DUGGAN DNA PROJECT

I am Karen Caton. I was introduced to genealogy by a great uncle as a youngster. I was licking stamps for
SASEs, ordering microfilm to be sent to our local library, spending hours in the library, even as a child. In
college I was heading out to the genealogy library, when others were heading out for a cold one. Working
on family history and playing duplicate bridge have been my most sustaining past-times. For years I worked
as an estate planning attorney. My mother was an attorney/Judge before me, and my daughter now runs
my practice. But now, in quasi-retirement, I devote almost a full-time effort to administering this Project.

In 2016, with the help of several cousins who contribute research, ideas and encouragement, we
began the Duggan DNA Project. I have assumed the role of de facto administrator, with primary
responsibility for the DNA comparisons. It all began because we had a blocked Dugan line. Since
then, we have grown and evolved our effort to devote full and equal attention to all lines
descending from Hugh Duggan b. @ 1740 (Hugh1) and wife Margaret Wilson (our immigrants),
and the collateral lines that are important to their family tree. We:

* Find and 'graft' severed branches back onto the family tree
* Identify maternal lines
* Clarify conflicting family tree info

If you are reading this, then you are likely either—

• A Duggan/Dugan descendant,
• Working with a kit that is matching up well with the Duggans, and you don’t know why,
• A descendant of a collateral or maternal line that we work with
o Baughman, Selvidge, Medlock, Dunn, etc.
o And you are willing to work with us, or
• Or you are just curious about what it is we are doing.

Regardless of what brought you here, welcome!

So, what exactly is it that we do? We had identified over 700 Duggan kits on Ancestry.com alone
by 2019 (not all are in the project, but we are working on that). Even more kits are available to
us through GedMatch and other sites. We have over 300 collateral line (maternal) kits that we
compare with. Our objective is to map as much of the Duggan DNA as possible, to help solve our
genealogical puzzles. We work with kits that have tested on various services, and we utilize
Gedmatch.com for comparison when possible. I have a project account on MyHeritage, so I can
(with consent) also upload a duplicate copy of a kit there to compare to the thousands on that
site. When needed, we cover the transfer fees to upload to ftDNA. (23andME and Ancestry don’t
accept transfers, but all four can be uploaded to GedMatch). We work with Duggan line
Adoptees, others with severed branches, non-paternal lines that don’t seem right (it happens far
more often that we imagined).
If you are seventh generation from Hugh1, then LESS than one percent of your DNA is from him.
If you are eighth generation, around 1/3 of one percent of your DNA came from him. With each
generation removed, the dilution continues. We all have only slivers of any ancestor’s DNA after
so many generations, so it is a wonder we match at all! But, by finding and comparing our
matches, we identify and map those slivers, and we can begin to confirm whether they came
from the Duggans, Wilsons, Dunns, Baughmans, Selvidges… etc. This is the heart of what we do.
We bring kits into the project, find their matches, and see who ELSE shares those slivers, all for
the purpose of properly cataloging each segment and its original source, then mapping the
segments as such… and we file away that information for further use.

And it works!
• We identified two daughters-in-law of Hugh1 that were previously unknown—and we
are determined to identify them all.
• We found a sixth son of Hugh1, born after arrival to America, that was otherwise
undocumented.
• We placed numerous grandchild lines with the proper son of Hugh1.
• We located known descendants that were lost or presumed to have died young.
• We found a second child of Anna Baughman Fox and Mark Fox – born before she
married Wm2 Duggan.
• We placed several Non-Paternal-Event (NPE) lines (Y-line Duggans, and others).
• We helped sort out Baughman lines and Dunn lines that were conflicted, when the DNA
evidence that we had compiled made it clear which was the ‘right’ version of the family
tree for our collateral line cousins.
• We built out family trees for several adoptees with Duggan ancestry.

This is not purely a function of using DNA. We roll up our sleeves and use traditional research.
The online tools that Ancestry and other sites offer have opened up new opportunities, as more
and more records are digitized and available to us from our desks at home. Sometimes it just
takes both – traditional research coupled with DNA evidence – to solve a puzzle. The DNA tells
us what to look for in the traditional research, and/or the traditional research tells what to look
for in the DNA. It only works with a LOT of kits to compare to, so that we can catalog a LOT of
matches and build out our database. When new cousins knock on our door, we can tackle their
questions in various ways.

• We can look at the matches a person shares with the group, as a whole, to see which
lines they MOST match up with (which child, or grandchild of Hugh1 is the kit most
closely related to?)
• We can filter for maternal lines, to see if that helps to place a kit (strong matches to
Baughman suggests a descendant of Wm2; strong matches to Dunn, suggests a
descendant of Robt2; strong matches to Selvidge, suggests a descendant of Dan2’s
second marriage, or Frank2).
• We can look at specific matches, to see if we’ve already identified the ancestral source
for that particular segment, and even if we haven’t, we can ‘work’ that new matching
 segment to see what the DNA tells us, based on who else shares the segment. We add
new data to our list of known segments constantly by doing this.

There are several things you can do to help. You did the first if you did a DNA test, because at
the very least we may find matches to you along the way as we work. But joining our Project
will greatly enhance your contribution – then we can fully catalog your matches to the Duggans
and collateral line matches in our Project – those in now, and those that join us in the future.
YOU and another person who has tested may share a match, but until you both join our Project,
and allow us to identify and catalog it, we may never find it and identify it as a Duggan match!
So, join in the fun! Drop me a note and let me know how you connect. Send me a link to your
tree, and let me know where your DNA kits are. I would like to review your Duggan matches.

