Announcing (I hope) The Vinton County DNA Project

Okay, this is a little premature, but I have applied to Family Tree DNA to do a geographic project for The Vinton County Group.  We will be looking at YDNA and mtDNA of the original members of the group trying to answer the following questions:

1. How are we related?
2. What is our ethnic background?
3. What is our genetic surnames?
4. Do we share common ancestors with any of the other so called triracial groups? 



Unfortunately, not all of us who descend from "the group: would have the "right stuff" to be tested. 

For the YDNA test you have to be male. You also have to have an unbroken father to son descent from the original members of the group, meaning you probably have the last name Thacker, Dorton or Napper. 

For the mtDNA testing it is a little trickier.  Mitochondrial DNA is pasted down from mother to child. A female child will pass it on to her children but a male child cannot.  So for example if my grandfather was alive (he is not), he could be tested because his mother was Elizabeth Cope Smathers.  Her mother was Frances Thacker Cope whose mother was Clarinda Thacker Marcum, whose mother was Frances Thacker Thacker. 

Frances is one of the individuals we want to find the mtDNA for, so while my grandfather would have Frances's mtDNA and would be a candidate for the test, his children would not.  However, one of my grandfather's sisters would not only be a candidate for the the test but so would her children. Have I confused you?

If you are interested in doing the test, but aren't sure if you qualify just email at the address in the right hand column of this page.  We'll chat. :)

Why am I telling you this now, before the project has been approved? Well, Family Tree DNA is having their summer sale from now through June 15th.  Below are the prices for New Kits.

New Kit Prices during the special:


New kits



Y-DNA12 : $59 instead of $99



Y-DNA37 : $129 instead of $149



Y-DNA67 : $199 instead of $238



mtFullSequence : $219 instead of $299



Family Finder : $199 instead of $289



Family Finder + Y-DNA37 : $328 instead of $438



Family Finder + mtDNAPlus : $328 instead of $438



SuperDNA : $428 instead of $518



Comprehensive (FF + FMS + Y-DNA67) : $617 instead of $797

The following are individuals whose YDNA we hope to find:

Nimrod Thacker
Holman Thacker
Chapman Thacker
Edwell Thacker
Ivory Thacker
Thomas Thacker
John A Thacker
Ellis Thacker
Robert Thacker
David Thackeer
Ambrose Thacker
George W. Thacker
Malachi Dorton
Levi Napper
Wetherfoot Napper
Peter Napper
William Napper (who may be Richard Napper)


The following are individuals whose mtDNA we hope to find:

Emma Jane Dorton, wife of Peter Napper, daughter of Mahala Thacker Dorton
Mildred Jane Thacker wife Wetherfoot Napper
Frances Thacker wife of Nimrod Thacker
Patsy Ann Thacker  wife of Levi Napper, Daughter of Sally Lemay Thacker
Permelia Jane Thacker wife of Joseph McKinnis and Levi Shiflet, Daughter of Sally Lemay Thacker
Peachy Thacker or Napper? wife of Moses Freeman
Martha Thacker wife of Chapman Thacker
Sally Thacker wife of Austin Pattison
Catherine Thacker wife James Jordon, Daugher of Nancy Dalton Thacker
Nancy Thacker wife of John Vest, Daughter of Nancy Dalton Thacker
Louisa Thacker wife of James Hollis, Daugher of Nancy Dalton Thacker
Polly Ann Napper, wife of Edwill Thacker, Daugher of Sally Napper (Gibson)
Roxanne Napper, wife of Holman Thacker, Daugher of Sally Napper (Gibson)
Lucinda Napper, wife of Sanford Smith, Daughter of Sally Napper (Gibson)
Virginia Napper, wife of James Dorton, Daughter of Sally Napper (Gibson)
Patsy Ann Napper, wife Ivory Thacker, Daughter of Sally Napper (Gibson)

Some of these are redundant.  For example Roxanne, Polly Ann, Lucinda, Virginia and Patsy Ann should all have the same mtDNA.  (But does Peachy?)

Theoretically all the Nappers should be the same and all of the Thackers should be the same, but are they?

Should we look for mtDNA for Sarah Evans wife George W. Thacker? What about Ann Vaughn wife of Thomas Thacker.  Should we include Moses Freeman or Levi Shiflet?

