Gwreiddiau Daearyddol Meddygon Esgyrn Mon Geographic Origins of the Anglesey Bone Setters

John Rowlands Cyfarwyddwr y Prosiect

Project Director

Year 1 Objectives (ca. £1000 SDF contribution):

Identify direct living male descendant of Evan Thomas

Helen Osborn, MAOsborn Research, London

Produced detailed report to probate standardsUncovered an address of a direct male descendant, last known to be living in Bethesda.

Local detective work found the man we were after...

Thomas David Evans ('Dafydd'), Moelfre!

Year 1 Bonus!

Daily Post Article leads to Dr. Richard Anwyl Evans,NSW, Australia.

Second cousin toDafydd Evans, so crucialcheck of family fidelity.

Y-chromosome of bothmen identical.

Dr. Jim Wilson,Royal Society Research Fellow,Medical Research Council

Year 3: Full Y-chromosome sequencingBeijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen,China.

Year 2 (2010) – coarsely identified Evans' DNA origins in Eastern Europe, certainly not British, also rare match in region of origin.

Evan Thomas' 'Marwnad' (elegy) 1814, 8 pages. → Copy traced to Cardiff Library

Copy now at Llangefni library for first time.

Shipwreck Index of the British Isles - Volume 5 'Wales & the West Coast' Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 2000. ISBN 1-900839-61-X Pers. Comm. Alan Jones to John Rowlands, 2010.

So, was there really a shipwreck we canpositively identify and associate with Evan Thomas?

No!

The good news!Initial DNA results show that the Y chromosome pattern is not British

S116+ (but negative for 6 markers of this type, so poorly-defined)

Strong USA ancestry bias in DNA databases means this pattern is absent from large commercial Y-chromosome databases.

Evan Thomas DNA matches just 1 in 1000 of closest population

Although no reliable evidence of shipwreck, the DNA does tell us there is a story.

Best matches:

(1) Czech Republic, Slovakia

(2) Austria, Croatia

Possible reason to be on the ship:

Austrian War of Succession?

2011-2012 work will samplepopulations in these regions

→ much higher resolution data on geographical origins.

→ if we're lucky, we may get tosurname level.

S116+