The Chamberlain Story has traced a piece of DNA on chromosome 9 back to one of the parents of Thomas, Edmond and William Chamberlain. These three brothers immigrated to America in the 1600s. My results (DC) on 23&me show that I share this piece of DNA with my uncle RC and six distant relatives TC, CS, DB, MS, CB and DP.
The eight individuals initialed above share part of chromosome 9. When two or more share an identical chromosome segment, they inherited it from a common ancestor. The three Chamberlain brothers of Middlesex County Massachusetts shared this same DNA in the 1600s. Apparently, all three brothers inherited this DNA from one of their parents. Genealogical information has confirmed that DB is a descendant of Thomas, CS of Edmond, and DC and RC are descendants of William.
23&me Advanced DNA Comparisons
The following diagrams from 23&me- Family & Friends- Advanced DNA Comparisons show that six individuals share a common ancestor. That ancestor is one of the parents of Thomas, Edmond and William Chamberlain. None of these six share any other DNA and therefore all are very distant relatives from one another, (6th to 12th cousins).
Figure 1. DC a descendant of William Chamberlain shares DNA from this part of Chromosome 9 with CS, DB, MS, CB and DP
Figure 2. CS, a descendant of Edmond Chamberlain, shares DNA from this part of Chromosome 9 with DC, DB, MS, CB and DP
Figure 3. DB, a descendant of Thomas Chamberlain, shares DNA from this part of Chromosome 9 with DC, CS, MS, CB and DP
Figure 4. compares DC (purple) and my uncle RC (red), where our DNA matches with TC. RC is my father’s brother and therefore, our matching segments on chromosomes 1 and 9 come from my paternal line.
Figure 4. TC compared to DC and RC (me and my uncle), and CS, DB and MS
TC is another distant cousin. His genealogy information is not available. However, his surname, Chamberlain, gives us a great clue.
In addition to chromosome 9, TC also shares with us DNA from chromosome 1. This shows that he has a closer genetic relationship to me (purple) and my uncle RC (red), than CS (orange), DB (blue) and MS (green).
Therefore, we know he is also a descendant of William Chamberlain.
Chromosome 9 match could yield new information
The other three individuals, MS, CB, and DP have no available genealogy information. Nevertheless, they are almost certainly descendants of one of the three Chamberlain brothers.
However, other possibilities do exist. For example, if we can trace the chromosome 9 segment directly to England, we may learn more about the origin of our Chamberlain family. And, what if it were traced to the pre-1800s Chamberlains of Virginia? This might prove that Francis Chamberlain is the father of Thomas, Edmond and William.
Chamberlain family and Chromosome 9
Figure 5. shows DNA of my various family members as they match with our uncle RC. I use my uncle as a control to be sure we are looking at our paternal DNA. Chromosome 9 in figure 5 shows my full segment (purple). There is about a 50/50 chance to pass this segment of chromosome 9 on to each child in the next generation.
Chromosome 9 is about 138 million base pairs in length, (138Mbp.) The piece of chromosome 9 which I inherited from William Chamberlain is about 57Mbp. It seems amazing that such a large strand of unbroken DNA survived nine generations between myself and William.
I passed on the complete segment to my daughter LC (blue). My brother EC (orange), however, did not receive any of this special piece of DNA from our father, and my sister DG apparently received a very small portion.
The red on chromosome 9 shows that TC also has the DNA from William. The red on chromosome 1 is the only other piece he shares with our immediate family. Therefore, I estimate that TC is our fourth or fifth cousin.
Figure 5. 23&me Advanced DNA Comparisons. My family DNA is matched with my uncle RC. Myself DC (purple), my fourth cousin TC (red), my brother EC (orange), my daughter LC (blue), my sister DG (green).
Why chromosomes pass from generation to generation in chunks
Figure 6. Meiosis begins with two homologous chromosomes. These come together, crossover occurs, and cells divide twice to form haploid gametes with a recombination of DNA.
We all have 23 chromosome pairs. One half of each pair (a chromatid) comes from our mother the other half from our father. Therefore, we all have 46 chomatids. In normal cell division these 46 chromatids independently duplicate themselves into homologous chromosomes. They then separate into two genetically identical cells.
However, germ cells or gametes are formed by a process called meiosis. This begins with two homologous chromosomes. For our purpose we might say the blue is chromosome 9 from the father and the pink is chromosome 9 from the mother.
In meiosis, these come together where crossover occurs, causing a recombination of DNA. The cells then divide twice to form haploid sperm or egg cells.
