Y-DNA – Griffis Family

March 17, 2023March 23, 2023

Is the Huntington NY Griff(is)(es)(ith) Family Name Welsh?

Based on a number of sources of supporting evidence, it is strongly believed that the Griff(is)(es)(ith)) surname of the family is a Welsh surname. Based on oral family stories it is beleived that the family came from Wales. [1] The documented variability of the surname spellings of the twelve children and descendants of William Griffis in America (e.g. Griffith, Griffis, Griffes) is also reflective of the historic characteristics associated with the evolution of Welsh surnames. [2]

In addition, aside from the Dutch and French, the Welsh together with the Scotts and English were some of the earliest colonists to arrive in America in the 1600’s and 1700’s. [3] Many of the Welsh that came to the colonies were either residing in England or from southern Wales. The southern region of Wales is located just across the Bristol Channel from what was then England’s second largest port city, Bristol. The port of Bristol supplied thousands of emigrants to England during the 17th and 18th centuries.

“Estimates suggest that at least 6,000 Welsh-born persons had settled in London in the early seventeenth century, amounting to some seven per cent of the capital’s resident population.” [4]

To a large degree, the Welsh that initially immigrated with the English to the colonies in the 1600’s came from the English ports of Bristol and London. [5] The influx of the first major wave of Welsh immigrants to America began in the mid to late 1600s. While there were movements of individuals, the majority transferred in denominational groups and settled together in small communities. Between the Restoration (1660) and the turn of the century, it is estimated that about 3,000 individuals of Welsh descent came to the colonies. [6] It is not known how many arrived prior to 1660.

“Some few people from Wales did emigrate during the Laudian persecution of the 1630s to gain religious and political freedom and were active in New England in the 1650s in evangelical reform. … At the same time, Wales was experiencing extreme economic problems. To a much greater extent than England, Wales consisted of a multitude of small tenant farmers whose plight was worsening with the concentration of land and power in the grasp of a prospering minority. … It is against this background that the first sizable emigrations from Wales occur, though quality rather than quantity is the keystone. ” [7]

While not certain, through my journey of hunches, dead-ends and successful finds, there is a plausible argument that William’s ancestors came from southern Wales. It is believed that one of more of the Griffith clan traveled from Bristol to Boston or another northern port. Another possibility is that William’s ancestors were Irish or English and had the Griffith, Griffiths, or Griffis surname and emigrated from one of these ports to the colonies.

However, there is no direct proof that the patrilneal family line was Welsh, English or Irish.

Similar to the Duck Test [8] of abductive reasoning:

Family folklore has stated that the surname was of Welsh origin;
the timing of when the family immigrated to the Colonies (mid to late 1600’s) suggest they were of English or Welsh origin;
the modifications of use of the Griffith(is)(es) surname in the Colonies has the historical characteristics of the Welsh in the late transition from a patronymic to surname naming custom ;
the derivation of the Griffith name is mainly of Welsh origin, therefore I believe that
the Griffith surname is a Welsh surname.

Well, I do tend to lean toward believing my second cousin four times removed, William Case Griffis regarding his recollections of his great grandfather William Griffis. [9]

**Portrait of William Case Griffis** | **Click for Larger View.**

Nevertheless, I thought I would delve a bit more into possible Y-DNA leads and review census data and Y-DNA associated with surnames from the present and past in Great Britain and Ireland to possibly add more ‘ballast’ to the argument that the family surname reflects a paternal line that was Welsh.

The Griff(ith)(iths) Surname

The surname of the Griff(is)(es)(ith) is actually a variant of the name Griffith and Griffiths, and its Welsh form of Gruffudd or Gruffydd. It is a traditional name of Welsh origin that was originally used as a personal name and eventually used as a surname, with or without the ‘s‘ as in Griffiths. [10] The name has many variations as a result of the natural evolution of the name in Welsh, as well as the translation of the name from Welsh into both Latin and English. Common variants include Griffin, Griffith, Griffiths, Griffing, Griffes, Griffis and other variations. The anglicized and Welsh forms are treated as different spellings of the same name in Wales.

Although there is documentation that Griffith families came from north Wales, there were in fact documented more Griffiths throughout Wales and across the border in England. [11]

The name Griffith in Ireland originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Gríobhtha, which is derived from the word “gríobhtha,” which means “griffin-like.” While most of the instances of this name in Ireland can be traced to this native Irish source, the name also came to Ireland in the 12th century with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Strongbow. In this instance, the Griffith surname is derived from the Welsh personal names Griffin, Gruffin, or Griffith, pet-forms of the Middle Welshname Gruffudd. [12]

In studies of Welsh forenames in use in Wales in the fifteenth century, it has been noted that Welsh forenames were fading while ‘new’ Anglo-Norman names were growing. However, among the ‘traditional’ Welsh forenames that continued to be used, Gruffudd represented 6 percent throughout Wales. The modern derivative, Griffths, continued to be used throughout Wales. For comparison, the figures for surnames in Wales between 1813-1837 indicate that Griffiths represented 2.8 percent of the Welsh population. [13]

Griffi(th)(iths) Surname Distribution in British & Irish Census

The Griff(is)(es)(ith) family immigrated to the colonies in the mid to late 1600’s. I have not been able to find historical documentation on the prevalence and distribution of the Griffith surname in Wales in the 1600’s or 1700’s.

Perhaps reviewing the surname distribution patterns in the late 1800’s might provide a plausible glimpse of the historic distribution patterns that were similar to the 1600’s. This of course tenuously assumes that most folks in the British Isles did not have high migration patterns within and between Wales, Ireland and England during the 1600’s through 1800’s. This is not necessarily the case. [14] The economic effects of industrialization in the mid to late 1800’s had an effect on migration patterns on the British Isles. However, assuming most families within three to four generations (1600-1800) stuck within a certain geographic radius, we might see similarities in surname distributions within Wales and on the border of England and assume this reflects, to a degree, surname distributions in the mid-1600’s.

The ten most common surnames in Wales in 1856 were Jones (13.84%), Williams (8.91%), Davies (7.09%), Thomas (5.70%), Evans (5.46%), Roberts (3.69%), Hughes (2.98%), Lewis (2.97%), Morgan (2.63%) and Griffiths (2.58%). [15]

Of these ten common Welsh surnames, only five were found throughout Wales and did not display any marked concentration in any one area: Thomas, Lewis, Griffiths, Edwards and Morris. Other common surnames included Owen, Pritchard and Parry. The popular given names from which these surnames derived, such as Jones from John, and Davies from David, clearly depict the patronymic practice. While these figures reflect all of Wales, there have been studies which document that different areas of Wales have different levels and mixtures of surnames. [16]

For example:

“(T)he ten most common names in the Uwchgwyrfai area of Caernarfonshire covered more than 90% of the population. those names (in the early part of the nineteenth century) were: Jones (22.8%), Williams (18.40%), Roberts (13.28%), Hughes (7.78%), Griffiths (7.39%), Thomas (5.37%), Owen (4.86%), Evans (4.17%), Pritchard (3.65%) and Parry (2.92%).” [17]

Given the documented broad range of presence of Griffith and Griffiths throughout Wales and neighboring counties England, I did not anticipate getting any strong clues as to the location of where the ancestors of William Griffis resided. However, I thought I might find certain counties as having an higher probability of where the ancestors of the Griff(is)(es)(ith) family were from.

Keeping an Open Mind on Welsh Surnames: Don’t Fixate on One Name

Given the history of the emergence and use of surnames among the Welsh, pedantically looking for the literal spelling of one’s present day surname in historical records or Y-DNA test kit results is unwise. It is wise to pay attention to surnames that are geographically similar to where Griffith(s) households are found especially in terms of genetic matches. Families may have used different surnames in Wales as the practice of using surnames became more widespread in specific geographical areas.

In a study of Welsh wills, John and Sheila Rowlands documented ‘patterns of decay’ in the use of the patronymic naming system in Wales. [18] They completed a study aimed at providing a means of determining areas in Wales when the use of the patronymic naming system reduced to about 10 percent of the names in a given area.

Illustration One: Patronymic Decay and the Rise of Surnames in Wales

Source: John and Sheila Rowlands, The Use of Surnames, Chapter 4, Patronymic Naming – A Survey in Transition, Llandysul, Ceredigion: Gomer Press, 2013, Figure 4-3: Decay in the use of patronymic naming to the 10% level, Page 56 | **Click for Larger View**

The map above (Illustration One), which is from their study, reveals the wide variation when surnames were adopted in various parts of Wales. Surnames became the norm by 1750 across the coastal plain of south Wales and along the eastern border with England.

It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the Patronymic system was fully replaced in Wales. When the Welsh immigrated to America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the patronymic pattern on both sides of the Atlantic eventually stopped, and their surnames became hereditary. However, it is not uncommon to find variations of surname spellings within and between family generations in documents associated with our family members in the 1600’s and 1700’s in the colonies. The use of surnames was, compared to the curing of concrete, “wet cement” in the 1600’s and 1700’s.

The Widespread Presence of Griffith(s) surnames in Wales

A review of data from the 1881 census of Great Britain and Griffith’s Valuation in Ireland 1853-1865, indicate that the surname of Griffith and Griffiths is found in a large number of countries throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Eighty percent of the prevalence of the Griffith(s) surnames are found within 77 mile radius of Caernarfon, Wales [19]. The Griffiths surname is more prevalent by county than Griffith.

Illustration Two: Prevalence of Griffiths and Griffis Surnames in Welsh and English Counties

Looking at this data on a map in Illustration Three, one can see that households with the Griffiths and Griffith surnames are located throughout Wales. The circle with a dotted boundary indicates the 77 mile radius of the 80 percent prevalence of the two surnames in the British and Irish census data combined. Where the two surnames are relatively larger in specific counties, a small pie chart appears and portions of the pie reflecting areas proportionate to prevalence of the two surnames. Counties that have a lessor presence of the surnames are reflected with small dots. The Griffith and Griffiths surnames were present in small varying degrees in many of the counties of Great Britain and Ireland. [21]

Illustration Three: Census Prevalence of Griffith & Griffiths Surnames in England and Ireland, Mid to late 1800s

Source: Rob Spencer, Britain and Ireland SNP and Surname Mapper | **Click for Larger View**

If we look at the 1881 census data for only the Welsh counties as depicted in Table One, four of the twelve counties represent 63 percent of Welsh households that have the name Griffith or Griffith. Glamorgan has the largest proportionate presence of the Griffith(s) surnames (27%). Penbroke, Caernafon and Carmarthen are the second, third and fourth largest in representation of Griffith(s) households (15.7%, 10.4% and 10.0% respectively). While these four counties contain the largest concentration of Griffith and Griffiths households, the Griffith(s) surnames are represented in all of the Welsh counties. These two surnames are in the top ten of most popular surnames in seven of the twelve counties.

