Editors Note … Recently, my cousin Tim Taylor wrote an invitation of sorts to several individuals who were considering y-DNA testing and joining the Taylor Family Y-DNA Project. Tim’s invitation was so informative and well-written that I decided to post it in the hopes that it will encourage participation from others. JT

I would like to invite you to participate in the Taylor family Y-DNA project. This is a “special interest group” and it covers all Y-DNA members with the surname of Taylor. You may find that even if you do not have the Taylor Surname you still belong in the Taylor group. Wince we most likely will not all belong to the same Haplogroup, the administrators separate us into our own family groups based on our Y-DNA test results which allows us to look at each other’s Y-DNA and see where the similarities and differences are. This allows you to interpret the results a bit better and with additional members will eventually allow us to identify branches within our genetic families. The Taylor project sometimes has a better price for FTDNA testing for project members than what is out there for the “non project members.” You do need to join the project in order to benefit from the different pricing structure for testing.

1. To join the project go to https://www.familytreedna.com/my/group-join?group=Taylor or log into your ftDNA home page where you click on Projects or myProjects and then join the project. Choose T and then Taylor and it will walk you through the process. Whether or not you have already tested you can order your initial test or upgrade your testing level here. At times ftDNA’s sale pricing may be better than the standard discount offered to a member of the Taylor DNA project.
2. To find out more about the project go to https://www.familytreedna.com/public/taylorfamilygenes/default.aspx (Other projects have similar pages at familytreedna.com.)
3. From the Taylor project site you can click on the “Join” button link on the right hand side of the top banner/picture.
4. On the page that comes up, select Option B “Order a test” & click the orange link.
5. Choose the Y-## of your choice from the list of options.
6. Complete the process by entering required information, including payment.

If you have already tested the Y-37 with FTDNA and you are at a “brick wall” with your research, you might consider having FTDNA expand the number of markers tested to 67 or 111. This would not entail another swab, rather just having them test the existing sample to a higher number. There would be a second discount, since you have already paid for the 37 they discount the upgrades taking the first tests into account so they are testing fewer markers. You see that discount when your go through the process of choosing the next level of test.

By expanding the number of markers tested it both optimizes your search field in two ways. First, because several other Taylors have taken the 111 test, it gives you a benchmark to compare your new results against. For example, while at 37 if you are one marker different from one match, and zero from a second match, the more markers tested allows for a more complete family picture. For example, two samples may have very close results at 12 and 25 markers, but as the markers tested increase you may start to see more differences at 37, 67, and eventually 111 markers. This gives us you and another match a generational time frame to look in to see when your most recent common ancestor may have lived in and is what has led Johnny and I to William Taylor of New Jersey that moved to North Carolina in the mid 1700’s. In your case the expanded testing may do the same thing. It may wind up that you remain very close, or with no difference, all the way out to as far as you test, or there may be greater separation from Johnny yet stay closely aligned to my results, or somewhere in between. With that information then we may be able to triangulate in on a time frame of when to look for that most recent common ancestor.

Second it provides an opportunity for matching to another Taylor more closely than either Johnny or I and that Taylor may have a more complete lineage paper record that would provide more clues as to your Taylor line.

A third item, and a second test, to consider. We have found that, as Haplogroup G descendants of a single male Taylor in the early mid to late 1600’s and early 1700’s, it appears that we have a unique single marker to test that provides what we could call “proof of lineage”. This marker we find to be common among all of us that have tested for it within our specific line. We share other markers in the SNP tree as well but this one is the deepest so far identified as common between all of us that have tested for it.

The SNP test is not a single option that replaces all standard Y-DNA tests, it is rather the clincher for our line. Other families also have SNP – M3302 such as the Browns and others, but in combination with our Y-DNA (which is different from the Brown’s) it has become our touchstone for the Monmouth New Jersey Taylors. This marker is what is known as a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP for short), called M3302. Testing positive for this SNP is something that we have seen we have in common and takes us to a common point deep within the HpG structure/tree. The cost for testing one SNP with FTDNA is about $40.00 if you have already taken one of their Y-DNA tests.

Another option, which a few of us have chosen to do is to do what is called a ‘deep clade’ test which tests, when I did it, over 100 SNP’s so it provides the trail from HpG-M201 (this is the highest level common marker we all share in Haplogroup G – M-201 is what distinguishes Haplogroup G from all other Haplogroups) all the way down following the trail to the deepest level that the tree currently goes in our particular branch (we are still breaking ground every year with new discoveries). One of the cousins has participated in some extra tests and his deepest marker is now below M3302. He and I participated in the “mapping” of Haplogroup G several years ago and as they discover where these SNP’s lie within the Haplogroup G “tree” then they come back and add these new markers placing us deeper and deeper within the tree. This is important to us because it can show us where a family tree lineage may branch off and help delineate the children of Joseph from the children of William from the children of John or George. That’s the someday part of the Y-DNA science/testing. As I mentioned, testing for one SNP is about $40.00, the Deep Clade test of HpG is, or was, about $99 or $109, but you have to work with a project administrator like Ralph Taylor to get that testing and the current cost thereof.

