Marriage Date and Place Added to Search Page

This morning I added fields for marriage year and place to the Whipple Genweb search form (http://genweb.whipple.org/search.html). I'm not entirely sure why I omitted those fields more than 10 years ago, when I first created that search page.

When entering dates and places I try to be consistent in the way I enter U.S. place names. However, I'm much less consistent when it comes to place names in other countries.

Last week (when I was out of town for a few days), I received an email that noted that I sometimes use Hertfordshire for the county north of London (the one that has Bishop's Stortford); other times I use Hertford (without the "shire"). My first inclination was to ignore the note. Then I started searching Personal Ancestral File (the free software I use to maintain the database). When I searched for places containing "Hertford", I noticed that Urias Whipple was married in Bishops Stortford; Urias was on the Disconnected Whipples page.

I decided that it might be useful to be able to search by marriage place. This evening, as I completed the implementation, I noticed another Urias Whipple, married in Bishops Stortford at http://whipple.org/106467. Both had the same marriage date and were married to the same person. The "connected" Urias is a descendant of Thomas Whipple of Bishops Stortford and a first cousin of Matthew Whipple of Bocking (http://whipple.org/5929). I merged the disconnected Urias with the connected Urias at http://whipple.org/106467.

... So the new field helped identify a disconnected Whipple who turned out to be a duplicate of a connected Whipple already in the database. I hope you find the new search field helpful in your research.

One feature of the search page is that only ONE search field is necessary. You can, for example, enter "Bishops Stortford" as the marriage place (leaving all other fields blank), and find all marriages that took place in Bishops Stortford. To find all individuals with ANY event that took place in Bishops Stortford, enter "Bishops Stortford" in the "All places (combined)" field (and leave all other fields blank).

Try experimenting by putting information in other single fields in the search form. Some will display nonsensical results--more results than you can handle. Other times, however, it will help you find something you would have missed otherwise.

Happy searching!

Michelle Whipple: Miss Guatemala 2012

Blaine Whipple just sent a link to a YouTube video of Michelle Whipple, Miss Guatemala 2012. Congratulations, Michelle! (It isn't clear if she is one of many contestants, or the winner ... Congratulations anyway!!)

DNA Test Results ... So Far

The very small sample of Y Chromosome DNA test results submitted so far seems to indicate that the Ipswich (Massachusetts) Whipples and the Providence (Rhode Island) Whipples don't share a "recent" common ancestor.

Rhode Island (Samuel, Eleazer), 3+ test results:

Haplogroup R1b1b2 (R-M269)

Ipswich (Matthew), 2 different test results:

Haplogroup T (T-M70)

Haplogroup I2b1

If you are a patrilineal male descendant Matthew or John of Ipswich, or of John of Providence, we welcome results of your yDNA tests.

The Whipple DNA Blog Is Joining the Whipple Blog

Lately I've felt stretched a bit too far, maintaining two Whipple blogs in my spare time. In an effort to save my time (and make DNA-related posts more accessible to followers) I have copied all the posts from the former Whipple DNA Blog to this blog and tagged the posts with the DNA tag. (Click on the tag to see all the DNA Blog posts.)

Last year I became a "convert" to genealogical DNA research (after years of disinterest). I wanted to know for sure if the Rhode Island Whipples and the Ipswich Whipples are related. Judging from Y DNA test results of the past year, I'm satisfied that the two families aren't related biologically.

While the majority of patrilineal descendants of Captain John Whipple of Providence share common Y chromosome DNA, I have yet to find two patrilineal descendants of Matthew Whipple of Bocking that belong to the same Y DNA haplogroup!

Why don't Bocking/Ipswich Whipple descendants belong to the same haplogroup? Can we be sure that Captain John of Providence isn't related to the Bocking Whipples?

It is my opinion that Captain John likely came from the vicinity of Essex County, England in 1632. (That might include Hertfordshire to the west, London to the south, or one of the neighboring counties. Many of the passengers aboard the Lyon in 1632 were from Essex and neighboring counties. John was an indentured servant of a man from the Essex area.) That's about as much as I can surmise about young John.

I'm still puzzled that so far there are no matches among patrilineal descendants of the Bocking/Ipswich Whipples. I encourage patrilineal descendants of John and Matthew of Ipswich to have a Y DNA test--even a basic 12-Marker test!

In the meantime, the former Whipple DNA blog is merging back into the Whipple Blog.

Hopefully I can find sufficient time to focus on a single blog! Thanks for your interest and encouragement!

Another Match!

Four days ago I received another email with the subject: "Family Tree DNA Y-DNA12 Test Match 12 for 12," indicating that yet another Whipple is a descendant of Captain John Whipple of Providence, Rhode Island. Because Family Tree DNA has a strict privacy policy, I'm not certain who that person is. (I do see, however, that there are five Whipples listed whose Y-DNA 12 Test matches mine.)

If you also received notification about four days ago--and you just recently had your DNA tested, feel free to email the webmaster-- especially if you are uncertain of your Rhode Island connection!

--W

Frank Whipple: Modern British Hero

Frank Whipple, East [London] End legend, passed away on Wednesday, August 24, 2011, at the age of 103. He died at the Royal London hospital. He was known in East London as a "campaigner, football fanatic and devoted family man." He was admired as the the U.K.'s oldest carer [caregiver] because of his dedication in taking care of his daughter Peggy, "born with severe special needs." Read the entire article in the East London Advertiser.

Frank was born in southern Ireland in about 1908, then moved with his family to east London in 1916. He is listed on the Whipple Website's "Disconnected Whipples" page. His son Harry is 72 years old. If any of you know how to contact him, it would be genealogically interesting to ask him to participate in a Y-Chromosome DNA test (in the unlikely event that he belongs to the haplogroup as any of the American Whipples. See the Whipple DNA blog). I wonder if he is related to Robert Eugene Whipple, in the Whipple Genweb at http://whipple.org/13445.

We offer our condolences to Frank's children Harry and Peggy.

Frank is in the Whipple Genweb at http://whipple.org/137583.

Where is the Whipple Website Facebook Page?

Tired of trying to remember the URL of the Whipple Website Facebook page? Now it's easy:

facebook.whipple.org will redirect you there, as of this evening.

Good luck!

(Let the Webmaster know if you ever notice the redirection break ...)

Photos from the July 10, 2011, Reunion at Jekyll Island, Georgia

Judging from the photos received from Bennett Whipple, it looks like the Georgia Whipples had a fun time at last month's reunion! (It was announced in this blog here and here.) Thank you, Bennett, for sharing! ( ... and for making us all wish that we could have been there ...)

Friday arrivals greet each other on the piazza at the Hampton Inn's pool: (l-r) Field Whipple, Milledgeville; Steve Whipple, Atlanta; Jean Michel and Laura (Whipple) Troussé, Canton, Ga.; Elli Frost and her grandmother, Jennifer (Whipple) Whiddon, Dublin, Ga.; Nona and Bennett Whipple, Big Canoe, Ga., and in the far background, Anne (Whipple) Alderman Murphey of Macon, the reunion organizer.

The photogenic Whipple girls from Milledgeville, daughters of Rhonda and Miles Dillard Whipple of Milledgeville, (l-r) Kellie, 8th grade, and Kaitlin, 12th grade, Georgia Military College Prep School, and Kristen, in her senior year at the University of Georgia.

The pool's the place to be for these Whipple cousins: (l-r) Nicholas Troussé, Mary Lynn Whipple, Madeleine Troussé, Penelope Abellera and Eli Abellera, having a camera-shy moment.