• Invite me to view your AncestryDNA Match list—preferably as a collaborator, so that I

can ‘tag’ your Duggan matches as I work (and you can see what I’ve found).
o From anywhere on the Ancestry website, click DNA on the top menu bar
o Then, DNA Results Summary page
o If you have more than one kit, be sure you are on the right DNA homepage
▪ There is a link (top right corner area) if you need to switch over
▪ We need the Parent (if there is a parent and child)
▪ But if there are siblings, we need both!
▪ If a sibling died, their children can stand in for them, so include the niece and
nephew….each generation removed has less of the Duggan DNA, but what
they do have still might be helpful!
o Once you are on the Homepage for the kit you want to include in the Project,
▪ CLICK SETTINGS (top right corner)
▪ Scroll down to Sharing/Preferences and click that
▪ Click “Change” and “+Add a Person” – insert my email: kccaton@att.net and
give me a role.
• I like to be named a collaborator, so that I can ‘tag’ the Duggan kits as I
work. Later when I go back to your kit, I won’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Plus, this leaves breadcrumbs so you can see what I’ve found. I may see
connections downline that you would miss. You can delete any tags or
notes that I make.
• IF you don’t want me to leave tags, just name me as a ‘Viewer’
• Sometimes people name me (temporarily) as a manager if they need me
to do their GedMatch uploads for them or do a dual upload for our Project
to an additional site. Your choice on this. You can demote me to
collaborator once we have that done. You are ALWAYS the owner, and can
demote at any time.

• Upload to Gedmatch.com and send me your Kit No. and a link to your Family Tree.
o It is free to register with Gedmatch.com, and then upload a copy of your kit (you
first download a copy of your ‘results’ or ‘data’ from your testing site).
GedMatch gives you a ‘kit number’ and that is what I need!
 o If you are NOT on GedMatch.com, I hope you’ll upload.
▪ Some people ask me to do it for them. Let let me know if you need help.
▪ Otherwise, it’s not that hard… each testing sites allows you to download
your results in a compressed spreadsheet (a ZIP file) that can be used to
Upload to another site. First you download from your testing site. If you
tested with Ancestry--
• WHILE you are on your DNA SETTINGS page, scroll to the bottom
and you’ll see a link to download RAW DNA Results.
• Click on this, follow the instructions. Ancestry will take you
through a security protocol to be sure it’s you.
• When you are done, you’ll have a file in your downloads folder on
your PC that looks something like this:

Dna-data-2019-10-30.zip

• Peek and be sure it’s there… you’ll need to find this file when you
go to GedMatch.com.
• Go to GedMatch.com and do a free registration.
• Once on the site, you’ll see a link on the top right side for Uploads
– the first option is the AncestryDNA upload link. Click that.
o Answer the questions…
o You can skip the haplogroup questions, if you don’t know
the answers
o At the end you click on BROWSE and then navigate to your
downloads folder, and you’ll find the file I described
above! (→ dna-data-the date you downloaded. ZIP)
o When you see it, select, or double click on it… then you
should be back on GedMatch, where you’ll click UPLOAD!
o Give it a few seconds and wait for the upload to finish.
o You might have to click the I’m not a Robot box… It usually
takes 24-36 hours before the kit can be used after you
upload it.
o Make a note of the ‘Kit’ number -- that is what I’ll need.

If you aren’t familiar with GedMatch, it is a wonderful service. Aside from having tools and filters
that are VERY helpful and missing from Ancestry (EVERY other service tells you where you match
someone… I don’t know why Ancestry still doesn’t), GedMatch is also great because it lets people
compare/match, regardless of where they tested. So, we can compare your kit to others from
ftDNA or 23andME or MyHeritage – provided they’ve uploaded to GedMatch! And it has some
special tools that help us validate a matching segment and find everyone who matches you in
that area of your Chromosome… and then it even helps us splice those matches into two groups
(you have two strands of each chromosome, so your Duggan match is only matching you on one
strand… we want to narrow the pool to your matches on that strand!
There was a recent debate because law enforcement uploaded DNA to GedMatch and compared
it to the masses who had uploaded there – to find a serial killer. I personally have no problem
with that, but if you do NOT want your kit to be visible to law enforcement in that way, you can
‘opt out’ when you upload your kit. I personally am on GedMatch, everyone in my family is, and
I have numerous kits up. We all opt in. If my third cousin is a serial killer, I personally want them
to get him off the street, but that is YOUR decision. Opt in or opt out on Law Enforcement, but
do sign up! One caution -- DO NOT elect the option where NO one can match with you, because
if you do that we can’t compare with you.

I have never had a single item of junk mail or any inappropriate communication from GedMatch.
It is mainly used by serious users and it is a wonderful service for us. I hope you will allow your
kit to be included!

My email (good for a GedMatch look up to see my own kits!) is kccaton@att.net -- feel free to
contact me! I manage MANY kits, so identify the kit you match when you contact me!

Join us!! It really does take a village to do this work! We have been successful because of those
that first joined in, but we have continued success because we keep learning more from new
additions! Let’s map the Duggan DNA together!

The Duggan DNA Project combines traditional research and DNA evidence to work out the mysteries
and dead ends on the family tree of Hugh Duggan b. 1740, of Sevier Co. TN. The more descendants
who participate, more data we have and the more segments we can map over time for our Duggan
ancestors and maternal lines. There are different levels of participation. Contact US for more
information on how your DNA kit can be used in these comparisons!

Karen Caton
Duggan DNA Project
kccaton@att.net
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DugganDNAProject/
Gedmatch.com Ancestor Project: Duggan DNA Project