Table One: Distribution of Griffith and Griffiths Head of Households by Welsh County 1881

County	Sur- name Griff- ith/iths	Sur- name Rank of top 300 sur- Names / County	Number of House- holds in county	Percentage of Griffith(s) Households Across Counties
Anglesey	ith	14th	722	2.4 %
	iths	0	0
Brecknock	ith	175th	24	3.2%
	iths	12th	937
Caernarfon	ith	10th	2954	15.7%
	iths	12th	1697
Cardigan	ith	70th	25	4.6%
	iths	13th	1330
Carmarthen	ith	73rd	78	10.0%
	iths	8th	2842
Denbigh	ith	30th	275	6.8%
	iths	10th	1726
Flinshire	ith	64th	106	5.8%
	iths	9th	1626
Glamorgan	ith	66th	640	27.0%
	iths	10th	7362
Merioneth	ith	19th	618	2.7%
	iths	12th	787
Monmouth	ith	0	0	5.4%
	iths	19th	1605
Montgomery	ith	84th	76	4.0%
	iths	14th	1095
Penbroke	ith	84th	110	10.4%
	iths	6th	2974

Data from Rob Spencer, Britain and Ireland SNP and Surname Mapper, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/biMapper.html

So what does this mean? In essence, the ancestors of William Griffis could conceivably be from anywhere in Great Britain given the prevalence of the Griffith(s) surnames! However, there is a good chance that his ancestors were from Wales and from southern Wales. As reflected in Illustration Four, four counties in Wales represent more than a majority of households with the name of Griffiths or Griffith. Perhaps William’s ancestors were from Glamorgan, Penbroke, Caernafon or Carmarthen counties in Wales.

Illustration Four: 1800 Map of Highlighted Welsh Counties that had the highest concentrations of Griffith(s) households in 1881

Distinctive Surname Patterns and ‘Surname Insularity’ in Wales

A review of surname distributions in Welsh counties reveals similar patterns of surnames among the Welsh counties. This is also the case when viewing the border counties between Wales and England.

Counties whose residents share the same surname distribution mixes can be considered similar. This can be represented in a quantitative manner. The example in the Illustration Five below shows four counties A-D. Counties A and C have 2 of their 3 names in common and could be called 67% similar. A and B are 33% similar and all other pairs are 0% similar. From this a dendrogram can be constructed which visually expresses these counties’ mutual surname similarity. [22]

Illustration Five: Geographic Surname Similarity Portrayed in a Dendrogram

Source: Rob Spencer, County Clustering by Surnames, Tracking Back: a website for genetic genealogy tools, experimentation, and discussion | **Click for Larger View**

Clustering the 117 counties of Britain and Ireland by surnames indicates a clear pattern where the similarity of surnames generally follows historic political boundaries. Each region of Great Britain and Ireland (Wales, Scotland, England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland) is generally characterized with its own unique cluster of surnames. One noteworthy observation is the British counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire are deeply clustered with Wales. [23]

Illustration Six: Similarity of Counties Based on the Top 500 Surnames Found in Each County in 1881 (Top 5 Surnames are listed next to Each County)

The dendrogram above basically illustrates the similarity of Welsh counties based on their unique distributions of the 500 surnames found in the respective counties. For example, Carmarthen and Glamorgan counties are more similar in their top 500 surname disributions than compared wih the other counties. Also, as an example, Shropshire’s names are more similar to Wales than England. Regional identities remain largely the same whether one examines just the very common or just the very uncommon surnames.

Surnames can be viewed as a measure of the historic influence of patronymic influence, language. lineage, and culture, and they may be shaped by political boundaries or those boundaries may be superimposed on preexisting surname patterns. The crossing of a surname pattern over a political boundary may indicate past boundaries and/or may be related to cultural or sectarian differences.

In order to compare surnames to political or historic regions Rob Spencer looked at surname differences along six tlines that crossed regional borders (see the map in Illustration Six below). Similarity between the counties at the start and end of each arrow are calculated and shown in the six charts below. On the map, the dot on each arrow shows the point where the surname pattern is halfway in terms of similarity between the counties at the ends. The red arrow on the map follows a general pattern where the smaller region (Wales) is ‘tighter’ (homogeneous in terms of Welsh surname patterns) while the larger region (English counties) bleeds into the smaller’s surname pattern (e.g. Shropshire vs Wales). This pattern is depicted in Chart Four. [24]

Illustration Seven: Six Transects through Counties in Great Britain and Ireland

Rober Spencer, County Clustering by Surname | **Click for Larger View**.

Spencer found in most cases there is an identifiable 50-50 mix in surname patterns along these six lines. If you look at the transect line between Wales and England (highlighted Chart Four below), the 50-50 mix is around Shropshire county in England. In most cases there is a flattening out at one or both ends of the transect into a stable pattern. Pembroke, Cardigan, and Montgomery Welsh counties are all self-similar and iconically Welsh without English admixture, then as the line goes eastward into England, the surname mix is predominantly English.

Charts One Through Six: Similarity of Surnames in 1881 in Border Counties in Great Britain and Ireland

Source: Rob Spencer, County Clustering by Surnames, | **Click for Larger View**

Surname Variants of Griffiths & Geographical Similarities with other Surnames

Given the history of Welsh patronymics and the historic use of surnames, not only should variants of the spelling of a surname be considered when reviewing various census repositories of information, different surnames should also be considered in specific geographical areas. It is not inconceivable that individuals who were related at specific historical times may have decided to use different surnames when these of surnames became popular.

Illustration Eight indicates variants of the Griffith surname in the 1881 British census. In addition, there are a number of Welsh surnames that are geographically similar to where Griffith(s) surnames were found in 1881. As is evident, the common Welsh surname of Roberts, Owens, Williams, Hughes, Pritchard and Jones are found 80 percent of the time in counties where the Griffith(s) households resides. This is not surprising given the that these surnames were found in most of the Welsh counties.

Illustration Eight: Surname Variant of Griffith and Geographic Similarity of Other Surnames with Griffith

Adding the surname variants of Griffithes, Griffits and Grifiths to the analysis underscores the concentration of households with similar surnames found in Wales and the adjoining counties of Herefordshire and Shopshire in England.

Illustration Nine: Census Prevalence of Variants of Griffiths Surnames in England and Ireland, Mid to late 1800s

Thus far we have observed that the Griffith(s) surname is prevalent in many of the counties in England, Wales and Ireland. There is, however, a relatively higher concentration of Griffith(s) households in all the counties in Wales compared with English and Irish counties. At the latter part of the 1800’s we know that four counties in Wales represented over 60 percent of Griffith(s) households in Wales. Three of the four counties are on the southern border on the Bristol Channel.

Y-DNA & Geographic Location: Crossing the Channel

The comparison of surnames and Y-DNA can show both expected parallels and some surprising differences especially in the “lineage” period of ancestry (see Illustration Ten). This is an era or time period where groups of people have settled in local geographical areas prior to the use of surnames or written history.

Illustration Ten: Three Periods of Ancestry

Correlating data associated with the Y-DNA line of descent with the geographic location of the Y-DNA SNPs may provide a plausible but rough depiction of when and where the Griff(is)(es)(ith) family Y-DNA genetic line migrated to the British Isle and specifically to areas that are now modern day Wales. The relative mutation rate for an SNP is extremely low. This makes them ideal for documenting or marking and tracing the history of genetic mutations in the human genetic tree (haplotree) over long periods of time. Many generations can pass without a SNP occurring. This means that SNPs that occur in a specific lineage are unique and seldom change back. They occur thousands or tens of thousands of years ago.

The analysis of Y-STR data may also shed light on different surnames that are associated with common ancestors within the last 50 generations. As stated in earlier stories about STRs and SNPs, using both SNPs and STRs potentially provide more specificity in tracing the patrilineal line from deep ancestry, through the middle era of lineages and into the more recent historical era of surnames and traditional genealogy. STR markers will generally mutate more frequently than SNPs. SNP testing is getting better all the time and the advanced tests can now find SNPs every two or three generations, but STRs still mutate faster than that so sometimes you will have branches of the haplotree where no SNP mutations have been identified over a time period and you can not easily determine branching if you do not have the SNP branching points to navigate. STRs can show you where mutations have occurred which are more frequent than SNPs and they can mark branches that are not otherwise identified by SNPs. So you can get a little more granularity out of STR testing.

As indicated in other stories on this blog, the Griff(is)(es)(ith) patrilineal line is part of the Y-DNA G-haplogroup. Using an interactive on-line program called “STR Tracker”, an illustrated map chronicles the possible historical migratory path of the family surname haplogroup lineage. [25] This can be used as a basis for evaluating when the Y-DNA genetic line of my patrilineal line possibly migrated to the British Isle.

STR Tracker shows a walking man icon traversing the migratory path of either your paternal or maternal ancestors. Selected major events and cultures appear as the walking man traverses the continent. The app allows you to select various parameters to add information to the migratory path. [26]

Entering my ‘terminal STR’, BY211678, in the app will produce a suggested migratory path to the terminal SNP based on the major SNPs associated with the haplogroup mutations [27]. The terminal SNP is genetically akin to a leaf on small twig (a recent haplogroup branch) on an ancestral tree composed of branches, limbs, twigs and leaves. that was confirmed by my Y-DNA test.

I have recorded a video of the animated path that illustrates the paternal migration time line for the Griff(is)(es)(ith) family Y-DNA. While the accuracy or reliability of the statistical results of such an illustration are fraught with possible sources of error, Spencer, the creator of the app, does an amazing job at bringing historical and DNA data to life. [28]

The historical path generated from this program is probably not the actual path of the ancestors of the Griff(is)(es)(ith) patrilineal line but it captures the time period and general location of each successive genetic SNP mutation that occurred along the paternal lineage.

For a larger rendition of the video click here (recommended) and then click on the video arrow for the animation to start the migration process.

Video: Historical Path of the Griff(is)(es)(ith) Paternal Line

The population of Western Europe has been shaped by various migratory paths of major haplogroups from the east through time. As indicated in Part Three of my DNA story, three major movements of people, shaped the course of European prehistory. While each of these 3 waves of migration were composed of a mix of genetic haplotypes, each were represented by one or two major genetic haplogroups.

The second wave is associated with the migration of Neolithic farmers from the Anatola region. The G-Haplogroup, which the Griff(is)(es)(ith) patrilineal line is a genetic member, was a predominate haplogroup associated with this second wave. They brought not only their DNA but sheep, cattle and wheat to Europe. Within a thousand years the “Neolithic revolution” spread north through Anatolia and into southeastern Europe. By about 6,000 years ago, there were farmers and herders all across Europe.

The third wave, which is predominantly represented by the Yamnaya and are part of the R-Haplogroup, emanated from the Steppes. Illustration eleven depicts three paths of my haplogroup and two R haplogroups. As indicated in the map, the migratory paths of the two R haplogroups moved relatively quickly aacorss continental Europe and into the British Isles. My specific genetic Y-DNA line , part of the G-haplogroup, arrived in the north-central area of continental Europe and stayed there for a longer period of time.

Illustration Eleven: Migratory Paths of G and R Haplogroup Branches

Source: Rob Spencer, SNP Tracker | **Click for Larger View**

The different timing between the migratory paths of the “second wave” G haplogroup and the “third wave” R haplogroups can be viewed in illustration twelve. It appears the the migratory path of the Griff(is)(es)(ith) genetic line crossed the English channel around the Medieval Era. Prior to this time, they coexisted with a mix of other major haplogroup lines (I, J, R, etc).

