Dr D Digs Up Ancestors: The DNA Dilemma

Dr D Digs Up Ancestors: The DNA Dilemma @David Dowell, PhD, a frequent blogger on genetic genealogy and a former professor of librarianship has written a Letter to the Editor in response to the current Time Magazine cover story “The DNA Dilemma: A Test That Could Change Your Life”. As usual it is a thoughtful response that deserves your time to read with the article.

More BAD Genealogy on the Washington-Ball family

Today I got the following email from Geni.com:

The world's largest family tree

Dear Stiofan,

Did you know that you and George Washington, 1st President of the USA are related? George Washington, 1st President of the USA is your second cousin 7 times removed! Click on the link below to see your relationship path to George Washington, 1st President of the USA for FREE!

Click here to see how you're related to George Washington, 1st President of the USA![link removed]

On December 14, 1799, George Washington died in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Washington served as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and presided over the drafting of the American Constitution. Widely regarded as the "father of the country," Washington also served as the first president of the United States. After retiring from the presidency, he returned to his home in Mount Vernon to attend to his plantation. Upon his death, Washington freed all of his slaves in his will. George Washington is connected to over 66 million people in Geni's World Family Tree. How are you related?

View George Washington's Geni Profile[link removed]

- The Geni Team

The link they site is to John Ball of Stafford and Fairfax counties Virginia via Richard Ball of Maryland, son of Col. William Ball. This link is WRONG. This is shown by the article by Christopher Johnston, "A Forgotten Member of the Ball Family", serialised in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. VII, pp. 440-441 and vol. VIII, pp. 80-83 (1900), reprinted in Genealogies of Virginia Families, vol. 1, pp. 23-27 (1981), recounts how court records show Col. William Ball went to Maryland and probated the estate of his son Richard Ball. Richard had one daughter and NO OTHER CHILDREN.

Others have put forward Richard Ball and Elizabeth Linton as the parents of John Ball. The father of Elizabeth Linton was a Moses Linton of Lower Norfolk Co., VA. Richard Ball and Elizabeth with several Lintons moved to the Fairfax-Stafford county area from Norfolk Co. At this time, there is no known record evidence which links Richard Ball and Elizabeth Linton with John Ball.

In their book The Ball Family of the Potomac, 1654-2004, by Doris LeClerc Ball, Ph.D. George L. Ball, M.S., it is shown that DNA studies link John Ball of Stafford Co with a James Ball of Maryland.

The Ball DNA study has two descendants of Col William Ball in haplogroup I, kit #112926 and kit #13692. I have traced them back to a son of Col. William Ball using census, probate and land records. The descendants of John Ball are in Haplogroup R1b. They are NOT related.