Saturday on the Beach (l-r) Cheryl Whipple, Katie Whipple, Nona Whipple, Fielding Alderman and Jean-Michel Troussé.

 The "Whipple Five" entertained Saturday night in the Hampton Lounge, with Guy Ingram on the trash can bongo, Steve Whipple, Colton Alderman, and Field Whipple on guitars, and Fielding Alderman on the Harmonica, one of twelve in his collection.

 Faithfully wearing his Bulldog cap, Ken Whidden, UGA defensive lineman on the 1966 Cotton Bowl team, with his wife Jennifer and their grandson Levi Scott Whiddon.

 Harriett Whipple visits with her daughter, Ann (Whipple) Taylor, and grandchildren, Josie (5) and Jackson (8) of Gray, Ga.

 The historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel, scene of the Sunday luncheon.

 Laura (Ingram) Lashley and Mark Lashley of Atlanta ran the registration table for the luncheon, assisting Jonathan Alderman, Macon, who helped with the arrangements.

The family gathered in the hotel's ballroom for the Sunday luncheon to celebrate Fielding's 89th birthday. From the left, Harriet and Fielding Whipple, Mel Gates Whipple of Vidalia, Ga., who celebrates her 100th birthday in September; Anne (Whipple) Murphey, Macon; and Nona and Bennett Whipple, Big Canoe, Ga.

The honoree, Fielding Dillard Whipple, Sr. stands with his son, Field, and wife Harriett seated at the table.

After the luncheon, most of the crowd squeezed onto the hotel's portico steps for the family's keepsake reunion picture. (Photo by Katie Whipple)

91st Whipple Reunion, Sunday, August 21, 2011, Forestville, NY

I just received the annual mailing from Kenneth L. Vogt about the 91st Reunion of the Chautauqua Whipples. (I really need to crash that party sometime--maybe in years, when they have the 100th reunion!) The following is excerpted from the mailing:

This year James and Joan Lisa are hosting the reunion at their home at 2361 Straight Road, Forestville, New York. The reunion starts at noon on August 21.

Directions
From exit 59 of the New York State Thru-way:

1. Left on Bennett Road (Route 60)
2. Left on Route 20
3. Right on County Road 81/South Roberts Road (for 3 miles)
4. Right on Whitaker Road (is 0.4 miles past Epolito Road)
5. Right on County Road 79/Center Road
6. Take 1st left onto Straight Road
7. Look for a sign in front of the residence.

Please bring a lawn chair.

Food

"The Whipple Reunion will provide coffee and lemonade and we request that everyone bring a dish to pass along with table service, plates, cutlery, etc. For those coming long distances, and do not have access to kitchen facilities, we suggest a stop at the supermarket for convenience food, maybe a salad, cake, pie, chips."

We shall have a blessing and the start of the meal at 1:00 p.m. sharp.

Expenses
"We will have a free will donation basket at the food serving table. Also don't forget the white elephant raffle. Bring in those knick knacks, plants, or most anything you would care to donate for the white elephant auction. There are expenses for our hosts and we should reimburse them."

Send comments or questions to Kenneth L. Vogt (kvvogt@earthlink.net).

Dewey Whipple Reunion Photos

I received the following photos from the Dewey Whipple Reunion held June 3-4, 2011, Camp Atoka, Utah. The first photo shows four of Dewey's children (L-R): Dexter, Dewey Jr., Albert and Illa.

Next is a group photo of all in attendance. (Hmmm ... I wonder if the photographer is missing ...?)

On the Death of Priam Parker Whipple

(Originally submitted by Susan Newell to the Whipple Website, May 30, 2011: "Transcribed from a fragile document, beautifully handwritten in fine, small, perfect script with quill pen and now faded ink, probably dating to the mid to late 1800s." At the time, Susan thought Priam might be a child of Eugene Whipple? On July 10, 2011, Susan submitted a correction, suggesting that Priam might more likely be a brother of Eugene. Within the next few days, Priam will appear in the Whipple Genweb as Eugene's brother.)

Here drooping by his lifeless side
        Pensive retired with grief oer' borne
Lovely in Death my darling pride
        He my long weeping Heart will Mourn.
Farewell then Dearest of my Heart,
        Whom neither tears nor prayer could save,
Tis Deaths redoubled pain to part,
        And leave such Beauty in the Grave.
Ah! He that once such Beauty graced.
        His winning smiles -- His angel form,
Corruptions greedy train shall waste.
        The Mouldering Dust -- the feasting Worm:
His tongue whose gentle prattlings blest,
        His hands whose tender touch could charm,
No more with Kisses shall be prest,
        No more his Mothers bosom warm.
Where His loved sight could once rejoice,
        Now forced his absence to sustain.
Mine ears wait listening for His Voice,
        I turn and seek His glimpses in vain.
By Night my Eyes the search repeat,
        Sad to the Glittering Skies they roll,
"Tell Me" I say The Happy Seat,
        Say where reside His blissful Soul:
Yet with bright hopes in distant View
        My faith instructed by the Sod,
Bids the false joys of Earth Adieu,
        And Bows before the Sovreign God.
Happy for Him so soon -- so well,
        To escape the woes which life annoy,
To part with few sad tales to tell,
        With me black grief to damp His joy:
Till the last hour of general Doom,
        Kind Angels guard his precious trust:
Lock the cold Chambers of the Tomb,
        Then wake my Priam's slumbering Dust.
That day shall bring Him to my Sight,
        His presence shall my joys restore,
Tell me thou thought with vast delight,
        When Death shall never part us more.

Thank You, William Whipple!

This is the weekend the United States celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack just posted an article entitled Never too late: Declaration signers being honored. It begins by mentioning William Whipple and cites Whipple genealogist Blaine Whipple.

As Americans celebrate Independence Day this year, we honor William Whipple and others who gave so much that the United States of America could be born and thrive for 235 years.

God bless America!

Georgia Whipple Reunion Reminder

Anne Murphey sends a reminder regarding the July 10th Whipple Reunion at Jekyll Island, Georgia (announced earlier on the Whipple Blog):

We're pleased over the interest shown by all you Whipples (by whatever name) in attending Fielding's July 10 birthday party at Jekyll Island and, yes, it's also a time for family reunion.

It's not too late for you to be there, too. There are a few rooms left at the Hampton Inn, so call Mimi by June 8 for the $159 group rate at (912) 635-3733 and make your reservation. Many of us are spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

To make reservations for Sunday's birthday buffet luncheon at the Jekyll Island Club, mail your check by June 28 payable to "Anne Murphey" to Jonathan Alderman, PO Box 6497, Macon, GA 31208-6497. (For Adults - $20 and $10 for children ages 3 - 11.)

No gifts, of course, but you may send a birthday greeting to Amy Alderman at jonamya@gmail.com for his birthday scrapbook.

We're looking forward to seeing all of you at Jekyll.

Josephine G. Whipple

I realized today that I haven't posted here for over a month. It occurred to me that I might want to post (selected?) photos that are submitted to the Whipple Website. This is a photo of Miss Josephine G. Whipple (in the Whipple Genweb at http://whipple.org/120030). The photo will appear at the top of her page within the next week.

The 1900 census gives her birth in September 1836 in Massachusetts. She was living in Boston at the time of the 1920 census.

Dewey Whipple Reunion 2nd Reminder, Camp Atoka, Utah, June 3-4, 2011

I just received a second reminder about the Whipple Reunion at Camp Atoka, east of Ogden, Utah, on Friday and Saturday, June 3rd and 4th, 2011. Here is the PDF file I received.

