mtDNA for the Daughters and Granddaughters of L. David Roper
Also for his Mother
Also for Jeanne Muriel Baril, his Wife

Contents:

Introduction

Human mitochondria (the energy-producing organelles outside the nucleus of cells) DNA is passed down generations only through females. Thus, testing of the DNA in mitochondria can aid in establishing matrilineal lines. (Establishing matrilineal lines with documents is more difficult than for patrilineal lines in most European lines because the surnames of females are lost in naming children; exceptions are Spanish and Portuguese.)

mtDNA is a circular structure composed of 16,569 nucleotides, also called base pairs. (It is believed that the mitochondria were originally parasitic bacteria which, through evolution, became symbiotic with the human cell and then became an integral part of the cell; bacterium DNA is circular.) There is a 400 base-pair section labeled 16001-16400 that evolves faster than other sections, so it is used to distinguish human groups that evolved separately. In the table below there are two sets of four rows that list the 400 base pairs: the first row starts at position 16001 and ends at 16100, the second row encompasses 16101-16200, the third row encompasses 16201-16300 and the fourth row encompasses 16301-16400. The Cambridge Reference Sequence (CRS) is the sequence of base pairs for an arbitrary person to which all other persons are compared.

What Does Measuring Your mtDNA Tell You?

Average number of mtDNA base pairs differences between two humans is about 10-66. The HVR1 test indicates to which of the major 36 World (10 for 99% of Europeans) haplogroups you belong. This could be millions of people! If it is a rare haplogroup, it could be a much smaller group. Mine is haplogroup I (Iris), in which are <2% of Europeans. This is most helpful for genealogy when you think you are related to someone through your maternal line. Test HVR1 for both to see if they are the same; if the same there is a 50% probability that you have a common ancestor 52 generations ago or less. For better resolution, do the HVR2 test; if still the same there is a 50% probability that you have a common ancestor 28 generations ago or less. So, it is not accurate enough for genealogy.

Full sequencing of mtDNA is equivalent to 41 markers on the Y-chromosome for genealogical use in the strict female line. It is difficult to follow a maternal line back many generations, since surnames usually change each generation.

Results for Eva Marie Oliver's mtDNA Test

I have determined the mtDNA pattern for my daughters and their matrilineal line by having one of my granddaughters provide the cheek cells. Their earliest known maternal ancestor is Caroline Theiss. Their result is given in the table below in the second set of four rows of base pairs with the differences from the CRS in bold red. (There are four different base pairs labeled by Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine and Thymine.)

mtDNA HRV1 results for the daughters and granddaughters of L. David Roper. (Starts at 16001, ends at 16569 = 569 base pairs.)
(Donor: Eva Marie Oliver, granddaughter of L. David Roper)
Cambridge Reference Sequence:
Eva Marie Oliver relative mutations with CRS (16069T & 16126C):
16001-10 16011-20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Add
ATTCTAATTT AAACTATTCT CTGTTCTTTC ATGGGGAAGC AGATTTGGGT ACCACCCAAG TATTGACTCA
TATTGACTTA
CCCATCAACA ACCGCTATGT ATTTCGTACA +0
TTACTGCCAG CCACCATGAA TATTGTACGG
TATTGCACGG
TACCATAAAT ACTTGACCAC CTGTAGTACA TAAAAACCCA ATCCACATCA AAACCCCCTC CCCATGCTTA +100
CAAGCAAGTA CAGCAATCAA CCCTCAACTA TCACACATCA ACTGCAACTC CAAAGCCACC CCTCACCCAC TAGGATACCA ACAAACCTAC CCACCCTTAA +200
CAGTACATAG TACATAAAGC CATTTACCGT ACATAGCACA TTACAGTCAA ATCCCTTCTC GTCCCCATGG ATGACCCCCC TCAGATAGGG GTCCCTTGAC +300
CACCATCCTC CGTGAAATCA ATATCCCGCA CAAGAGTGCT ACTCTCCTCG CTCCGGGCCC ATAACACTTG GGGGTAGCTA AAGTGAACTG TATCCGACAT +400
CTGGTTCCTA CTTCAGGGTC ATAAAGCCTA AATAGCCCAC ACGTTCCCCT TAAATAAGAC ATCACGATG +500
mtDNA HVR2 results for the daughters and granddaughters of L. David Roper. (Starts at 1, ends at 574 = 574 base pairs.)
(Donor: Eva Marie Oliver, granddaughter of L. David Roper)
Cambridge Reference Sequence (CRS):
Eva Marie Oliver relative mutations (none):
1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100
Add GATCACAGGT CTATCACCCT ATTAACCACT CACGGGAGCT CTCCATGCAT TTGGTATTTT CGTCTGGGGG GTATGCACGC GATAGCATTG CGAGACGCTG Add
+100 GAGCCGGAGC ACCCTATGTC GCAGTATCTG TCTTTGATTC CTGCCTCATC CTATTATTTA TCGCACCTAC GTTCAATATT ACAGGCGAAC ATACTTACTA +100
+200 AAGTGTGTTA ATTAATTAAT GCTTGTAGGA CATAATAATA ACAATTGAAT GTCTGCACAG CCACTTTCCA CACAGACATC ATAACAAAAA ATTTCCACCA +200
+300 AACCCCCCCT CCCCCGCTTC TGGCCACAGC ACTTAAACAC ATCTCTGCCA AACCCCAAAA ACAAAGAACC CTAACACCAG CCTAACCAGA TTTCAAATTT +300
+400 TATCTTTTGG CGGTATGCAC TTTTAACAGT CACCCCCCAA CTAACACATT ATTTTCCCCT CCCACTCCCA TACTACTAAT CTCATCAATA CAACCCCCGC +400
+500 CCATCCTACC CAGCACACAC ACACCGCTGC TAACCCCATA CCCCGAACCA ACCAAACCCC AAAGACACCC CCCA +500

