DNA – Solving problems!
I’ve been doing genealogy
for 30 years. But, I’d never gotten as
close to solving our origins as another researcher that I’ve spoken with…
Milton Slauson.
He had been looking for Felix Brooks’ origins. He was from GA or SC, thought Mr. Slauson. Turns out
that a descendant of our Abraham Brooks did a DNA test
and son did some others in NC. The Felix
data show that he’s not only related to our Abraham, but also to the James
Brooks bunch from Pitt Co, NC.
I’m really excited. In my preliminary studies of the Pitt Co, NC
family, I’ve come across a few photos and some, what I call “Brooks family
traits” appear…
The picture on the left is James Elexander Brooks of our bunch
and the one on the right is Joel Patrick Brooks, from Edmond Brooks, a desc. Of James Brooks of Pitt Co, NC. If you’ve seen many pictures of Brooks,
you’ll recognize that the males of our group always seem to have those
prominent ears and dark hair with somewhat lithe frames, usually of medium
build. Yeah, I know… like lots of
others! But, there’s still something to
go on from Joel’s appearance. Mere speculation, right?
I love genealogy. And I love making the speculations. But, after 30 years of this, I’m tired and
ready for some answers. And why am I
making such a feverish pitch? Well, I’m
after partners from the Brooks family to pitch in for a DNA test. I’m also after a guinea pig. We need a direct male descendant from William Brooks I, preferably of the earliest generation
possible.
The Family Tree DNA test kit consists of two cheek scrapers and two
collection tubes---designed for a single persons use. Each tube contains a
fluid designed to arrest bacteria growth, so you can scrape your cheek and
return your kit in any type of weather (hot or cold). The freshness of your
sample will remain intact for months.
The prior collection standard of the industry was the dry preservation method,
which worked without the fluid, but in humid climates, was prone to bacteria
growth on the scraper tip. FTDNA enjoys an international clientele; therefore,
we have chosen to use a universal collection kit.
You will notice the cotton 'toothed' tip at the end of the scraper. The
sensation of using our scraper is like brushing your
inside cheek with your toothbrush. Remember, a good scrape produces lots of
DNA, which makes the extraction process easier and decreases the chance that
one or more of your markers will fail to be readable on the first test of your
sample.
Your kit also includes instructions for collecting your DNA sample (available
in many languages) and the all important Release Form. The Release Form is your
written consent that allows FTDNA to share your name and email address with
someone who matches your genetic fingerprint exactly.
We call these matches "Genetic Cousins ™", and they represent one of
the most exciting parts of the Family Tree DNA system!
A Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common
surname. Since surnames are passed down from father to son like the
Y-chromosome, this test is for males taking a Y-DNA test. Females do not carry
their father's Y-DNA and acquire a new surname by way of marriage, so the
tested individual must be
a male that wants to check his direct paternal line (father's father's father's...) with a
Y-DNA12, Y-DNA37, or Y-DNA67 marker test. Females who would like to check their
direct paternal line can have a male relative with this surname order a Y-DNA
test. Females can also order an mtDNA test for
themselves such as the mtDNA or the mtDNAPlus test and participate in an mtDNA
project.
I’m calling this the William Brooks DNA Project. A 67 marker test would give us the best
sampling and that’s the one I want to go for.
The cost for this test is $349.
That’s actually cheap from years ago when the cost was in the $30,000
range! If you want to contribute or if
you know someone from an early generation of William Brooks’ please email
me today! All donations will be
posted on this website and a total tally given on the page. My address is below:
Baylus
C. Brooks
(919)631-0801
delabrooke1@yahoo.com
Jesse Bradford Brooks
& cousin, James Brooks
War of 1812 Veteran
Jonas Phillips once lived
on “Brooks Island” in the
In 1815, Jesse sells his
land to brother John Brooks which includes the island or next to the
island. Either way, he alludes to owning
the island once. He then moves to modern
day Anson Co, NC, specifically Ansonville. And in 1831, he leaves for Grassy Pond,
SC. His prob. father-in-law, Jonas
Phillips had left a decade earlier for the Pendleton Dist, SC, just west of
Cherokee Co, SC where we later find Jesse B. Brooks.
Then, Jesse’s cousin, James
Brooks, a veteran of 1812, leaves his land on Jones Creek in southern Anson Co,
NC, possibly for Habersham Co, GA. They
all three went in the same direction.
Look at the map below. Could all
of these men have had a similar motivation?