Illustration Twelve: Migration Paths of G and R Haplogroups into England by Time and Place

Illustration Thirteen below shows longitude versus time to help visualize the migratory path associated with the Griff(is)(es)(ith) patrilineal line. The colors and thick solid/dashed lines are the same as the map above, and the thin horizontal dotted lines show south-to-north lines at notable longitudes. I have highlighted an area on the chart that suggested a possible time period where an ancestor crossed from the European continent to the British Island.

Illustration Thirteen : Westward Migration of Ancestors of Haplogroup G-BY211678

Source: Rob Spencer, **SNP Tracker** for G-BY611678 | **Click for Larger View.**

The following Illustration (Illustration Fourteen) depicts the SNP Y-DNA mutation lines of descent from the G-L497 branch of the G-haplogroup to my terminal SNP branch. The illustration indicates the approximate dates of the man who is the Most Recent Common Ancestor (tMRCA) associated with each of these specific SNP branches. By viewing the approximate dates of each of the MRCAs for each of the branches, we can vaguely estimate when a Y-DNA ancestor possibly crossed from the European continent to the British Isles.

Illustration Fourteen: Estimating When tMRCA Crossed the English Channel

Source: Estimates for MRCA birth and confidence ranges are from Rob Spencer, SNP Tracker |. **Click for Larger View.**

It should be noted that the statistical confidence levels for the birth dates for each of these MRCA’s are pretty wide! The dates are estimates based on genetic information only. Based on a 95% confidence level, the possible range of birth dates are provided in bold. For example, with a 95% probability, the MRCA of all members of the haplogroup G-Z40857 was born between the years 761 and 1198 CE. The most likely estimate is 1000 CE, rounded to the nearest 100. The chart below indicates a confidence level range of 770 – 1210 CE for the ancestor of G-Z40857. The confidence ranges in the chart are a bit different from FTDNA estimates and are provided through the SNP Tracker application. [29]

It is likely that the most recent common ancestor who crossed the English Channel was the ancestor born at the earliest 700 CE (G-Z6748), or 750 CE (G-Y38335) or the latest around 1000 CE (G-Z40857). Given the statistical ranges associated with each of these three individuals, the ancestor could have crossed between 450 CE and 1200 CE.

The following illustration is a still photograph from the SNP Tracker video that focuses on the approximate location of various SNP mutations that suggest an approximate time when the Griff(is)(es)(ith) lineage crossed the English Channel to the British Isle.

Illustration Fifteen: Estimated Migration Path of the BY211678 Haplogroup

It would appear that the Y-DNA haplogroups of the Griff(is)(es)(ith) line lived in Northern Europe, what is now Germany, for thousands of years, roughly 4000 BCE to 700 CE. During this time, males who were part of this Y-DNA line migrated westward and northward toward the northern European coast. Based on FTDNA test kits who can trace their Y-DNA to the G-Z6748 haplogroup, there is one Y-DNA tester, who reportedly can trace his paternal ancestor back to a Tÿgge Jörgensen who was born in 1678 and died in 1730 and lived in Øbjerg, Denmark. [30]

It appears that the MRCA of the G-Z6748 haplogroup was likely born on the European continent. Some of his descendants migrated to the British Isles. The most likely common genetic ancestor who crossed the English Channel is the MRCA of G-Y38335, born around 750 CE but could have been born around the end o the Roman Empire or as late as before the Norman Invasion.

As Spencer indicates:

Many of the haplogroups [that are claimed to] have originated in the British Isles are simply there because they show up as a handful of cases in Britain or Ireland and we have no evidence of their existence elsewhere due to this [Y-DNA testing] bias. Unless a haplogroup has a very unique geographical distribution or is wholly found in continental Europe (a lot of haplogroups do fit these criteria), it takes several hundred testers to accurately place its origin at the level of individual countries. [31]

The logic behind linking Y-DNA SNP branching and the geographical location with FTDNA test results is intuitive but as Spencer suggests, it has a number of limitations and caveats. One notable caveat is the number of FTDNA testers in each of the descending G-haplogroup branches rapidly declines (see Table Two). SNPs with Irish and Scottish origins are generally better represented in the FTDNA database than those with English and Welsh origins. The G-haplogroup, compared to the R-haplogroup, is a present day minority haplogroup and have few Y-DNA testers.

Table Two: Griff(is)(es)(ith) Y-DNA Lineage on the Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) Haplotree and Number of Testers in Each Branch

FTDNA Y Branch Subclade	MRCA Age Estimate	Number of Tested Big Y DNA Descendants in FTDNA Database 01-14-22
G-L497	5300 BCE	1,762
G-CTS9737	4400 BCE	1,647
G-Z1817	3000 BCE	1,590
G-Z727	2450 BCE	1,479
G-FGC477	2100 BCE	117
G-Z6748	700 CE	52
G-Y38335	750 CE	46
G-Z40857	1000 CE	44
G-Y132505	1250 CE	10
G-BY211678	1500 CE	8

Source: Family Tree DNA, Data March 2022

As reflected in Table Two, there are only 52 FTDNA Y-DNA test results for men affiliated with the G-Z6748 Haplogroup. This and the subsequent haplogroups descending from this branch are genetic ancestors that lived on the British island.

Y-DNA & Welsh Origin

There are a few STR markers that suggest the Griff(is)es)(ith) genetic line is Welsh. Haplogroup G-P303 (G2a2b2a) is a branch of haplogroup G (M201) that is a few branches pror to the G-L497 branch (see the chart in footnote 27). This older haplogroup represents the majority of haplogroup G men in most areas of Europe west of Russia and the Black Sea. There are also some short tandem repeat (STR) findings among G-P303 men which help in subgrouping them.

The percentage of haplogroup G among available samples from Wales is overwhelmingly G-P303. Such a high percentage is not found in nearby England, Scotland or Ireland. The STR Marker DYS594=12 subgroup has an unusually high percentage of Welsh surnames with the rest mostly of English ancestry based on available samples. (Red highlighted in Table Three).

Many of the men have an unusual value of 13 for Y-STR marker DYS388 ( I also have a 13 value for this marker which is yellow highlighted in Table Three), and some also have 9 at DYS568 (my value is 11). STR marker oddities are often different in each G-P303 subgroup, and characteristic marker values can vary by subgroup. Often the values of STR markers DYS391, DYS392 and DYS393, are respectively 10, 11 and 14 or some slight variation on these for all G-P303 men (all of these values of these markers I also have which are highlighted in blue in Table Three). [32]

In addition the DYS594 STR marker + 12 is a subgroup that has an unusually high percentage of Welsh surnames and to a lesser number of English ancestry. My value for this marker is 11.

Table 3 : FTDNA Y-111 STR Test Results for James Griffis – Markers 1 – 60

Source: FTDNA Y-DNA Results for Y-111 STR Test | **Click for Larger View.**

Spencer’s Britain and Ireland SNP and Surname Mapper tool provides hints about where and when paternal ancestors lived but is not definitive. Based on a ‘quality control analysis’ of his SNP and Surname Tool, he found that the average error in SNP location is about 160 kilometers. While a surname may have been prevalent in a specific county, an ancestor could have lived somewhere else. Names such as Jones, Williams and Smith have a very high prevalence in Wales. This natural bias may suggest the location of Welsh ancestry where there is none. [33]

The following illustration indicates the locations of FTDNA testers that are part of the G-Z4087 haplogroup, which is one of the earlier Y-DNA ancestor branches of the Griff(is)(es)(ith) line. As reflected in the map most of the testers, on the basis of surnames, can be linked to Wales.

Illustration Sixteen: Location Ancestors for Y-DNA FTDNA Testers Who are Descendants G-Z40857

Source: Generated using the **Britain and Ireland SNP and Surname Mapper** by Rob Spencer | Click for Larger View.

Similar to the results for the G-Z40857 branch, a more recent branch, associated with the Williams surname, is clearly identified with Welsh counties. G-Y132505’s paternal line was formed when it branched off from the ancestor G-Z40857 around 1000 CE. The man who is the most recent common ancestor of this line is estimated to have been born around 1200 CE. [34]

Illustration Seventeen: Location of Reported Ancestors for Y-DNA FTDNA Testers Who are Descendants of the MRCA Y132505

Source: Rob Spencer Britain and Ireland Surname Mapper | **Click for Larger View**.

Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) Y-DNA datasets include the surname of the modern DNA testers. Most of the DNA testers also provide the name of the earliest known paternal ancestor. Some of the tests provide the location of their earliest known ancestor. Despite the small number of Y-DNA test kits that are from the G-Haplgroup, all of this information can be useful in isolating possible areas where the Griff(is)(es)(ith) parilineal line of descent originated.

All surname groups are made up of distinct Y-DNA lineages. Some of those lineages have common ancestry that predates surnames and can reveal Iron and Roman era genetic relationships. Analyzing surnames of Y-DNA testers in the context of SNP and STR markers can create correlations of surnames with geographical areas. [35]

Since the Welsh were late in the game in adopting surnames, finding Y-DNA genetic matches with test kits associated with different surnames may simply indicate common ancestry. Various genealogists have indicated different time periods when the use of surnames arose in Europe. Some have claimed that surnames emerge 25-30 generations ago. While this might be the case for English and possibly other areas in Europe, I would venture to qualify this rule when dealing with Welsh descendants. I would expect common surnames to emerge among Welsh descendants between 12 to 6 generations. Y-DNA matches of test kits that share a Most Common Recent Ancestor (MCRA) prior to this are related but their respective lineages may assume different surnames during the time period where patronymic name sharing practices fell into disuse. [36] A different surname connecting less than 6 generations ago may indicate an NPE. [37] A different name connecting more than 12 generations ago simply indicates common ancestry

Results from the FTDNA L-497 Haplogroup Project

The following Dendrogram is from my earlier analysis of test kits from the L497 Haplogroup Project when I discovered a genetic match with Henry Griffith. The Dendrogram shows my test kit and the test kit of Henry Griffith (different surname) highlighted in blue. Our MRCA is William Griffis, born 1736. The dendrogram estimated William Griffis’ birth about 8 generations from the present (~1691 CE) which was pretty close. What is notable in the dendrogram is the number of different Welsh surnames that are genetically related to both of us: Williams, Gough, Jones. The dates on the dendrogram refer to the approximate dates of birth for the men who are the MRCA for each of the intersections of the graph. Also we are related to a William Jones reported to have been born 1782 in Lanelii, Wales. Our MCRA was born around 1493 CE.

Illustration Eighteen : Dendrogram Linking James Griffis and Henry Griffith

Five of the test kits in the FTDNA L497 Haplogroup Project that are part of my subclade subbranches report that their respective paternal ancestors were born in Wales. One test indicates their paternal ancestor Thomas Thomas was born in 1830 in LLantrisant, Glamorgan. Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun.

The other set kit indicates their paternal ancestor, William Rhydderch, was born before 1796 in Swansea, Wales. Swansea, Welsh Abertawe) is a , city, Swansea county, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), southwestern Wales. It lies along the Bristol Channel at the mouth of the River Tawe.

