Milwaukee, and then went to work on a farm in Fort Atkinson as farm hands on a farm that was owned by a friend of the family who had been in Wisconsin for about 10 years [22].

After Willard and Elbert had been working on the farm for about 4 years, they attended a dance to celebrate Wisconsin’s statehood, which was granted in May, 1848.  Elbert met a young woman named Margaret Baldwin and they were  married Christmas Day, 1848. Willard Ackley and his friend John Hogarty decided to go to northern Wisconsin to try their hand at logging. Their partnership was fruitful, and they opened a trading post near their logging area that served the Sokaogon Chippewa tribe [22].

Willard was the first white settler in Langlade County. At the trading post, he met an Indian woman named Mejawaanokwe, who was the daughter of Chief Migiizi (Great Eagle), chief of the Sokaogon Chippewa Band.  Her name means “the sound of wind through the forest” and the above is the proper spelling of Ma-Dwa-Ji-Was-No-Quay shown on the headstone above (she was also known as Mary). Mejawaanokwe, who had a young son, Missabe (which means Giant), had become a widow when the boy's father, Nitoonosk, (who was a messenger for Chief Migiizi) had burned his foot at a treaty signing in 1847 and died of sepsis. Mejawaankowe and Willard were married in a tribal marriage ceremony in spring 1850 [22].  

The couple, along with Mejawaanokwe's two brothers were victims of the Sandy Lake Tragedy of 1850, also known as the Chippewa Trail of Tears. The federal government was trying to relocate the Chippewa Indians to the west of the Mississippi River, and devised a scheme that they hoped would effect the move that the Chippewa had so far resisted. The government informed the various Chippewa bands that the location for their annuity distribution specified by treaty agreements had been changed from LaPointe, Madeline Island in northern Wisconsin to Sandy Lake, Minnesota. They were told by the Indian Agent, John Watrous, to arrive in October for their payment and goods. According to the plan, once they arrived at Sandy Lake, Alexander Ramsey, territorial governor of Minnesota, would delay the payments until the waterways froze over, forcing the Chippewa to remain in Minnesota. [23]

Most of the Wisconsin Chippewa canoed there on waterways, such as the Eau Claire River and others.  But when they got to Sandy Lake, there was just a US Army person there; the agent with the money and goods was tied up (on purpose) in St. Louis. There was little food and much of it was bad and sickened many Indians. Mejawaanokwe’s brother, Ni-gog died of chicken pox while they were waiting. Many other Indians died there from other common diseases.  The Indian agent didn’t show up until late December, and he didn’t have all the money that was promised. Winter had come early and most of the rivers that had taken them to Sandy Lake were now frozen, so they had to walk back to their homes.  Many more lives were lost (about 400 in total), including Mejawaanokwe’s brother Wabizhkibanase (White Eagle) from exposure as they traversed the woods to get home. [22]

Willard and Mejawaanokwe had two sons, Charles Ackley (born in 1857) and DeWitt Charles Ackley (born in 1851). Mejawaanokwe's son Missabe took the name Edward Ackley. Dewitt first married Annie (Biimoseegiighizikwe) the daughter of Wilhelm Dinesen and his Indian housekeeper. They had two sons Albert Leroy and James William Ackley born in 1875 and 1876 respectively.  No one knows what happened to Annie, but Dewitt married a ¾ Indian woman name Phyliss Lorraine Johnson in 1888. They had nine children together, the eldest of whom is Willard Leroy Ackley [22]. 

Interesting side note: Wilhelm Dinesen was a Danish man who came to America to live among the Indians. He built a cabin near the Sokaogon, and fathered a daughter. He only lived near Mole Lake for a couple of years before returning to Denmark.  He is also the father of author Karen Blixen, who went by the pseudonym Isak Dinesen [22]. Isak Dinesen is the author of Out of Africa, Seven Gothic Tales, Shadows on the Grass, and Babette's Feast [24].

