Link to Phelps YDNA Project Home                          

Walter Phelps probably b c.1600 Wells Diocese, Somershire, England, in Md 1673

The additional YDNA matching kits shown here are have no know paper trails linking to the Walter line.

NEW 5/2010:  Your administrator can view the genetic distances and TMRCA of any tested Phelps to any other.   When the men of the "Walter Phelps" line  ( a  very general description of 5 tested men) with 67 markers is compared to the men of Tyrrell Co, NC with 67 tested markers, there is around a  35% probability of a common ancestor WITHIN 26 generations.   The generations and probabilities vary.   A separate page combining the YDNA information for both these lines is here

Even though we do not have a confirming ydna from the well-researched kit 162307, I feel this line is legitimately "Walter Phelps" and was from Maryland.  The reasons are 1) the paper trail is so well proven and 2) we have FOUR other  independently tested men whose surname is Phelps and match him very well.  At this point, we can say the YDNA of this Walter line is at least tentatively proven.  

To view a more detailed genealogy of this line link to the Phelps Genealogy web site

Green = Triangulated most recent common ancestor

Yellow highlight indicates disputed or no proof

 Elisha Phelps b. c 1818 OH,   d. 1859/70 OH

1.  Edward Phelps b. 1750,  d. c 1790

     2.  Richard Phelps b. 1785

          3.  Elisha Phelps b. c 1818 OH,   d. 1859/70 OH

               4.  Solomon M Phelps b. 1846 OH, d. 1886 ?

                     5.  James William Phelps b. 1880 IN, d. 1933 IN

                            Descendant kit 167011  37 markers haplogroup R1b1b2

John H. Phelps b 1802 NC d 1888 Laurel CO, Ky.. 

1.  Samuel Phelps (uncertain)   b. abt 1750. 
     2.  John H. Phelps  b. 2 Feb, 1802 in NC.  d. 13 Mar, 1888 in Laurel Co., KY

           3.  Melville Phelps b. 7 July, 1840 Grayson Co. VA  d. 11 April 1893 in Laurel Co., KY
                 4.  Melville Marion Beverly Phelps b. 5 April, 1880 London, KY  d. 22 Nov. 1953 Boulder, CO
                  |     5.   Edwin Vernon Phelps b. 6 June 1908  d. 21 Nov. 1995 Boulder, CO

                  |            6.  Son

                  |                  7.   Grandson  kit 114435  37 markers -  haplogroup  R1b1b2  

             4.   Robert Woodson Phelps b. March 20, 1877 Bush, KY.  d. March 1, 1958  Farriston, KY.

Lineages displayed here were provided by individual ydna kit members, or their representatives, who are solely responsible for providing any ethical or copyright credits..

YDNA Analysis    revised 5/27//2010   

Each kit  owner should log in to their ftdna record, check the ydna matches, and make contact with the matching kits.   The comments posted here are suggestions of what to look for in the ydna values. 

172268, has a good match with 114435.  and since they have a common ancestor,  Melville Phelps b. 7 July, 1840 Grayson Co. VA  d. 11 April 1893 in Laurel Co., KY, they have "proven" their paper trails back to him. 

Interesting is that 167011 matches perfectly with 114435 although there is no known paper trail linking them.  The perfect match would suggest that 167011 descended from the common ancestor of 114435 and 172268 ( Melville Phelps b 1840) since we can assume Elisha's  ydna and 167001 matches it. But 167001's paper trail does not allow that common ancestor because he goes back to 1818: "3.  Elisha Phelps b. c 1818 OH."  So the common ancestor  must have gone back further.  Further paper trail research may be helpful.

The last table below suggest that a common ancestor to kit 162307, who has a well researched paper trail back to Walter of Anne Arundel, Md.  (even back to Walter Phelps probably b c.1600 Wells Diocese, Somersetshire, England)    With the increasing number of kits who do not match 162307 as well as they do with one another, the "modal" (that seen more likely) is now favoring the ydna of the matching kits.  With so few tested men, the modal can be misleading

Even further back would be a common ancestor with kit kit N49716, Lemuel Phelps, b 1822 VA.  Remember that these predictions are based on probabilities calculated by FTDNA.

Previously I had pointed out a possible implication with two kits having a 38 in CDYb while the Walter Phelps line has a 39.    With 4 kits now reporting a 38 we might conclude that the Walter line has the unique 39, but unfortunately with no other tests of the Walter line, we really have no way of knowing when the mutation occurred.  It could have occurred recently.  What is GREATLY needed is a test of ANOTHER descendant KNOWN to have descended from the Walter line of Md.  With so few kits tested, and no paper trails to link these lines, it is difficult to project further.  It may be that the Walter line, 162307, had a common ancestor with the others in England much earlier than the colonial American period.

New markers for kit N49716 is interesting in that while it does not match really well at 12 markers (which would be expected), it does match overall rather well with the full 67 markers. With 3 unique marker values we would probably conclude that the common ancestor was in early England.  This is supported by the genetic distances and TMRCA tables.

The first row of the first table below indicates the mutations of each kit compared to the modal values.  Modal means the most frequently observed value and is often the value of the common ancestor.  The calculated modal can be misleading with a small sample, but for now those values are most likely  what may have been the y-dna of the common ancestor.  

FTDNA's comment:  "It is obvious from our observation of 10's of 1000's of samples that some markers change or mutate at a faster rate than others. Therefore not all markers should be treated the same for evaluation purposes. The markers in red  below have shown a faster mutation rate then the average, and therefore these markers are very helpful at splitting lineages into sub sets, or branches, within your family tree."  FTDNA also says that when a red fast moving marker mutation alone implies a wrong branch, strong consideration or preference should be given to proven paper trails..   Of importance to these lines, they also add that where there are no merging paper trails but fast moving markers of tested men do match, it may be deduced that the matching men may be from the same branch. .  

Tables revised 4/27/2010

The analyses below was created using a tool which simulates FTDNA's analysis but may be somewhat less accurate. Similar data in these tables can be seen at your logon at FTDNA.

Below is a table comparing every member of this line to every other line to show the genetic distances.   Similar information is found by logging on at FTDNA and asking for a ydna match.   Note the number of tested markers in the white diagonals and then click on the blue FTDNA link for further information about the displayed distance number.  

- Note in the below table, the  Probability of 95% is the MAXIMUM number of  generations to a Most Recent Common Ancestor     So it would appear that kit N49716's common ancestor was further back than the others, however that kit only has 25 markers and  more test markers could improve  that.