Another test kit indicates that their paternal ancestor was from Broxton, England. Broxton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is 11 miles south of Chester, and only 10 miles east of Wrexham in Wales.

Illustration Nineteen: Reported Location of Paternal Ancestor Filtered for G-Z6748 Haplogroup Y-DNA Testers

**Click for Larger View** **| PDF is also Available for better viewing**

Results from the FTDNA Wales Cymru Y-DNA Project

Another FTDNA work group that I am a member is the Wales Cymru Y-DNA Project. This work group project is designed to establish links between various families of Welsh origin with patronymic style surnames. Because the patronymic system continued until the 19th century in some parts of Wales, the project does not limit their study to single surnames. A Williams, for example, could just as easily be related to a Jones, Evans, or Roberts as another Williams in the direct male line. This work group, at the time that this story was written, had 1,598 members. Most of the members are part of the E, I, J and R-haplogroups. These haplogroups are predominate Y-DNA haplogroups in the British Isles. The number of test kits within the G-haplogroup that is part of this Y-DNA work group is small. There are 20 test kits representing the G-Haplogroup in this work group.

Isolating test kits from the G-Haplgroup was relatively easy since most of them had haplogroup paths that included the G-P303 branch which I referenced earlier in the story.

Illustration Twenty: Haplogroup Paths for G Haplogroup kits in the Wales Cymru Y-DNA Project

I created a dendrogram of the 20 test kits that were part of the G-Haplogroup and eleven were shown to be related, albeit distantly. As indicated in Illustration Twenty One , the MRCA for most of the test kits was born around 635 CE. I share a common ancestor who was born around 1328 CE with six test kits. Five of the six surnames of their respective paternal ancestors are common Welsh surnames: Rees, Evans, Griffiths, and Howard. The sixth test kit has an uncommon Welsh surname of Rhydderch. It is interesting to note that for those paternal ancestors that were born on the British Isle, they were all born in Wales:

Trefeglwys: Trefeglwys is a village and community in Powys, Wales, within the historic county of Montgomeryshire. The name derives from the Welsh language tref ‘township’ and eglwys ‘church’. The village sits on the Afon Trannon.
Carmarthenshire: Carmarthenshire is a coastal county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen
Narbeth: Narberth is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Harerfordwest: Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales,
Llantrisant: Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales
Swansea: Swansea is a city and county on the south coast of Wales.

Illustration Twenty One : Enlarged View of Dendrogram of Y-DNA Test Kits from Wales Cymru Y-DNA Project

For an integrated view of the dendrogram and information related to the haplgroup branches associated with the G-Haplogroup test kits in the Wales Cymru Y-DNA Project see Illustration Twenty Two.

Illustration Twenty Two: Dendrogram of G-Haplogroup Test Kits in the Wales Cymru Y-DNA Project

Source: Family Tree DNA | **Click for Larger View**

Results from the FTDNA G-Z6748 Project

Finally, the recently formed FTDNA Y-DNA Haplogroup Project for SNP G-Z6748, which is downstream from G-M201 > L89 > P15 >> L497 has provided some interesting results. Through initial research, the G-Z6748 appears to be a largely Welsh haplogroup, though extending into neighboring parts of England and one test kit from Denmark.

The Project Administrator of the group produced an interesting map that shows all known Z6748+ participants (and Y-Matches) who have traced their ancestor to a specific town in Europe. As can be seen below, the majority of the group are tracing their ancestors to coastal southern Wales. Some of the outliers appear to be upstream, so perhaps indicating pre-Wales origins for the group. Further upstream G-L497 is from continental Europe in Bronze Age times, so part of the goal for this group and the L497 work group is to understand the timing of the movement to the UK.

Illustration Twenty Three: Map of Paternal Ancestors of Test Kits in the G-Z6748 Haplgroup Project

The following are the locations of the 18 pinpoints on the map:

Wiggenhall St. Germans, England: Wiggenhall St Germans is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is 85 miles north of London and 5 miles south-west of King’s Lynn.Little Marlow, England:
Little Marlow is a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. Little Marlow is located along the north bank of the River Thames, about a mile east of Marlow.
Broxton, England: Broxton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is 11 miles south of Chester, and only 10 miles east of Wrexham in Wales.
Acle, England: Acle is a market town on the River Bure on the Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth.
Pontypool, Wales: Pontypool is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales
Llysworney is a small village in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, in the community of Llandow.
Øbjerg is located in the region of South Denmark. South Denmark’s capital Vejle (Vejle) is approximately 74 km / 46 mi away from Objerg (as the crow flies).
Rotherfield, England: Rotherfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is one of the largest parishes in East Sussex. There are three villages in the parish: Rotherfield, Mark Cross and Eridge. Rotherfield was originally a Saxon settlement in an area generally covered with oak forest.
Haverfordwest, Wales is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales
Kent, England is a county in South East England on the coast across from Calais France
Llanelli is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary 10.5 miles (16.9 km) north-west of Swansea and 12 miles (19 km) south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. Early recorded place names in the Bristol area include the Roman-era British Celtic Abona (derived from the name of the Avon) and the archaic Welsh Caer Odor.
Narberth is a town and in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Swansea is a coastal city of southern Wales. the city is located along Swansea Bay in southwest Wales, part of the historic county of Glamorgan
Glamorgan or sometimes Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales.
Bristol, England Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south.
Glamorgan or sometimes Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales.
Port Talbot is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately eight miles from Swansea.
Pencoed (Welsh: Pen-coed) is a town and community in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It straddles the M4 motorway north east of Bridgend and is situated on the Ewenny River.

Conclusion

The overlapping of facts from the various FTDNA Y-DNA research groups are coming up with interesting results that strongly suggest the Griff(is)(es)(ith) paternal genetic line of ancestors came from Wales.

Back to the duck test of abductive reasoning, I believe the Griff(is)(es)(ith) surnames related to the family that started its colonial beginnings in Huntington, New York are indeed of Welsh origin.

Sources

The feature image at the tope of the story is an amalgam of maps and statistics on the distribution and prevalence of the Griff(ith)(ith) surname in Ireland and England.

[1] William Case Griffis was the grandson of William Griffis. His grandfather, William Griffis, who was the son of William Griffis, fought in the revolutionary war, William Case Griffis (Born 14 June 1825 in Chatrham, Ontario, Canada and died 27 July 1902 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin) wrote the following notes in his father’s journal after his father’s death. His father was Reverend William Griffis.

“My Great Grandfather, on my father’s side came from Wales and settled in Huntington, Long Island. They spelled the name Griffiths. My Grandfather, who died at my Father’s house could never give me any reason why he changed it to Griffis. He moved to Canada and settled at Adolphustown where my father was born, also three brothers of my father, Phillip, Stephen and Gilbert and one sister who married a Mr. Harris. My father’s mother, Content Harris, was born in England. I have my grandfather’s old pension certificate for the services in the Rev. War. He had to go to Albany for his pension.”

The quote is from Mary Martha Ryan Jones and Capitola Griffis Welch, compiled by, Griffis Sr of Huntington Long Island and Fredericksburg, Canada 1763-1847 and William Griffis Jr, (Reverend William Griffis) 1797-1878 and his descendants. A self published genealogical manuscript, 1969. Page 103.

[2] John and Sheila Rowlands, The Use of Surnames, Chapter 4, Patronymic Naming – A Survey in Transition, Llandysul, Ceredigion: Gomer Press, 2013,

The chart below reflects the variations in spelling in the family surname among William’s 12 children.

Based on my assessment of genealogical evidence, seven of the children used the ‘Griffis’ surname, three used the ‘Griffith’ surname and one used the ‘Griffes’ surname.

The children of William Griffis with variations of surname spelling — **Click for larger view**.

The third generation of the family reflects a continuation of various spellings of the surname:

The descendants of William’s second child, James Griffis, reverted back to the ‘Griffith’ surname.
The descendants of the third son, William Griffis, used both Griffis and Griffith. Three of his four sons used ‘Griffis’ while a fourth son used ‘Griffith’.
The fifth son, Stephen Griffis, appeared to have used or was recorded as a Griffith and Griffis but it is not entirely certain what he actually used as a last name.
Nathaniel Griffes, the sixth son, was the only child that spelled his name as an adult with an ‘es’ on then, Griffes. His descendants continued the tradition.
While it is not entirely certain, Joel Griffith probably spelled his name with a ‘th’ on the end.
Little is known of the second daughter of William, Esther Griffis, but she probably spelled her last name with an ‘-is’.
Epenetus and John used Griffith and Daniel and Jeremiah used Griffis.

[3] In 1700, 80 percent of the British colonists were English and Welsh, in 1755, the figure was 52 percent and by 1775, it was 49 percent. Thirteen Colonies, Wikipedia, This page was last edited on 3 January 2022, it was accessed on 21 Jan 2022.

Simon Newton Dexter North, A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790- 1900, U.S.: Bureau of the Census, 1909

[4] W.T.R.Pryce, Migration: Concepts, Patterns and Processes, in John & Shiela Rolands, Welsh Family History: A Guide to Research, Second Edition, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1998, page 248

[5] R. Hargreaves-Mawdsley, Bristol and America: A Record of the First Settlers in the Colonies of North America 1654- 1685, Clearfield 1929, page 3

[6] David Peate, Emigration , in John & Shiela Rolands, Welsh Family History: A Guide to Research, Second Edition, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1998, page 260-261.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Duck test, Wikipedia, This page was last edited on 13 Feb 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_test

[9] Portrait of William Case Griffis by Pastel artist Deborah Phillips Griffis, sister in law of William Case Griffis. (born 1825 • Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada and died 20 Nov 1903 • Chicago, IL). pastel is 13 by 18 inches. The owner of the Pastel is Mrs. John Carlson, North Fargo ND. The information was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s inventory of American Paintings. Susan Montagne originally shared this image 13 Apr 2013 on Ancestry.com

[10] During the period of transition from the Welsh patronymic system to the use of formal surnames, in addition to the influence of using English based names, native Welsh names also were influenced by different adaptations.

the incorporation of the word ap (‘son of’) into the name, e.g. Thomas ap Howell became Thomas Powell;
the dropping of the use of ap, e.g. Thomas ap Howell became Thomas Howell
the addition of a possessive ‘s’ to a surname: e.g. Griffith became Griffiths
the preference for using Old Testament given names within the older nonconformist denominations;
the survival of old Welsh names in specific geographical areas; and
the migration of people into Wales from areas with different surname structures (e.g. Scotland, England and Ireland).

John Rowlands, The Homes of Surnames in Wales, in John and Shiela Rowlands, ed, Stages in Researching Welsh Ancestry. Bury, England: The Federation of Family History Societies Publications Ltd., 1999. Pages 164 – 170.

Y-DNA & the Griffis Paternal Line Part Five: Using Y-DNA & Locating a Griff(is)(es)(ith) Relative and Other Leads

You can only go so far with Y-DNA test results. As stated in prior parts of this story, the ability to combine information from a wide variety of sources will ultimately lead to validated results, promising leads and stories. Oftentimes, in my limited experience I find that many individuals who have completed Y-DNA tests do not do much once they get the results. This is perhaps due to their unrealistic expectations of what the tests will provide. Or given the nature of the field, DNA testers do not know what to do with the results. I have found getting the test results is just the start of the process. They point you in a certain direction. The next steps are then in your hands in terms of trying to make sense of the results.

