Holder DNA Genealogy Project

The goal of the Holder DNA Genealogy Project is to add to what we already know about our ancestors from genealogy research by using the technology of DNA testing. So far all our participants are from U.S. families, but anyone with Holder lineage from anywhere in the world is welcome and encouraged to participate.

DNA tests can show:
 

  • Are two or more currently living males descended from a common male ancestor?
  • Were people with the same surname who lived in the same geographic area related to each other?
  • Are people with variant spellings of the same surname related?
  • Can we prove a genetic link to branches of the family in Europe?
     

For the U.S. and Canadian Holders specifically, our goals to date have been:
 

  • 1. Determine whether the family descended from John Holder (1694-1784) and Barbara Volck have a distinctly different lineage from the presumed various "English" lines. This has turned out to be true.

  • 2. Determine whether the "New England" Holder line is related to the various "Southern" Holder lines. So far we have no representatives from New England Holder families.

  • 3. Indicate if the various Southern lines out of VA and NC have a common ancestry. Analysis so far is sorting these into several distinct groups. We still need more samples to fill in many gaps in the puzzle. Most of these families came through Virginia and North Carolina and then moved west and south. If your Holders are from Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, the midwest or the deep south, we'd especially like to have you as participants. These states in particular seem to have more than one early family of Holder settlers.

  • 4. Identify any crossover Holder <-> Holden lines. We know of one family who changed their name from Holder to Holden around 1900, but so far haven't found any earlier instances of this.

     

While we think most U.S. Holder families came originally from the British Isles, there may also be Holder or Holter families in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. We would like very much to add representatives from the other side of the pond, as well as from Australia, New Zealand and wherever else Holders may be.

Background material

The Y Chromosome passes virtually unchanged, from father ... to son ... to grandson ... to great-grandson, etc. That is why it is of interest to genealogists. A male has exactly the same Y DNA as his father ... grandfather ... great-grandfather, etc (or close to the same when counting in mutations - random changes that rarely occur). The DNA tests of men with the same surname can be compared to see if they had a common ancestor or not. If two Holder males share the same DNA test results, they share a common ancestor somewhere back in time. If the DNA test results are different, the two men can rule out being related.

DNA testing is useful in several circumstances. If a Holder ancestor from many generations ago had two or more sons, then DNA tests of descendants of each of these sons would help to confirm genealogy research showing that these people are part of the same family and not a different person who happened to have the same last name. If two or more people with the same last name lived in the same place at the same time but there are no records that show if they are the same family, DNA tests of their descendants can be compared to see if they are related or not. Genealogists also face difficulties in proving that people who moved from one location to another or that people with variant spellings of the same surname are related or not. Matching, or mismatching, DNA test results from their descendants may be able to provide the answer.

Since markers on the Y-chromosome are analyzed to determine the DNA test results, the person taking the DNA test must be a male with direct paternal Holder lineage. Males have one Y chromosome from their father and one X Chromosome from their mother. Females have two X chromosomes - one from their father and one from their mother. Since females do not have Y-DNA, they are unable to be tested themselves; however they may be able to find a father, brother, uncle, or male cousin to take the test on their behalf, someone who is a direct patrilineal descendant of the Holder ancestor.

Tests for the Holder Genealogy Project are done for us through a company called Family Tree DNA, one of the leading companies in the field of genetic genealogy. The test is simple, painless, done at home, and does not require blood to be drawn. After receiving the test kit in the mail, the participant swabs cells from the inside of his cheek with a small brush and mails the test tubes and release form back to Family Tree DNA in Houston, Texas. The tests are processed by a lab at the University of Arizona. Family Tree DNA sends results to the participant and also will inform them in the future when someone else has a matching DNA test. The Holder DNA Genealogy Project organizes matching results into groups of related individuals and posts that information in the results table of this web page along with genealogy information submitted by the participants about their ancestors and the places their ancestors lived.

The Holder DNA project is run by volunteers who are Holder descendants and interested in genealogy. We do not make any money from the DNA tests or the project but are interested in providing a forum where Holders doing DNA testing can compare results to further their genealogy research. If you have questions, contact Elizabeth Harris - the coordinator of the Holder DNA Genealogy Project at the address listed below.

Sometimes the Holder surname has been spelled as Holden, and vice versa. DNA tests can show whether the two families are related or not. To compare results to the Holden DNA project, see: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~holden4dna/

Join Our E-mail List

You may also want to subscribe to the HOLDER-DNA e-mail list:

http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/surname/h/holder.html

The first list described on this site is a general Holder family list which is linked to the Holder message board at Rootsweb. The list for the DNA project is at the bottom of this page, and is the one you should join for information about DNA analysis and also for more information about future Holder group meetings.

