DNA

The very first post to this blog was the results of our Madden family DNA test.  It has been my hope that other Madden descendants will test their own DNA. We did convince a second cousin to do so and his results confirmed our connection to Clan Kelly rather than the O'Maddens. Both have been tested to Y700.  

Besides the second cousin, to date we have not matched closely with any Maddens.  Our closest links are Townsends, Lloyds, Trainors, Larkins and Kellys.    All, like the Madden's, are descendants of the Ui Maine (or Hy-Many).  Madden is the anglicized version of  Ó Madaidhin.  Madudan, the son of Gadhra Mor was supposedly the founder of the sept and the Kelly's were formed by his brother.  The sept was part of the Ui Maine based in east county Galway, but a group broke away and settled in Clare and Limerick in early times. 

When our Kelly's became Madden's is unknown, but the Kelly DNA gurus have determined that our DNA was Kelly at least through a grandson of Ulliam Boye O'Kelly who was chief of the Ui Maine in the fourteenth century.  There are so many possibilities for the change in names, an orphaned child, an unwed mother, a husband that took the Madden name for inheritance sake, a change of name to escape from trouble are just a few. 

It is my hope that descendants of the other Maddens that settled around the Great Lakes will test.  Their connections in the shipping business and close proximity suggests a familial connection, but to date I have been unable to find it with records.  A DNA match would definitely help in closing the gap.

I have added links to various DNA projects here.  Once you have tested I encourage you to share the results with others by joining pertinent projects.  I have not posted a Gedcom with my DNA results, but did put the first known ancestor of our family.  It is then easy to contact others with close matches.
 

Results - R1b1a2a1a1b4  WAMH and 21 (49 marker) and 17 (51 marker), P being L21+, DF23+, Z2961+ .  Now don't ask me what all that means, although I have some inkling, the links below will explain it much better.

Missing Generations 31-41

FamilyTree DNA - Madden Project
Ireland YDNA
R1b  (all subclades)
RL21+  (mainly Celtic - must test + to join)
FamilyTree DNA - Kelly Project (open to Kellys and that occasional close match!)  look for group 14 Ui Maine.