An Examination Of Why I Believe William Taylor Sr. (c.1740-c.1820) Is A Descendant Of The Monmouth New Jersey Taylors

The topic of who was the father of William Taylor Sr. has long been tossed around and argued among his descendants. Even renowned author, Ardis Taylor, who wrote six books about William and his descendants was never comfortable in accepting and naming Francis Taylor III as William’s father and George of Carlisle as the family’s immigrant ancestor. Now, in 2018, thanks to the advances of genetic genealogy and to a lesser degree, a preponderance of circumstantial evidence, we can safely name the father of William Taylor Sr. as being Joseph Taylor (b. 169? d. 1748) of Monmouth County New Jersey.

Considerations:

As a means to keep them separate, let’s designate a NJ William Taylor and a NC-GA-TN William Taylor.

Geography …. Historians wrote that NJ William Taylor, son of Joseph Taylor of Monmouth County New Jersey moved to North Carolina and was never heard from afterwards. The earliest record we have of NC-GA-TN William Taylor is when his first six (of nine) sons were each born in North Carolina over the years of 1763 to ca. 1780. To further support the argument of a NJ to NC migration, we know that NJ William’s sister, Eleanor, also moved to NC and married Edward Walker and we are able to locate a Tyrell Co. NC marriage certificate dated 1763 proving the marriage. This not only supports the geography aspect but also the timeframe since the marriage was in 1763 and NC-GA-TN William Taylor’s first son was born in NC in 1763.

Timeframe …. The NJ William Taylor and the NC-GA-TN William Taylor are of the approximate same age and both are in North Carolina at the same time.

Genealogical Information …. Descendants from both the NJ families and the TN families have extensive documentation and research to support their pedigree claims. The NJ clan has several published histories with one in the works. The TN clan has a series of books authored by Ardis Taylor which contain some inaccuracies (now identified by DNA testing) but still provides a very workable foundation.

yDNA …. Descendants from both the NJ families and the TN families have submitted to yDNA testing and the results indicate that they all are predicted to be in the G Haplogroup (HpG) also designated as G-M201. HpG only makes up about 1.5% of the Taylor population of the British Isles and is only slightly higher, at 2.5% of the entire world. Advanced yDNA testing can further narrow the sub-group within the haplogroup. Descendants of different branches of the family of Edward (the immigrant) Taylor d. 1710, of Middletown, Monmouth, NJ, have participated in Y-DNA testing. The results indicate that HpG-M3302 is currently the unique identifier common to the Monmouth NJ family of Taylors. Currently HpG M3302 is the unique identifier which separates the Monmouth Taylors from other Taylor families in America. As of April 2018 only one descendant from the TN clan has submitted to the advanced testing and my results indicate that I am HpG-M3302. Measures are now being taken to encourage other descendants from the TN clan to take the advanced test(s). Genetic Distance (GD) also plays an important role in identifying relationships. A GD of 0 means a 37/37 match in markers (i.e. a Y-37 test from FTDNA.com) between two men who share a common surname means they share a common male ancestor. A GD of 1 or 2 (i.e. <3) also means a shared common ancestor on a generation or two farther out. ALL of the male descendants who have tested with FTDNA.com have GDs of 0 to 2 with each other indicating that all share a common male ancestor.

Overall, our genetic markers are so similar that yDNA test results suggest a recent (within the last 5 to 7 generations) connection to a common ancestor linking the Monmouth NJ Taylors and certain Taylors from NC, GA, and TN. More importantly, it supports the evidence that William Taylor Sr. who died in DeKalb Co. TN is the same William who left his home in NJ and was “never heard from again” by his NJ family. And finally, this establishes William Taylor Sr. as being the “missing haplogroup G link” between the NJ and TN families as well as provides us with the name of William’s father, Joseph Taylor of Monmouth NJ b. 169? D. 1748! In addition, we can now identify our Immigrant Ancestor as Edward Taylor (b. unk, England – d. 1710, Middleton, Monmouth, New Jersey).

The history of the Monmouth NJ Taylor family, most likely due to their prominence in NJ and NY, was well documented and published by at least six genealogists and a new publication is scheduled to be released soon.

To familiarize yourself with the Monmouth line, I suggest you read online and/or download these two genealogies. They are in PDF form and the downloads are free. A word of caution … it is suggested that you not record [onto your tree] any of the family data earlier than our Immigrant Ancestor, Edward Taylor, who died in Monmouth Co. NJ in 1710. Almost all of these early publications had errors in Edward’s ancestory and this should be corrected when the new publication becomes available.

Historical and Genealogical Miscellany Vol 5 p47; John E Stillwell pub 1932 -https://archive.org/details/historicalgeneal05instil
CLICK HERE to view and/or download.

The Jerseyman Vol 8, 1902, Issue 1 and succeeding volumes, A Genealogy of the Taylor Family, Asher Taylor, author, Hiram E. Deats publisher – https://archive.org/details/jerseyman08deat
CLICK HERE to view and/or download.

Here’s an excerpt from Asher Taylor’s book. Note halfway down the page where it reads,
“William, went to North Carolina and not heard from.”

Family chart of the children of Edward Taylor the Immigrant. CLICK ON THE CHART TO ENLARGE IT.

To help you get started with the Monmouth line, I have posted above a family chart of the children of Edward Taylor the Immigrant. It can be downloaded HERE as a Word docx file and/or HERE as a pdf file.

(This article was written by Johnny B. Taylor thanks to much assistance and input from Timothy Franklin Taylor.)

© 2018, JOHNNY B. TAYLOR, MARSHALL, TX