Holder Meeting, September 2008

Plans are under way for the fourth all-Holder research meeting, to be held at the La Quinta Inn in Research Triangle Park, Durham NC, on the weekend of September 19th. Please contact Bill Holder for details and hotel information.

Submit a DNA Sample

To order a test kit as part of the Holder surname group, go to FamilyTreeDNA.com, click on surname projects, find the Holder surname, and click on the link there, or go directly to the Holder submission page.

Check the Family Tree DNA site for the complete schedule of tests available and their prices..

Payment can be made either on line or by mailing a check with your invoice. Some families choose to have several family members chip in to cover the cost of the test.

Family Tree DNA also maintains a general fund to help pay for testing. You can earmark your contribution for the HOLDER project at this site.

Testing more markers helps in narrowing down the time frame to the most recent common ancestor (see the FAQ at FamilyTreeDNA). We recommend getting either the 25 marker or 37 marker test. The 12 marker test is used mostly to prove that two males do not have a common ancestor by finding mismatching results and thus ruling out relationship to someone who was thought maybe to have been related. Matching results on a 12 or 25 marker test may need to be upgraded later to the 25 or 37 marker test in order to narrow down the time to the most recent common ancestor.

After ordering a test kit, you also need to send a list of your ancestors and the locations where your ancestors lived (not including current generations and living people). This information is used to organize results by family groups on the results page of this web site. To ask questions and to submit data about your ancestors, contact Elizabeth Harris - the coordinator of the Holder DNA group - at: ncgen@mindspring.com

Current Status

As of May 11, 2008, the following HOLDER samples are in progress. In most cases, the donor is a grandson or great-grandson of the last person named. Please see the RESULTS page for a complete summary table.

001 USA: Thomas Holder & Susannah Bunch, Bertie Co. NC > John Holder & Mary Jackson, Bertie & Orange Co. NC > Aaron Holder & Rebeccah Evans; Orange, Wake & Chatham Co. NC > John Holder & Maryanne Elizabeth Smith, Chatham Co. NC, Joseph Isaiah Holder & Sarah Eveline Worthington, Chatham County, NC to Alachua County, Florida. This sample defines family group A.

002 John Holder 1694-1784, m. Barbara Volck; sometimes spelled Holter > Joseph Holder > George > John > John > Jacob > Claude
London, England to Dutchess County NY (1710), Philadelphia/Bucks Counties PA, Berks/Lehigh Counties PA, Surry/Stokes Counties NC, Lawrence County IN, Woodford County IL, Gage County NE, Rawlins County KS, Harlan and Adams Counties NE, Denver County CO
This sample defines group B.

003 USA: Thomas Holder & Susannah Bunch, Bertie Co. NC > John Holder & Mary Jackson, Bertie & Orange Co. NC > Aaron Holder & Rebeccah Evans; Orange, Wake & Chatham Co. NC > John Holder & Maryanne Elizabeth Smith, Chatham Co. NC > John Henry Holder & Eldora Holland, Chatham County, NC
This sample matches #001 and others in group A.

004 USA: Thomas Holder & Susannah Bunch, Bertie Co. NC > John Holder & Mary Jackson, Bertie & Orange Co. NC > Aaron Holder & Rebeccah Evans; Orange, Wake & Chatham Co. NC > Gilbert Evans Holder (1811-after 1880) Wake County, NC and Lincoln, Bedford and Moore County, TN > Aaron Wesley Holder (1834-1907) Wake County, NC and Lincoln, Bedford amd Marshall County, TN
This sample matches #001 and others in group A.

005 USA: William Presley Holder (ca. 1780/1780 NC or TN - ca. 1830, Jefferson Co. TN) > Eppa Samuel Holder (1821-1884) Knox Co. TN to Caldwell Co. MO > James Holder (1845-1900) Ray and Caldwell Counties MO.
This sample matches #008 over 24/25 markers (group D), with the divergent marker being a relatively stable one, and also matches #018 24/25 but with the divergent marker one of the more rapidly mutating ones.

006 USA: Alexander Valentine Holder b. Indiana 1840, thought to be the son of James Holder and Lucinda Worley who married in Indiana in 1838; Alexander was father of James Lee Holder (1874-1935), born in Missouri; descendants in Oklahoma
This sample is unique so far and defines group C.