Tribal History


According to Sokaogon legend, "Family clans migrated from eastern Canada to Madeline Island [in northern Wisconsin in Lake Superior] a thousand years ago, led by a vision that their journey would end in a land where the 'food grows on water' - Manoomin or wild rice. The Sokaogon Chippewa Community's journey ended here in this area of abundant wild rice." [5]

The Sokaogon Chippewa Community became known as the "Lost Tribe" in the mid-1850s. The Chiefs preceding Willard, who were his ancestors, negotiated a series of treaties with the government that were to have given them land for a reservation. Chief Wabesheshi, or the Great Marten, signed various treaties in 1826, 1837, 1842, and 1847 that ceded their land to the federal government in exchange for payments of cash and various goods to the Sokaogon people, but no land they could call home. His successor, Chief Migiizi, signed additional treaties in 1854 and 1855 that would have finally given the Sokaogon band possession of the land they so desperately needed. The proposed reservation was to have been about 12 square miles in area (about 7,600 acres). However, the legal title to the reservation from the treaty of 1854 was lost when the agent who was sent to Washington to confirm the treaty drowned in a shipwreck on Lake Superior. Without the legal documents confirming their right to the land, the Sokaogon Chippewa Band was denied their land, and they became the "Lost Tribe" with no place to call home. The fight to obtain what was rightfully theirs would continue for almost 80 years until Chief Willard Leroy Ackley finally secured the land in the 1934 Reorganization Act [5], [13], [15]. 

Willard Leroy Ackley


Willard Leroy Ackley was born in a traditional Ojibwe wigwam on the shores of Bishop Lake in Forest County, Wisconsin [5]. His birthday is consistently listed as December 25th, but the year varies from source to source. The Sokaogon Community website gives his birth year as 1889 [5], his death certificate gives 1885 [6], and the Indian Census for 1937 gives 1890 [7].

Willard was the last hereditary Chief of the Sokaogon Chippewa. His 2nd great grandfather, Wabesheshi, was chief in the early 19th century when many of the treaties mentioned above were signed. His son Migiizi became chief when Wabesheshi died. Chief Migiizi signed the treaties of 1854 and 1855, and lived for only a few more years after that. His son, Waabizhkibanasee became chief next, and he took up the cause of getting the land that was promised to his father, to no avail. When he died, John Seymour (Wambash) became chief, and Edward Ackley (Missabe), son of Mejawaanokwe (wife of Willard Leroy Ackley, Sr.) was made chief when Wambash passed. Missabe again took up the cause of securing the reservation for his people, and in 1925 travelled to Washington to promote the cause. He too was unsuccessful, and died in 1927. His brother, Dewitt Ackley, was to become chief upon Edward's death, but he was ill and signed a release of chieftainship and passed the role to his son Willard Leroy Ackley. Willard assumed the role of chief in 1929. [13], [15]

Willard was a carpenter by trade, and helped build many of the homes that replaced the wigwams around Mole Lake [14]. He was also regarded as an expert in many Ojibwe customs. He taught many of these customs to the community, including the use of traditional plant medicines, hunting and fishing, and the creation of birch bark crafts [5]. His greatest achievement was his leadership in securing the reservation land for his people after a long, relentless struggle with the bureaucracy of the U.S. government.

Chief Ackley began his efforts to build a better life for his people working with Congressman George J. Schneider, who in 1930 introduced a bill to appropriate funds for an investigation into the living conditions and tribal rights of Native Americans. It was agreed that the "Lost Tribe" would be the first group to be investigated. Congressman Schneider's goal was for the federal government to purchase land, perhaps as much as 40 acres per member, and turn it over to the Sokaogon Chippewas [18]. A census of the tribe was taken, but nothing concrete came of Chief Ackley and Congressman Schneider's efforts. Chief Ackley was undeterred, and continued corresponding with the government trying to get real solutions for his people [13].

In 1934, Willard met with John Collier, head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs under President Franklin Roosevelt, to discuss the Indian Reorganization Act, also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act or the Indian New Deal. The act was designed to give Native Americans greater control over their lands, establish their own tribal constitutions, and set up their own local governments. It also provided much-needed funding for healthcare and schools on reservations [16]. During the meeting, Collier asked Chief Ackley where the Sokaogon Chippewas wanted to establish their reservation, and Chief Ackley told him that they desired the area around Rice Lake because of the availability of wild rice as a food source. Collier agreed that the government would buy the land [13]. In 1937, an area of 1,745 acres was purchased and the Mole Lake Reservation was established. A constitution was accepted in October, 1938 [17].