Certainly, Jesse’s wife wanted to be closer to her family. James may have just been influenced. I received this note:
Thursday
12/30/2004
Name: Tim Brooks
Homepage:
http://ktkbrooks@htomail.com
E-Mail:
Referred By:
E-Mail
City/Country: Ft
Myer Fl USA
Comments: Great,
great grandson of William B Brooks born in Ga 1808. I
have a sword from 1812 in my position. I beleive
William B was linked into your NC Brooks clan as he followed the footsteps of
his possible Aunts and Uncles through Ga out to
Jim S.
Davidson Brooks Bible
Ladies and Gents… there may be a family Bible running around out
there with vital family info in it. William Brooks II’s family bible info has already been published, I
know. Is this the Bible that the estate
sale for Mary Burleson Brooks made reference to in 1852? Davidson Brooks bought it at the sale. If anyone knows the whereabouts of this Bible
now, please let
me know.
Now on the Site!
For those of you who have kept on me about coming to NC for a
visit from the most southern state of
(919) 631-0801 cell
I would love to contact all of you once again. Please let me hear from you.
What am I doing now?
My intentions have been to update the info on our site. The last two pages of Brooks
photos that wouldn’t load before will now do so. Also, I have designated an email address
specifically for our family photos. It
is photos@delabrooke.com. All of the photo pages have been changed to
reflect this. My previous address of “bcbrooks” has been taken over by the enemy forces from the
There are many pages on this site and it will take a lot of time to update them all.
NOTE: Many researchers have been using middle
initials for William Brooks and John Brooks, with the added extravagance of the
names “James” and “Thomas” respectively.
I feel that I should caution everyone about using these. There are no original records to date that I
know of that give these initials, much less the full names. I think this started when Margie Baucom published her Brooks Bridge of History. In that book, Ms. Baucom
quotes her sources, yet elaborates according to the originals. Many people have taken these as gospel. I know for a fact that they are not. Ms. Baucom did some
wonderful work, including deed plots and personal anecdotes that are
priceless! But, nobody’s perfect. I have been guilty of these
myself. But, it just isn't accurate and
genealogists tend to copy what they find without verifying the data. Who wants to verify? It’s boring, I admit. But, necessary for
accuracy. I will try my best to
let you know when some data that I quote is just a guess. Notes in this green color usually indicate my
thoughts. Probably because I’m always
thinking about my lime sherbet! J
Still, I am working on that novelization
of the Brooks family history, too. I put
it down for awhile. But, it’s back on my
desk again! Anyone want to input info on
this can email
me at my new yahoo address or you can visit my lulu website and email me from there
or post to my blog.
So far, the book will look like this:
All of my publications, including those on the Brooks and Pierce families from NC are available there, plus some free downloads for the deed info (pics). Please visit. Also, I have another blog site for my writing… A Writer’s Hiding Place
It’s an historical science fiction romance. I know that’s a lot of words, but it’s the
best way to describe it. If you’ve ever
loved history and adventure, then you’ll love this! The story involves the adventures of a 19th
century naval officer (Lt. Stephen Hathorne) and his
future wife (Robyn Thurman) as they battle problems with time, pirates and a
madman from the future bent on destroying the past! Do you remember stories of Ponce de Leon
searching for the Fountain of Youth?
Well, you’ll discover why he never found it…
nor anyone else! You’ll also journey to
Salem, Massachusetts to see the Salem Witchtrials of
1692, the most notorious event in our nation’s history!
The
new Family Document Collection is now online at Lulu.com and waiting for
you! It’s
even cheaper than the old book… $13.87! Not only that, but it’s also available there
as an Ebook for only $7.50. You can download it for the Adobe Reader and
make your own hardcopy or just read it off the computer.
My
grandfather had collected many old documents as old as 1814 and used them to
create the first Brooks family history in 1925.
You can see transcripts of the documents he used, never before
published. Also, there’s
some stories in here and some legal documents surrounding
Click the picture to see more!
This is the Brooks Family History in TOTAL COLOR! All the pics and
diagrams in this book are in color (if the source pics
were) and the book is rather large with 410 pages of info. This is the coffee table version of the
Website you’re looking at now.
The cost is
high, but the color is worth it! If you
just want to read it, an Ebook version is available
for download (much less cost). Click here or on the photo for
more info.
Please Note: If there’s anyone out there who ordered a
book and didn’t receive it yet, please email
me with your address as I will be receiving a new batch of these soon and can
get it off to you when they come in. My apologies for the delays.
For those of you who wish to purchase one and have it within the week…
try out Lulu.com. They have always been very quick and produce
good products. I will be receiving
several copies for myself to send to those who haven’t yet received one and to
the libraries up there.
1) If you have Adobe Reader,
download my
notes
In PDF format here.