Following are experiences of some of the participants at the WEBB DNA Project, and how this testing has impacted their research:
<b>Elias Webb line (c. 1785 NC?GA - 1850/60, GA?).</b> Several years ago, I met a cousin online who had been looking for my line of the family for 30 years. He knew the names of almost all the brothers and sisters of my greatgreatgrandfather, approximate birthdates,and he had been looking for the males. One of the "missing" sons we knew to be George W. Webb b. c. 1824 in GA who "disappears" about 1845.
About a year later, we ran across a man from CA who knew his family descended from a George Washington Webb b. 1825 in GA, , married to a Jane Hutcheson b AL, first child Samuel Webb, who shows up first in CA then in AZ and he was looking for the father. Based on his analysis of George Washington Webbs b GA, in the age range of his ancestor, he had been able to eliminate a lot of prospective parents without finding the right parent. We had a "gut feeling" that we had the right "match," but no documentation. We compared some photos, and there seemed to be a family resemblance. About a year later, we came across a Family History written in 1895 in AL, and the information in it strengthened the relationship, because it said our George W. had "married a Miss Majors who died, and then married the daughter of an inn-keeper in Lebanon, AL, moved to CA and raised a large family." Meanwhile, our side of the family had an oral tradition that one of my greatgreatgrandfathers had "gone to Mexico." Of course at that time, AZ and CA were still Mexico. I looked up the 1850 Census for DeKalb Co, AL (where Lebanon AL was) and found Jane Webb with an infant son Samuel -- with Elias Webb and his two youngest sons John and James! Next door was Isaac Hutchinson tavern-keeper, and there was a gap in his children where Jane Webb would have fit perfectly. So now we had a good fit, but still no Bible or will that proved it. So we decided to do DNA, and they had a 25/25 match. On the basis of the traditional genealogy AND the DNA match, we are confident we have found the "missing" brother. Without the paper trail, however, the best we could say is that the two men are related.
<b>William Riley Webb (1818, TN - 1874,Overton Co, TN).</b> About three years ago, while browsing Hamilton County, TN records at the local library, I came across a "Deed of Gift" in one of the deed books. A Mary Hight was giving live stock and household items to six children and an adult. All seven of these people were Webbs, and one of them was William Riley Webb, the same name as my gggrand-father. I hoped this was my gggrandfather, but had no way of proving that, and was skeptic of making that conclusion as I had never seen any reason to think he had been in that part of TN. Another one of the children's name is Chesley Adams Webb, and when we had a DNA match with his descendant, that established for me that the William Riley Webb named in the Deed of Gift is really mine, and that the Chesley Adams Webb is probably his brother.
<b>James Webb (c. 1774, NY?CT?MA? - 1835, Mayfield, Cuyahoga Co., OH).</b> Our family has been searching for the paternity of James Webb for over 50 years. Many theories have been forwarded, genealogical texts have been read and re-read, and courthouse and library records throughout New England and the midwest carefully reviewed. With DNA testing, although we have yet to have a "perfect" match, we have now eliminated hundreds of candidate ancestors, and are able to focus on lines which are now showing promise.
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