Y-DNA Haplogroup R-FT366860 with Ray surname or variants

Question

Does anyone in WikiTree have Y-DNA Haplogroup R-FT-366860 with Ray surname or variants  connection or information?

Answer 1

Hi, Dwight. You may not locate anyone else active on WikiTree with that terminal SNP: the yDNA haplotree at Family Tree DNA indicates that only four Big Y test-takers have tested positive for R-FT366860.

Only two of those seem to be members of the Ray-Rhea-Rea-Wray Surname Project at FTDNA; at least, that is, two that have allowed their information to be displayed publicly. The project administrator for that project chooses to only group members by the top-level, basal haplogroup, so it's a bit difficult to decipher quickly what subgroup FT366860 would belong to. Based on the STR data shown, other than the two men tested positive for the SNP, only two others would be grouped with them as probable patrilineal relatives: kit numbers 527792 (67 STR markers tested) and 50952 (37 markers tested, but it looks like a SNP panel was also taken and R-U152 confirmed).

Luckily, YFull also catalogs FT366860 as a branch-identifying SNP and BY806 as its parent, as does FTDNA. There are instances where FTDNA and YFull aren't in close agreement, which can cause confusion. The advantage to your branch of the tree being consistent is that, if someone takes a whole genome sequencing test and submits their results to YFull, you'll still be able to see that; only people who have taken an FTDNA Big Y test will appear on FTDNA's haplotree. There are also four men shown at YFull as positive for FT366860, so they quite possibly might be the same four.

FTDNA estimates that FT366860 branched from BY806 sometime around 600 CE; YFull estimates it as closer to 800 CE. FTDNA shows that BY806 was formed at approximately the same time; YFull pegs it as much earlier, at around 200 BCE.

The net message from the dates is that you probably can't use any SNP older than FT366860 as any sort of positive genealogical evidence. On the plus side, FTDNA is currently showing an additional 12 SNPs as being related to FT366860 at that branch. So there is immediate room for new sub-branches to be created as soon as some new test-takers take the plunge and justify one or more newer bifurcations.

I have the Ray surname as a collateral line to a branch of my Texas ancestors, so I wish you the best of luck in the search!

Comments

Dwight and Edison, happy to see discussion on Ray surname and Y-DNA testing.

Edison's response was incredibly thorough. I'll simply add, the Ray - Rhea - Rea - Wray Surname project at FTDNA seems to be without an active administrator. I requested permission to join in early 2022, and received no response. I inquired with FTDNA about supporting as an admin for the project, but they did not follow up after attempting to contact the current admin.

My particular Ray lineage belongs to a subclade of I-Y4751. I2-M223 > I-M284 > I-L126 > I-Y4751 > I-FTB95859.

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Thanks. I would definitely give the Groups team at FTDNA another try. With almost 280 members, the Ray-Rhea-Rea-Wray project has a healthy base and needs active administration...especially since it's set to require manual admittance. The last "News" item on the project was 9 April 2021 indicating that it once again had an active project administrator.

Willing project admins are a golden commodity. And FTDNA seems recently to be doing more to promote Group Projects and tools for them.

When WorldFamilies.net closed down in 2018, I captured the detail for 28 to-be-abandoned surname projects so that I could have them available to new volunteer FTDNA admins. I added one more project to my plate, but that was all I could accept. Of those 28, unfortunately only one ever contacted me to get that historical information. DNA projects need active, engaged administrators to stimulate growth, encourage members to contribute family data, and to help members make sense of the DNA results.