I can attest that I have not pushed the envelope in terms of analyzing Y-DNA results as much as possible. It takes a fair amount of time, energy and imagination. It also requires the ability to learn and understand how to interpret the results and use various mathmetical tools to analyze genetic data. DNA companies such as Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) provide access to a wealth of data, some of which is analyzed and packaged in innovative ways. FTDNA also provides working groups to assist in locating genetic matches and providing forums for assistance. However, there are other instances where one is on their own and required to personally gather FTDNA results from fellow testers in order to create “genetic trees” or uncover genealogical discoveries.

G-Haplogroup is a Modern Day Y-DNA Genetic Minority Group

In addition to the challenges of grappling with analyzing genetic data, despite the explosive growth of DNA testing, there is a dearth of data for testers of certain Y-DNA haplogroups. The Griff(is)(es)(ith) patrilineal line is part of the G-haplogroup. The G-haplogroup is a modern day genetic minority group at least in terms of potential testers and actual test kits in the FTDNA database.

The testing of Neolithic remains in various parts of Europe has confirmed that a major sub-branch of G, haplogroup G2a, was one of the dominant lineages of Neolithic farmers and herders who migrated from Anatolia to Europe between 9,000 and 6,000 years ago. They were part of a second massive wave of humans to migrate into Europe. However a third wave, coming from the Steppes, brought an additional Y-DNA genetic mix and eventually overtook the dominance of the G-haplogroup genetic presence. This third wave was predominately composed of the Y-DNA R-Haplogroup. [1]

By the Iron Age, the G2a subclade population in most of Europe had been genetically replaced as one of the predominate genetic paternal lines by the Indo-European migration of the R-Haplogroup. This was also followed by Celtic warfare in northwest Europe.. The net result was the diminished presence of G haplogroup men in Europe.

The ‘third wave’ of migration patterns into Western Europe belonged primarily to haplogroup R1b-U152. But as with any large scale migration pattern, the historic waves of migratory patterns often contain a mixture of genetic groups. Going back to our discussion in part two of this story about the differences between cultural and genetic genealogy, the macroscopic movements of genetic groups are logically separate and invisible from the cultural trappings of the actual migratory human groups. It appears that this third wave also carried a substantial minority of G2a-L140 lineages (of which the Griff(is)(es)(ith) line is part of) along their migration route. The net result of all of this is the G-haplogroup descendants in modern day Europe are a minority Haplogroup.

G2a makes up 5 to 10% of the population of Mediterranean Europe, but is relatively rare in northern Europe. The only regions where haplogroup G2 exceeds 10% of the population in Europe are in Cantabria in northern Spain, in northern Portugal, in central and southern Italy (especially in the Apennines), in Sardinia, in northern Greece (Thessaly), in Crete, and among the Gagauzes of Moldova – all mountainous and relatively isolated regions. Other regions with frequencies approaching the 10% include Asturias in northern Spain, Auvergne in central France, Switzerland, Sicily, the Aegean Islands, and Cyprus.

“. . . (T)he frequency of haplogroup G decreases with the distance from the boundaries of the empire. Haplogroup G is much rarer in Nordic and Baltic countries nowadays than in Great Britain, despite the fact that agriculture reached those regions around the same time. It is therefore not inconceivable that a part of the G2a in Great Britain, and especially in Wales (where G2a is the highest) should be of Roman origin. “ [2]

Illustration One: Distribution Map of Haplogroup G2a-L497 in Contemporary Europe

Source: Maciamo Hay, Haplogroup G2a, Eudepia [2] | **Click for Larger View**

This means, by inference, there is a smaller pool of available males in Europe to obtain Y-DNA comparative test results. This is reflected in the current distribution of Y-DNA tests results maintained by FTDNA. [3] Test results associated haplogroups of testers residing in in modern Europe and the United States have increased dramatically (for example Haplogroups R, J, and I).

Illustration Two provides a time tree view of the FamilyTreeDNA Haplotree, showing branch lengths in thousands of years. The timeline is oldest (left) to more recent (right). Numbers adjacent to each clade are counts of downstream branches a given haplogroup.. Younger branches are collapsed for readability: 5,000 years ago is depicted in the main tree. 2,000 years ago is depicted in the much larger Haplogroup R tree. While not the smallest Haplogroup in terms of the number of branches documented, the G-Haplogroup is nonetheless smaller than many of the other haplogroups found in Europe. [3]

Illustration Two: Family Tree DNA Haplotree Summary Dec 2020 of the Number of Haplogroup Branches Documented.

Coupled with the present day small population size of G-Haplogroup men in Europe, there are the genetic repercussions of “Brick Wall” challenges that were the result of colonial immigration to the Americas.

The Brick Wall: Colonial Immigration

Many amateur American genealogists lament about the Atlantic Ocean as the ‘brick wall’ in the uncovering ancestors who immigrated to the Colonies. There are historical and social structural parameters that shape and influence the probability of successfully finding descendants through genetic analysis and traditional genealogical research.

It is inherently easier to document ancestry on the American side of the Atlantic. It is objectively more difficult to discover genetic leads and traditional paper documentation to link our immigrant descendants with European descendants.

For many Americans, notably those who can trace their last known ancestor to colonial times, the last known connection will be the son of or the original immigrant son from Europe. In our case, it is William Griffis born in 1736 in Huntington, New York.

The original immigrant or the descendant of the original immigrant is in genetic genealogy the founder, a DNA bottleneck who “resets the odometer” on DNA mutations; and descendants start with zero diversity. This is a common pattern with profound effects on mtDNA or Y-DNA research. Bottlenecks on the European side (due to war, natural disaster, disease, etc) can further compound the problem of finding genetic matches

From an historical demographic and economic perspective, there are fewer descendants to trace back in Europe compared to the United States. Colonial America also had a higher literacy rate and great interest in record keeping which greatly aids efforts in locating documentation associated traditional genealogical research. Families that remained in Europe faced socio-economic hardships that resulted in lower fertility rates, smaller families, and higher mortality rates. [4]

The life experiences for family member who immigrated to the colonies were substantially different from their respective family members who stayed behind in Europe. While the first 17th century settlers had fearsome mortality rates, poor diets, and their settlements were dependent on the net import of foodstuffs, their life conditions comparatively improved over time and generations compared to their European relatives.

From a demographic, social, and economic standpoint, individuals who immigrated to the colonies experienced a set of different life experiences. European counterparts in western Europe had smaller families, higher mortality rates, limited economic capabilities and resources, and lived in urban areas. This contrasts with the life experiences of a family member who immigrated to the colonies. Abundant natural resources, higher wages, and cheap land contributed greatly to American colonialists’ standards of living. The period during which Americans most clearly led Britain in purchasing power per capita was in the colonial era. American colonists also had much more equal incomes than did West Europeans at that time. [5]

It does not seem difficult to find out the reasons why the people multiply faster here than in Europe. As soon as a person is old enough he may marry in these provinces without any fear of poverty. There is such an amount of good land yet uncultivated that a newly married man can, without difficulty, get a spot of ground where he may comfortably subsist with his wife and children. The taxes are very low, and he need not be under any concern on their account. The liberties he enjoys are so great that he considers himself as a prince in his possessions. [6]

The colonies had some of world history’s highest population growth rates, not only in the initial settlement phases, but all the way up to the Revolution. Between 1700 and 1780, population grew at 2.9 per cent per annum for New England and also for the Middle Colonies, and at 2.4 for the Southern colonies. Furthermore, these rates were well above those in the rest of the world. The net fertility in early America was more than double that of Europe. American families from 1650 to 1850 averaged 4.8 children to adulthood.

Two sources of population growth (high fertility rates and higher life expectancy rates) with their opposing implications for the level of income per capita, were at play in the colonial era. The American colonists had extraordinary rates of natural increase, fed by early marriage and high fertility, and by low mortality (outside of the South – excluding the unfortunate effects of slavery). As early as 1751 Benjamin Franklin attributed all of these features to the abundance of land, and half a century later Robert Malthus agreed. [7]

A 1650 emigrant will have 200-fold more descendants than a sibling who stayed in Europe. This, plus DNA testing bias, is why an American DNA tester will seldom find a European connection. [8]

Illustration Three: Example of Two Brothers’ Descendants

Source: Rob Spencer **[6]** | **Click for Larger View**.

The explosive growth of DNA testing in the United States and Americans’ interest in DNA testing has led to a current situation where DNA databases are heavily slanted to American stories. That explosion coupled with the historical, socio-economic, and demographic patterns on each of the Atlantic during colonial times leads to large scale patterns that have essentially created a steep uphill path for individuals in the United State finding colonial descendants in Europe..

The Griff(is)(es)(ith) family that started from William Griffis certainly fits this argument about tracing colonial immigrant families and their subsequent growth in the new world. William had 12 children, ten of which were males: a good start for the continuation of the Y-DNA line. There are over 1,100 descendants (including family members by marriage) of William Griffis between his life and present day.

The following Illustration Four depicts a visual depiction of the founder effect for the Griff(is)(es)(ith) family through a novel rendering of a family tree. [9] The top of the tree is William Griffis. In addition to the various branches in the family tree, it also illustrates the number of descendant lines of extinction for various generations (the ‘fanning’ of branches in the tree diminishes) as well as the diminishing size of families through time (the width of th ‘fans’ of branches). The visualization also portrays the age longevity of individuals in the tree.

Illustration Four: Descendants of William Griffis – 1773 to the Present

Being part of a present day minority haplogroup, facing the challenges associated with the genetic brick wall of colonial immigration, and the American bias of Y-DNA testing certainly does not raise the expectations of finding Y-DNA genetic discoveries in Europe, regardless of the advancements made in DNA testing.

As will become evident as the story unfolds, the results are not entirely earth shattering but there are surprises nonetheless.

Review of Y-DNA Results

Based on the results of my Big Y 700 test from Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), I was able to compare similar test results from other males who completed the Y- 12, Y- 25, Y-37, Y-67, Y-111 or Big Y 700 Y-DNA tests. Short tandem repeats (STR) matches are limited to results for only the 111 identified STRs. The STRs beyond the 111 are used for predicting a more refined assignment of a Haplogroup or documenting a new branch in the haplotree.

I originally started my examination of potential Y-DNA STR matches with the Y-37 and Y- 67 test results. The more STRs used for comparison will provide more reliable results. It is like comparing two digital photographs of the same subject but one has more pixels and the other. The photograph with more pixels will provide more detail. Without additional traditional genealogical information or knowledge of surnames, using the results from the Y-111 test is the most reliable strategy for analyzing STR results. However, if another Y-DNA tester had taken a test with fewer STRs and had a similar surname or self reported common ancestor, then it is prudent to compare their Y-DNA results. This became apparent as I progressed with my research.