Piggeries, Henneries, and J. R. Whipple's Boston Hotels

Seven or more years ago, Joanne Lahr-Kreischer introduced me to J. Reed Whipple (full name: Joseph Reed Whipple) when she submitted "J. Reed Whipple and Boston Hotels" to the Whipple Website. Born in New Boston, New Hampshire, Reed remained connected with his roots, even after becoming a noted Boston hotelier.  

The New Boston Historical Society's web site tells about Whipple's New Boston farm that supplied food to his Boston hotels. Worth noting:

• J.R. (Reed) Whipple supplied food to the Parker House, Young's Hotel and Hotel Touraine from his 2500-acre Valley View Farm in New Boston, NH
• In 1893 he build a railroad line between New Boston and Boston's Parker Station to facilitate food shipments.
• The farm's "piggery," "hennery," and creamery employed 90 workers. Food was shipped to Boston daily. Leftover food was sent back to New Boston to feed the pigs and chickens.

To read more about Valley View Farm, visit the New Boston Historical Society's web site, then click "Town History," then "New Boston's Farms."

(Note: The New Boston Historical Society is located in the former Whipple Free Library, which recently moved into its new building.)

12-Marker Y-DNA Test for $99.00!

This week Christopher Congdon reported a way to purchase a 12-marker Y Chromosome DNA test from FamilyTree DNA: Visit https://www.familytreedna.com/order-form.aspx?ty=58&Group=Whipple&code= -- it takes you directly to the page for the 12-marker test.

As I mentioned in an earlier post: the 12-marker Y-DNA test should be sufficient for the objectives of the Whipple Website's tests -- to see it the Ipswich MA and Providence RI Whipples have a "recent" common ancestor.

Before you run out and plunk down your $99.00: Make sure you are a male patrilineal Whipple descendant! (That means that your Whipple ancestry goes back through fathers' lines as far as you know; it probably means that your surname is Whipple.)

I hope to see more test results from descendants of Ipswich Whipples, Matthew (http://whipple.org/5946) and John (http://whipple.org/5890). We're still looking for common haplogroup trends among their descendants.

(Last time I checked, I THINK I saw about 49 tests of Rhode Island Whipple patrilineal descendants, all with a common haplogroup. All "Rhode Island Whipple descendants) trace their ancestry to the John Whipple at http://whipple.org/366.)

Charles T. Whipple: Helping Japan's Tsunami Victims

As I've watched in disbelief the videos of the recent tsunami in Japan, I have wondered what I can do to help. Cars, boats, homes--all the worldly possessions of thousands of residents of the Tohoku region--seemed like toys in a bathtub or wading pool ... except that they were real.

Charles T. Whipple (a resident of Japan) contacted me this morning, offering to contribute the proceeds of his book A Matter of Tea to the tsunami victims. Please visit his blog and participate if you are able.

We extend our hopes and best wishes to the tsunami victims, and pray for their quick recovery.

Whipple Family Reunion at Camp Atoka, UT, June 3-4, 2011

I received the following from Susan Freeze:

Whipple Family Reunion

June 3rd and 4th, 2011

Friday and Saturday

Camp Atoka

Just 4.3 miles East of Huntsville, UT

on the

South Fork of the Ogden River

Get ready for the Old Style Reunion. There will be camping, fishing, games, geocaching, letterboxing, visiting and an old fashioned campfire with campfire stories and songs. Also the drawing for the Famous Reunion Quilt that Deborah, Susan and Mom (Illa) have been working on since last year's reunion.

Planned Events

• Friday start at 1:00 p.m. available for camp setup
• Friday 5 pm gather at bowery
• Friday 6 pm dinner (drink furnished)
• Saturday 8am to 9 am breakfast for the overnight campers (furnished)
• General camp activities
• Geocaching (www.geocaching.com)
• Letterboxing (www.letterboxing.com)
• Fishing
• Games
• Cleanup and depart by noon

What to Bring

• Craft to donate for the raffle
• Friday night dinner
• Camp chairs
• Camp gear (if camping)
• Fishing gear (if fishing)
• Camping games
• Warm clothing (gets cool at night)
• GPS (if you are going to Geocache)
• Money for the raffle and dues ($5.00 per family)
• Family photos
• Camera

Important Information

• What: Whipple Family Reunion
• Where: Camp Atoka (a church campground located 4.3 miles east of Huntsville, UT. Less than an hour's drive from downtown Salt Lake City)
• When: June 3rd and 4th 2011
• Why: Help you know who you are, and where you came from so you can determine where you would like to go.
• How: OK, too many questions. Just pack up and head to the reunion

Contact Information

• Susan Freeze (reallycold11@gmail.com) phone: 801-467-4446
• Bob Harvey (kabob97@aol.com) phone: 801-628-7211
• Deborah Goates (sevengoates@yahoo.com) phone: 702-283-6095
• Steve Harvey (harvsters7@msn.com phone) 801-825-1770

Which Y-DNA Test?

Now that I've had time to look at the results of different relatives' Y-DNA tests, I have formulated a new opinion about which Y-chromosome DNA tests are best. The tests with the fewest "markers" (which are also the cheapest) are probably sufficient--for starters, at least.

A 12-marker test ought to be sufficient to for a male Whipple to determine whether he is a biological patrilineal descendant of the earliest Rhode Island ancestor, Captain John Whipple (See http://whipple.org/366) Unfortunately, FamilyTree DNA doesn't seem to offer a 12- or 25-marker test. The "starter test" advertised on their web site (http://www.familytreedna.com) is the 37-marker test. (They also offer a 67-marker test--considerably more expensive.)

If you are a male Whipple and suspect that you descend from the Ipswich (Massachusetts) brothers John and Matthew, we urge you to have your Y-DNA tested and submit your results! (Thus far, we know of only two tests of Ipswich Whipple--and both are different. Even a 12-marker would help identify a trend!)

We also welcome test results from other Whipple tree descendants. Here are a few possibilities:

• The Houma, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana (male) descendants of George Whipple of Baden-Baden, in the present-day state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. (George's son, Charles Frederick Whipple, immigrated to the U.S. in 1844. He was living in Houma in the 1900 Census.)
• Male descendants of the purported Robert Eugene Whipple of county Cork, Ireland, who died in the Boston Mountains of Arkansas. His three grandsons, Joseph, John William, and James, were born in Virginia in the 1820's and 1830's.
• Male descendants of anyone listed on the Disconnected Whipples page--including Whipples from the United Kingdom. (It would be interesting to see if/how they share ancestry with U.S. Whipples!)

We (the rest of us Whipples) look forward to learning about the Y-DNA results of any other male Whipples interested in participating!

If you know of a Y-DNA testing service that offers the 12-marker test, please contact the Webmaster (webmaster@whipple.org).

(If you purchase a 37-marker test from FamilyTree DNA, they offer an upgrade to the "full-blown" 67-marker test--if you're interested.)

Whipple Reunion at Jekyll Island, Georgia, July 10, 2011

I received the following notice this week from Bennett Whipple of Georgia. He asked me to post it on the Whipple Blog. It also indicated that Whipples that aren't "immediately related" are also welcome to attend. Bennett's sister Anne drafted the invitation:

Our brother Fielding Dillard Whipple turns 89 on July 10, 2011.  Nona and Bennett, Anne, and Harriett plan to celebrate with Fielding at Jekyll Island that weekend. The actual birthday party will be Sunday, July 10, at eleven a.m. at the old Jekyll Island Hotel.  We want all of you there. We hope this will be a Whipple reunion.  Some of us plan to spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights at the Hampton Inn, on the site of the demolished Holiday Inn.  MAKE YOUR OWN RESERVATION.  They have given us a group rate.

