The Flynn Line Continued: Descendants of James Flynn and Celia Laden through DNA matches
Sunday, September 27, 2020
- Jane Flynn
- Anna Flynn
- Mary Flynn
- James Flynn
- Frank Flynn
- Thomas Flynn
- Michael Flynn
This is the author's first attempt to use DNA evidence to add additional evidence that Cecelia Flynn, daugther of Thomas Flynn was descended from James Flynn and Celia Laden. DNA evidence was compiled from matches on ancestry.com to determine how distant any shared DNA was for potential matches across the children of James Flynn and Celia Laden. The key tester descends from Cecelia Jane Flynn, the daughter of Thomas Flynn and Margaret Loughrey. The “Thru lines” feature was used to find potential matches descending from James Flynn and Celia Laden. The results showed two potential matches at only 9cM and 20 cM as shown in Figure 1. The matches were a fourth cousin, 1x timed (4C1R) and fifth cousin (5C) descended through Ann Flynn who married a Thomas Brannan. The two matches descend from Ann’s son, Thomas Brannan and his children, James A Brannan and Regina U Brannan. The 20cM match is called James 3 as they are a descendent of James Brannan, while the 9cM match is called George 1 being further identified as descending from George Horn (son of Regina Brannan).
The tree below is interactive, by zooming around one can see relationships. If you click on the "dot" in the top right corner, it will let you know if there is a DNA test. When you hold shift+click, those having a DNA test will turn a darker shade of current color reflecting the potential matches. The tree can be panned around, zoomed in and out to see all changes. Though there is information panels when click on individual, this tree does not have much information in those panels as a more elaborate tree is below.
The low centimorgan matches, though encouraging do come with a higher chance to make an error and generate an incorrect connection. The next step focused on exploring shared matches with the highest match at 20cM. The shared matches feature might identify additional lines that may not traced back to James Flynn or Celia Laden. A single match sharing 37cm was identified with the key tester and the 5C. The shared match had two online trees but the test was not directly linked to one of the two potential trees. An analysis of both trees led to the conclusion that the new match was descendend from a Frank Brannan (termed Potential Match).
Frank Brannan was shown as the son of Thomas Brannan, who was the son of Ann Flynn and her husband Thomas. In this tree Frank had a son, James G. Brannan and from there the individuals are privatized making it difficult to assess if the match is 4C1R, 5C or fifth cousin, 1x time removed (5C1R). The Shared cM Project tool(https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4) probability is 50% for any one of this relations. See Figure 2 and the yellow boxes for potential matches descended from Frank Brannan.
The "Potential Match" was reviewed for shared DNA matches with the key tester resulting in 1 shared at 47cM, single yellow box in Figure 2. Unfortunately, the match did not have an online tree. While reviewing the shared matches of the 47cM match, the likely connection is via Thomas Flynn through most likely his daughter Celia Jane Flynn due to familiar names, including Gossart (husband to Celia Jane). Thus, the match provides at least additional connection between the Flynn children and connecting the descendants of James Flynn and Celia Laden. Figure 2 shows all current matches.
The tree below is interactive, compiled with SVG Family-Tree Generator.
To use:
- TR button "Question Mark icon"
- Click - shows any DNA information that person has.
- Shift+Click - highlights people with DNA information matching the one clicked on.
- Alt+Click (Option+Click on Mac) - highlights all people with any DNA information (so you know who you can click on).
- Ctrl+Click (Cmd+Click on Mac) - Clears all highlighting.
- TL button "Eye icon"
- Click - expands any thumbnail image into a new tab.
- Box
- Click - Shows information panel for that person.
- Ctrl+Click (Cmd+Click on Mac) - hides any person information panel.
- Circle
- Click - Shows information panel for that family.
- Ctrl+Click (Cmd+Click on Mac) - hides any family information panel.
The linkage of DNA adds additional evidence to the likely conclusion that Thomas Flynn is the son of James Flynn and Celia Laden. The relationships between the matches of Ann Flynn and Thomas Flynn through DNA, though distant, provide further evidence of a connection. The additional connection of “Unknown Match”that strongly correlate with the Gossart line but also shares matches through to the Brannan line, providing additional evidence to the probate records linking the multiple Flynn families back to James and Celia.
1 Barrett, William. “The Smoking “Probate”: Establishing the Flynn Line in Luzerne and Lackawanna County Pennsylvania through Collateral Lines, Court Records and Newspapers.” The Times of Their Lives (blog). Entry posted August 30, 2020. Accessed September 3, 2020. https://thetimesoftheirlives.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-smoking-probate-establishing-flynn.html↩
2 John Ward letters of administration, Lackawanna County probate file no. 527, Lackawanna County Orphans’ Court, Scranton, Pennsylvania.↩
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