As indicated in earlier parts of this story, my Big Y 700 Y-DNa test confirmed my affiliation with the G haplogroup and documented that the Griff(is)(es)(ith) patrilineal line was also part of the L-497 subbranch of the haplogroup. Reviewing their work was a good start for my research.

The overwhelming majority of northern and western Europeans who belong to the G2a subclade fall specifically within G2a-L140 subclade. [10] The following ‘breadcrumb’ line traces back from my terminal SNP haplogroup:

G-L140 > G-PF3346 > G-PF3345 > G-L497 > CTS9737 > Z1817 > Z727 > FGC477 > Z6748 > Y38335 > Z40857 > Y132505 > BY211678.

Illustration Five provides a graphic view of the breadcrumb line of haplotree branches to my terminal point on the G-haplotree. It also indicates the approximate date when the MRCA of the branch was born. My strategy for looking for possibleY-DNA matches among the Y-DNA test kits, involved going down the breadcrumb branches of the haplotree to a branch that was created closer to the present. The G-40857 branch started around the time of the Norman invasion of the British Isles 91000 CE). It made sense to start there for possible matches.

Illustration Five: SNP Breadcrumbs to My Terminal SNP

From the L-497 branch (which represented the initial stages of the second wave of modern human migration into Europe) I could narrow my search by going down the haplotree branches. Moving through ‘genetic history’ and following the westward migration of the haplogroup in Europe to the most recent branch: G-BY211678. The most common recent ancestor (tMRCA) for this branch was estimated to have been born around 1500 CE. This would represent a “recent” group of descendants that conceivably had descendants in a geographic area where William Griffis had descendants.

Based on the current population of FTDNA testers who completed one of the six types of Y-DNA tests, eleven individuals that were members of the L-497 project were the closest genetic matches within my haplotype. Table One, which has been mentioned in the prior story, provides the STR results of arranging test kits based on haplogroup affiliation. Twelve test kits (including mine) were grouped in the G-BY211678 haplogroup.

For genealogy within the most recent fifteen generations, STR markers help define paternal lineages. Y-DNA STR markers change (mutate) often enough that most men who share the same STR results also share a recent paternal lineage. Table One displays Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) STR results for individuals that either tested or were predicted positive for Y132505+ and BY211678+ for the SNPs associated with these haplogroups.

The table uses a colorized format to display the results. [11] The columns display each project member’s kit number, paternal ancestry information according to project settings, the paternal tree branch (haplogroup), and actual STR marker results (up to 111 markers in this table). In the haplogroups column, haplogroups in green are confirmed by SNP testing. Haplogroups in red are predicted. Above each subgroup, the table displays the minimum, maximum and mode values for each STR marker in the subgroup. STR marker values that differ from the mode values are color-coded.

Table One: Haplogroup G-L497 Y-DNA Project – Y-DNA Colorized Chart

Source: FTDNA L-497 Work Group DNA Results | Click for larger view

Using various FTDNA based analytical tools and other novel applications from amateur genealogists, eight of the eleven test kits were found to be ‘relatively’ close as genetic Y-DNA matches.

Table Two provides information on ‘how close’ the eight test kits are in terms of genetic distance. All but one of the test kits are associated with individuals in the United States. Kit number 149885, the surname of the tester is Gough, is from England. Two of. the eight are ‘two genetic steps’ from me while the remaining six tests kits are four genetic steps. The number of steps from our respective MCRA are not necessarily the same. As stated in the prior story, the number of STRs compared has an impact on how to interpret genetic steps.

Although the test kit 125476, whose tester’s last name is Griffith (first row of the table), only tested for the Y-37 test, his test results are 2 ‘genetic steps’ different from my test results. This means, based on a Y-37 test comparison, Mr. Griffith and I share a common ancestor around 8 generations ago or ‘give or take’ between 2 to 20 generations..

Based on a Genetic Distance of 2 at the Y-37 test level, I and Henry Vieth Griffith are estimated to share a common paternal line ancestor who was, with a 95% probability, born between 1250 and 1850 CE. The most likely year is rounded to 1650 CE. This date is an estimate based on genetic information only. Eight generations would be around the revolutionary war period in America and around the time that William Griffis was born! [13]

Table Two: STR Haplotype Matches with James Griffis Based Minimally on Y-37 Test

Kit No.	Surname of Tester	STR Markers Tested	Genetic Distance (GD)	Likely Common Ancestor (Genera- tons)	MRCA Based on GD [12]	Earlest Known Ancester
125476	Griffith	37	2 Steps	8 (2-20)	1650 CE	William Griffis
39633	Compton	37	2 Steps	8 (2-20)	1650 CE	Unknown
154471	Williams	111	4 Steps	3(7-15)	1700 CE	William Williams
285488	Williams	700**	4 Steps	3(7-15)	1700 E	George Williams
294448	Williams	111	4 Steps	3(7-15)	1700 CE	George Williams
285458	Williams	111	4 Steps	3(7-15)	1700 CE	George Williams
36706	Williams	67	4 Steps	11(4-22)	1500 CE	William Williams
149885	Gough	37	4 Steps	14(6-28)	1300 CE	Gough

** For Y-700 testers, the Y-111 markers are used for matching purposes.
Source: FTDNA myFTDNA Y-DNA Match Results for James Griffis

The following provides an explanation of the information found in Table Two

Surname is the actual surname of the tester.

Markers Tested indicates the total number of STR markers tested. Only markers from those tests were used for the match.

Genetic Distance (GD) refers to the number of mutational differences in tested STRs between my results and the individual tester. Fewer differences can indicate a closer relationship to a shared paternal line ancestor. This is used to rank order possible genetic matches among Y-DNA test kits. [12]

Common Ancestor refers to the estimated number of past generations that I and the tester possibly share a common ancestor based on a 90+ percent confidence interval. Since each STR marker has a different mutation rate, identical Genetic Distances will not necessarily yield the same probabilities. Someone else with the same Genetic Distance may have different probabilities, because the distance was prompted by mutations in different markers, with different mutation rates. The numbers in the parentheses represent the confidence level range of generations.

MRCA is based on an estimate time when the common ancestor was born.

Earliest Known Ancestor is self reported by the owner of the test kit.

Another Y-DNA tester is purportedly 2 genetic steps from me as well. The surname associated with the test kit is “Compton” and no earliest known ancestor was reported with the test results. I have not found any relatives through tradition genealogical research with the surname of Compton.

Given the nature of the late adoption of surnames among the Welsh, being related to this gentleman is not necessarily ruled out. While it has been stated that one should expect the presence of surnames for tMRCA’s with branches that are less than 25 – 30 generations ago, I am assuming that range is more like 20-25 generations ago for Welsh surnames. [14] The statistical deviation of 2 genetic generations based on a Y-37 STR test is relatively wide. Similar to my test result comparison with Henry Griffith, based on a Genetic Distance of 2 at the Y-37 test level, I and Mr. Clinton K Compton are estimated to share a common paternal line ancestor who was, with a 95% probability, born between 1250 and 1850 CE. The most likely year is rounded to 1650 CE.

The remaining six testers listed in Table Two are four genetic steps different from my test results. One of the test kits is based on Y-37 results, one on Y-67 results, three on Y111 results and one on the Big Y 700 test kit result.

What is interesting among these six test kits, the common surname is Williams. While I do have any traditional genealogical documentation which connects the Griffis family with other individuals with the Williams surname, perhaps 15 to 22 generations back there might be a common ancestor with the Williams surname.

Illustration Six: Emergence of Surnames in Genealogical Research Depicted in a Genealological Dendrogram

As discussed in earlier stories, the use of surnames in Wales was not widespread until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the greater part of Wales, the ancient patronymic naming system continued: having children identified in relation to their father. This meant that surnames in the 1600’s and and 1700’s did not take on the weight of significance that they have for present generations. Using a surname was similar to using a first name, they changed based on what was conferred by prior generations and also what one wanted to use as a surname. There was a wide time variation when surnames were adopted in various parts of Wales. Surnames became the norm by 1750 across the coastal plain of south Wales and along the eastern border with England. [15]

The ten most common surnames in Wales in 1856 were Jones (13.84%), Williams (8.91%), Davies (7.09%), Thomas (5.70%), Evans (5.46%), Roberts (3.69%), Hughes (2.98%), Lewis (2.97%), Morgan (2.63%) and Griffiths (2.58%). [16]

The STR Results Using Dendrograms

I used the FTDNA data from the L-497 project as data input into Rob Spencer’s Y STR Clustering and Dendrogram Drawing program [17] and filtered the data to only include test kits within the G-BY211678 haplotree branch (re: Illustration Six above). The dendrogram provides a sense of genetic distance between the test kits and approximate generations from the most recent common ancestors.

The dendrogram provides a genetic tree diagram of test kits that are listed as rows in the dendrogram. The nodes to the branches in the tree represent a most recent common ancestor. Time, as measured in the number of generations from the present, starts from the right and proceeds to the left. The haplogroup for each test kit is listed. Some of the haplogroups associated with test kits are very basic or reflect major ‘trunk branches’ in the G-haplotree. This is due to the type of Y-STR test that was used for a particular kit. If someone completed a Y-37 test, given the limited number of STR markers tested, haplogroup prediction would also be limited. The paternal ancestor, reported by the tester, is also listed in the dendrogram.

Illustration Six: Y-STR Dendrogram of FTDNA Test Kits in the G-BY211678 Haplogroup

The genetic relationships between the test kits are fairly apparent. What is evident is the close genetic distance between Mr. Griffith and my test kits. His test kit is listed as G-M201 “William Griffis b.c. 1733, Huntington, NY and my test kit is listed as G-BY211678 “William Griffis b. 1736”. Consistent with the FTDNA’s results from FTDNATiP™ genetic steps analysis, my test kit and Mr. Griffith’s test kit suggest we share a common ancestor approximately 8 generations ago who was born in the mid 1600’s to early 1700’s.

The dendrogram also suggests that a common ancestor is shared with eight test kits that identify their respective paternal ancestors as having the Williams and Gough surnames. Our most recent common ancestor may have been born about 14 generations ago. Using 33 years for a generation [18], this would be around 1560 CE. The approximate date of our MRCA is prior to the time when surnames were prevalent in Wales.

STR Results Portrayed in a Phylogenetic Tree

I also used the FTDNA data from the L-497 project as data input into Dave Vance’s SAPP program to develop a phylogenetic tree that graphically outlined the genetic distance between the test kits within the haplogroup. The program is relatively easy to use and graphically provides an intuitive approach to visualize the possible genetic relationships between various DNA test results. The program is referred to as the SAPP analysis (Still Another Phylogeny Program). The current version that was used in my analysis was SAPP Tree Generator V4.25. [19]

The resultant phylogenetic tree created nodes that represent tMRCA based on key differences between specific STR markers based on the allele values for the respective STR markers. Basically the program creates a genetic tree of test kits based on the comparison of differences between the allele values for the STR markers. It transforms the information in Table One into a tree.

The following phylogenetic tree in Illustration Seven was created (click on the image of the thumbnail of the tree to be able to actually see the table) or see the PDF file – you can increase the size of the PDF file to better viewing.

