Two Big-Y Tests in the Pipeline: Closing in on the Samuel Freeman (b.1795) / John Freeman (b.1774) Split — and a New Wythe County, Virginia Branch to Watch
Three Big-Y 700 tests are actively in work right now, one looking to split Aaron Freeman Sr.'s line and two aimed at resolving one of the most important open questions in our Q-BZ2738 Freeman network: can we find a SNP split between the two proven sons of John Freeman (b.1755) or Aaron Freeman (b.1745)?
As we have documented in earlier posts, John Freeman (b.1755) had at least two sons we can prove on paper: Samuel Freeman (b.1795) and John Freeman (b.1774). Our existing project members under this line have all tested at Q-BZ2738, but until now we have not had the resolution to determine whether descendant lines from Samuel versus John carry distinct private SNPs — the kind of downstream branching that a Big-Y 700 can find.
Here is what is currently in the pipeline:
Test 1 — Samuel (b.1795) → John line — Big-Y 700 Upgrade
We already had a 500-marker Y-DNA tester in the project who descends from Samuel Freeman (b.1795) through his son John. That tester is confirmed Q-BZ2738. With the help of contributions from our Freeman researcher community, we have upgraded his test to a Big-Y 700. That kit is in process now.
Test 2 — Samuel (b.1795) → Joseph line — Brand New Big-Y 700
Separately, we identified a second male-line descendant of Samuel Freeman (b.1795) — this one descending through Samuel's son Joseph Freeman. This is a completely independent line from the first tester, meaning their Y chromosomes have been separate since at least Samuel's generation. Thanks entirely to donations from our network of Freeman researchers — who funded 100% of this kit — a brand new Big-Y 700 is in the mail to this new tester right now. He has not previously tested.
What These Two Tests Should Tell Us
Comparing the Big-Y results from these two testers gives us something we have never had before: two independent descendants of Samuel Freeman (b.1795) tested at Big-Y resolution, plus the existing Q-BZ2738 network against which both can be compared. If Samuel's line has accumulated any private SNPs downstream of Q-BZ2738, these two testers should share them — and those SNPs would then distinguish Samuel's line from John (b.1774)'s descendants. That is a potential split that no amount of STR testing could reliably produce. We are cautiously optimistic. Results will be reported here as soon as they come in.
A sincere thank you to every researcher who contributed financially to make the second kit possible. This is community science at its best.
Test 3 — Aaron Freeman Sr. → Aaron Posey Jr. line — Big-Y 700
The third test currently in the pipeline targets a branch of the Aaron Freeman Sr. (b.~1745) family we have not yet had coverage on. As documented in earlier posts, we already have a Big-Y tester under Aaron Sr.'s son Thomas, whose results placed that line in the Q-BZ2739 subclade — a split downstream of Q-BZ2738 shared by the Marshes/Dennis/Elijah Freeman cluster. Because Q-BZ2739's MRCA is dated to roughly 1670–1700, Aaron Sr. himself — born 1745 — already carried Q-BZ2739 inherited from his own father. That means all of Aaron Sr.'s sons, including both Thomas and Aaron Posey Jr., should carry Q-BZ2739 as well. We now have a brand new Big-Y 700 in the pipeline for a male-line descendant of Aaron Posey Jr. to find out exactly what that means for the tree structure. The results could do several things: they could reveal private SNPs downstream of Q-BZ2739 that are unique to the Aaron Posey Jr. branch, potentially naming Aaron Sr. as a node on the haplotree; they could reveal SNPs shared between both Aaron Sr. sons that define a new intermediate branch between Q-BZ2738 and Q-BZ2739 that we cannot currently see with only one Big-Y in this part of the tree; or they could even force a restructuring of where Q-BZ2739 itself sits by surfacing previously unknown upstream branching. With only one Big-Y on the Aaron Sr. side of the tree until now, any of these outcomes is possible. Combined with the two Samuel (b.1795) tests already in the mail, this means we will soon have Big-Y data coming in from three independent branches of the Q-BZ2738/Q-BZ2739 tree simultaneously — the most powerful analytical position this project has ever been in. Watch this space.