Chief Ackley continued to fight for his people even after he secured reservation lands for the tribe in 1937. In 1944, he testified before a Congressional committee that was investigating the conditions on Indian lands throughout the country. Although the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 had helped his people tremendously, he knew there was much more that needed to be done. He talked about the need for more land, specifically timberland, and the requirements for financial aid, a school, and a hospital on the reservation [13]. He also led the efforts to get electricity supplied to the reservation in 1947 and a new waterworks in 1967 [14].

Chief Willard Ackley died on 2 Nov 1969, but his legacy continues to live on. Chief Willard Ackley Day is celebrated every year on the Friday before Christmas (which was his birthday) [8]. According to Fred Ackley, Willard's nephew, "'He was a true leader of the people. He represented the Great Spirit, and everything that's good about Indian people,' Fred said. 'He taught myself and many others what it means to be a good person - to be a good human being. Through him our Tribe has survived.'" [5]

The Sokaogon Chippewa Community


Members of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community continue to live and work on the tribal lands secured through the lifelong efforts of Chief Ackley. Here is a map showing all of the tribal lands for the various tribes in Wisconsin:

Map from Wisconsin First Nations Website [9]

The Mole Lake Ojibwe Reservation can be found in the northeast part of the state, and is by far the smallest of the reservation areas in Wisconsin. In 2020, the Mole Lake Indian Reservation was 2.94 square miles; there is also an additional 2.16 square miles  of off-reservation trust land [11]. Off-reservation trust land is land outside a reservation held by the Interior Department for the benefit of a Native American tribe or a member of a tribe. Off-reservation trust lands are typically used for housing, agriculture or forestry, and community services such as health care and education. The total population of the reservation and off-reservation trust land in the 2020 census was 507 [12].

Much of the economic activity on the reservation comes from the Mole Lake Casino Lodge. According to a local newspaper:

"The introduction of bingo and casinos drastically altered unemployment on the reservation from 80% to 10% in just a few years. It helped to reduce the need of federal dependency for many tribal members. Today the tribe plans to utilize much of its revenue by spending it on cultural restoration projects, environmental planning of the resources, education of its members and social programs that enhance the general health of the tribe." [8]


Below is a close-up map of the reservation boundaries (the yellow portion of the map).


Note that there are three lakes on or bordering the reservation. Bishop Lake, where Willard was born, is the lake to the west. The small lake to the south is Mole Lake, and the larger lake completely within the borders of the reservation is Rice Lake. The wild rice (the Ojibwe word is manoomin) that grows on Rice Lake was an important factor in the choice of this area for the site of the Mole Lake Reservation. According to a recent article in a local newspaper:

"When the government forced the original inhabitants of northern Wisconsin, the Ojibwe, onto reservations a fraction of the size of their territory almost 200 years ago, tribal leaders knew exactly which tracts of land would be best for their people.

They chose areas that had the best lakes and wetlands that produced wild rice unique to this part of the world.

'When the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) agent came to ask why we chose this place for our reservation, our chief showed him a handful of wild rice,' said Peter McGeshick III, a rice chief with the Sokaogon Community of Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who has been harvesting rice for more than 50 years on the reservation in Forest County in northeast Wisconsin." [10]

Wild rice harvesting remains an important part of the Sokaogon culture, and the Sokaogon Community sponsors a manoomin camp to teach the traditional harvesting techniques to local youth. Most of the rice is harvested for home and ceremonial use.

Arlyn Ackley, Jr. and a manoomin camper harvest rice on the reservation [10]

Modern times have brought some modern problems for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community. In 1975, a large zinc-copper sulfide deposit was discovered adjacent to the Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa Reservation. The Exxon Minerals Company was planning to mine about 55 million tons of sulfide ore during the 30 year life of the project [19]. As is the case with many projects of this type, the positive economic benefits of the project were pitted against the negative environmental impacts to the area. 

The Sokaogon Chippewa Community was especially concerned about the impacts on groundwater and the lakes and rivers in the area, as well as the potential to disturb ancient burial sites. A 28-year fight over the project ensued, and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community joined a coalition of sports fishermen, environmentalists, and the Potawatomi, Menominee, and Mohican tribes to oppose the mine. The conflict played out in the press and the courts, including a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that the concept of "Treatment as a State" status for Indian nations applied to setting and enforcing environmental standards. This meant the tribes could set their own, potentially far more restrictive limits than those of the state Department of Natural Resources, essentially meaning a potential Crandon mine would have to be completely free of pollution [20]. This made the project economically unviable for the mining company, and in 2003, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community and Forest County Potawatomi Tribe joined together and bought the proposed mine site and the mineral and timber rights for $16.5 million using casino revenues. The tribes have no plans to mine the mineral deposits [21].

