DNA accepted as Mayflower descent proof

It’s accepted that John Hawes married a granddaughter of John Howland, Desire Gorham, thus making John and Desire Hawes’ children descendants of the Mayflower.

They had a son John Hawes, who left New England and popped up in North Carolina. Same person? If so, his issue could join the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.

Historian General Ann S. Lainhart and Assistant Historian General Alicia Williams recently accepted this line – on the basis of a Hawes DNA study of the Hawes Y chromosome.

I didn’t necessarily expect a lineage society to accept DNA studies as proof this soon, but I know Ann Lainhart to be a thorough and fair researcher. This use of DNA to join a lineage society is certainly a major step in such research.

Lainhart notes in an article in the June 2006 issue of The Mayflower Quarterly, available in a number of Maine libraries, that the Myles Standish family and the Pilgrim Edward Doty Society are starting Y-line DNA projects. That’s the male line, also known as the surname line. For information, visit www.mylesstandish.org and www.edward-doty.org.

For information on a variety of DNA studies being conducted, Lainhart suggests checking the International Society of Genetic Genealogy at www.ISOGG.org.

In the same issue of The Mayflower Quarterly are two articles of interest by Jack Hailman, professor emeritus of zoology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. They are: “On Inheriting Mayflower Genes: A Lesson in Genetics” and “Y-DNA Testing and Jargon De-mystified.”

At this point there are two types of DNA studies that are being done on a wide basis. One is the Y-line, the male line which follows the father’s father’s father’s father’s father, and so on. Only males can be tested for this.

The other is the mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down by the mother. It’s also known as the mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother, and so on.

Both males and females carry the mitochondrial DNA from mom, so either can be tested for it. But only women pass it on to the next generation. My sons cannot pass on my mitochondrial DNA, which came from my mother, but my niece – my sister’s daughter – can.

It’s hard to believe, but the Maine Genealogical Society has just issued Special Publication No. 51. That’s a whole lot of wonderful genealogical information for an organization that is just 31 years old.

The new volume is “Vital Records of Hampden, Maine Prior to 1892,” by Arthur Gibbs Sylvester and Richard Spinney.

The 416-page book is available for $52, postpaid, through Picton Press, P.O. 1347, Rockland, Maine 04841. Maine residents add sales tax of $2.38.

Maine Genealogical Society members may obtain the book for $48 postpaid, plus sales tax of $2.18, if they live in Maine (include MGS number with order).

You also may order by calling 596-7766, e-mailing sales@pictonpress.com, or visiting the Web site at www.pictonpress.com.

Picton Press is also the distributor for New England Historic Genealogical Society books.

Historian-author Bill Sawtell is working on a book about Malcolm Buchanan, who was principal at Brownville Junction High School and then Penquis Valley High School in Milo and a longtime basketball coach and member of the Maine Principals Association.

Mac was born Dec. 21, 1922, to William and Jenny (Spinney) Buchanan, and the family lived in Milford in the 1920s. He also was well known in Millinocket.

Bill Sawtell is hoping to hear from people who knew Malcolm in his childhood. If you did so, or can help him locate people who knew him then, call Bill at 965-3971 or write Bill Sawtell, P.O. Box 272, Brownville, Maine 04414.

The Cropley-Carr Reunion will be held 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 9, at the Brookton-Forest City Community Center in Brookton. There will be a potluck meal and an auction.

Today is Memorial Day. I hope you remember the veterans you’ve known over the years – and say thank you to those who are still with us.

3396. BICKFORD-WALKER. Trying to locate the parents of Joshua Bickford, born 1817 in Scarborough. He married Sarah/Sally Walker in 1836 in Scarborough and died June 7, 1971, in Falmouth, kicked to death by a horse. Also would like to know where he is buried. He is my great-great-grandfather. The line from myself back is Arthur Jr., Arthur Sr., Fred Sr., Frank, Joshua. Thank you for any help. Arthur R. Bickford Jr., P.O. Box 5603, Ellsworth, Maine 04605; e-mail bickford47@hotmail.com

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or familyti@bangordailynews.net.