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mtDNA Haplogroups

Age ranges for some founding haplogroups
(http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~macaulay/papers/richards_2000.pdf)
(http://www.hotep.bigstep.com/27082001.htm).
Note that, in this study, haplogroup J, where Eva's mtDNA lies, is 6.1% of the European population in this study and originated c10,000 ybp.

Graph taken from http://www.chitpavans.com/chitpavangenetics2.html
Note that the origin of haplogroup J (Jasmine) is Central and West Eurasia.
Migration map for founding haplogroups, courtesy of Family Tree DNA
Note that haplogroup ... originated in ... area.

The major haplogroups for Europeans are H, J, U, T, K, X, V and I. (See Bryan Syke's book The Seven Daughters of Eve.)

haplogroup % of Europeans years before present origin
H (Helena) 47 20,000 South France
J (Jasmine) 17 10,000 Middle East
U (Ursula) 11 45,000 Greece
T (Tara) 9 17,000 Tuscany
K (Katrina) 6 15,000 North Italy
X (Xenia) 6 25,000 Georgia, Asia
V (Velda) 5 17,000 North Spain
I (Iris) 2 26,000 ?

The major haplogroups for Europeans are H, J, U, T, K, X, V and I. (See Bryan Syke's book The Seven Daughters of Eve)

Matrilineal line for the granddaughters of L. David Roper
J (Jasmine) haplogroup mother (b 10,000±1,000 BC)
(Intervening 400±50 generations)
Caroline Theiss
Margaret Blind/Blint (b 1834 Dennweiler,Pfalz,Germany d 1923 Kirksville,Adair,Mo)
Nettie Wiedenkofer (b 1865 Fayville,Middlesex,Ma d 1939 Arnett,Ellis,Ok)
Minnie Mae Holt (b 1883 Kirksville,Adair,Mo d 1952 Shattuck,Ellis,Ok)
Alice Lee Clark (b 1918 Arnett,Ellis,Ok)
Thelma Lee Rowland (b 1935 Fort Worth,Tarrant,Tx)
Tamra Dawn Roper (b 1957 Shawnee,Pottawatomie,Ok) Truda Gaye; Roper (b1961 Boston,Suffolk,Ma)
Eva Marie Oliver (b 1988 Blacksburg,Montgomery,Va) Tássia Araújo Roper (b 1986 Goiania,Goias,Brazil)

View all known female descendants (and their husbands) of Caroline Theiss.

Roper Genetics Project
Franklin Genetics Project
Little/Klein/Cline Genetics Project

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