Welsh Haplogroups

Some years past, my decision to have my DNA tested was finally made.  For years [some 50+], the genealogy virus had lead me to what seemed my own JONES family origins.  North Wales it was, or at least I thought this was the case.   Uncertainty gave way to verification as my DNA haplogroup returned R1b1b2 [now classified as R1b1a2 ].   The following table shows the haplogroups for my JONES surname from 2011 and 2016.  They are then compared to haplogroups from North Wales reported in 2011.

In 2011, my R1b1 haplogroup made up around 82% of folks seeking their DNA from North Wales.  Those in my JONES surname groups made up 75% of this R1b haplogroup.  From North Wales indeed it would seem.   Other haplogroup percents are shown, which again follow the same pattern as North Wales.  The 2016 group shows that several other haplogroups have been reported to carry the JONES surname which indicates a lot more folks have become interested in all this DNA stuff.

Now the following figure shows roughly how this R1b haplogroup got to Wales.  [It was drawn when my haplogroup was still R1b1b2]  How the genes did flow, from A to R1b some 60,000 years in the making.

New Blogs

One can not discuss Welsh genealogy for very long without running into issues involving the JONES surname, and issues with other WELSH surnames.  Two new blogs are started with hopes to address these topics. "JONES SURNAME CENTRAL" one is titled.  Its purpose is to provide a place to discuss the Jones surname from a variety of angles...the origin, history, and chronology...and any other subject that might be related.  The second blog is titled "WELSH SURNAME CENTRAL".  Its purpose is to provide a place to discuss other Welsh surnames as they relate to the Welsh patrilineal naming structure so important to understand among those genealogist seeking to trace their Welsh family trees.  Come join the fun.  You can place comments for subjects or topics that you think are important to address....or questions you might have regarding these subjects.  The blogs are:

"JONES SURNAME CENTRAL" at   tjgjsc.blogspot.com

"WELSH SURNAME CENTRAL" at   tjgwsc.blogspot.com

I post this information on this blog since many readers share interest in Welsh genealogy.

Vale of the Dee

Welsh genealogy and the surname JONES can not usually be separated.   The following is a summary table of the first who are recorded as taking the surname JONES.  They are show by Welsh county and the dates that they were first recorded in the English legal records of the day.  The table is a figure taken from my blog called "The Jones Surname" [ thejonessurname.blogspot.com ].  This blog discusses everything you wanted to know about the JONES surname but were afraid to ask.

The date of each post, which presents a little more about each JONES for the Welsh county listed, is shown above.  The documentation of each JONES is given in the post.  I thought this might be an interesting topic for those who have been following this blog [Welsh Genealogy] since my 50 years of genealogy have brought me to the Vale of the Dee.

Richard Jones (JQ-95) The First JONES

Richard ap John = Richard Jones, the first of my Welsh descent to take the surname JONES. 

His code number is JQ-95, which means it took me quite a while to get to this connecting point.  In  Chancery Proceeding (series II), Vol. I, AD 1558-1579, Bundle 104/ no. 165, is the document which identifies this Richard as being of "Llanfair".  Llanfiar - Dyffryn Clwyd is the place of  Llyn-onn where the JONES side of the family would come to reside.  Making this "bridge" connection was one of the most difficult branches to my tree climbing.  What a deal! 

JOHN (JP-1) The Jones Surname Bridge

John (JP-1) ap Robert (JO-1) is the next in line among the branches of my JONES family tree.  To become a JONES one must have a JOHN among the branches.  It was this JOHN (JP-1) of Llynn-Onn who was the one for my family.  His wife was Jane Almer (JP-1) who has a distinct family tree of her own.

It was during the period that Wales was placed completely under the laws of England (Act of Union, 1536 and additions of 1542) that the Welsh naming system [ name "ap" name "ap" name "ap", etc.] was truncated to the English "surname" system [first name then surname].  It was a matter of what the English "ear" heard when a Welshmen gave his "name ap JOHN" that was to become the surname JONES.

A Swinging Door

An impressive site, this Norman built fortification.  Yet before the Normans, the Romans had already occupied the site some 1000 years earlier.  The Silures [those Britons who occupied the area before the Romans arrived] had beat up the Second Legion... which was to make those Romans pretty mad.  Defeating the Silures, the Romans built an eight-acre fort on the banks of the river Taff taking advantage of this strategic military site.  Thus, it became one of the key military strongholds for the occupation and control of this southern area of what was to become Wales.  A "front door" so to speak.

Of course the Normans who could quickly grasp any military advantage, saw the importance of this location, and under Robert FitzHamon [Robert fitz Hamo] built a castle on the site of the prior Roman occupation.  Here, a "borough" was established by 1100 AD making those French speaking folks king of the mountain.  All sorts of "settlers" were invited to this area, and it became one of the first "swinging doors" of Norman, to Saxon, to English occupation.

Glamogran it was to become. [Robert fitz Hamo became know as "conqueror of Glamorgan"]  Divided into three ; West Glamorgan (Swansea), Mid Glamorgan (Rhondda), and South Glamorgan (Cardiff), it is shown geographically in the figure above.  It is here that the first JONES surname appears in Wales 1496.  I suspect this fact reflects the long history of this "swinging door".

[The photo above was taken by me in 1998.  I am sure the area has changed since then, but the impact will remain the same...:-).]