The Hampton Inn
200 South Beachview Drive
Jekyll Island, GA  31527
Phone 912-635-3733
Fax 912-635-3738
www.jekyllislandhamptoninn.com
Mimi is contact person.
Group rate:

1. Standard: 2 Q beds, 159.00 + 12% tax

1. Suite:  2 Q or 1 K bed, 179.00 + 12% tax (with 1 Q sofa bed and balcony) 

No additional per person charge. All rooms have microwave, fridge and coffee service. Hotel has complimentary hot breakfast (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and coffee service 24-7, and shuttle service available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at no charge to anyplace  on island.

Birthday Lunch:

The Jekyll Island Club
Birthday Luncheon
Sunday, July 10, 2011 gather at 11 a.m.
Bring photographs, scrapbooks, genealogy notes, and musical instruments.
Adult buffet - $20.00
Child age 3-11 - $10.00
Reservation by check by July 1 made to Anne Murphey and sent to Jonathan Alderman:
                  PO Box 6497
                  Macon, GA  31208-6497

View Larger Map

Benjamin Whipple and His Role in the Dakota Conflict of 1862

Blaine Whipple recently noted a set of web pages that include one page devoted to Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple--first bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Minnesota.  The Bishop's page is part of the Famous Trials web site by Douglas O. Linder (2011), University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Law.

A biographical page devoted to Bishop Whipple is entitled (simply) Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple.

It is one of a set of Biographies of Key Participants in the Dakota Conflict Trials, which is part of a larger site of Famous American Trials: The Dakota Conflict Trials, 1862. Those trials resulted in the execution of thirty-eight Sioux--the largest mass execution in American history. "Only the unpopular intervention of President Lincoln saved 265 other Dakota" from a similar execution. Bishop Whipple was instrumental in petitioning President Lincoln to stop the killings.

The Dakota Conflict Trials of 1862 are part of a much larger Famous Trials web site.

Bishop Whipple is featured on the Whipple Website. You can find his genealogy is at http://whipple.org/8170. He is definitely one of the "shining stars" among Whipple relatives!

The Snake Den by Chuck Tyrell

I just received a note from Whipple cousin Charles T. Whipple (who writes under the pen name Chuck Tyrell) about his latest book, The Snake Den, just released in eBook formats by Solstice Publishing. (It will appear as a print edition later this year.)

Charles also notes that his earlier book, Vulture Gold, is out of print in both small and large print editions. It is, however, "now available from most eBook retailers, especially Smashwords and Western Trail Blazers."

You can find Chuck on the web at:

• http://www.chucktyrell.com
• http://chucktyrell-outlawjournal.blogspot.com
• http://tokyowest.typepad.com/charlies_blog/
• http://www.solsticepublishing.com
• http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/39423

The Snake Den is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sE3YhPs_bY

Ipswich Whipple Y DNA: More Uncertainty

A few days ago I posted preliminary results of an Ipswich Whipple Y Chromosome DNA test. That test indicated no close relationship between the Rhode Island Whipples and that descendant of Matthew Whipple (brother of John) of Ipswich.

Two days ago I received another Y DNA report from another descendant of the same Matthew. (Matthew is the nearest common ancestor of both individuals.) Those DNA results were also different from the Rhode Island Whipple DNA results. Unfortunately, the two Ipswich Whipples DNA tests don't match each other: both Ipswich Whipples have different Y DNA results.

We can't really conclude anything at the moment, except for the following:

• If you are a male named Whipple and a Y DNA test shows that you belong to haplogroup R1b1b2 (R-M269), you are likely a descendant of Captain John Whipple of Rhode Island.
• If you are a male named Whipple and a Y DNA test shows that you belong to either haplogroup T or I2b1, you are likely an Ipswich Whipple. (Well, at least you probably aren't a Rhode Island Whipple.)

Feel free to submit your Y DNA test results to the Whipple DNA web site--especially if you don't think you are a Rhode Island Whipple.

More later ...

Weldon Whipple

Accessing Your yDNA Test Results on FamilyTree DNA

A fellow Whipple reported that he received an email in the past few days from FamilyTree DNA, informing him that some of his Y chromosome DNA test results were available. He indicated that he didn't know how to access the results. I recalled that when I first received my test results, it took me several weeks to "discover" where the results were on the web site. With that in mind, I've decided to share how I accessed my test results.

Step 1. Follow the link to your myFTDNA account

The email has a section that says something like:

Follow the link below to access your myFTDNA account.
Your Kit Number is xxxxxx
http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com
"History Unearthed Daily"

Jot down your Kit Number and visit http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com.

Step 2. Log into FTDNA

On the left section of the page,

• enter your Kit Number in the first field, then
• enter your password. (The email you received when you ordered the test should have your password. If you can't remember it, click on the "Forgot Your Password?" link.)

Step 3. View your Y-DNA Results

The next page should say "Welcome to your Family Tree DNA personal page!"

The first time I saw the page I was scared away. There are two places on the page that will show you the test results. On the left-hand "navigation bar," scan down until you see "Y-DNA." Beneath that heading, you will see these links:

• Matches
• Haplotree
• Ancestral Origins
• DYS Values
• Print Certificate/Report/Data

(You will see the very same links a ways down on the main [right-hand side of the] page, with explanatory prose.)

The rest of this blog entry tells you how to click on the five links just mentioned. Feel free to skip the rest of these instructions, unless you need further help. (Hint: Your haplotree is on the page you view when you click the Haplo tree link.)

Step 4. Click on "Matches"

You should see the "Y-DNA Matches" page. Scroll to the bottom to see some test recipients whose tests exactly or closely match your results. (If you're lucky, you might see some other Whipples. In my case, four other Whipples are listed. There is also one exact match with a different surname.)

My page shows four sections:

1. 12 Marker - Exact Match
2. 25 Marker - Exact Match
3. 37 Marker - Genetic Distance - 2
4. 67 Marker - Genetic Distance - 3

Step 5. Click on "Haplotree"

(The "Haplotree" link should still be in the left navigation bar, under "Matches.")

After Flash finished drawing the page, look near the top, on the right part of the page. On my page, I see:

My Predicted Haplogroup: R1b1b2   Shorthand: R-M269

Those two values represent your haplogroup (and a shorthand identifier for it ...). (Compare those values to what you see on the "Results" tab of this Whipple DNA blog.

If you're interested in sharing, I'm very interested in your haplogroup and shorthand value.

I'll not mention you by name on this blog--to protect your privacy. However, I'd like to include you in the summary numbers).

On the same page, you can click "Frequency Map" and "Migration Map" to learn more about your ancestors' possible migration paths.

Step 6: Click on "Ancestral Origins"

(The "Ancestral Origins" link should be in the left navigation bar, under "Haplotree.")
Read where they think your ancestors came from. (You may be very surprised!)

Step 7: Click on "DYS Values"

(The "DYS Values" link should be in the left navigation bar, under "Ancestral Origins.")

You might want to print this page (clicking on the "Print This Page" button on the top right.")

I'm not sure what all the values mean, but they're useful if you want to search another yDNA database. I googled for some yDNA databases, and finally settled on Genetree, at www.genetree.com.
On that site, I clicked the "Sign Up" link at the top of the page (then used my signup when I return to that site).

