Jewish Y DNA and figuring out just how close the TMRCA

[josh w.]

Keep in mind that the surname Krakovsky was probably adopted in the 1800s and the Lithuanian version in the 1900s. There are some Krakovskys in Lithuanian databases. The Slavic-Yiddish version of the name might also be found in Polish and Ukrainian databases, but probably not the Lithuanian version. Do you know the Yiddish version of your ancestor's given name-- that is how he would be listed in government records.
Since most Jewish surnames in eastern Europe were not adopted until the 1800s, I would not expect the dna matches to have the same surname although the families might have lived in Krakow at some point.

If your ancestor was Jewish, the primary spelling was probably Slavic and not Lithuanian. My mother's situation might illustrate the pattern. She had a Polish (Slavic) surname which was the only one the family used in Lithuania and in the US. She immigrated to the US a couple of years after Lithuania gained independence. I recently found Lithuanian transit records in which authorities changed her name to the Lithuanian spelling.

[Táltos]

If your ancestor was Jewish, the primary spelling was probably Slavic and not Lithuanian. My mother's situation might illustrate the pattern. She had a Polish (Slavic) surname which was the only one the family used in Lithuania and in the US. She immigrated to the US a couple of years after Lithuania gained independence. I recently found Lithuanian transit records in which authorities changed her name to the Lithuanian spelling.

Josh thank you once again for all of your tips!

[247267]

GD of 3 at 67 markers

Hi Táltos,

Going back to your first post, where you say "At the 67 marker level my brother has four matches at a GD of 3".

In case it's of any help to you time-wise, I have a GD3 match at 67 markers who is a known distant cousin from our
6 x great-grandfather who was born c1680.

Not to say that your brother's match is that long ago, but you never know !

Bob

[Táltos]

Hi Táltos,

Going back to your first post, where you say "At the 67 marker level my brother has four matches at a GD of 3".

In case it's of any help to you time-wise, I have a GD3 match at 67 markers who is a known distant cousin from our
6 x great-grandfather who was born c1680.

Not to say that your brother's match is that long ago, but you never know !

Bob

Hi Bob,
Thanks so much for that! That's exactly what I'm looking for. In my brother's small group of four other men (that he is a GD of 3 from at the 67 marker) they are all now tested to 111.

They all match each other pretty close GD of 2 at 111. I forget off the top of my head if maybe two of them match closer than a 2. But anyway I am curious to see how far off my brother would be from the rest at the 111 marker. I hope there will be a decent sale for that upgrade soon.

[blejerh]

My son and his father's 4th cousin tested and they have a distance of 4. Two of the markers they differ on are known to be fast mutating and one of the markers of the four is part of a pair. Their shared male ancestor was born in the late 1700s. Ashkenazi Jewish from Courland (Latvia) relocated to the Southern Ukraine. Jews came to Crimea and Southern Ukraine starting primarily in the 19th century. His family was part of the 1841 group of Jews, mostly from four Latvian cities (Mitau, Bausk, Kuldiga, Jenava) sent to form agricultural settlements. His ancestors had come to Courland from Prussia earlier.

And I also can attest in my father's mother's family that endogamous marriages were the norm going back as far as we can find records. Levite, rabbinical family.

[Táltos]

My son and his father's 4th cousin tested and they have a distance of 4. Two of the markers they differ on are known to be fast mutating and one of the markers of the four is part of a pair. Their shared male ancestor was born in the late 1700s. Ashkenazi Jewish from Courland (Latvia) relocated to the Southern Ukraine. Jews came to Crimea and Southern Ukraine starting primarily in the 19th century. His family was part of the 1841 group of Jews, mostly from four Latvian cities (Mitau, Bausk, Kuldiga, Jenava) sent to form agricultural settlements. His ancestors had come to Courland from Prussia earlier.

And I also can attest in my father's mother's family that endogamous marriages were the norm going back as far as we can find records. Levite, rabbinical family.

Thank you very much for sharing this. That is interesting to see a known but more distant relative compared and how far apart the GD can vary, and on what kind of markers. Being able to also compare this to Bob who posted a couple posts back is great! He is a GD of 3 on the 67 to a cousin that they share a 6x great grandfather back to 1680.

I also appreciate the historical information that you gave about Jewish families in the region.