Apparently it's Large Colonial Segment Week

I had a large 54 centiMorgans DNA segment(or chunk)  in Mom's matches that showed up just under a week ago.  Upon examining others who matched Mom and each other along the same segment I was able to determine it was likely from the Luna/Looney lines. All those that matched Mom along that segment have Robert Looney and Elizabeth Llewellyn as their most recent common ancestors.  This is my Mom's 5th Gr Grandparents and back a good ways.  That put Mom matching 6th cousins and several 6th cousins once removed at an amount (54cMs) that typically is indicative of 3rd cousins.   I am thinking that this has something to do with this couple  being from the Isle of Man or colonial.

Last night I found that I had a new match that AncestryDNA estimated matched me at 50 cMs shared on one segment.  The match is going to be on my Paternal side as he didn't match my Mom's test.  Upon checking this match with my sister's test I found that he matched her even better.  I think they probably share the same 50 cMs segment but they also share 4 other segments which I didn't get and match at 101 cMs over 5 segments.  It is entirely possible that they share 5 different segments which doesn't include the 50 cM segment that he and I share.  Shared matches appear to be somewhere along our PGM's Jakes/Morrow/Harger/Frizzell  lines--all colonial.  I can't wait to hear back from this match and hope to get them to upload to GEDmatch so I can identify the segments in my sister's file and make note that I got segments from our  PGF along the 4 which I don't have in common with my sister.

PGF= Paternal Grandfather
PGM=Paternal Grandmother

Regional DNA Studies

I received my Ancestry DNA kit this last week and took the test, mailed it and activated it on Ancestry's website on the 13th of this month.  In the mean time I have been trying to keep busy and not think about it too much.  I know....Good Luck with that.  In an earlier post to my blog I gave it my best guess on what I think my ethnic breakdown will be.  I am really looking forward to comparing the results with my tree.  Barring some kind of crazy find in the one line that I don't have back further than my Gr Gr grandfather I am pretty much colonial American with those lines coming out of Maryland and Virginia in the 1600 & 1700s.  By 1800s most of my lines were in Tennessee, USA with many in the area just prior to the formation of the state in 1796.  This has got me thinking about DNA research for areas.  I know there is a tool where you can take your DNA results and compare surnames but is there a tool available to the public where you can compare areas of the USA during more recent times that would be helpful to those looking for adoptions and non paternal events within the last 200 or so years.  Using both the Location & Surname together could help.  Something similar to a surname study but for a specific region.  If so I would be interested in a Colonial American one and also Early TN Settlers. Just some thoughts.