After entering the site, I did the following:

1. Clicked on the "DNA" menu item near the top of the page, then "Y-DNA Profile" on the drop-down.
2. On the "Y-DNA Results" page, I clicked on "Markers" and then "Edit," to get a page of Markers with blanks to enter the Values. The Markers correspond to "DYS#" on the FTDNA printout; the Values correspond to "Alleles" on the FTDNA printout.
3. After I filled in as many blanks as I could (yes, I left some blank), I saved it.

On the Genetree site, it reported that I had 49 matches--many more than I did on the FamilyTree DNA site.

Step 8: Click on "Print Certificate/Report/Data

The page has two PDF certificates and one Migration Map. You can also download your Y-DNA Matches as CSV ("comma separated values") files (for importing to a spreadsheet, etc.)

Well, that's about all I have to say. Feel free to click around on other parts of the FTDNA site.

Feel free to add anything (as a comment) that you think I've missed. (I might even update this page if necessary ...)

Good luck!

Preliminary yDNA Test Results: Ipswich and R.I. Whipples Not Closely Related?

Yesterday I received an email reporting the results of Y Chromosome DNA tests of an 8th great grandson of Matthew Whipple (born about 1590, died 28 Sep 1647) of Ipswich, Massachusetts.

(Recall that Matthew and his brother John--both born in Bocking, Essex County, England--sailed from England to Ipswich, Massachusetts, in about 1638. John was born about 1596 and died 30 Jun 1669.)

The 8th great grandson mentioned above is of Haplogroup T (Shorthand T-M70).

My own Y DNA test results (received during the fall of 2010) show me to belong to Haplogroup R1b1b2 (Shorthand R-M269). I am the 8th great grandson of the other (younger) John Whipple, born somewhere in England around 1617. He landed at Dorchester (part of present-day Boston), Massachusetts in 1632 as a teenage indentured servant. He later married and moved to Rhode Island. Several other Whipples in the yDNA databases match my DNA. Those that I've been able to identify are also descendants of Rhode Island John.

So, to summarize what I've observed so far:

Ipswich Whipples: Haplogroup T (Shorthand T-M70)
Rhode Island Whipples: Haplogroup R1b1b2 (Shorthand R-M269)

If you are a male Whipple whose patrilineal line descendants directly from the Ipswich brothers Matthew and John--or from John Whipple of Rhode Island--we welcome a report of your haplogroup findings.

--Weldon Whipple, Webmster

Whipple Museum at the University of Cambridge

Whipple aficionados will want to read a recent post about the Whipple Museum of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., on Blaine Whipple's blog. The museum was established in 1944, when Robert Stewart Whipple presented his collection of scientific instruments and books to the university.

Mr. Whipple is in the Whipple Genweb at http://whipple.org/117682. The Whipple Website's photo gallery has a photograph of a plaque at the entrance to the museum. Here are a few other photos from the Webmaster's 2005 visit to Cambridge:

As Whipple DNA tests progress (after the DNA signatures of U.S. Whipples have been established), it might be interesting to see if any present-day Whipples in England have ancestors in common with U.S. Whipples.

Do the DNA.Whipple.org and the Whipple DNA project work together?

I just read the following question on the RootsWeb Whipple mailing list:

So do the DNA.Whipple.org and the Whipple DNA project work together or are they complete separate entities. What is the best way to do an DNA test? Would the National Geographic test work as well? I was interested in that project before I started researching my ancestry but have not done any at this time. Looking forward to seeing what develops.

Here is a response from the co-coordinator for the Whipple group (posted to the same mailing list):

For genealogy purposes the wisest choice is FTDNA or worldfamilies.com. ... FTDNA and worldfamilies cooperate closely. Worldfamilies sponsors a "surname group" for Whipple and others. Ordering your test through worldfamilies gives you an FTDNA test, and supports worldfamilies efforts in supporting surname groups and other efforts. I belong to three surname groups, two of which operate through worldfamilies, and serve as a co-coordinator for the Whipple group, a role I have only recently started and am learning.

The key issue is to to have ready facilities for sharing your results for genealogy studies. In this case there is a significant difference between "genealogy" as in the effort to find your specific relatives, and "genealogical" as in tracing the possibilities of your relationships before people had names. My opinions, of course.

Here is the Whipple Website's response:

The Whipple DNA web site (dna.whipple.org) is more of a "cheer leading" site, focused on very specific objectives, the chief of which--at the moment, at least--is determining whether--or not--the two largest Whipple families in America share a "recent" common ancestor. Whether the answer is "yes" or "no" will help focus future Whipple genealogical research.

I used FamilyTree DNA (FTDNA) for my own tests (mainly because so many others have done the same). I'm satisfied. For the present, I recommend the same test for other patrilineal male descendents who are interested in genealogical DNA. If you are a descendant of either Matthew or John of Ipswich, Massachusetts, I am particularly interested in results of your tests.

So, there you have it.

Weldon Whipple, Webmaster, Whipple Website

67 Marker Y Chromosome DNA Test Results Arrived Today

Today I received an email from FamilyTree DNA, informing me of the results from the 67 Marker DNA test ordered earlier. (This completes the tests I've ordered.)

In searching the Y DNA databases, I have found several other Whipples with 90% or greater matches to my DNA, all of them descendants of Captain John Whipple of Dorchester, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island.

Hopefully more results will be forthcoming from known descendants of the Ipswich, Massachusetts/Bocking, England Whipples. It will be nice if/when we can establish whether or not the two main families share a common ancestor.

If you are a male named Whipple and can trace your patrilineal ancestry to the Whipples of Bocking, England, having your DNA tested would help us nail down a Y-DNA haplogroup for that Whipple branch.

If you aren't sure of your male-line Whipple ancestry, feel free to contact the Webmaster: webmaster@whipple.org.

More later

Amiel Weeks Whipple, Transcontinental Railroads & Route 66

While checking Facebook on my iPhone, I ran across an article published as part of Arizona's celebration of its statehood centennial this year: Arizona Centennial: The Making of a State - Whipple blazed route for transcontinental railroad. (Recall that he was mortally wounded during the U.S. Civil War while defending Washington, D.C. If you've spent much time on the Whipple Website, you will also know that Fort Myer--now in Arlington Cemetery, Virginia--was named Fort Whipple from the 1860s until 1881, in his honor.)

The purpose of Major General Whipple's expedition through Arizona to California was to find a route for a railroad to the Pacific along the 35th parallel. His expedition explored from Little Rock, Arkansas, through present-day Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona, then through the Mojave Desert to Los Angeles. The western segment of historic Route 66 followed the route he identified from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles. It might be interesting to compare Google Maps' modern-day driving directions from Little Rock to Los Angeles with the path of the original (famous) Route 66. First, Google Maps:


View Larger Map

Then a map of Route 66:

Finally, if you look closely at this map of U.S. Railroads in 1918, you might be able to imagine the path charted by Amiel's survey:

Apparently the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (which operated from 1867 to 1897) never actually connected with the west coast. Two segments connected Missouri to Oklahoma, and New Mexico to California. The connection was made by that railroad's successors. See the Wikipedia article on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.

Amiel is in the Whipple Genweb at http://whipple.org/14649.