007 USA: John Holder (1748) > Moses Franklin Holder (1780) > William Holder 1812, Franklin Co. TN.

This sample is unique so far and defines group E. We've recently learned that this sample probably descends through a female HOLDER ancestor who took back her maiden name after her marriage dissolved. Therefore the DNA of this donor matches his biological ancestry, not the Holders. Samples 029 and 040, in group D, also claim descent from John Holder and Agnes Bledsoe and probably represent the true DNA profile for that Holder family.

008 USA: Solomon Holder b. 1774; descendants to Pendleton Co. SC and Franklin Co. TN > Alfred Holder 1797 Pendelton Dist. SC to Dade Co. MO > William James Holder 1835 Madison Co. AL, to MO > William Hamilton Holder b. 1869 MO to KS
This sample belongs to group D.

009 USA: John Holder of Boonesboro KY
This sample is identical to 008 over 37 markers.

010 USA: James Holder b. 1833 in Ohio, married Margaret Hughs b. 1845 of Kentucky. This sample is unique so far and defines group F.

011 USA: Alston Holder, first appeared on 1800 census in Spartanburg, SC>James Holder b. 1808 TN > Hosea W. Holder b. 2/1829 in Warrick Co., IN > Hosea Frank b. 4/1873 in Warrick Co., IN. This sample defines group G.

012 USA: Bennett Holder, born 1805, South Carolina; 1820 Franklin Co. Tennessee; 1830 and 1840 Jackson Co. Alabama; 1850 McNairy Co. TN; 1850 through 1886 Lawrence County, Arkansas. Thomas Holder, born 1828 Jackson Co. AL, McNairy Co. TN, Lawrence Co. AR. died 1899; William J. Holder, born 1860, died 1899, Lawrence Co. AR. This sample belongs in group D.

013 USA:William P. Holder (Born 1815 in Murphy, Cherokee County, NC) & Margaret Sherrill; William Clayton Holder(Born Oct. 22, 1848 in NC Died November 09, 1923) & Harriet Evelyn Dunlop; William Newman Holder(Born December 31, 1875 in Parker County Texas Died January 09, 1945 Deming, New Mexico) & Dora Leddenham.
This sample matches group A over 24 of 25 markers, the only difference being in the rapidly mutating marker DYS 458.

014 USA: William Holder & Mary Ann Hardin?? >> Daniel Holder & Nancy Standeford Orange Co. NC >> William Henderson Holder & Nancy Hauser, Stokes/Forsyth Co. NC >> Daniel P. Holder, Indiana
This sample matches group A.

015 USA: Abraham Holder b. ca. 1782-90 VA to PA > Thomas J. Holder b. 1825 PA > Lebeus Holder b. 1851 PA
This sample defines group H. Sample 028 appears to belong in this group also.

016 USA: Henry Holder (1803-1872) PA>IN, married Sarah Pinkley [error corrected 9/29/07] > Joseph Holder (1839-1922, Indiana)
As some of us suspected might be the case, this appears to be related to sample 002, group B.

017 USA: William P. Holder (ca. 1815 NC - ca. 1860 Polk Co. AR) > William Clayton Holder (1848 NC - 1923 Lynn Co. TX) > Ben Rogers Holder (1889-1968 TX)
An error at Family Tree DNA initially showed this to be a unique group. The corrected results indicate that this matches group A, as expected.

018 USA: Jeptha Holder (b. 1784), Pittsylvania Co. VA and Randolph Co. NC > David Meredith Holder b. 1823 > David Michael Holder b. 1867
This sample belongs to group D.

019 USA: Gabriel Holder m. Rhoda Reed> Laban Rice Holder m. Armilda Lair > Jeremiah C. Holder m. Mary Ann Kelsey
This sample belongs to group D.

020 USA: William B. Holder, born 1863 (location unk), married Ollie Jones in Alabama and later moved to Wichita Falls TX
This sample matches the group A1 samples at all of the first 25 markers.

021 USA: John Holder (d. White Co. TN 1863), thought to be a son of Davis Holder of Pittsylvania Co. VA
This sample belongs to group D.

022 USA: Solomon Holder of Franklin Co. TN, Wilson Holder
This sample belongs to group D.

023 USA: Dempsey Holder of Wilkes Co. NC > James Holder.
This sample is also appears to belong in group D, but is not a perfect match for any of the others analyzed to date.

024 USA: Lane Holder of White and Perry Counties TN>Isaac Holder -> Parker Co. TX>Laney Clinton Holder
This sample belongs to group D.

025 USA: Alston Holder of Warrick Co. IN (see sample #011. This is thought to be the same Alston Holder who appears in Spartanburg SC in 1800) > Lorenzo Wesley Holder (1817-1893) > Lorenzo Wesley Holder Jr. (1860-1937)
As expected, this sample matches 011 (group G).