Illustration Seven: Phylogenetic Tree Results for FTDNA STR Test Results for Individuals within the G-BY211678 Haplogroup (Click for Larger View)

**Click for Larger View.** | **PDF file version**

The analysis of STR differences between the 12 test kits resulted in a phylogenic tree with three major nodes. The most recent common ancestor that started the G-Y132505 haplogroup branch is estimated to have been born around 1250 CE and the birth date of tMRCA for the subsequent G-BY211678 haplogroup is 1500 CE. It is estimated the MRCA for all of the 12 test kits is 23 generations or 1300 CE.

There are three major nodes in the phylogenetic tree. Descending from the MCRA, three individual test kits are listed directly from the MCRA. One of the three major nodes, Node #13, lists descendants of William Griffis. Node #13 is based on key STR differences in five STR markers: DYS456, DYS570, CDYa, DYS617 and DYS 715. Both my kit and Henry Griffith’s test kits are part of this node. Another major node, Node #16, groups test kits that have a paternal ancestor listed as William Walmsley and William Williams. Another major node, Node #18, lists test kits that had more recent STR mutations (an estimated TMRCA of 3 generations – around 1800 CE). The test kit with the paternal ancestor named Gough is listed directly off the major node.

The Results: The Big Picture

In general, while the results from analyzing STR Y-DNA data are sparce, the analysis underscored the value of genetic genealogical analysis for unearthing discoveries associated with each of the three periods of genealogy, particularly for potential lineages and genealogies. [20]

Illustration Eight: The Three Periods of Genealology

Finding genealogical matches are slim. The size of the current database of Y-DNA testers within my specific G-haplogroup is relatively small. The probability of finding matches is obviously related to the size of the population that has completed a Y-DNA test with the particular company that you are utilizing. While DNA testing has appreciably increased over the past 10 years, Y-DNA testing has specifically increased at a lower rate than the popular ‘ethnic heritage’ tests. Like fly fishing, I knew my ability to snag a ‘lead’ through Y-DNA analysis might be slim but a catch is always delightful.

It came as no surprise that the available test results for comparison for potential genetic matches are presently small. There were only a dozen or so test kits for comparison in one of the FTDNA working projects. There may be additional test kits to compare but it involves a more active search on my part to search the FTDNA complete database.

Matches with different surnames were found in the lineages period of genealogy. Since the Griff(is)(es)(ith) surname is purportedly a Welsh surname, the use of surnames did not become firmly established in certain parts of Wales until the late 1700’s to mid 1800’s. Based on my traditional genealogical research I knew the Griffis family line had three spellings of the surname (Griffis, Griffith, and Griffes) in America. Y-DNA tests have corroborated that finding genetically related ancestors with different surnames in Europe is evident. The next step is to see if any of the Williams clan are part of our genetic lineage.

Finding genealogical matches currently confirmed through traditional research. The Y-DNA test did indeed find a match with an individual that I have already documented in my family tree. I might be able to find additional clues to male family members that are descendants of William Griffis in the future.

Finding genealogical matches that point to Wales. It appears Y-DNA test results point to ancestors in the area we currently call ‘Wales”. Obviously, one’s ancestors could be Welsh and have lived in London or other parts of the British Isles. This is investigated in the next story.

Identify unknown ancestors and lineages in timelines where no records exist. The Y-DNA test results have narrowed the search of male ancestors of the Griff(is)(es)(ith) paternal line to specific genetic Y-DNA lines in the G-haplogroup in the British Isles.

Identify ancient groups and migration patterns associated with the genetic paternal line. I certainly have obtained information about ‘deep ancestry’. Viewing the patrilineal line at a higher, macroscopic anthropological level provides a novel perceptive on the origins of the lineage. More on that in subsequent stories.

Further research into the possible background of the remaining test kits may produce worthwhile results! WHO KNOWS, we might be related to a few Williams and a Gough and a Compton a few centuries ago!

Corroboration of a Family Tie: Henry Vieth Griffith

The results of the Y-DNA testing thus far have confirmed one distant Griffith relative: Henry Vieth Griffith.

Henry Vieth Griffith and Arvilla Rogers
**Dave Sickler** originally shared this photograph on an ancestry.com family tree on 13 Jan 2021

Henry Vieth Griffith was originally discovered through traditional research. Y-DNA analysis confirmed the results of traditional genealogical research. Through the course of researching various on-line family trees, coupled with access to personal family histories surrounding the descendants of James Griffis, William Griffis’ second son, I was able to document Henry Griffith’s family ties.

In the course of conducting my on-line research prior to completing Y-DNA tests, I discovered a defunct website “Gruffydd Genealogies: Griffi(th)(n)(s)(ng)Surname DNA Project“.

The website had a link entitled “Pedigrees” which listed family trees with Kit Numbers, brief information on the paternal ancestor and email contacts. At that time I had no idea what a ‘Kit Number’ was nor was it immediately apparent that the website represented the results managed by FTDNA. [21]

On a Pedigree link on the website it listed a number of Family Pedigrees found in this Y-DNA surname research project. One of the pedigree’s got my attention: “ #49, Kit Number 125476, William Griffith, born 1773 of New York, married Abiah Gates ” and provided a contact email address”.

“Eureka! I found a relative! “

Unfortunately, my repeated attempts to send emails provided no responses. The email address appeared to be a dead-end. Moreover, the link to the family tree for this Kit number returned with a ‘404’ web error, meaning the link no longer linked to an existing web page. I did not realize until later on in my research that the email address on the website was Henry’s wife’s email address. Sadly, Arvilla Griffith passed away in 2014.

While the website was no longer being actively managed, I did not realize that the website was the early precursor of the current FTDNA Griffi(th)(n)(s)(ng) Surname project of which I am now a member. The project administrator listed on the website is no longer involved with the project but some of the links on the old site still direct the reader to current information on DNA results for another current FTDNA project: the L-497 haplogroup project!

At the time of this discovery of the defunct website, it merely provided, for my research, another confirmation that “William Griffith(is)” married Abiah Gates.

Through my continued research of genealogy material posted on various family trees, I found a number of sources that ultimately provided bits and pieces of the James Griffis (b. 1758) family line of descendants – sufficient information to progressively put puzzle pieces together to develop ties between Henry Vieth Griffith and the descendants of William Griffis.

All said and done, tracing Henry’s line of descent up to William Griffis and back down the tree to me indicates that Henry is my 5th cousin once removed.

Illustration Eight: Most Recent Common Ancestor for Henry Griffith and James Griffis

Henry Vieth Griffith, was a descendent of James Griffis, William’s second son. Here is Henry’s surname line:

William Griffis, born 1736 Huntington ,NY;
James William Griffis, born 04 June 1758 Suffolk, Co, NY, died 21 November 1838, Suffolk, County, NY;
James Harvey Griffith, born 19 August 1801 Huntington, NY, died 11 April 1883 Rockaway, Queens NY;
James Harvey Griffith, born 23 April 1854, died 26 Sep 1918 Barrington, Bristol, Rhode Island;
Benjamin Fessenden Griffith, born 8 March 1897 East Rockaway Nassau NY, died 27 May 1977 Suffolk County, NY; and
Henry Vieth Griffith (17 October 1923 Barrington RI – 20 May 2017 Weslaco, TX)

It is interesting to note that James Griffis’ descendants reverted to the Griffith spelling of the surname. With one exception, all the descendants of James Griffis spelled their surname as ‘Griffith‘. the reason for the reversion to the Griffith spelling is not known. One of the daughters, Abiah, possibly spelled her maiden name as Griffis or Griffiths. [22] Many of his descendants continue to live in Long Island and New England area.

James Griffis and Sarah Totten had seven children. All of his children were baptized under the name of Griffith and other records associated with his children indicate the use of Griffith as a last name. It is interesting to note that church records indicate that the first six children were baptized in a group ceremony on the same day on August 4 in 1797. [23]

Table Three: Children of James William Griffis

Second Generation of Griffis Family	Third Generation
James William Griffis 1758 – 1838 Suffolk Co. NY	Jerusha Griffith (female) 1785 – 1859 Suffolk Co. NY
	Abiah Griffis (female) 1786 – 1871 Suffolk Co., NY
	Sarah Griffith (female) 1787 – 1847 Suffolk Co, NY
	Jesse Griffith (male) 1788 – 1855 Suffolk Co., NY
	William Griffith (male) 1791 – 1879 Suffolk Co., NY
	Peter Griffith (male) 1796 – 1874 Suffolk Co., NY
	James Harvey Griffith (male) 1801 – 1883 Suffolk Co., NY

For about 8 generations, there were 53 male descendants of James Griffis. All used the ‘Griffith’ surname. Thirty-seven of the descendants lived in the counties contiguous to or part of the New York City area. Eight lived in Connecticut and four lived in Rhode Island. One descendant lived in Rensselaer county, NY and one lived in Union county, NJ. Four lived in Jefferson county, KY; one is Hidalgo county, TX, Chester County, PA, and Broomfield county, CO.

I have not looked closely at the range of geographical mobility for each of the male descendants. The geographic mobility for most of descendants was limited within the area noted in the table and maps. Henry Vieth Griffith was one notable descendant living outside of the New England area. Military life took him to many places and he appears to have had the most extensive mobility of his descendants over his lifetime.

Illustration Nine: Locations of Descendants of James Griffis in New York State

Illustration Ten: Locations of Descendants of James Griffis in Connecticut and Rhode Island

Descendants of James Griffis residing in Connecticut, click for larger view.

Descendants of James Griffis residing in Rhode Island, click for larger view.

Henry Vieth Griffith’s father, Benjamin Fessenden Griffith, lived in Rhode Island where Henry and his siblings were born. When Henry Vieth Griffith was born on October 17, 1923, in Barrington, Rhode Island, his father, Benjamin, was 26 and his mother, Sara, was 26.

The following is an undated newspaper article about Henry and one of his brothers, Harvey K. Griffith, when they both were in military service during World War II.

Illustration Eleven: Newspaper Article About the Two Griffith Brothers

Henry and Arvilla met in Oklahoma City, OK during World War II. They were married on August 17, 1944, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They had a long and event filled life together. Shortly before Arvilla’s death in 2014, they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

They both were in military service during World War II. Henry made a career out of his military service to the country. While rising their family and following her husband around the world in his military career, Arvilla earned credits at 11 different universities, received her Bachelor’s degree and then went on to obtain her Doctorate in Education. They had five children during their marriage. Their retirement years were spent in southern Texas, Henry passed away on May 20, 2017, in Weslaco, Texas, at the age of 93, and was buried along with Arvilla, in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX. [24]

Henry or Arvilla or both were evidently were interested in genealogy. This was reflected in Henry completing a Y-DNA test. I only wish I was able to have met Henry and Arvilla before they passed away.

Illustration Twelve: Headstones for Henry Vieth Griffith and Arvilla Rogers Griffith

Sources

The Featured Image at the top of the story is a section of a spreadsheet of Y-DNA test kit results managed by the Haplogroup G-L497 Y-DNA Project. Highlighted rows point to my test kit and Henry Vieth Griffith’s test kit. The chart page displays Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) STR results that are grouped on the baiss of their similarity on SNP haplogroup results. The columns display each project member’s kit number, paternal ancestry information according to project settings, the paternal tree branch (haplogroup), and actual STR marker results. Above each subgroup, the minimum, maximum and mode values for each STR marker in the subgroup are displayed. STR marker values that differ from the mode values are color-coded.