Thoughts on the Origins of Captain John of Providence, d. 1685

Yesterday I received a CD from William Lyons in my mail box. The CD contained a PDF file of a yellowed typescript entitled Genealogical Notes of the Whipple Lineage of Stephen Bennett Whipple (1833-1915) of Cochran, Georgia, Descended from Massachusetts and Rhode Island Ancestry compiled by William Holliman Whipple of Macon, Ga. The first page of the second chapter has these familiar words:

History states that in 1630 about 1500 persons landed in Boston from England. On "Oct. 3, 1632, [John Whipple] was ordered to pay 3s. 4d. [3 shillings, 4 pence] to his master, Israel Stoughton, for wasteful expenditure of powder and shot." As he was apprenticed to Stoughton, it is only fair to suppose that he came to this country with him.

Israel Stoughton's Voyage to America

As I have many times in the past, I opened my copy of The Planters of the Commonwealth by Charles Edward Banks (Boston, 1930; reprint ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997). Pages 65-85 list the passengers of the Winthrop Fleet of 1630:

"Eleven vessels [that] brought 'the Great Emigration' of this year, viz:

1. Arbella the flagship
2. Ambrose
3. Talbot
4. Jewel
5. Charles
6. Mayflower
7. William and Francis
8. Hopewell
9. Whale
10. Success
11. Trial

"The first five ships sailed April 8 from Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, and arrived at Salem June 13 and following days. The other half of the fleet sailed in May and arrived in July at various dates. Altogether they brought about seven hundred passengers of whom the following are presumed to have been on these ships."

Israel Stoughton appears in the Winthrop Fleet passenger list on page 82. He and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Stoughton, of Coggeshall, Essex, settled in Dorchester--part of present-day Boston. On the list, Israel and Elizabeth are followed by Thomas Stoughton and Mrs. ...... Stoughton, also of Coggeshall, Essex and bound for Dorchester. John Whipple doesn't appear on the passenger list.

John Whipple's Voyage to America

John traveled to America two years later aboard the Lyon, which sailed from London June 22, 1632, and arrived in Boston September 16. (That passenger list appears on pages 99-102 of Planters; 123 passengers were aboard.) Page 102 lists John Whipple "of Bocking, Essex," bound for Dorchester.

(Many have noted that this John Whipple couldn't have been the same person as the John Whipple who came with his brother Matthew from Bocking in 1638 to settle in nearby Ipswich, Massachusetts. Those two brothers continue to appear in Bocking records until 1638, and appear in Ipswich records thereafter--at the same time as the John who arrived in 1632 continues to appear in Dorchester records until 1658, at which time he appears in Providence records. Since Bocking records make no mention of other Johns living there during the period 1615-1632, most have concluded that Banks' indication of John's being "of Bocking, Essex" must be wrong. I can't dispute that conclusion.)

Banks indicates that John arrived two years later than Stoughton. (Only two weeks and three days separated John's arrival on Sunday, September 16, 1632, and Wednesday, October 3, when he was fined  for wasting ammunition. It sounds like something a teenager might do ...)

Where is Coggeshall, Essex?

Coggeshall is about 6.3 miles from Bocking, a present-day trip of about 14 minutes on the A120 expressway:

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Note: If you drive west from Coggeshall on the A120 for 40 minutes (about 25.1 miles), bypassing Bocking, you'll arrive in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, residence of Thomas Whipple--great grandfather of the brothers Matthew and John that settled in Ipswich in 1638:


View Larger Map

I still don't know where Capt. John of Rhode Island originated. ... But I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't live far from Essex County.

More Ramblings (added 12 hours later)

This still doesn't prove anything, but I'll mention it anyway:

Thomas Whipple (the great grandfather of John Whipple of Ipswich--mentioned above) had at least one other son (not a direct ancestor of the Ipswich Whipples, but a great uncle the Ipswich brothers John and Matthew) named John (1), a resident of Bishop's Stortford, born before 1505 and died before 7 Mar 1572/73. (This can't be be our John of Providence; he can't even be the father of John of Providence).

This John of Bishop's Stortford (son of Thomas) had 8 known children--two of them sons who might have passed on the Whipple name. Those two sons (grandchildren of Thomas and first cousins once removed of the Ipswich brothers John and Matthew) are:

• John (2) Whipple, born about 1535, of Bishop's Stortford
• William Whipple, born before 20 May 1561, of Bishop's Stortford, died before 1594, of St. Alphage, London, England.

The brothers John and William could have conceivably been ancestors of John of Providence. Available primary records (cited at the bottom of each of their pages in the Whipple Genweb), record only a daughter named Elizabeth, born to William. Our (pure) speculation must therefore end there.

John (2), on the other hand, had two known sons (second cousins of the Ipswich brothers Matthew and John):

• John (3) Whipple, born before 24 Nov 1579 [and apparently before Samuel, below?], died before 5 Feb 1624/25, when a resident of Bishop's Stortford.
• Samuel Whipple, born about 1565, buried 20 Feb 1605/6 at St. Katherine Coleman, London, England.

Samuel was buried about a decade before John of Providence would have been born. There is a (purely speculative) possibility that he might be the grandfather of John of Providence. (If this were the case, it would make John of Providence a second cousin twice removed of the Ipswich brothers Matthew and John.)

It is biologically possible that John (3) could (WARNING: pure speculation!!) have fathered John of Providence (making John of Providence a second cousin once removed of the Ipswich brothers Matthew and John). If John (3) were the grandfather of John of Providence, then John of Providence would be a second cousin twice removed of the Ipswich brothers Matthew and John.)

IMPORTANT WARNING AND CAUTION!!: Please don't assume that any of the speculations of the above section are true! There is absolutely no documentation for any of them!!

Further Wild Speculations

If this offends anyone, please stop reading ... but my stream-of-consciousness just won't stop!

Note that John of Providence named his oldest son John, his second son Samuel, and his fourth son William. (I know, that is likely pure coincidence. After all those are all fairly common "standard" boys' names--but they are present in the British descendants of Thomas Whipple of Bishop's Stortford ...)

One final wild speculation:

John of Providence's second daughter Mary married Epenetus Olney, who was born in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England--about 29 miles from and in the same county as Bishop's Stortford:


View Larger Map

This has all gotten out of hand, so I'll stop ... NOW!

I hope a sufficiently large pool of patrilineal descendants of Ipswich Whipples participate in the Whipple DNA project (see http://dna.whipple.org) to enable us to say, with reasonable certainty, either:

1. Captain John of Providence and the Ipswich brothers John and Matthew do have a common ancestor, OR
2. Captain John of Providence and the Ipswich brothers John and Matthew don't have a common ancestor.

That would put this rampant speculation to rest (or possibly fuel it ... :-)

Update: Trace Your Roots with DNA

Last night I finished reading the book Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner (Rodale, 2004; ISBN 1-59486-006-8). I strongly recommend it to anyone seriously interested in genetics and genealogy. Here are a few things I learned/concluded.

Y-DNA Testing

Of the two primary DNA tests used in genealogical research, the Y Chromosome DNA test interests me the most. It seems like a perfect match for determining whether the Whipples from Rhode Island and the Whipples from Ipswich, Massachusetts/Bocking, England share a common ancestor--or not. Learning that information can help researchers focus their pre-New World Whipple genealogical research.

mtDNA Testing

Just as Y-DNA testing is good for determining the patrilineal ancestry of male Whipples, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing is useful for verifying/validating a female's matrilineal ancestry. For Whipples in general--the focus group of the Whipple Genweb--mtDNA testing seens less useful. (That doesn't mean it isn't useful for specific Whipple's, however, in researching their own ancestry.)