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Ojibwe became embroiled in a controversy over fishing and hunting rights. In the treaties of 1837 and 1842 mentioned above, they had retained their rights to hunt, fish, and gather wild rice and maple sap on the lands they had ceded to the federal government. In the years following those treaties, the tribe and the state of Wisconsin argued almost continuously about those rights, including whether the rights extended to all land ceded to the government or only land on reservations. The fight finally came to a head in 1983 when a federal appeals court in Chicago "asserted that Wisconsin had no rights to regulate fishing on Ojibwe reservations and, more importantly, that the 1837 and 1842 treaties guaranteed Ojibwe rights to hunt and fish off their reservations without being bound by state regulations. This decision, commonly called the Voigt Decision, was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court that same year." [25]

The court win did not end the controversy. As the Ojibwe began to exercise their rights, non-Indian sports fisherman began to protest. 

"They believed the federal court had given the Ojibwe special privileges. Whites also complained that the Ojibwe were allowed to harvest fish using methods employed by their ancestors but which were illegal for other fishermen. For centuries, the Ojibwe used torches on the ends of their canoes to attract fish and then speared them. The Ojibwe continued to use this method but used flashlights, metal spears, and aluminum boats." [25]

The protests turned ugly, and at times were racist and violent. Protesters showed up at boat landings, harassing tribal members, including throwing rocks and full cans of beer at the Ojibwe fishermen. The protests sprang from a complete ignorance of the customs of the Ojibwe and lack of understanding that the practice had been part of their culture for hundreds of years. As Wayne LaBine, an Ojibwe fisherman put it, "I never thought that people could be so cruel about fish and not recognizing somebody’s culture and how they did things. I mean, we’ve been doing this for thousands of years." [26]

Photo of protesters from WXPR Public Radio [26]



The controversy mostly died down in the early 1990s. The Ojibwe people demonstrated their commitment to be responsible stewards of the fish population early on. For example, in 1987 the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources established a limit of 82,000 walleye fish that could be taken by the Ojibwe; they actually harvested only a little over 21,000, while non-Indian sports fisherman caught over 839,000 walleye. The Ojibwe have established their own fish hatcheries, and restock the lakes with a number greater than the number they take out every year [25]. The harvest is also highly regulated. During spearfishing season teams from the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission are stationed at all of the boat landings, and they weigh, measure, and document every fish brought in by tribal members. Violations of size and/or number of fish can result in a tribal court citation or even loss of fishing privileges [26]. Ojibwe of today are showing the same respect and reverence for nature's bounty as their ancestors did a thousand years before them.


Quote of the Day


“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

-- Martin Luther King


Link of the Day


This is a link to the Congressional testimony of Chief Willard Ackley that took place in 1944 during an investigation into conditions on reservations:


This document contains Chief Ackley's testimony as well as a written statement that was inserted into the record that contains a great deal of detail about the promises made in the various treaties signed by Chief Ackley's predecessors.

Sources

1. Ackley, Allen C., "Ackley Tree", ancestry.com, website accessed on 1 Mar 2023.

2. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN4Y-22R : 13 August 2016), Willard L Ackley, Ackley, Lincoln, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district ED 59, sheet 271B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1433; FHL microfilm 1,255,433.

3. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

4. Dessureau, Robert M., History of Langlade County Wisconsin, From U.S. Government Survey to Present Time, With Biographical Sketches, (Antigo, Wisconsin: Berner Bros. Publishing Co., 1922), p. 266.

5. Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Mole Lake Band. "History : Sokaogon Chippewa Community". Website, accessed 27 Feb 2023.

6. State of Wisconsin, Department of Health and Social Services. Original Certificate of Death for Willard Leroy Ackley. Found on find-a-grave.com, memorial #171248539 (viewed online 7 Mar 2023).

7. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC; Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; Record Group: 75; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Series: Microfilm Publication M595. Viewed at Ancestry.com. U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

8. Passon, Kevin. "Celebrate Sokaogon Chippewa, local history during Native November." Antigo Daily Journal, 29 Nov 2022 (viewed online 27 Feb 2023).

9. Wisconsin First Nations, American Indian Studies in Wisconsin. "Current Tribal Lands Map and Native Nations Facts". Website, visited on 1 Mar 2023.

10. Vaisvilas, Frank. "As Wisconsin’s wild rice season nears, here’s what to know about tribal and public harvesting and blue-green algae." Green Bay Press Gazette, 24 Aug 2022 (viewed online 1 Mar 2023).

11.  U.S. Census Bureau. "2020 Gazetteer Files". census.gov. Retrieved 1 Mar 2023.

12.  U.S. Census Bureau. "2020 Decennial Census: Sokaogon Chippewa Community and Off-Reservation Trust Land, WI". data.census.gov. Retrieved 1 Mar 2023.

13. Investigate Indian Affairs: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee of Indian Affairs, 78th Congress, Second Session. United States: n.p., 1943.

14. Glasgow, Olive. "Chippewa Chief Devoted Life to 'Lost Tribe'". Green Bay Press Gazette, 11 Nov 1969, p. 31.

15. Ehlert, Edward. "A Chippewa Indian Tells The Story of Her Life, the Story of How the Chippewa Indians Realized Their Basic Human Needs, as told by Mrs. Alice Randall". Manitowoc Historical Society, Monograph 23, 1974 series (PDF downloaded from University of Wisconsin Library).

16. History Channel. "Indian Reorganization Act is signed into law". https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/indian-reorganization-act-signed-into-law-fdr website (viewed online 6 Mar 2023).

17. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. "Sokaogon Chippewa Community". https://dpi.wi.gov/amind/tribalnationswi/sokaogon website (viewed online 6 Mar 2023).

18. Sannon, Leo V. "'Lost Tribe' Is Not Far From Appleton". Appleton Post-Crescent. 14 Aug 1930, p. 5.

19. Gedicks, Al. "War on Subsistence: Exxon Minerals/Rio Algom vs. WATER 
(Watershed Alliance to End Environmental Racism)". Wisconsin Resources Protection Council. http://www.wrpc.net/waron.html website (viewed online 6 Mar 2023).

20. “Crandon mine,” Wikimedia Foundation, last modified Oct. 23, 2022, 13:10, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crandon_mine#.

21. Seely, Ron. 2003. "Tribes Will Pay $16.5 million for Mine Site: The Sokaogon Mole Lake Chippewa and Forest County Potawatomi are Elated by the Deal." Wisconsin State Journal, 10/29/2003, A1.

22. Ackley, Stuart Whiteeagle. E-mail correspondence with the author. March 2023.

23. Minnesota Historical Society. "Sandy Lake Tragedy".  https://www.mnopedia.org/event/sandy-lake-tragedy website (viewed online 13 Mar 2023).

24. “Karen Blixen,” Wikimedia Foundation, last modified Jan. 15, 2023, 10:59, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Blixen.

25. Milwaukee Public Museum. "Spearfishing Controversy". https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-112 website (viewed online 13 Mar 2023).

26. Meyer, Ben. "Spearing walleye, fighting misconceptions: a night with tribal members on a Northwoods lake". 24 May 2022. WXPR Public Radio website https://www.wxpr.org/native-american-news/2022-05-24/spearing-walleye-fighting-misconceptions-a-night-with-tribal-members-on-a-northwoods-lake (viewed online 13 Mar 2023).

27. Milwaukee Public Museum. "The Ojibwe are an Algonkian-speaking tribe and constitute the largest Indian group north of Mexico". https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-151 website (viewed online 14 Mar 2023).

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Update on the Ackley Surname Project

The Ackley Surname Project has had two new Big Y tests of Ackley men complete recently, and I wanted to report on the results. Before we discuss their specific results though, I would like to take some time to explain the project in some detail to give readers an understanding of the goals and benefits of becoming a member of the project and participating in Y-DNA testing.