Crossovers occur with greater frequency in some areas of the chromosome than in others. Therefore, certain chunks of the chromosome tend to be passed down from generation to generation.
What are the odds?
There was only about one chance in 500 that the Chamberlain chr9 DNA made it all the way from William to me. How lucky is that? However, this segment is only about .5% of William’s DNA. Therefore, the chance that some part of his DNA might make the nine generation journey to me is roughly 40%.
Nevertheless, the Chamberlain chr9 segment got off to a good start. Since all three brothers apparently received it and they all had many children who could carry it along to future generations.
The various pathways of the Chamberlain segment of chromosome 9 are shown in the next three sections. More detailed information on the children of Thomas, Edmond and William can be found in Chapter 4.
Chamberlain Chr9 first five generations from Thomas
Generation 1- Thomas Chamberlain1 was born in England about 1615 and immigrated to Virginia in 1635. There he met his wife Mary Parker who arrived from England the same year. They were forced to leave Virginia in 1644. Thomas was made a Freeman in Woburn, Massachusetts on May 29, 1644. They had four children, Thomas, Anna, Mary and Samuel. Mary died 20 December 1669 and Thomas remarried the twice widowed Mary Jones Poulter Parker 16 April 1674. He had no children with his second wife.
Generation 2- Thomas Chamberlain was born in Virginia about 1639. His baptismal record in 1655 at Chelmsford said he was about 17 years. He married Sarah Proctor, the daughter of Robert Proctor and Jane Hildreth Proctor in Chelmsford, Massachusetts on August 10, 1666. They had eight children, Thomas, Mary, Dorothy, Samuel, John, Jane, Elizabeth, and an unidentified baby.
Generation 3- Samuel Chamberlain born 11 January 1679 in Chelmsford, Massachusets died 12 April 1767. He is the father of Souhegan John. Samuel married Abigail Hill about 1703. Abigail was born 26 December 1683 in Billerica, Massachusetts, the daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hill, and died 16 May 1760. Samuel and Abigail had 11 children: Benjamin, John, Abigail, Elizabeth, Jonathan, Samuel, Joseph, Thomas, Jane, Aaron, Jacob.
Generation 4- Elizabeth Chamberlain was born 8 January 1710 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, died about 1760 in Concord. She married Timothy Fletcher 15 April 1726. Timothy Fletcher was born 28 August 1704 in Concord and died 1779 in Chelmsford. They had ten children: Elizabeth, Timothy, Sarah, John, Joseph, Benjamin, Ephraim, Lydia, Joel and Samuel.
Generation 5- Ephraim Fletcher born 5 February 1740. Enlisted 30 July 1778 in the Revolutionary War, Rhode Island campaign. Died 1 January 1831. Married Sarah Davenport in Grafton, Massachusetts December 7, 1762. Sarah was born 1 October 1739 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Died November 4, 1806 in Newport, New Hampshire. Ephraim and Sarah had nine children: Joel, Sarah, Ephraim, Amos, Mary, Lydia, Timothy, Anna and Benjamin.
Chamberlain Chr9 first five generations from Edmond
Generation 1- Edmond Chamberlain2 was born in England about 1617. He married Mary Turner on 4 January 1647 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His wife Mary died at Roxbury 7 October 1669. Edmond Chamberlain Sr. married his second wife, the 35-year-old widow Hannah Witter Burditt 22 June 1670 at Swampscott, Connecticut.
Edmond was the constable of Malden, Massachsetts in 1675 during the King Phillips Indian War. His 19 year-old son, Edmund Jr. died that year in the “Great Swamp Fight”. Edmond Sr. died 8 May 1696 and Hanna a few weeks later on July 28, both in Woodstock, Connecticut. He is buried there near the First Congregational Church.
Edmond and Mary had seven children: Mary, Sarah, John, Elizabeth, John, Edmund and Jacob. Hannah had six children from her first marriage to Thomas Burditt: Thomas, Mary, Hannah, Joseph, Sarah and Ruth. Hannah then had five more with Edmond Chamberlain: Susanna, Ebenezer, Susanna, Edmund III and Mary. This was a total of eighteen children in their blended family. However, many of the children died and their name was given to the next gender appropriate child. There were two Johns, two Susannas, three Marys and two Edmunds. When Edmund Jr. died in the Indian war on December 19, 1675, he was replaced six weeks later when Edmund III was born.