See the DNA testing objectives suggested by the Whipple Website (which focus on Y-DNA tests). Their focus on Y-DNA tests need not exclude involvement of females that are Whipple descendants. Although our female cousins have no Y chromosomes, they do have brothers, uncles and male cousins to be recruited.

Other Y-DNA Databases

Page 192 of Trace Your Roots with DNA lists several additional Y-DNA database organizations:

• www.yhrd.org (Y-chromosome Haplotype Reference Database), originated in Germany, primarily as a forensic database.
• www.ybase.org, sponsored by DNA Heritage, is the "first open-access database designed especially for genealogists." It can "accommodate results from any genealogical testing company."
• www.ysearch.org is the database associated with Family Tree DNA--the organization that is testing my own Y-DNA and (perhaps?) the "official" organization for the Whipple DNA project.
• GeneTree is associated with the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation), associated with the database.

This morning I quickly visited all four sites in an attempt to learn of their searchability and availability to genealogical DNA newcomers.

One of the for probably deserves special note: When I visited GeneTree, I was immediately presented with a very simple (and compelling) registration page, which I "fell for." After I registered (for free), the site sent me an confirmation email, which included a link to the GeneTree database. It offered an easy-to-use interface for adding my Whipple pedigree and entering my alleles from the Family Tree DNA test.

Within 5-10 minutes of submitting that form, an email arrived in my inbox, informing me of 49 matches--many of them Whipples. I spent the afternoon "clicking into" those matches at GeneTree.

I continue to recommend Family Tree DNA for participants in the Whipple DNA Project. However, I also strongly suggest that participants pro-actively search other available Y-DNA databases for matches.

I currently feel fairly confident about the Y-DNA signature of Captain John Whipple of Rhode Island (http://whipple.org/366). I need to gain the same degree of confidence for the Ipswich/Bocking Whipples.

The future is bright for the Whipple DNA Project. I look forward to watching it unfold!

The Whipple DNA Project at worldfamilies.net

As proof that I'm still a "newbie" at genealogical DNA research, I realized this afternoon that the Whipple DNA Project has been around for at least two years at http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/whipple/. Even more surprising (to me) is that my pedigree is already online. (I recall uploading it somewhere a month or so ago. This afternoon I realized that it is posted--with a few others--at the worldfamilies.net URL mentioned above.)

Approximately two years ago Blaine Whipple submitted a document announcing the beginning of the Whipple Surname Family Tree DNA Project. (You can view the document at http://whipple.org/dna.pdf.) Although the offer described in that document has expired, prices of DNA testing have decreased since the document was created.

To join the Whipple Surname Family Tree DNA Project, I suggest the following:

• Identify a living male relative named Whipple (perhaps yourself) who you think is a direct descendant of someone named Whipple, going from father to father, until the most distant male Whipple ancestor is reached.
• Visit the FamilyTreeDNA web site and sign up for a Y-DNA test. (It will cost some money--but less than it did two years ago.) The instructions on Blaine's 2008 invitation said to select the "37 Marker" test. Today many suggest selecting the "67 Marker". If you aren't certain of your ancestry, you might decide to request the less expensive 12 or 25 Marker test. (If either of those looks promising, you can request a higher-numbered Marker test after receiving the results of your test.)
• FamilyTreeDNA will send you four mouth swabs and give instructions for swabbing the inside of your mouth at intervals specified in the instructions, then storing them in small containers. When complete, return them to FamilyTreeDNA in the envelope they send you.
• FamilyGreeDNA will email the results to you, inviting you to upload your patrilineal pedigree for others to see for comparison.
• When you upload your pedigree it appears on the worldfamilies.net web site.

I'll share additional information as I  become aware of it.

My 37 Marker Y-DNA Results Arrived Today

FamilyTree DNA emailed the results of my 37 marker Y-DNA test today (having previously sent the results of the 12 and 25 marker tests). They are still working on the 67 marker tests.

(If I sound like I know what I'm talking about, I really don't. I have, however, received the following book from Amazon.com--two days ago: Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner (Rodale, c2004; ISBN 1-59486-006-8). I hope to read it over the Thanksgiving weekend. Previously I had begun reading The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine by Francis S. Collins (New York: Harper, c2010; ISBN 978-0-06-173317-8). The latter book is fascinating, but doesn't say much about genealogical applications of DNA.)

Anyway, here is what I know so far (in case readers want to know how I compare with them). I'll include my 12 and 25 marker results as well.

My Haplotree

• My Y-DNA Haplotree: R1b1b2

My Y-DNA 12, 25 and 37 Markers 

• My Y-DNA 12 marker has an "exact match" with 4 other individuals (three of them named Whipple). Here is what that means:

The probability that the five of use share a common ancestor within the last ...

2 generations is	18.50%
4 generations is	33.57%
6 generations is	45.86%
8 generations is	55.88%
10 generations is	64.04%

(Note: Captain John Whipple is 10 generations away from me--not counting my own generation. If we extend the above sequence to 28 generations, someone with an exact match would have 94.30% probability of sharing that ancestor.)

• My Y-DNA 25 marker has an "exact match" with 2 other individuals (both named Whipple):

The probability that the three of us share a common ancestor within the last ...

2 generations is	37.69%
4 generations is	61.17%
6 generations is	75.81%
8 generations is	84.92%
10 generations is	90.61%

(If we carried that back to 26 generations, the probability of having a common ancestor would be 99.79%.)

• My Y-DNA 37 marker has a "genetic distance" of two from the same two Whipples referenced above (in describing the 25 marker).

For the 37 marker, the probability that the three of us share a common ancestor within the last ...

2 generations is	7.89%
4 generations is	26.85%
6 generations is	48.04%
8 generations is	65.86%
10 generations is	78.79%

(If we carried that back to 26 generations, the probability of having a common ancestor would be 99.81%.)

Countries of Origin of My Patrilineal Ancestry

Several pages on the FamilyTree DNA site talk about countries of origin of my patrilineal line. (Patrilineal means, me, my father, his father and his father ... ad infinitum.) To sum them up, each test (12, 25, 37 marker) suggests the following countries of origin:

• 12 marker: England (3 matches), Italy (1 match), Scotland (1 match), United Kingdom (1 match). [I'm not sure what the "matches" refer to.]
• 25 marker: England [matches not specified]
• 37 marker: England [matches not specified]

I'm still awaiting the results of my 67 marker test. If any direct-descendant Whipples have your results, I'm interested in how they compare with mine. (I'm still trying to figure out what sorts of privacy implications are involved in DNA testing. For that reason, I'm not giving the names of the other Whipples whose Y-DNA tests match mine.)

--Weldon Whipple, Webmaster, Whipple Website

Connecting Another John Whipple

This weekend I was visiting some of the Whipple Website's Disconnected Whipples. (Occasionally I'll notice some clues that I might have overlooked previously, and find an obvious connection.) I considered a John Whipple, born 19 Feb 1791 in Schenectady county, New York.

I read what the original submitter of John's information indicated in 1999: "I believe he is the son of David and Johanna (Jones) Whipple but have nothing more than strong circumstantial evidence at this point."

A GEDCOM file submitted two years later showed John's father as David Whipple and John's brother as Joseph Whipple (born 27 Dec 1787 and married to Betsey Finch).

Then I noticed that volume 2 of Blaine Whipple's 15 Generations of Whipples, page G 234 (published 2007), confirms that David and Jo[h]anna Whipple had a son named Joseph who married Betsey Finch.