Goals and Strategy

The overarching goal of the Ackley Surname Project is to provide data in the form of test results and interpretations of those results that can help project members with their genealogy. The testing strategy should support these project goals. One way we can do this is to help “unattached” project members discover their connection if there is one. We also want to use tests appropriate for defining branches (SNP tests vs. STR tests), and test individuals who can help define family branches. The testing framework should be designed to keep overall testing costs to a minimum. I will give some concrete examples of these ideas below.


Basic Testing Approach

We use two different types of Y-DNA testing in the project: STR testing to determine family membership and SNP testing to place people on branches in the Y-haplotree. Based on a haplotype analysis I did a while back (see here for a full explanation of this analysis), Y-37 should be sufficient for new members to determine family membership. Y-37 testers who are over the FTDNA threshold but “close” can upgrade to Y-67 and check DYS617. For existing members who are looking for more information on their branch, the Big Y test would give the most information, but cost may be a factor. Another approach could be to do a custom SNP panel based on other project Big Y results.

What is STR Testing?

Family Tree DNA offers three levels of STR testing: Y-37, Y-67, and Y-111. According to the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG):  “A short tandem repeat (STR) in DNA occurs when a pattern of two or more nucleotides are repeated and the repeated sequences are directly adjacent to each other.” [1] According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH): “A nucleotide is one of the structural components, or building blocks, of DNA and RNA. A nucleotide consists of a base (one of four chemicals: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C)) plus a molecule of sugar and one of phosphoric acid.” [2] STR testing counts the number of repeats on specific segments of Y DNA (called markers), which are designated by the letters “DYS” followed by a number. The marker values for two men are compared, and if the number of non-matching markers falls below established thresholds, there is a high likelihood the two men are related. We have used Y-37 STR testing in the Ackley Surname Project to determine group membership; i.e., to check if a tester is a descendant of Nicholas Ackley or not.

What is SNP Testing?

SNP testing identifies Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. From Family Search: “A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP is pronounced snip) is a DNA sequence variation occurring when a single nucleotide - adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), or guanine (G) in the genome (or other shared sequence) differs between members of a species or paired chromosomes in an individual.” [3] For example, the substitution of a C for a G in the nucleotide sequence AACGAT, producing the sequence AACCAT, is a SNP. The Big Y test examines over 700,000 locations on the Y chromosome looking for SNPs. SNPs found are compared to a known, named list of over 260,000 SNPs (named variants in FTDNA terminology), and the individual is placed in the tree at the lowest (most recent) named variant for which he has tested positive.

How Does This Work in Practice?


One example of how this has worked in our project is the case of a member who joined the project not knowing how or even if he descended from Nicholas Ackley. He had hit a brick wall in his research and turned to Y-DNA testing to see if it would help. He did a Y-37 test, and lo and behold he was not closely related to any of the descendants of Nicholas in the project. However, his test did provide some clues that he might be a descendant of a man named Johan Eckler. After doing some more research he discovered that a descendant of Johan had changed his surname to Ackley in the late 1700s, so he recruited two other Ackley men who knew they were descendants of Johan and found that he matched them. With further research, he was able to determine how he descends from Johan and solved his brick wall. Details on this case can be found here.

There is another example of three members who were in a similar situation to the man mentioned above; they did not know how or if they were related to Nicholas and had reached brick walls in their research. Each of them did a Y-37 test first and determined that they were all related to the other known descendants of Nicholas in the project, and thus were also likely descendants of Nicholas. They each decided to do a Big Y test, and the results showed that each one was on the same branch as a member who was a known descendant of Nicholas's son Samuel who had already done a Big Y test and established the "Samuel branch" on the haplotree. Although none of these three men have determined how they descend from Samuel yet, the knowledge that they are descended from him has greatly focused their research efforts.

As has been discussed in previous posts, we have also used Y-DNA testing to try to discover connections to our English ancestors. We have tested two Ackley men of known English descent (see this post for details); neither of these men were matches for the Nicholas Ackley descendants in the project (or each other), but this information is useful for future attempts to discover our English lineage.

Big Y and Variants


Variant is another name for a mutation. “Y-DNA mutations used in genetic genealogy are miniscule variations in the Y chromosome that are not connected to any known genetic conditions” [4]. Big Y results report two types of variants: named and unnamed or private variants. To be named, a variant needs to have been found in at least two men. It is possible that an individual has some variants that are unique to him because so far no one else with those variants has tested. These are known as unnamed or private variants.As discussed above, named variants determine the placement of an individual in the Y-haplotree (sometimes known as the "tree of life"). Placement of an individual in the haplotree is somewhat temporary because if he has private variants there is a possibility that someone else who also has those variants will test, the variants will be named, and the individual will be moved to a lower sub-branch below his previous branch.