Lots of questions, and your input is wanted.  If you are interested, you can contact me through the comments or the email address over in the right hand column.  Maybe, together we will solve some of the mysteries.

“I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout understandin’ no DNA" - Autosomal DNA

When it comes to DNA, many of you, like me, might be scratching your head and saying (to paraphrase Prissie in Gone with the Wind), “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout understandin’ no DNA.”  Boy, do I wish I would have taken time out from doodling and playing cootie catcher to listen to at least a couple of my science teachers. 

The University of Utah has put together four short little videos explaining the four kinds of DNA – Autosomal DNA, X Chromosome DNA, Y Chromosome DNA, and Mitochondrial DNA.  Currently, three of these types of DNA - Autosomal, YDNA and mtDNA (mitochondrial) are being used for genealogical purposes. 

The type of DNA that Ancestry used to predict my genetic ethnicity is autosomal.  If you are interested in understanding autosomal (a whole lot had better than yours truly could hope to explain) take a peak now at U of U’s autosomal DNA video.  

In a nutshell, each of us has 23 pairs of chromosomes.  Autosomal DNA looks at 22 of these pairs (the 23^rd pair is the XY or XX chromosomes that determine a person’s sex.) 

You have inherited ½ your father’s autosomal chromosomes and ½ of your mother’s autosomal chromosomes.  But that also means that you lost half of each of your parents’ autosomal chromosomes. Likewise, your parents only inherited ½ of their parents’ autosomal chromosome etc.   

This is why your siblings’ genetic ethnicity might not look precisely the same as yours – they might have inherited different chunks of your parents’ DNA.  It’s also, why you and a cousin can take the test and not come up a match, yet you and a fourth cousin are.  It’s all in how the chromosomes recombined.

If you read the paper, “Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population” by Roberta J Estes, Jack H. Goins, Penny Ferguson and Janet Lewis Crain, you will see that the prediction of how much of the DNA I probably carry from my 4^th great grandparents, Nimrod and Frances Thacker, is less than 1%.  If you factor in the probability that the individual who supplied the mixed race part of their DNA could have been 50, 100 or 200 years prior to their births – well, you can see why my autosomal DNA might not have picked it up.

For some of you who are descendants of the Vinton County Group, you may have expanded your chances by having several sets of the original group members.  Only testing will tell.  

Autosomal testing by Ancestry.com should be available to the US market some time later this year.  Family Tree DNA offers their own product called Family Finder and 23 and Me calls their product Relative Finder.

Note:  As of right now, Ancestry does not offer the option of looking at raw data, which the other products do.  

Good News, Bad News - The Results of My Ancestry Autosomal DNA Test

Okay, so the good news is I received the results from Ancestry's autosomal test.  The bad news is my results don't give us a clue to the Thacker clan's mixed racial identity.

I made a prediction of my own on what the results would look like. I predicted 73% Central European (I have German ancestors all over the place), 25% British Isles, and 2% Uncertain.

Below are the actual results.

So the thing is, I don't have a lick of Scandinavian heritage (Norway, Denmark and Sweden) in my family tree.   Ancestry, however explains it this way: 

For example, if you have German or British ancestors in your family tree, it’s a possibility that your genetic ethnicity may be partly Scandinavian. The Viking invasions and conquests about a thousand years ago are likely responsible for occurrences of Scandinavian ethnicity throughout other regions.

Okay, I can accept that. In addition, a quarter of my family tree came directly from the former German Province of Pomerania.  A portion of this province, known as the Hinterpommern, was in fact part of Sweden from 1630 to 1815.  This happens to be the exact area where this part of my family tree lived.

The Southern European is a bit of puzzler, however.  This area encompasses  Spain, Italy and Portugal.  I swear that I have not found one incidence of any of this ethnicity in my family tree.  It is interesting to note that many of the Melungeon's, (no, we are not Melungeons) a significant portion of whom trace their roots to Louisa County, have claimed that they descend from Portuguese sailors. 

A recent paper appearing in The Journal of Genetic Genealogy entitled, "Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population" disputes this notion of a Portuguese heritage. The paper, co-written by Roberta J. Estes, Jack H. Goins, Penny Ferguson, and Janet Lewis Crain, is based on the testing of descendents of the Core Melungeon group.  They used YDNA tests (father to son) and mtDNA tests (mother to daughter ) to base their conclusions.  The findings of these test showed mostly a Northern European heritage with some African American origins and one Native American (the Sizemore's, who were NOT from Louisa County).