[1] Andrew Curry, The first Europeans weren’t who you might think, National Geographic, Sept 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/first-europeans-immigrants-genetic-testing-feature?loggedin=true&rnd=1676757061299

Early European Farmers, Wikipedia, This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_European_Farmers

Reich, David Who We are and how We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past. Oxford University Press. 2018

Lazaridis, Iosif; et al. (July 25, 2016). “Genomic insights into the origin of farming in the ancient Near East”. Nature. Nature Research. 536(7617): 419–424. Bibcode:2016Natur.536..419L. doi:10.1038/nature19310. PMC 5003663. PMID 27459054 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article s/PMC5003663/

González-Fortes, Gloria; et al. (June 19, 2017). “Paleogenomic Evidence for Multi-generational Mixing between Neolithic Farmers and Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherers in the Lower Danube Basin”. Current Biology. Cell Press. 27 (12): 1801–1810. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5483232/

Lazaridis, Iosif (December 2018). “The evolutionary history of human populations in Europe”. Current Opinion in Genetics & Development. Elsevier. 53: 21–27. arXiv:1805.01579. doi:10.1016/j.gde.2018.06.007 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959437X18300583

Shennan, Stephen (2018). The First Farmers of Europe: An Evolutionary Perspective. Cambridge World Archaeology. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108386029. ISBN 9781108422925

Nikitin, Alexey G.; et al. (December 20, 2019). “Interactions between earliest Linearbandkeramik farmers and central European hunter gatherers at the dawn of European Neolithization”. Scientific Reports. Nature Research. 9 (19544): 19544. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6925266/

[2] Maciamo Hay, Haplogroup G2a, Eudepia, Last update January 2021, https://www.eupedia.com/europe/Haplogroup_G2a_Y-DNA.shtml

[3] The following graphics illustrate the smaller sample size of Y-DNA test data for the G Haplogroup managed by Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), source: 2020 Review Of Big Y, FTDNA Blog, Feb 1, 2021, https://blog.familytreedna.com/2020-review-of-big-y/

[4] Rob Spencer, Case Studies in Macro Genealology, Presentation for the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, July 2021, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/NYG&B_webinar.pdf

Rob Spencer, The Big Picture of Y STR Patterns, The 14th International Conference on Genetic Genealology, Houston, TX, March 22-24, 2019, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/RWS-Houston-2019-WideAngleView.pdf

Rob Spencer, Genetic Genealogy at the Library, Mystic and Noank Library October17, 2019, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/mnl/mnl3.pdf ; October 10, 2019 http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/mnl/mnl2.pdf; October 7, 2019 http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/mnl/mnl1.pdf

[5] Scott Miller, Ten Facts About the American Economy in the 18th Century, George Washington”s Mount Vernon, https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/colonial-life-today/early-american-economics-facts/

Peter H. Lindert and Jeffrey G. Williamson, American Colonial Incomes, 1650-1774, Working Paper 19861, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, January 2014, https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w19861/w19861.pdf`

[6] Peter Kalm’s Travels in North America: The English Version of 1770, revised from the original Swedish and edited by Adolph B. Benson (Wilson-Erickson, 1937); reprint edition (Dover, 1966), p. 211.

[7] Franklin, Benjamin. 1751 / 1959. “Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, etc.,” in The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, Volume IV, edited by Leonard W. Larabee. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. pp. 227-228

Malthus, Thomas Robert. 1798 / 1920. An Essay on the Principle of Population. London. Reprinted for the Royal Economic Society, London: 1920. pp. 105-106

[8] Rob Spencer, Case Studies in Macro Genealology, Presentation for the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, July 2021, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/NYG&B_webinar.pdf

[9] This image is the result of plugging in a GED file of my family tree into a javascript program build by B.F. Lyon, Exploring Family Trees (Beta), On-line Visualization https://learnforeverlearn.com/ancestors/?fbclid=IwAR0OJcmL83m2WRI0mnuCp26h-14btQ2MWGaTGmdpPECkP0VvkCKY4IptI9w

Features of a Web-Based Family Tree Visualization Tool, Sep 20, 2105, http://familytreeviz.blogspot.com/2015/09/features-of-family-tree-visualization.html

[10] Maciamo Hay, Haplogroup G2a, Eudepia, Last update January 2021, https://www.eupedia.com/europe/Haplogroup_G2a_Y-DNA.shtml

[11] The Y-chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) Results Colorized report headings are color-coded in two ways. First, each testing level (Y-DNA1-12, Y-DNA13-25, Y-DNA26-37, Y-DNA38-67, and Y-DNA68-111) is coded with a different shade of blue. Second, the STR (short tandem repeat) markers that have faster mutation rates and are more likely to change within the genealogical time frame are coded with a red background.

The Y-chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) results chart is color coded to show where someone in a subgroup differs from the calculated modal value for an STR (short tandem repeat) marker. For each step less than the modal value, a progressively darker shade of blue is used for the background color. For each step greater than the modal value, a progressively darker shade of pink is used for the background color.

Understanding the Y-DNA Results Colorized Report, FTDNA Help Center, https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/4503464738319#accessing-the-y-dna-results-colorized-report-0-0

[12] The GD estimates and estimated number of Generations is based on FTDNATiP™ Reports, Most Recent Common Ancestor Time Predictor based on Y-STR Genetic Distance

Understanding Y-DNA Genetic Distance, FTDNA Help Center, https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/6019925167631-Understanding-Y-DNA-Genetic-Distance

Concepts – Genetic Distance, DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy,, Blog, 29 June 2016, https://dna-explained.com/2016/06/29/concepts-genetic-distance/

[13] Time Predictor Estimates related to FTDNATiP™ Reports:

The Time Predictor (TiP), or FTDNATiP™, is a proprietary program that incorporates Y-chromosome DNA STR mutation rates to increase the power and precision of estimates of Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA). It is a tool provided by FTDNA which allows for a probabilistic comparison between two Y-STR haplotypes to determine the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA). The program incorporates marker-specific mutation rates to increase the power and precision of the TMRCA estimates.

[14] Rob Spencer, Case Studies in Macro Genealology, Presentation for the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, July 2021, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/NYG&B_webinar.pdf

[15] John and Sheila Rowlands, The Use of Surnames, Chapter 4, Patronymic Naming – A Survey in Transition, Llandysul, Ceredigion: Gomer Press, 2013, Figure 4-3: Decay in the use of patronymic naming to the 10% level, Page 56

[16] Shiela Rowlands, Sources of Surnames in John and Shiela Rowlands, ed, Stages in Researching Welsh Ancestry. Bury, England: The Federation of Family History Societies Publications Ltd., 1999. Pages 153 and 159

Although we are focused on individuals with the Griffith surname in the 1700’s in the American colonies, the prevalence of the Griffith surname has been documented in Wales in the 1800’s. Based on an analysis of census data in Wales in 1850, the top ten most common names represented approximately 80 percent of the Welsh population. While these names were common, it does not imply they were related.

Durie, Bruce, Welsh Genealogy, Stroud, United Kingdom: The History Press, 2013, Page 27

John and Sheila Rowlands, The Use of Surnames, Chapter 4, Patronymic Naming – A survey in Transition, Llandysul, Ceredigion: Gomer Press, 2013, Pages 50-57

[17] Rob Spencer, Y STR Clustering and Dendrogram Drawing, Tracking Back: a website for genetic genealogy tools, experimentation, and discussion, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/clustering.html

The data was from:

Family Tree DNA L-497 Project, DNA Results, https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/g-ydna/about

[18] “All things considered, 33 years per male generation is more accurate than 30 and a reasonable choice for the eras of interest in STR genealogy. ”

Rob Spencer, tMRCA Estimation from STR Data, Revisited, Tracking Back: a website for genetic genealogy tools, experimentation, and discussion, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/gg.html?rr=strByMu

[19] David Vance, The Life of Trees (Or: Still Another Phylogeny Program),SAPP Tree Generator V4.25, http://www.jdvsite.com

Dave Vance, Y-DNA Phylogeny Reconstruction using likelihood-weighted phenetic and cladistic data – the SAPP Program, 2019, academia.edu, https://www.academia.edu/38515225/Y-DNA_Phylogeny_Reconstruction_using_likelihood-weighted_phenetic_and_cladistic_data_-_the_SAPP_Program

The following provides an explanation of the structure of the phylogenetic tree;

Source: David Vance, Output, The Life of Trees (Or: Still Another Phylogeny Program),SAPP Tree Generator V4.25, https://www.jdvsite.com/outputs/

[20] Source: Page 13 of a readable transcript of the narration in a YouTube at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CdU…, The video is by J. David Vance, DNA Concepts for Genealogy: Y-DNA Testing Part 1, 10 Oct 2019, https://youtu.be/RqSN1A44lYU

[21] Gruffudd Genealogies: Griffi(th(n)(s)(ng) Surname DNA Project. Website no longer updated., links are not working. http://griffdna.org/pedigrees.html#griffis

“The Griffi(th)(s)(n)(ng) surname project is intended to provide an avenue for connecting the many branches of Griffith, Griffin, Griffis, and other forms of the surname. The patronymic naming system, practiced in Wales into the latter 18th century, makes this task more difficult. Evan, Thomas, Johns, Jones, Rees, Owen, and many other common Welsh names may share common male ancestors. Surnames included in the project include: Griffen, Griffeth, Griffeths, Griffets, Griffett, Griffin, Griffing, Griffis, Griffit, Griffith, Griffiths, Griffitth, etc.”

“For the results to be meaningful, participants will need to share their direct male line ancestry back to the earliest known GRIFFITH/GRIFFIN/GRIFFIS/etc., either in the form of a pedigree chart, family group sheets, or electronic GEDCOM files. Living persons should be excluded from the documentation.”

[22] References to Abia’s marriage to Simon half indicate her name was Abiah Griffis. Baldwin, Evelyn Briggs contributed by, Marriages and Baptisms Performed by Rev. Joshua Hartt of Smithtown , Long Island, with a Sketch of his Life, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol 42, April 1911, July 1911 . Page 278.

References to Abiah burial, indicate her name as “Abiah Griffiths Haff”, Find A Grave Website, memorial no. 206641461, Hauppauge Rural Cemetery Hauppauge, Suffolk County, New York, USA

[23] Baldwin, Evelyn Briggs contributed by, Marriages and Baptisms Performed by Rev. Joshua Hartt of Smithtown , Long Island, with a Sketch of his Life, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol 42, April 1911, July 1911 .

[24] Arvilla Rogers Griffith, Obituary, Valley morning Star, 18 Sep 2014, Page 8, Harlingen, TX. PDF available.

Henry V. Griffith, Find My Grave, Memorial ID: 180803329, Plot section 47A site 49 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180803329/henry-v.-griffith

Arvilla Rogers Griffith, Find My Grave, Memorial ID: 136333620, Plot Section 47A Site 48 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136333620/arvilla-rogers-griffith