The "Rule of Three"


From above, we know that a Big Y test for a single individual will define his haplogroup with possible private (unnamed) variants remaining. Testing a second, closely related individual (father, brother, son, etc.), will usually lead to the naming of the private variants (they will now have been found in two men) and will establish their family clade (branch) in the haplotree. A third test of a more distantly related individual (4th cousin or greater) will confirm the main branch for the common ancestor of the larger family group. Testing groups of three men whose relationships are known can help define branching within a surname project. This “Rule of Three” (a concept developed by Bill Wood, administrator of the FTDNA - BigY Facebook Group) will be a part of the testing strategy for our project. Note that it does not matter what order you test the second and third individuals in the group of three men.

I will illustrate the "Rule of Three" concept with my own test, another member's test, and my son's test. I was the first member of the project to do a Big Y test, and my first results assigned me to the R-BY10450 haplogroup. At the time, FTDNA had not yet developed the block tree as a way to present positions on the hapotree, but they had a step chart that gave your relative position and displayed the number of matches you had. Here is my step chart:


You can see I had no matches at R-BY10450, meaning that no other tester had tested positive for the SNP BY10450. R-BY10450 is estimated to have formed about 2,500 years ago, so this information was not really useful for genealogical purposes.

A few other testers came along that refined this estimate somewhat, but they were still too distant to be of use genealogically. Finally, another member of the Ackley project who was a known descendant of Nicholas did a Big Y test, and the two of us matched and established the Nicholas Ackley branch in the haplotree. The block tree now looked like this:


This block tree is showing my branch as R-FGC52286, and indicates that I have one match, which would be the other member of our project. Note that R-FGC52286 is under R-FGC52285, which is under R-BY10450, which was my original branch until more people began testing and getting the variants named. At this point, we have completed the last part of the "Rule of Three", which is to test a more distantly related individual (4th cousin or greater) to confirm the main branch.

Out of curiosity I decided to test my son to complete the "Rule of Three" and establish our own branch on the haplotree. The block tree after his results came in looked like this (sorry for the small, fuzzy text):


My son had all the same private variants I had, so there were now two men who had these variants and they could be named. Our branch was named R-FGC52300 and had five equivalent SNPs that are all shown in the white block on the block tree above. Note that the other member of the Ackley project still shows as R-FGC52286 in this block tree because he still has private variants that have not been named. I will not show his updated block tree, but he subsequently tested one of his sons and all of his private variants were named, establishing their own block under R-FGC52286. I will show the current block tree including that update in a later section.

Current Project Statistics (as of 25 Feb 2023)

  • 24 Ackley men have taken Y-DNA tests
    • 19 known or suspected descendants of Nicholas Ackley
    • 3 descendants of Johan Henrich Eckler
    • 1 New Zealander whose father and known ancestors were born in England
    • 1 Englishman whose father and known ancestors were born in England
  • 13 Big Y tests
    • 12 complete
    • 1 in process
  • 11 STR tests
    • 6 Y-37
    • 3 Y-67
    • 2 Y-111 (All Big Y tests also have Y-111 results)

Current Project Structure


Below is a graphical representation of the groups of testers in the project (again, sorry for the small, fuzzy text). For the purposes of Y-DNA testing, only Nicholas's sons are relevant to the picture, so daughters are not included. The green boxes represent Nicholas's son John and his three sons John, Benjamin, and Nathaniel. The circled numbers under each son give the number of testers who are descendants of each son; in the example of John, there are 4 testers who are descendants of John's son John, while there are none for Benjamin or Nathaniel. Thomas is represented by the purple boxes; there are no descendants of Thomas who have tested. Nathaniel, in red, had no known children. James, in blue, had five sons; there are two descendants of his son Nicholas, two descendants of Nathaniel, and one descendant of Benajah who have tested. There is also one descendant of James whose descendancy from James is not known; this will be discussed in a later section. Finally, there are six descendants of Samuel who have tested; two descendants of his son Elijah, and four whose descendancy from Samuel is not yet known.