Still, these odd ball results of mine are food for thought.

I would be interested in hearing about the DNA results of anyone else who descends from the Nappers, Dortons and Thackers.  If you have had any testing done, please share.  You can either leave a comment or you can write me at the email address found on the left hand column of this page.  Maybe together, we can solve some of the mysteries surrounding The Vinton County Group.

Ancestry Autosomal DNA Beta – The Saga Continues

Right before Easter, I received a notice from Ancestry telling me that they could not get a decent sample from the swabs that I sent to them last November.  The next day, April 5^th, Ancestry sent me an email informing me that they had  sent a second kit for DNA sample collection.  

I still hadn’t received my kit by today’s mail, so I decided to call  Ancestry's DNA customer service.  

I learned a couple of things from Sean, my good buddy at Ancestry. 

1.      1.  They had a significant rate of problems with the swab tests. The new kits will contain a "spit" collection method instead of the swab collection method. ( I remember reading that another company does a spit method of collection.- Maybe 23 and ME?)

2.       2.  If the second kit is not here by May 6^th, I can call and request them to send out yet another kit.

So, I’m back to square one.  ARGGHHH!!!!!

Update (Or Lack of Update) on Ancestry.com’s New Autosomal Test

In case anyone out there is burning up with curiosity on what’s happening with the Autosomal DNA test that I submitted to Ancestry.com the answer is – NOTHING (much.) 

On the first of March I received the below email from Ancestry letting me know that Beta testing would begin shortly.  Turns out it did begin, but only for a select group of people. 

When I emailed them after three weeks of waiting for “shortly” to begin, I got the stock answer that my sample was “in processing.” 

Trying to find more information out hasn’t been particularly easy.  However, CeCe Moore of the blog “YourGenetic Genealogist” has written several posts about this new product.  The latest post, “New Information onAncestry.com Ancestry.DNA Product,” is particularly interesting as it is a result of a phone conference that Ancestry held with several bloggers along with a private call she had made to the Ancestry.DNA team earlier. 

A couple of main points that interested me were: 

1.       1.  Of the current 22 ethnicities being tested for – Native American ethnicity is included.  This is good news for those of us who descend from the Vinton County Group.  (Although, because my own mixed race is so far back, it may not matter.)

2.     2.    North African ethnicity is also included but if I am understanding correctly that there is not yet a lot of detail in the African mixture as of yet.

33  3.    Because there is a reliance on information available on the family trees now on Ancestry for predicting ancestral origins, I am concerned that a lot of “bad genealogy” that I have seen on many trees, will lead  us astray. 

For example, if someone finds that he or she is a match with a Chapman Thacker descendent and in that descendant’s family tree it shows Chapman having been born in West Virginia (he was not!) that would send the “testee” looking in the area of West Virginia when he or she should be searching Louisa County, Virginia.

 4    4,   According to Ancestry.com officials, they said that they "will be getting it out to more and more customers throughout this year".    Which says to me, I could have a long wait to see the results.  Ah well, what can you expect when you are a Beta tester?

DNA, Genealogy, and Me

What I know about DNA could fit into a thimble.  But a couple of summers ago I was lamenting to my father that I could not find proof that my grandfather (the handsome fellow in the picture over to the right →) had been a Smathers before he was adopted.  I had anecdotal evidence that supported that our genetic surname was Smathers, but nothing more than that.  

My fear was that in another couple of generations, the story of how my father’s paternal aunts tracked him down would become one of those family tall tales.  My dad asked me if there was any way we could prove the connection.  In fact, I knew there was a way – DNA. 

I was aware that there was a Smothers/Smathers Family Tree DNA project and I knew that a descendent of Franklin Smathers, the brother of my great great grandfather Henry Smathers was one of the participants.  My dad looked at me and said, “Let’s do it.”  So we did.  

I won’t go into all the sleepless nights I had while we waited for the results.  What if the information I had wasn’t correct?  What if one of the earlier Smathers was adopted?  What if there was a child out of wedlock somewhere along the way?  What if – well, you get the idea.  A full quarter of my ancestry would be on the junk heap if there were no match, including my Thacker connection.  Oh boy, it was enough to make a girl sweat!  