I looked for other supporting indicators:

• John's second child (second daughter) was named Joanna, which would make her named after her grandmother.
• John's oldest child was named Samuel, which would match Samuel's great and great-great grandfathers.
• John's tenth child was named David, the same as John's father (is we accept this relationship.

Then I found a negative: John's birth date (19 Feb 1791) was only five months after Hiram's. It was, however, three years before his younger sibling Cyrus.

What to do? For now (at least), I decided to make the connection. I'm hoping that the birth year might have been remembered or computed incorrectly at the time of death, burial, or a census.

Feel free to offer your opinions about whether this was a good--or bad--idea. (Because the Whipple Genweb is an online database--not published in book form--I can correct it anytime in the future.) Am I being irresponsible? (Please be merciless!!)

Whipple DNA

About two months ago at a relative's wedding reception, I struck up a conversation with an ardent fan of genealogical DNA. Until that time I had always been a skeptic of its benefits, preferring instead to identify actual relatives by name, using vital records and other sources.

By the time we left, I was a convert. I returned home and immediately signed up for a DNA test at Family Tree DNA. I have received some of the test results; I'm still waiting for the rest.

For the past several weeks, several Whipple relatives have exchanged email about the benefits of DNA to genealogical research. While I am still a newbie, here is part of one of my replies:

Two thing I have gleaned:

yDNA: If two males can trace their male line back to the same common male ancestor, they should have an exact match. (The "y" is for the y chromosome that determines maleness.)

xDNA: Same as yDNA except substitute female for male. This isn't as useful because females in our society tend to change surnames when they marry.

Since you are a RI Whipple, you and I should have an exact yDNA match. I'm assuming that the three Whipples with whom I have an exact match are RI Whipples.

We need more Ipswich Whipple male-line Whipple descendants to take the yDNA test. If they are all exact matches among themselves--but different from my DNA, then we can conclude that the two Whipple families don't have a common Whipple ancestor. If they do all match, then we can conclude that the two Whipple families do share a common male ancestor somewhere.

I really ought to write something like this on the Whipple Blog. ... But I really would like to see the results of my 37 marker and 67 marker (the latter of which I ordered today).

Because three other Whipples are exact matches with me, I now feel confident that Capt. John of RI is in fact my biological 8th great grandfather.

DNA testing has a place in genealogical research. Let's see what DNA can tell us about our ancestry.

Lucian Whipple's World War II Experiences Flying over Germany

Bennett Whipple of Big Canoe, GA, forwarded me this account of his brother Lucian's "experiences flying over Germany during World War II as a waist gunner on a B-24 from the 448th Group Air Base at Seething, England." (The letter came to Bennett via email dated July 26, 2000.)

Bennett, I did receive both messages that you sent yesterday. Yes, I have had letters disappear. One in particular to you about hairy experiences. I really got into a bombing mission story when we made the bomb run with one engine out and the other three running overheated while staying in formation for the drop.

Our co-pilot (went) berserk over wanting to get back to his wife and baby while we were boxed in by exploding antiaircraft shells. (We saw) the B-24 next to us on the left wing get a direct hit and dropping to the ground. Our two lead B-24s (received) a direct hit from a German pilot flying his fighter into the Lead’s cockpit and bouncing off onto the Deputy Lead sending them down.

Flying through the black oily smoke and debris, (we saw) six parachutes opening with men jumping from the Deputy Lead B-24 as the pilot made a 180-degree turn while going down.

Our nose gunner (began) screaming that he had been hit. It was debris knocking out the Plexiglas. Then our falling out of formation and deciding whether to jump or try to go to Sweden. Our three engines cooled down so we decided to return to our base in England and called for fighter escort. Immediately three P-51s appeared and stayed with us until we were back in safe territory.

This all happened when we blew up a German dynamite warehouse on the Elbe River somewhere between Berlin and Hamburg. The explosion was tremendous. I thought I had accidentally fired my 50-caliber machine gun which I was leaning against while watching. The smoke from the explosion came up to at least a mile high.

On returning to our 448th Group Air Base at Seething, we saw fire trucks and ambulances waiting for us to land. After landing, our ground crewmen came checking the damage, counting 70 empty 50-caliber rounds under my gun. Really, I don’t know why I went back again.

Maybe my story will get through this time.

Lucian

Lucian's B-24 Crew - He is second from the left on the front row.

(Note: Bennett writes that Lucian "learned to fly at a young age and flew for the Army Artillery at Ft. Sill, Okla., as a spotter for a while during the early days before the war until they disbanded the unit. Since he had a lot of free time up there, he would fly around the area, spot a farm house and a likely pasture where he would set the plane down. The farm family of course would flock around and usually invite him in for a meal." Lucian is in the Whipple Genweb at http://whipple.org/24908.)

Origin of Bocking, the Whipples' English Home Town (at blainewhipple.com)

I just received a tip from Blaine Whipple that he has posted a new article on the origin of Bocking, England--the hometown of the Whipples who settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1638. Visit his article at http://blainewhipple.com/family-life-in-early-england/origin-of-bocking-the-whipples-english-home-town/. (Those two Whipple brothers are Matthew (b. about 1590, d. 28 Sep 1647) and John (b. 6 Sep 1632, d. 22 Jun 1669.)

(Note: The John mentioned above is not the same person as the John Whipple born later than either of the two brothers, and who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in about 1632, migrating later to Providence, Rhode Island.)

Thank you, Blaine, for another interesting article on your ancestors!

1638 Sea Voyage to New England

Blaine Whipple's blog has an article about what it was like sailing to America in 1638. Brothers Matthew and John Whipple sailed from England to Ipswich, Massachusetts in that year. (Another Whipple--teenager John Whipple--had sailed to Dorchester, Massachusetts about six years earlier--during the same era.)

If you're interested in the colonization of New England in the 1630's, you'll probably want to read Blaine's article.

(Thanks, Blaine, for pointing it out ...)

Birthday Wishes to Lucian Adolphus Whipple Sr., 1878-1979

Today Lucian Adolphus Whipple Sr. would have been 132 years old, as I was reminded when I received a note this morning from his descendant, Bennett Whipple. Lucian lived to be nearly 101 years of age. He is in the Whipple Genweb at http://whipple.org/21479, where you can see a photo at age 100. This photo is of Lucian in his younger days.

Happy Birthday, Lucian!!

Happy 100th Birthday, Elaine! Photos from WhippleFest 2010

The following was submitted by Blaine Whipple. (Thanks, Blaine!!)

Approximately 300 people from 15 states -- Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts -- and the Dominican Republic attended WhippleFest August 7 at the Palisades State Park in Mount Vernon, Iowa. It was the largest gathering we've ever had and the attendees spilled into the outdoors. The pictures show a wide age range.

The first picture was taken in the Park's lodge, a CCC project in the mid 1930s:

The second picture is from one of three lineage charts I prepared and displayed. This picture includes 9 generations. The first three generations were also on the chart but not included in this section.

Pictures 3 and 4 are general pictures of attendees:

Picture 5 shows the special T-shirt many of us wore:

Picture 6 is three generations of Whipples ranging in age from 100 (my sister) Elaine (Whipple) West and 6 (my grandson) Turner Whipple. L to R: Blaine Scott Whipple, Elaine Whipple West, Blaine Whipple, Spencer Blaine Whipple, Turner Collins Whipple.


A followup email reports that Congressman Loebsack "had a flag flown over the [U.S.] Capitol on August 6^th in honor of Elaine’s 100^th birthday."

Again, "Happy Birthday, Elaine!!"