Poythress/Poytress Surname Y-DNA Study
Note: This Study is an all-volunteer effort to track only the MALE line of Poythress or Poytress surnamed individuals. As more and more advances are being made regarding DNA, some individual participants may have additionally ordered mitochondrial (female) or other “Family Finder” tests. Please realize that Barb professes no DNA subject expertise; she serves as the volunteer Group Administrator of the Project’s efforts to track the MALE Y-DNA. She has no connection or affiliation with the company being used for the testing.
General Background on Surname Study
Our surname is a relatively rare one. In England, the POYTRESS surname has been around for more than 400 years. In America, people of the POYTHRESS surname have been here for almost 400 years. In America the earliest of the name we have found is Francis Poythress, who came prior to 9 Feb 1632, when he was in James City County, Virginia. We know he served as a factor (or an agent) for a London merchant, Lawrence Evans, in the year prior to Sep 1637, and served as a Burgess representing Charles City County, Virginia in 1644 and later. (See citations for these and more early information at our website’s “17th Century Records” section)
The christening that researchers have found in England (apparently for this man), was that of Francis POYTHRESS, christened on 12 July 1609 at Newent, in Gloucestershire, a son of John PEWDREIES (who owned nearby Ploddy House until 1647/48). Another son of John PEWDREIES of Newent, Christopher POYDRAS, was christened in early Sep 1616, according to St. Swithun’s Parish Register, Worcester. Christopher did not leave England and left many descendants there who spell the surname POYTRESS.
To better determine whether the current POYTHRESS and POYTRESS surnamed people indeed descend from one progenitor, this Surname DNA Study Project was launched in June 2003. It is open to any male, in any country, born of a father who was surnamed Poythress, Poytress, or other possible spelling variations. As of 2017 fewer than two dozen of our participants are males bearing the Poythress OR Poytress surname. More males who descend from a male bearing either surname are welcome.
DNA Testing as a Genealogical Research Tool
DNA testing is a valuable tool developing for genealogical research. Surname Y-DNA Study projects look at certain distinct markers within the Y Chromosome of the DNA, which is a small part of the DNA that a father passes to his son. Since these markers are consistently passed through the male line, the markers occur in the men of that surname: thus Poythress or Poytress surnamed sons inherit them from their Poythress or Poytress surnamed fathers.
For Surname Y-DNA Studies, the company gives a discount from the price that would be charged to an individual not affiliated with a Surname Study. To join the project, at FamilyTreeDNA.com, under the “Projects” tab, search on the POYTHRESS surname and follow the resulting link.
If you are interested in participating in our Study, and need assistance in affording it, please privately contact our volunteer Group Administrator, Barb Neal: barbpoy.neal@gmail.com
Anyone interested in helping to sponsor a participant (perhaps the father, brother, or uncle of an interested female) can also contact her to discuss how this can be accomplished.
The Surname Y-DNA Study Methodology
The Y-DNA test is as easy as brushing one’s teeth. The test kit consists of a cheek scraper and a collection tube. Using the cheek scraper is similar to brushing the inside of one’s cheek with a soft-bristled toothbrush. The Y-DNA test kit does not test for any disease, or hereditary condition; it looks only at specific markers within the man’s Y Chromosome.
When men of the same surname (or variant) match one another exactly on a number of the markers, test reports give terms of probability that the participants are related within a certain number of generations. When the markers of those tested men vary just a bit, by only one or two “repeats” on only one or two of the markers, the probability of them being closely related is still very, very high. Such slight variations come from normal changes, or mutations, that develop randomly within the Y-DNA, as it repeats itself over a period of time. Thus when testing a number of men of the same surname (or variant), results begin to show sub-groups of men develop, who are more closely related within various branches of the same surname line.
Findings
For most of our participants, Y-DNA 67-marker tests were ordered. One participant is in England and is known to be descended from the above-mentioned John who owned Ploddy House in Gloucestershire in the 1600s, through John’s son Christopher. Our other participants were born in and grew up in the USA. Many of them had ancestors known to have lived in Virginia before most of their family lines moved further south and/or west to North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, or California.
We continue to work with more customary genealogical source materials (including census, tax, land, Bible, etc records) and to look for such source materials that are harder to find, in our effort to better determine how the various branches relate to each other. We all appreciate the participation of each person in our Poythress / Poytress Surname Y-DNA Study. We look forward to learning more thanks to their participation. If you have further questions, please personally contact our volunteer Group Administrator, Barb Neal: barbpoy.neal@gmail.com
DNA Results:
As of 25 May 2018, when the European Union’s new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) went into effect, the company that did our Y-DNA testing, FamilyTreeDNA.com, instituted changes:
(1) They eliminated their earlier Ysearch site, where anyone could compare Y-DNA results between various individuals who were only listed by Kit Numbers (not by name); and
(2) They placed several options on each Project Participant’s individual FamilyTreeDNA.com page, allowing each to set what level of accessibility is desired to their information.