Generation 2- Edmund Chamberlain III was born on January 31, 1676 at Windham, Connecticut. He married Elizabeth Bartholomew 21 November 1699 at Woodstock, Connecticut. He died 18 December 1751 at Woodstock. She was born 15 March 1674 and died 28 December 1746 also at Woodstock. They had eleven Children: Jacob, Edmond IV, Elisabeth, William, James, Joseph, Samuel, Peter, John, Mary, Sarah and Hannah.
Generation 3- Samuel Chamberlain born about 1708 in Woodstock, Connecticut. Died December 27, 1753 in Woodstock. Married Ester Hammond 23 March 1727 in Newton, Massachusetts. She was born 3 February 1709 and died 22 December 1753. They had ten children: Ann, Samuel, Esther, Elisha, Hulda, Ezra, Marsha, Lydia, Stephen and Stephen.
Generation 4- Elisha Chamberlain born 16 April 1736. Married Damaris Bugbee about 1756 she died about 1780. Married a second wife Margaret Ledoyt 11 July 1782 at Woodstock Connecticut. She died 23 March 1847 at Woodstock, Connecticut. Children of Elisha and Damaris: Stephen, Sarah, Walter, Elisha, Marsilva, Elisha, Calvin, Luther, Pheobe, Calvin. Children of Elisha and Margaret: Samuel, Samuel, Lydia, Benjamin, Rhoda, Sylvanus, Benjamin.
Generation 5- Elisha Chamberlain born 30 March 1768, died 11 September 1841. Married Sarah Chandler about 1796 in Connecticut. She was born 17 July 1773, and died 27 May 1833. Children of Elisha and Sarah: Sally, Nathan, John Chandler, Joshua, Mary, Lydia, Moses, Nancy.
Chamberlain Chr9 first five generations from William
Generation 1- William Chamberlain was born in England in about 1619 and came to America at age 16 in 1635, he died 31 May 1706 in Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts. Married Rebecca Addington or Shelly3 4 January 1646 at Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Rebecca was born in 1625 at Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, and died in Cambridge Prison 26 September 1692. It is believed she was accused of witchcraft. Children of William and Rebecca: Tmothy, Isaac, William, John, Sarah, Jacob, Thomas, Edmund, Rebecca, Abraham, Ann, Clement, Daniel.
Generation 2– Daniel Chamberlain4 was born in 1671 Billerica Middlesex, Massachusetts, d. 22 November, 1725, Billerica. Married in 1694, Billerica, to Mary Swain 1673-1713. Children of Daniel and Mary Isaac, Ebenezer, Ephaim, Thomas, Mary, Dorothy.
Generation 3- Thomas Chamberlain was born in 1703 in Billerica, MA and married Abigail Pierce 10 June 1730 in Concord, Middlesex, MA.5 She was born 18 May 1706, Woburn MA, died 18 may 1769, Westmoreland, NH. (Note: I have done extensive research to get correct information and birth order of their children.) Children of Thomas and Abigail: Josiah, Isaac, Joshua, Job, Jedediah, John and Increase and Abigail.
Generation 4- John Chamberlain was born about 1739 in Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts.6 His father Thomas moved from Newton to Westmoreland which places John’s birth order between Jedediah and the youngest brother Increase. John married an Indian we know as Winona. This John Chamberlain is the father of Spencer Chamberlain. To see the complete and complicated evidence for this, read Chapter 10 and Chapter 15.
Generation 5- Spencer Chamberlain was born about 1786 in Westmoreland, Cheshire, NH. Died 21 December 1853 in Glover, Orleans, VT. He married Millie French in Glover, VT. She was born on 28 March 1786 and died 21 September 1849. Spencer Chamberlain is known as the hero of Runaway Pond. The children of Spencer and Millie: Jeanette, Amanda, Delana, Alonzo, Sarah, Melissa.
23&me DNA Test
Please allow me to refer you to 23&me. I would love to see if we have a chromosome match.
When you receive your 23&me kit, I highly recommend you fill in your ancestor’s surnames and specific locations of where they were known to live. This may help find how were are related. Perhaps we even share the Chamberlain chromosome 9!
Learn what your DNA has to say about your ancestry. Click here for 23andMe kit!
Summary Page 3- Other DNA studies
© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, The Chamberlain Story, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the written content of this site without express and written permission from the author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that credit is given to Dennis D. Chamberlain and direction to www.thechamberlainstory.com.
