Posted By:	Mimi Bishop
	Email:
	Subject:	Recent Bishop y-DNA Breakthroughs
	Post Date:	March 11, 2012 at 16:27:23
	Message URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/pa/bucks/messages/2231.html
	Forum:	Bucks County, PA Genealogy Forum
	Forum URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/pa/bucks/

The results of recent FamilytreeDNA y-DNA testing by G. Tom Bishop and my husband confirm beyond a doubt that Tom’s ancestor, John Bishop (1759-1861) of Loudoun Co. VA and Belmont Co. OH, and my husband’s ancestor John Bishop II (1739-1828) of Chester Co. PA and Fauquier Co. VA have a common male Bishop ancestor, possibly John Bishop I (1698-). They matched on 36 out of 37 y-DNA markers. Prior to their y-DNA tests, no one had been able to connect these two Bishop families using traditional genealogical tools, e.g., public and private records. Dr. Samuel Bishop in his book “Bishop and Lake Families” published in 1898, says that three Bishop brothers came to America from England and one went to Pennsylvania, one went to New York, and one went to South Carolina. He identified the one who went to PA as John Bishop I (1698-) the father of John Bishop II (1739-1828). No one has ever been able to confirm this account, but amazingly, through y-DNA testing, G. Tom Bishop was found that he is distantly related to two Bishop males whose Bishop ancestors are from the Carolinas. One matches Tom on 34 out of 37 markers and the other matches him on 26 out of 27 markers. So now Tom has Bishop lines in the Carolinas that he can investigate. There have to be other Bishop connections waiting to be uncovered by y-DNA testing so we are encouraging other Bishop males to undergo familytreedna y-DNA testing and to share their results here and on the Bishop DNA Project page. For example, since existing records in Chester Co. PA do not conclusively link John Bishop (1759-1861) and John Bishop II (1739-1828) to the Chester Co. PA Bishop patriarch, Samuel Bishop (1669?-1741), we are calling on the male Bishop descendents of Samuel Bishop (1669?-1741) of Chester Co. PA, and male Bishop descendents of Bucks Co. PA Bishop patriarchs, to consider familytreeDNA y-DNA testing as a way of linking up with other Bishop families in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.