New Results


Finally to the new results. A member of the project who is a known descendant of Nicholas's son James recently completed a Big Y test. His results led to a refinement of the block tree and added a branch under which all descendants of James will fall. To illustrate what occurred, consider the side-by-side comparison of the "before" and "after" block trees for the project below.




The block tree on the left is from before the new testers results were available. The white block on the left of that diagram is the block for me and my son; we are descendants of James (and his son Nathaniel), so one or more of the equivalent SNPs in that block may have been formed in James, Nathaniel, or any of the other descendants between James and me. Without any other results from descendants of James, we don't know which ancestor those SNPs may have formed in, so they are all lumped together in one block.

The block tree on the right includes the results from the first of the recent testers who is a known descendant of James (and his son Nicholas). Note that there is a new block above my R-FGC52300 block that is labelled R-FT82490 and an equivalent SNP named FT82868. In the original block tree these two SNPs were included in my block (inside the red boxes), but the new tester was also positive for these SNPs so it is known that our common ancestor had to have had these mutations and they are moved to the block immediately above my block. The new tester has six private variants that may eventually be named and create new branches if other descendants of James and his son Nicholas test. So, for the time being, the terminal SNP for the new tester is R-FT82490.

The other recent new tester also tested positive for the two SNPs defining the "James branch" on the block tree, but did not match any of the private variants of the private variants of the other recent tester or the SNPs defining my son's and my branch under the "James branch". From this we can conclude that this tester is a descendant of James, but not either James's son Nathaniel or Nicholas. This tester has five private variants of his own that will need to be named to fully define his true terminal branch. We do not yet know which of James's sons this tester descends from, but given the above information we do know that he did not descend from either Nathaniel or Nicholas.

Current Block Tree


Including the two recent testers, the current Ackley portion of the block tree looks like this:




I have added the names of Nicholas and his sons to show which block (branch) represents each one, and the kit numbers of the Big Y testers on each branch.

Recruitment Goals


There are several short term recruitment goals of the project that can help members with their genealogy research.

First, I'd like to recruit other descendants of John, James, and Samuel to test and further refine the known branches. This could help other members who do not know how they connect to Nicholas determine their line of descent.

The next goal is to recruit known descendants of Thomas to test. This may be difficult – there are very few known male descendants. I have contacted one, and never received a response.

We also need to recruit additional English Ackleys to try to make the English connection. We have two so far, neither one of whom is a match to any of the Nicholas Ackley descendants in the project.

I'd also like to recruit additional Hackley descendants to test the purported Ackley-Hackley connection. As has been discussed in this blog before, there are some who claim that Nicholas Ackley's father was named Hackley and the name was changed to Ackley. There is one Hackley in the project who is not a close match. There are other Hackley lines in the U.S. that seem to be unrelated to the Hackley in the project that should be tested to see if there is a connection.

Finally, I want to encourage all current project members who have done only STR testing to consider Big Y. Some of them know their line of descent from Nicholas, and their Big Y test will further refine the Ackley branches on the Y-haplotree. Others do not know how they descend from Nicholas, and a Big Y test may give additional clues on where to look next.

This is where readers of this blog can help achieve the goals of the Ackley Surname Project. If you are an Ackley male or know of an Ackley male who might be interested in taking a Y-DNA test and joining the project, I encourage you to contact me and let me know of your interest. I will gladly discuss with you the various types of testing and suggest which type of test might help you achieve your goals and possibly help other project members achieve their goals. Don't wait -- contact me today!

Sources

1. International Society of Genetic Genealogy. "Short Tandem Repeat". ISOGG Website, accessed 25 Feb 2023.

2. National Institutes of Health. "Genetics Review - Nucleotide". National Center for Biotechnology Information Website, accessed 25 Feb 2023.

3. Family Search. "Y-Chromosome Single Nucleotide Polymorphism testing". Family Search Website, accessed 25 Feb 2023.

4. Vance, David. The Genealogist's Guide to Y-DNA Testing for Genetic Genealogy. Independently published, 2020, p. 21.

Link of the Day


This is the link for the Ackley Surname Project home page at Family Tree DNA for anyone who would like more information about the project:


Quote of the Day


"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." 

--Robert Louis Stevenson