026 USA: John Holder 1694-1784, m. Barbara Volck (see sample 002) > George Holder and Elisabeth Biehler > George Ludwig Holder and Elizabeth Morris > Joseph Holder and Susannah Leinbach (moved from Stokes Co. NC to Bartholomew Co. IN)> Lewis Cornelius Holder and Louisa Ann Gilbert > Alexander Elmer Holder and Eudora Edna Lockert
As expected, this sample matches 002 and 016.

027 USA: Elisha Holder > Shadrack Holder b. 1776 in Bertie Co. NC and Minnie Dunning > Thomas Holder b. 1807 KY and Lucinda Hildrith > Peter H. Holder b. 1832 KY and Henrietta White > Peter O. Holder b. 1877 Bollinger Co. MO
This sample appears to belong to Group A but differs from the others in that group at one marker.

028 USA: James Holder b. 1812 VA and Margaret Humphry > David William Holder (1847-1887) and Susan Clark Huls, Illinois/Missouri > David Earl Holder (1894-1931), d. Johnson Co. MO
This same matches 015, Group H.

029 USA: John Holder and Agnes Bledsoe (VA to AL) > Thomas Martin Holder > Bennett Holder > Henry Johnson Holder (b. AL, d. AR) > William Thomas Holder > James Bartley Holder Sr.

030 USA: Sion Holder b. abt 1821 NC m. Sarah Harvill, in Harnett Co. NC 1860 and 1870 > Thomas Jefferson Holder b. abt 1858 NC d. ? FL spouse 1) Flora Margaret Priest, NC 2) Mattie Lee Campbell, FL
This sample defines group J, and is a perfect match over the first 25 markers with sample 053, also a Sion Holder descendant. The two samples have two differences in rapidly changing markers in the 26-37 panel. Sample 053 has been tested over 67 markers, but sample 030 has not been tested yet for markers 38-67. A group J page showing the complete data will be posted soon.

031 USA: donor has not responded to requests for ancestry
The first 12 markers for this sample do not match any other Holder submission to date.

032 USA: This family appears to have moved from Alabama to Milam Co. TX between about 1884 and 1890, based on birthplaces of children in the 1900 census. We have been unable so far to get an unequivocal identification of the donor's direct ancestors in the 1880 census, but there are hints that they connect to a family in Jackson Co. AL who trace back to John Holder and Agnes Bledsoe; see samples 007 and 029, both of which are also supposed to connect to this couple, but don't match each other.
As of May 13, 2007, this kit had not been returned to FamilyTreeDNA.

033 USA: John Presley Holder (1813-1873) and Mary Longacre, Hood Co. and Somervell Co. TX
This sample matches 005, consistent with the reported genealogy.

034 USA: Newman Jackson Holder (1818-1896), born NC, died Texas, married Martha Ann Moss in Cherokee Co. NC 1847; in Hood Co. TX 1870s-1880s, moved to Donley Co. TX late 1880s. We suspect Newman Jackson Holder is the brother of William P. Holder (see 013).

035 USA: Joseph P. Holder b. 1797 VA, d. 1881 Searcy Co. AR > Spencer Holder b. ca. 1836 TN, d. 1890 AR > Perry Holder 1864-1946, AR
This sample belongs to group D and is a perfect match for 021 over the first 25 markers; they differ at marker #36. We think both these samples trace back to Davis Holder of Pittsylvania Co. VA, but we don't know exactly how they are related.

036 USA: Thomas Peyton Holder (ca. 1815-1886), Bibb or Jackson Co. AL ? Winston Co. MS; Charles Thomas Holder (1840-1936); his son born MS, later moved to Michigan. This sample defines group K.

037 USA: Elisha Garrison Holder b. abt 1813 Warren County, Kentucky, d. abt 1887 Bastrop County, Texas; thought to be son of Jesse P. Holder born about 1789, Virginia. This sample appears to belong in the D2 group.

038 USA: James Martin Holder b. 1818, m. Sally McClure, Greenville SC -> Cherokee Co. GA -> Putnam Co. GA; family in Eatonton GA in 1880 census. This sample is unique so far.

039 USA: John Holder 1694-1784, m. Barbara Volck (PA; see sample 002) > George Holder and Elisabeth Biehler (NC)> Heinrich Holder and Maria Hein > Benjamin Stanford Holder and Emily George > James Henry Holder and Susanna Stewart. This sample is in Group B.

