A look at updated mtDNA results of tests I manage

 Last week I received the notification that the updates for the two FULLmtDNA kits I manage were in.  

My daughter did the mtDNA test and because there is a backward mutation present in descendants of the mother of my 4th great-grandmother, I find it unnecessary for Mom and I to test.  Nancy Combs b. 1797 d. 1881 is our earliest proven matrilineal ancestor but we do know her mother was the wife of Mason Combs(1746-1802) who is believed to have been named Dorothy.  Some researchers have her listed as Dorothy Mason. There are 25+ Exact matches.

Timeline

My paternal Aunt Bobbie took the full mtDNA test so that we could know the matrilineal haplogroup of my paternal grandmother,  Ruahama Weaver((b. 1766 d. 1840) is the earliest proven matrilineal ancestor for Aunt Bobbie and Dad.  Due to pedigree collapse, this line appears twice from Ruahama and her husband on back thru our pedigree.  There are no exact matches but many are one genetic distance away including a matrilineal descendant of Rebecca Sheppard(1755 - 1837).  The Sheppard family marries into the Rushing, Deason, and Frizzell families in early Maryland. Many from each of those lines end up in Bedford County Tennessee.

Timeline

My daughter's Full mtDNA results and analysis

During what has to be the busiest week for me in some time,  I've actually managed to make a bit of headway with my daughter's mtDNA results.  Her full mtDNA test was done thru FamilyTreeDNA. Usually, it's Tuesday when we get notifications of new matches.  I received a notification that she had a new match and was a bit confused when  I checked and it was actually a 4th cousin from my Hitchcock line but on his Dad's side  This is really interesting because while he does descend from Millie Riddle Hitchcock (see link for more info) who many Family Trees list as Millie Combs and sister to my Nancy Combs Fleming.  Millie's line is NOT his mtDNA line.  His matrilineal line goes back to a Sarah Combs who could be an older sister of my Nancy Combs or at least connected to Nancy's direct mother line..  So I've been looking at the full mtDNA matches who are Genetic Distance of Zero.  There are about 18 matches at that level,  of which about 7 have trees. In addition to those 7 with trees, 2 matches have their most distant FEMALE ancestor listed.  In between everything else I needed to get done I began building a mtDNA tree with the mtDNA lines of those that had trees.  If I can identify the others Most Distant Female Ancestor I will add them to the tree also.  I also added my daughters mtDNA line to the tree.  I build these out from the tester and add GD=0  in the Suffix box of the tester's profile so that I can identify & view their pedigree easily.

I realize mtDNA connections can be a good way back--many generations-a thousand(s) years even.  Our Haplogroup is H3-T152C!  Those who had trees with the exception of 1 seem to all lead back to early East Tennessee.  Unlike YDNA,  the surnames associated change with each generation.  I keep seeing Combs, Campbell, Wallace, Hoskins which makes me wonder if I am about to the point where we connect or have a group of families that traveled and interacted whose matrilineal line is intermarrying.  My mother, while she hasn't done the mtDNA, has done an autosomal test.  Her mtDNA should be the same as my daughter's since the mtDNA which I passed to my daughter was mtDNA I had received from her.  It also seems to me like the backward mutation was prior to 1800s as those Genetic Distance 0 folks who have their tree back beyond that point and have still not connected likely got it back before that point. We do have one of the Hoskin/Parkers who matches with us in our Autosomal tests(Moms)

Hopefully, I will get some time this next week to search thru our matches for some of the surnames that keep appearing within the early East TN time frame. 

I would be interested in hearing how others go about working with their mtDNA results--especially if they have done the mtFULL.  I've heard so many say they are disappointed by the results or don't know what to do with them.  I guess if you have a more common haplogroup that can really be hard to work with but still I think I'd be looking for those in the area where my mtDNA line was just to see if I could make connections that extend my research further back.  I'd be glad to inch back a generation at a time.  Everyone's approach will likely be different and dependent on how common the haplogroup is and the number of close matches.  If you have tested, what's your approach with your mtDNA results?  What works for you?