For some time, researchers have debated whether Elizabeth Lindley, daughter of James Lindley and Eleanor Parke, was indeed the wife of Brinsley Barnes (abt 1715-1794). I recently took Ancestry.com’s new autosomal DNA test that looks at DNA passed down through both maternal and paternal lines and seeks to identify common ancestors when two people share small, but statistically significant identical pieces of DNA. I have been receiving results for the past 4 months (since July 2012) and have some interesting results that I want to share with others researching the Barnes line and looking for information on the frequently assumed marriage of Brinsley and Elizabeth Lindley.

I am a descendent of Mary Barnes, Brinsley's oldest daughter who married Samuel Carter. She is relatively well documented thru various sources as are a number of Brinsley’s other children. It was no surprise that I came up with six DNA matches to people related to one or another of her siblings. Three to Solomon Barnes, two to John Deaf Barnes and one to Brinsley Barnes Jr. Again, no surprise. These men (and their lines) are fairly well recognized as Brinsley's children.

The surprise is that I also had seven different DNA matches to James Lindley thru siblings of Elizabeth Lindley...in other words, descendants of James Lindley who have no connection to the Barnes line. Those included three matches for brother Thomas Lindley, two for sister Margaret "Margery" Lindley. and two for sister Mary Lindley. Now, if I had gotten one or even two, I would have thought interesting, but seven matches to James Lindley when I have no other connection to the Lindley line that I know of other than thru Elizabeth, makes me pretty convinced that Elizabeth Lindley was indeed Brinsley's wife and mother of his children.

Would love to hear from others any comments or thoughts on these results (and of course if anyone has ever turned up any written documents supporting this marriage and/or taken one of the new autosomal DNA tests and found these results.)