I would like to make contact with any and all serious researchers of the ALLISON, ALLINSON, ALLANSON, ELLISON, ELLYSON and other variant spellings of our surname.
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If you are interested in Allison/Ellison genealogical research, please read this message about the ALLISON/ELLISON DNA Project. Within the past year, I have learned that science and DNA analysis can help us discover which Allison/Ellison lines in England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA are connected to each other. When the paper trail ends, we face great obstacles in discovering where our ancestors originated from.
I am the co-ordinator of an ALLISON / ELLISON SURNAME DNA PROJECT that a few of us started about a year ago. The purpose of the project is to help connect the various lines of ALLISONs / ELLISONs by discovering which males with the ALLISON and ELLISON surnames have matching Y-chromosome DNA scores. The Y-chromosome DNA is passed down through the generations from father to son just as surnames are passed down through the generations from father to son.
If you are a male with the Allison or Ellison (or another variant spelling) surname or if you know of any living males with the Allison or Ellison surname who are currently living in England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the USA , please talk to them about participating in our DNA project and have them contact me for additional information. Y-chromosome DNA analysis is the best method we have to learn which line of Allisons we descend from when the paper trail is difficult to trace.
A group of male Allisons/Ellisons have organized a Y-chromosome DNA project. Fathers pass their Y-chromosomes, or "DNA fingerprints," down to their sons with little-if-any-variation, from generation to generation. Therefore, men with identical, or near identical DNA fingerprints (some minor variation can occur), can be genetically proven to be descendants of a common male ancestor.
The first two participants were Allison males who had traced their ancestry back to Orange and Rockland counties in the American colony of New York in the 1600s and 1700s. Our project has grown to 14 participants from the United States, Canada and New Zealand and we want to include more participants, especially Allisons/Ellison from the UK. We have already received the results of eight DNA tests from the lab and we're beginning to see a pattern developing.
Through the use of DNA analysis we've recently discovered that four seemingly different lines of Allisons who lived in New York in the 1600s
and 1700s are actually all related and all are descendants of Lawrence Ellison who was from England before he migrated to the American colonies after 1632. It is now possible for these participants to share their genealogical research and try to determine if they all descend from Lawrence Ellison after his arrival in America or if their Most Recent Common Ancestor is an ancestor who lived in England prior to Lawrence's migration to America ca 1632. They have all
been informed by the DNA testing company about the names and e-mail addresses of the men who have their matching DNA scores.
Obviously, we need as many different lines of ALLISONs / ELLISONs as possible to participate so we can figure out which of the various lines in the UK and in North America are related through an earlier common ancestor.
The method of obtaining the DNA cells is simple and painless and doesn't involve any drawing of blood . The type of DNA that is analyzed for genealogical purposes doesn't provide any data about medical conditions. Family Tree DNA sends a small tube with Q-tip-like swabs to each participant. All that needs to be done is to swab the inside of the cheek to collect some cells, replace the swabs in the tube and mail it
back to Family Tree DNA. In about 8 weeks the company informs the participants about the results and lets them know if their score matches anyone else in the Family Tree DNA database.
I hope this info is clear. Please contact me and I'll be glad to answer questions.
In summary, if any of you know of any living males with the Allison or Ellison surname who have some genealogical knowledge of who their Allison/Ellison ancestors were but want to find out more about their ancestors' origins, please talk to them about participating in our ALLISON / ELLISON DNA project and have them contact me for additional information.
Best wishes,
Mary Allison Yonan
Decatur, Illinois
USA
yonan@fgi.net