Fortunately, when we got the results back,  my father’s DNA was a dead on match with the descendent of Franklin Smathers – 37 out of 37 markers.  (My dad’s DNA also matched those descending further up the line, so there was no adoption, nor any out of wedlock baby.)

Curiously enough, this would not be my only dip into the wonderful world of genetic testing. 

Recently, Ancestry.com sent me an invitation to become part of their autosomal DNA study that would look at my genetic ethnicity.  I had to reply by a certain date and agree to pay the shipping and handling fee of $9.95.  While the Y-DNA studies can only be done on males (because if you remember biology class only males have a Y chromosome which is passed on from father to son), autosomal  DNA can be done on both male and females.  In fact, two full siblings can have different results depending on what part of DNA they have inherited.  

Because my mixed heritage is so far back, I don’t have much faith that the test will show anything but European ancestry, but for the bargain price of $9.95 I was willing to play guinea pig! 

Maybe some of you Thacker, Dorton, Napper, Shiflett, Dole, and Freeman lurkers were also invited to participate.  If so, let me know and we can compare results!  

Or maybe, some of you have participated in other DNA testing and have interesting stories to share.  You can reach me by email.  The address is over on the right. 

Wouldn’t it be great if technology turns out to be the key to solving our family mystery? 

Our Civil War Men

As you may know, I have been working on a list of those men affliliated with the Vinton County Group who enlisted during the Civil War.  I have already spotlighted the sons of Edwill Thacker (those in bold text below.) I am hoping to write a little about each of the men on this list.  It is difficult to know for certain who actually had ties to our clan, since by the time of the civil war, many had moved to other locations. 

Those highlighted in light orange are individuals that may or may not be related to the Vinton County Group.  If you see anyone on the list that you feel doesn't belong, be sure to write me.  If you feel I've left anyone out, please feel free to let me know. 

In addition to descriptions of all the men who enlisted in the USC, I also have descriptions for the following men: Ambrose Thacker, Nimrod Thacker, Chapman Thacker and Joseph Thacker.  If anyone has the descriptions for any of the other men, please let me know, so I can include that information when I write about those individuals.



  Last Nm, First Nm, Div, Branch, Unit, Company, Enlistment Date, Age, Birth YR


1 Shiflet Levi Ohio H.A. 1 H October 1, 1862 35 1827

2 Thacker George W. Ohio H.A. 1 B September 2, 1864 22 1842

3 Thacker Thomas B. Ohio H.A. 1 B September 1, 1864 21 1843

4 Thacker David Ohio Calv 12 F October 18, 1863 36 1827

5 Freeman John Ohio Inf 56 I November 7, 1861 NA NA

6 Thacker Fountain Ohio Inf 56 I & C November 7, 1861 24 1837

7 Thacker Joseph Ohio Inf 56 I October 31, 1861 26 1835

8 Thacker Henry Ohio Inf 73 G November 28, 1861 18 1843

9 Thacker David Ohio Inf 73 G November 21, 1861 34 1827

10 Thacker Robert W. Ohio Inf 185 E February 15, 1865 36 1829

11 Dorton Hiram Ohio Inf 194 D March 6, 1865 22 1843

12 Dorton James Ohio Inf 194 D February 14, 1865 29 1836

13 Napper John Ohio Inf 194 D March 6, 1865 18 1847

14 Napper Peter Ohio Inf 194 D February 18, 1865 36 1829

15 Thacker Chapman Ohio Inf 194 D March 6, 1865 43 1822

16 Thacker Ivory Ohio Inf 194 D March 7, 1865 42 1823

17 Thacker Nimrod Nicholas Ohio Inf 194 D March 6, 1865 42 1823

18 Thacker William H. Ohio Inf 194 D February 23, 1865 20 1845

19 Thacker John Ohio Inf 194 G March 3, 1865 20 1845


20 Thacker Lewis Ohio Inf 194 G March 3, 1865 44 1821

21 Thacker Ambrose Ohio Inf 198 C March 24, 1865 33 1831

22 Napper John C. USC Inf 5 F August 16, 1864 24 1840

23 Napper Richard USC Inf 5 H June 21, 1863 41 1822

24 Napper William H. USC Inf 5 H June 17, 1863 21 1842

25 Thacker Charles USC Inf 5 H June 17, 1863 22 1841

26 Napper Alexander USC Inf 27 E February 12, 1864 24 1840

27 Thacker Ebenezer USC Inf 27 E February 27, 1864 20 1844