Never say never. I guess that somewhat applies here. I've always said that I didn't have a question that mitochondrial dna(mtDNA--mother line DNA) could answer but as I was sending a Hitchcock researcher additional info, I realized that is not the case.
Since I began researching in 1990 other Hitchcock researchers always listed George Hitchcock's wife as Milly Combs. I had it written in my notes but had never seen a source and still haven't for that matter. Fast forward about 15 years and I received an email from Agnes Jones about records for a George Hitchcox and Milly Riddle in Roane Co TN marriage records in 1806. In addition to that marriage I was also able to find a Riddle land owner whose land bordered the widowed Millie Hitchcock in Warren Co TN where George and Milly had raised their family. The land had been granted to Basil Riddle around the time of George and Milly's marriage. Now he was selling it to William Edde. William Edde's son would later marry Milly Hitchcock's daughter. There are not many records that I've found so far which I can identify as this Basil Riddle. The name gets reused for several generations in various areas. I did find a statement in a wills sales, inventory book in Warren Co TN which mentioned Basil Riddle dying intestate, his meager estate and the fact that he has five heirs--none of whose names are mentioned.(see Bazell Riddle post)
A little backstory into what I feel probably brought about the story that Milly's maiden name was Combs. While I am a descendant of George Hitchcock and Milly Riddle, I am also a descendant of John Fleming and Nancy Combs. Two of George and Milly's children(James P and Nancy) married two of John and Nancy's children(Charlotta and Alfred P.) This may have added to the confusion. So while I may not be able to tell if Milly was a Combs...I can see if she and Nancy had the same mother. I carry Nancy Combs Fleming's mtDNA. Milly has a lot of female descendants so I could probably find a straight line female line and I'd like for that to be thru a different line than that of her daughter Nancy Hitchcock Fleming's line(Not to be confused with Nancy Combs Fleming) Of course the thing holding me back now would be to find the finances to pay for the mtDNA test.
I've enjoyed reading your blog and learn from some of the things your doing using DNA in your research. Milly Riddle is also my 4th great grandmother. I've been research her and George for years. I, like most others, never question her being a Combs until I ran across the marriage bond from 1806. This was about 20 years ago. For a while I though maybe it was a different George and Milly so I did nothing about it other than occasionally wonder if perhaps she was married before marrying George. But then I started to find a number of other Riddles in Warren and White county and decide that perhaps she indeed was a Riddle and somehow she got misidentified as a Combs. One of the interesting things I came across while reaching the Riddles and the Combs is that some of both families where Loyalist or Tories during the revolutionary war and had hastely left VA & NC to start a new life in TN where their politics were not known. So I began to wonder if the two families had know each other before coming to TN. I never found anything to substantiate that idea. But however it happened it is good to see others that have a very scientific and rigorous research approach questioning it and looking for the the proof. Love your blog! Thanks, Jerry Hitchcock
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