References:
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- George W. Chamberlain, One Branch of the Descendants of Thomas Chamberlain of Woburn, Worccester Mass, 1897
- Familysearch.org Sources Listed:
Chamberlain Association of America, Mss Gen., New England Historic Society, SG/CHA/49-14, Edmund of Roxbury [RC321-1 thru 4R, #1]. Chamberlain Families, by Prentiss Glazier, Vol. I, “Chamberlain Families in Connecticut, 1790,” P. 42; Vol. II, “Descendants of Edmund¹ Chamberlain of Roxbury,” pp. 27-28. The History of Woodstock, Connecticut, Norwood, MA, 1926, by Clarence Winthrop Bowen, Vol. III, P. 270 [RC 397]. A History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, by W. Waters, 1917, Three Volumes, Vol. 1, P. 27 [RC 285]. History of Peter Parker and Sarah Ruggles, by J.W. Linzie, 1913, pp. 147, 371, 374, 541. Cutter’s book on early Connecticut familes. Also see, the histories of Roxbury, Chelsea, Malden, Revere, Dudley, and Hopkinton, MA. And other sources listed upon request. Less - Rebecca Addington or Shelly Chamberlain, www.findagrave.com
- Familysearch.org
- James Parker, Thomas Chamberlain’s wife Abigail Pierce, http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/chamberlain/2676/
- Hamilton Child, 1736-1885 Gazetteer, Cheshire County, N. H., 1885 Syracuse, N.Y., p.519
Hi Dennis, I am from the Ottawa Valley, Pontiac, Quebec Canada. One of my ancestors was Josiah Chamberlain who came to Quebec from Merrimack New Hampshire U.S. with the Wright’s to build mills with his brothers. He remained here. I have taken the 23&me test and my Paternal Haplogroup is R-P311 . On your spreadsheet the closest I saw was Richard Chamberlain of Braintree R-P312. Does mean I am related to him?
Thank you.
William Chamberlain
Hi William, I believe you are from William Chamberlain born in England in 1619. Unfortunately, 23&me haplogroups are not very reliable for paternal line identification. My Haplogroup is R-L51, my brother’s is also R-L51, my uncle’s (by father’s brother is R-P311) and a distant Chamberlain cousin is also R-P311. I know all four of us trace back to William Chamberlain from England. We should all have the same haplogroup.
I checked and you and I are not a match on 23&me but let me know if you match with my close relatives Ernest Chamberlain, Robert Chamberlain, Travis Chamberlain or Deanna Grant.
Can you tell me when Josiah Chamberlain lived in Merrimack NH, and when he went to Quebec? Do you know the names of his brothers?
Thank you,
Dennis Chamberlain
Hi Dennis:
William would be my 9th great grandfather. He was born July 1, 1691 Norfolk, England. He was the son of Frances and Agnes Chamberlain. I have traced back to 1550 to my ancestor Sir Richard William Astley(Chamberlayne) who married his wife Christian Sloughton. Both William and his Father Frances came to Massachusetts and settled in Billerica. William married Rebecca Addington.
We have gone back even further and it gets quite interesting after that. I am in the H Haplogroup.
Thanks for your comments, Dennis
I am a descendant of William Chamberlain and Rebecca Addington- Shelley. We recently completed our family tree and have traced back to William Chamberlain. I have requested the 23 and me DNA test.
It will be interesting to see if we have DNA in common. If we do, it will most likely be on Chromosome 9.
My name is Peter sherinian and my ancestry is a direct relationship to Frances Chamberlain.
Francis through his son William Chamberlain who’s son Jacob Chamberlain who’s son Jason Chamberlain who’s son Enoch Chamberlain who’s youngest son Enoch Chamberlain [there was an older son also named Enoch Chamberlain]
I am descended from the youngest son named Enoch who’s son William Chamberlain was born in Massachusetts and came to Linn County Iowa in 1838.
His son Lowell Chamberlain born in Linn County Iowa set up the Chamberlain medicine company in Des Moines Iowa his son Joseph Nourse Chamberlain was my grandfather and his first daughter Mary Carey Chamberlain my mother.
I am a tenth generation from Frances Chamberlain.
my daughter Rachel Carey Sherinian- Cunningham is an 11th generation from Francis and here’s the most amusing part about it, she lives in Worcester Massachusetts.
Hi Micheal:
It looks like we may be related. William Chamberlain would be my 9th great grandfather. Frances my 10th great grandfather. My dtr has done a great deal of work through Ancestry. Our name Chamberlayne would have been French which was anglicized to Chamberlain. We are pretty sure from French Normandy. Then to Scotland, then England through out the centuries. I am from the H halogroup.