02. How Our SNPs Were Developed

What is the concept to discover the SNPs that define a haplogroup, subgroup, major family line, or family branch and how are they aged?

Initially, two related Phelps paid around $600 for a Big Y SNP test at FTDNA plus an analysis at YFULL.COM. This test inspected a very large potential of SNPs with the result being an extremely large file (a “BAM” file) which can be analyzed by knowledgeable people. Initially the test’s “known SNPs” displayed at FTDNA had no value because there was so little “known” about the Phelps or even the E1a1/M44 haplogroup to which they belonged. Recently FTDNA has been adding our discovered snps to their official tree.

Their FTDNA BAM files were sent to Yfull.com which specializes in extracting legitimate SNPs and comparisons against others in their database – and creating new subgroups and family SNPs. The two Phelps files were compared with one another and YFULL’s database, resulting in SNPs which are shared between them and others– and, most importantly, SNPs that are private or novel/new to each of those two Phelps. When a new SNP is found to be shared by them it points to a common ancestor that is named with that new SNP. This also provides for each man to have 3 or 4 personal private SNPs that his line acquired since the common ancestor. This allows aging back to that common ancestor (TMRCA) using an algorithm chosen by YFULL. 144 years per SNP mutation is their basic value which is then enhanced by additional math. They shared SNP A6108 thus their common ancestor is so named. They also had SNP Z31503 which is upstream (further back in time) of A6108. In 2016, a Pond's Big Y test placed that POnd in with the other 2 Phelps in A6108

Three more Phelps did this process, each having good genealogy. The three major and valid genealogy lines were from Caswell Co, NC, Albemarle Co, VA, and Baltimore Co, MD. They did not have A6108 but did share a new SNP Z31503. Thus that SNP became their named common ancestor and aging to it was facilitated. (The three Phelps above with A6108 also had Z31503, so all 5 shared an earlier common ancestor.)

It is becoming apparent there were more very early E1a1 Phelps lines in colonial America that has been previously thought.

This approach then provided us with 2-4 very private SNPs for each Phelps from their common ancestor to the present time. However with that limited information we do not know the sequence of the snp mutations within those 2-4 SNPs. But others can now test for those snps individually (at a per SNP cost - as low at $17.50 each at Yseq.com ) to see if they are any part of that person direct line. Since 144 years per snp mutation is a guide, if one is related there is a good chance one would have at least one snp to match, because 3 snps x 144yrs = 432 or back to approximately the year 1600. Matches would indicate which are the oldest SNPs and approximated aging of a common ancestor can be deduced.. If there are no matches on the snps of a given line, then the chances are very high there was no descendency from that line. Note that this approach omits discovering new SNPs coming from the testing person; you have to do a BIG Y to uncover new matches and new aging.

This testing approach, including other E1a1 non-Phelps began the same analysis, with the result being new subgroups or breakouts of E1a1/M44. We eventually found that our subgroup is E-M96 > E-M44 > Z17467 > (Z31503 and A6108) The last two are within the last 600 years or so. The following tree is found at the Yfull.com tree here The ID numbers reflect the Phelps who submitted their BAM files to YFULL.

The below tree was developed by Yfull.com using the Phelps who submitted BigY test results. Their official page is at this location.

Click on the "info" for insight to how YFULL computes the years.

M44

Z17467

E-Z31503 Y17372 * Z31504 * Y17371+17 SNPsformed 3100 ybp, TMRCA 600 ybp nfo

            • E-Z31503*
              • id:YF04494 FTDNA James Phelps d 1786 Caswell Co, NC
              • id:YF04430 FTDNA Thomas Felps b. abt 1678 d. 2 APR 1758 Baltimore Co, Md
              • id:YF04106 FTDNA Thomas Phelps b. ca 1686 d. 1751 Albemarle Co, VA
            • E-A6108 A6108 formed 600 ybp, TMRCA 500 ybp info THIS GROUP ALSO HAS Z31503
            • id:YF05467 FTDNA James Pond/Pawns b1766 Mecklenberg Co, VA d1847 TN
              • id:YF04226 FTDNA Alexander Phelps b. c. 1815 Amherst Co, VA
              • id:YF04217 FTDNA Francis Phelps b. bf 1787 Virginia/GA?]\

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