More Crann DNA

In my previous Blog, I looked at creating genealogical trees using proposed Crann DNA matches. The matches I looked at were primarily at AncestryDNA. The advantage of Ancestry is that if the matches have trees, they are easy to find. Since that Blog, I had a question from Molly in my Newfoundland Dicks DNA Study Group. Molly would like to know if the DNA shows that she is descended from the Cranns. Molly has two lines of Dicks ancestry. One of them leads back to an early Crann connection.

Molly (or Marilyn) and her brother Howie are on a Dicks/Crann line on the right. They are also on a Dicks/Joyce line. My wife’s mom Joan and Joan’s half Aunt Esther are on another Dicks line. In my previous two Blogs, I got around a lot of the non-Crann common ancestors by finding a Crann descendant who moved from England to New Zealand. This tended to isolate matches to just Cranns and made things simpler. In the chart above, a lot of these people are related to each other in multiple ways due to living in isolated areas. Also Joan, Marilyn, Howie and Forrest did not test at AncestryDNA. Fortunately, they are all at Gedmatch.

Here was the match list at AncestryDNA:

These were presumed to have Crann ancestors. I know that Esther, Heather and Ninky are listed at Gedmatch. There are also others.

People Who Match One or Both of Two Kits

Getmatch has a utility where you put in two matching people and others show up that match both those people. This is sort of what AncestryDNA does with their matching feature. I did that for Esther and Heather. From that list, I found some people that match Heather and also match Esther.

Wayne and Marjorie

Wayne and Marjorie show up first on this list. Marjorie is probably the M.R. listed at AncestryDNA with the large tree. Wayne and Marjorie are siblings. If I’m interpreting Marjorie’s tree correctly, I get this:

This adds another New Zealand line in green to compare with the Newfoundlers. Also on that list of common matches are my mother in law, Joan and Molly who asked about her Crann connections. Forrest, who was listed as a Crann/Dicks descendant was not an obvious match to the New Zealand DNA testers. However, she did show a tree match to John Crann. Based on that, I’ll add Forrest, Molly and Howie:

Forrest also had that John Crann’s wife was Elizabeth, so I added that in. Under this tree, it would not be surprising for Forrest to not have a DNA match as Forrest and Heather would be 4th cousins twice removed. Next, I’ll add my mother in law and her half Aunt Esther:

Note that I just corrected Wayne and Marjorie and moved them up one step after getting in touch with Marjorie’s daughter Donna. In all subsequent diagrams, they should be shown as here.

My next step is to take all the tested people in the Tree above and compare their DNA in a spreadsheet, to look for Triangulation Groups (TGs).

Chromosome 10 TG

Here Heather, Wayne, Marjorie, Molly and Howie match each other. Joan and Esther match each other but not the rest of the group, so they are not in the same TG.

Based on the above, this appears to show a common ancestor of Crann for Marilyn. It’s a little surprising as Marilyn and Howie are 6th cousins to Wayne and Marjorie.

TG11: Heather, Esther, and Joan

I suppose Esther and Joan do not want to miss out on this TG which seems to point to Crann in Netherbury, Dorset, England:

This shows that the DNA that Joan and Esther match with Heather got to them somehow. That path had to be through the Upshall or Dicks wife (or both).

TG22: Esther, Heather, Wayne and Marjorie

Here, the match between Marjorie and Wayne are not highlighted as siblings are usually counted as one person in a TG.

It is interesting that after 250 years, the DNA still points to the Dorset, England home of the Cranns via Newfoundland and New Zealand.

These were only a few TGs. I only picked the DNA matches where there were pretty good New Zealand trees. There are probably other New Zealand DNA tested people that triangulate with Newfoundlanders who descend from the Crann family of Dorset.

If Heather wanted to map her Crann DNA based on these four testers, it would look like this:

 

6 Replies to “More Crann DNA”

  1. There is a lot of confusion around Anne Crann – there are 2 of them, one born 1831 and another 1833.

    My husband is also descended from the Cranns – his great-grandfather was Samuel; his grandfather was William, brother to the Merina Irene Crann. From what I can tell, John & Elizabeth Crann’s daughter Jane was born 1 Oct 1833 in Oderin (have have photos of the baptismal record), and she married Robert Paul, Feb 19, 1859 (photo of church record also available).

    I found a tree for another Jane Crann, born 1831 in Harbour Buffet to William George Crane and Isabella Pippy. I believe she is the one who married Robert Dicks 9 Oct 1850, Holy Trinity Church, Burin. I have to dig up where I found that exact reference.

    1. Hi Karin,
      I think my husband may be a descendant of these Crann’s. His GGGrandfather was Robert Crann b. 1851 in Harbour Buffett. His DNA matches him with the Crann family that is discussed in this blog. Unfortunately, I can’t trace his family back past Robert.
      Did you find the reference?

      1. I have looked through my records – the marriage of Jane Crann to Robert Dicks is documented in several Ancestry trees. As not only the date, but the specific church is mentioned, it leads me to believe that someone has found actual records for it, however there are no citations given on any of the trees mentioning it, and I myself have not been able to find documented proof.

        In looking more closely at Jane’s suggested parents – several trees link her to Isabella Pippy and William George Crane – I must say I now believe this is an error. Isabella was only born in 1818 and married in 1838. According to these trees, this Jane was born 1833, so that doesn’t add up.

        With regards to how your husband’s GGGrandfather, Robert Crann, might fit into the Crann lineage… As all Burin area Cranns appear to lead back to John Crann (1791-1860) and his wife Elizabeth who came to the area from England, we can only look to their sons as his potential father. Samuel, born 1836, would have been too young. Henry William (b. 1814) seems unlikely; he had sons Henry William (b. April 1849), John Samuel (b. Jan 1851) and Reuben (b. 1853), it is possible there was a thus-far undocumented child (Robert) born between John & Reuben, or that Reuben’s middle name was Robert, but this seems a stretch. (Since I haven’t seen actual documentation of Reuben’s birth, it is possible that the date is off). The most likely option for Robert’s potential father is John & Elizabeth son, William, born June 24, 1817. He was baptized at age 2 1/2, on the same day as his younger sister, Catherine, so it appears he survived infancy, however I have been unable to find anything more about him.

      2. Bonnie, I do see “Robert Crann ” listed as a member of the Flat Islands Methodist Church in May 1875, according to records in the United Church Archives (St John’s).

      3. The United Church archives have a burial record for John Crann of Flat Islands, age 52, died Nov 14, 1875 or 1876, which would make him another son of John and Elizabeth (born ~1823, which fits), and potential father of Robert.

  2. CONFIRMED – Jane Crann (b 1833), daughter of John & Elizabeth Crann, married Robert Dicks 9 OCT 1850 Holy Trinity Church, Burin.
    Parents of the groom: Christopher and Margaret Dicks
    Parents of the bride: John and Elizabeth Crann
    Bride is described as a minor

    Burin (Church of England) – Box#1, Marriages 1847-1878, entry #14
    Newfoundland Parish Records
    Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador

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