040 USA: John Holder and Agnes Bledsoe > Moses Franklin Holder (ca. 1780-ca.1870) > Mark Holder (1802-bef 1860), lived Jackson Co. AL and Franklin Co. TN > Crocket Holder (1843-1910) born Jackson Co. AL, died Marion Co. TN. Based on the first 12 markers, this is a Group D sample.

041 USA: Thomas Peyton Holder (ca. 1815-1886), Bibb or Jackson Co. AL ? Winston Co. MS; Charles Thomas Holder (1840-1936). This sample is from a relative of the submitter of sample 036, and matches that one exactly over 25 markers.

042 USA: John Holder 1694-1784, m. Barbara Volck (PA; see sample 002) > Charles Holder (1744-1808, PA to NC) > John Holder (1773-1824) > John Timothy Holder (1812-1870) > Wesley W. Holder (1852-1930, Forsyth Co. NC)
As expected, this sample matches others in group B

043 CARIBBEAN: donor is from Trinidad, ancestors probably from Barbados. Research is still in progress
This sample is unique so far and defines Holder group M1. The first 12 markers suggest it belongs to haplogroup E3a, which may be of African origin.

044 ENGLAND: John Holder (ca. 1660-1731/32) Suffolk, England > Abraham Holder m. Sarah Driver > Thomas Holder m. Elizabeth Archer > John Holder (ca. 1771-bef. 1841) m. Mary Alderton > Thomas Holder (b. 1801) m. Sarah > Thomas Holder (b. 1829) m. 1) Ann, 2) Eliza Roe [family moves from Suffolk to Middlesex in this generation]> Thomas Holder (1857-?) m. Annie Maria Willmott > Henry Thomas Holder (1878-?) m. Elsie Amy Saunders (1891-1991)
This is our first sample from an English lineage, and it matches no other Holder sample. Family Tree DNA predicts it is in Haplogroup N3A, which is found in Finland and Russia, primarily among native Siberians. There is a possible name change in the 19th century, when a son may have taken his step-father's Holder name. This sample defines group N1.

045 USA: Bledsoe Holder (1783-1861) and wife Elizabeth Stewart > William Lawson Holder (1821-1876) and wife Mary Ann Looney > Isaac Bledsoe Holder (1859-1935) and wife Frances Elida Ford. This sample matches sample 037 over 25 markers.

046 USA: Solomon Holder (b ca. 1770-1775 SC, moved to Franklin Co. TN) > Ransom Holder > William M. Holder > Jeff Davis Holder. This sample is a perfect match on the first 25 markers for 022, a descendant of Solomon Holder through his son Wilson Holder.

047 USA: Bledsoe Holder (1783-1861) and wife Elizabeth Stewart > William Lawson Holder (1821-1876) and wife Mary Ann Looney > Clinton Lafayette Holder (1845 Polk Co. MO-1897 Grayson Co. TX) and Comanche Delaware Strait. This sample differs from 045, also a descendant of William Lawson Holder, at only one rapidly changing marker. It is identical over 37 markers to sample 037, whose known ancestry does not go back as far as Bledsoe Holder's generation.

048 We have no genealogical information yet on this sample, and only 12 markers have been tested. The results are unique so far in our study, and defines group O1. The haplogroup is E3b, which is most common around the Mediterranean, southern Europe and north and east Africa.

049 USA: William Holder, lived Lincoln Co. TN, died ca. 1915-1919, Madison Co. AL > John Lewis Holder. This sample is unique so far, and defines group P1.

050 USA: George Wesley Holder (1845-1929) > William Bascom Holder (1871-1945). George Wesley Holder's father is uncertain, but he is thought to be related to samples 022 and 046, group D, probable descendants of Solomon Holder. The DNA results support this conclusion.

051 USA: Jeptha Holder > Branson Holder > James W. Holder > Seymour Holder > James Washington Holder, all Randolph Co. NC. Jeptha Holder is also the putative ancestor of sample 018, but they don't match each other at all. Another sample from this family would be very desirable.

052 Kit was ordered in July 2007 but has not been returned to FTDNA

053 This sample matches 030, group J. Both are descendants of Sion Holder of Harnett Co. NC. See sample 030 for details of the match.

054 Jesse Prior Holder (1829-1920), Claiborne Parish LA > James Monroe Holder (1876-1929), Desoto Parish LA. This sample matches the D2 group. Markers 26-37 are in progress.

055 USA: Hawkins Holder (1800-1870), SC to Tishomingo Co. MS > John Oliver Holder (1843-1922), Jackson Co. AL/Franklin Co. TN to Tishomingo Co. MS > Joseph Columbus Sidney Holder (1874-1931), Tishomingo Co. MS. This sample matches the D2 group.