If you’ve been keeping up with the latest news in the genealogical community, then you’ve probably heard the buzz about DNA and it’s promise for genealogy. DNA, if you’ll recall from your biology classes in school, is the blueprint found in all of our genes that holds the information which control our physical attributes that we inherit from our parents, i.e., hair color, eye color, and so on. Now, a professor of human genetics at Oxford University in England named Bryan Sykes, will begin offering in the very near future, a patented service called MaleMatch [editor's note, it's now called Y-Line] for those interested in establishing—or disproving—a paternal link between individuals with a common surname. At the time of this writing, this service was not yet available, but was promised to be very soon.

The implications here are truly amazing for a family association such as ours. Let me explain why.

We have several members in the TSS who bear the Stidham* surname, or descend from an ancestor who does, but have to be labeled as “Associate Members,” due to a lack of evidence of how they connect to the family tree. Remember, many people today who bear the Stidham* surname are not necessarily descendants of Timen Stiddem. Many individuals who spell their name Stidham or Steadham, or one of the other variations, are really descendants of the Scottish immigrant, John Steedman, whether they know it or not. Therefore, if we aren’t certain of a member’s direct lineage down from Dr. Stiddem, we have to assume that they may be a descendant of Steedman and are therefore labeled “Associate” until proven otherwise. Professor Sykes’ MaleMatch will now be able to prove once and for all, whether an individual descends from Dr. Stiddem or not.

Here’s what your editor proposes: a DNA analysis made from a group of Stidham* males who would be willing to participate in a study to determine if they have a direct link to Timen Stiddem, or not.

I say Stidham* males, because the DNA analysis would be based on the comparison of the Y-chromosomes of these individuals, which are only passed down from father to son, generation to generation, with identical, or near identical “genetic fingerprints.” Daughters do not carry their father’s Y-chromosome in their DNA and are therefore unable to participate. However, a female member interested in confirming her Stidham* lineage may want to have either her brother or father take part in the study on her behalf, but remember, they would have to currently bear the Stidham* surname in order to participate.

In order to be a plausible study, several Stidham* males with proven lines of descent would need to take part in order to establish the Y-chromosome fingerprint of Dr. Stiddem’s descendants. Those participants with little or no proven link to the family tree will at last be able to confirm one way or the other, whether they are descendants of Timen Stiddem or not.

The testing is simple and painless. A cotton swab to the inside of one’s cheek provides all the DNA material needed to analyze the genetic fingerprint. The cost has not yet been finalized for this service, but it will probable be similar in price for another service Oxford Ancestors is offering called MatriLine which costs $180 per sample. This service analyzes the Mitochondrial DNA of people with European ancestry to determine which of the seven possible maternal clans of Europe they descend from.

Now granted, $180 is not an insignificant amount of money, but I believe it’s well within reach of those who are really excited about—and truly interested in—this new technology and it’s promise of verifiable Stiddem descent.

Frankly, my participation in the study would provide confirmation to me that the Steadhams really are kin to the Stidhams, proving the assumption that Benjamin [#38] Stedham, did leave the Delaware River Valley in the early 1700s and migrate south, and in so doing, become the progenitor of the Southern-based Stedhams/Steadhams with their roots in Delaware.

You can read more about the Oxford Ancestors Project by visiting their web site located at: http://www.oxfordancestors.com/