What These Two Tests Should Tell Us
Comparing the Big-Y results from these two testers gives us something we have never had before: two independent descendants of Samuel Freeman (b.1795) tested at Big-Y resolution, plus the existing Q-BZ2738 network against which both can be compared. If Samuel's line has accumulated any private SNPs downstream of Q-BZ2738, these two testers should share them — and those SNPs would then distinguish Samuel's line from John (b.1774)'s descendants. That is a potential split that no amount of STR testing could reliably produce. We are cautiously optimistic. Results will be reported here as soon as they come in.
A sincere thank you to every researcher who contributed financially to make the second kit possible. This is community science at its best.
Why This Matters for the Wythe County, Virginia Freeman Line
The timing of these two tests is directly relevant to a Wythe County, Virginia Freeman family that has recently come to our attention. This family — descending from William W Freeman (b.1812, North Carolina), who settled in the Lead Mines district of Wythe County, Virginia — has no confirmed DNA status yet. We recently identified and recruited a living male-line descendant of this family into the project, and a Y-37 test is currently in the mail to him. That Y-37 is the first order of business: it will tell us whether this line carries the Native American Q haplogroup signal at all. If it comes back Q, this line immediately becomes a priority for further investigation and a Big-Y upgrade. If it does not, we will have ruled out the connection and can move on. Right now, everything about this line's DNA status is an open question.
As we develop cleaner downstream SNP structure from our two Samuel (b.1795) Big-Y results, we will be in a much better position to evaluate exactly where a confirmed Q tester from this Wythe County line might sit in the broader tree. Full documentation of the line follows below.
The Wythe County Line: Full Documentation
The Progenitor: William W Freeman (born 1812, North Carolina)
Born: 1812 — North Carolina
Spouse: Judith Julia Sexton (born 1826)
FamilySearch ID: PQ4G-LZB
Parents: Unknown — complete brick wall
William W Freeman and Judith Julia Sexton raised their family in Wythe County, Virginia. Their seven known children:
The Sexton surname in William's wife is a notable flag — Judith Julia Sexton connects this family to a surname with deep Wythe/Carroll/Grayson County roots, the same communities where our broader Q-line Freeman families were documented across the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Generation 2: George Wilson Freeman (July 1844 – 18 January 1917)
Born: July 1844 — Wythe, Virginia
Died: 18 January 1917 — Wythe, Virginia
First wife: Emma Bratten (Deceased) — married before 1863
Second wife: Josephine Shupe (1854–1937)
Military: Civil War service, 1865, Virginia
FamilySearch ID: KH3J-77Y — 73 attached sources
Children with Emma Bratten include Robert Freeman (1863), the next male line in this descent. George's children with Josephine Shupe number eleven, including multiple sons whose lines may carry additional living male descendants worth recruiting for future testing.
Census trail:
Generation 3: Robert Freeman (1863 – 1930)
Born: 1863 — Virginia; Nickname: Bob
Spouse: Arminia J Swinney (1872–1921) — married 1 January 1890, Carroll, Virginia
Occupation: Mining
FamilySearch ID: G76L-4NR — 35 attached sources
Children with Arminia J Swinney:
The sons Claude, Lonnie, Hollie Alexander, and Woodrow Wilson each potentially carry male descendants today who represent additional testing opportunities down the road.
Generation 4: William F Freeman (21 March 1899 – 4 March 1970)
Born: 21 March 1899 — Carroll, Virginia
Spouse: Myrtle Gertrude Akers (1900–1991) — married 15 November 1920, Spring Valley, Grayson, Virginia
Died: 4 March 1970 — Winston-Salem, Forsyth, North Carolina
Burial: Pine Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery, Pine Ridge, Surry, North Carolina
FamilySearch ID: LCRT-9MF — 26 attached sources
Census trail:
William and Myrtle had seven children:
The sons Elmer Luther and Harlis Franklin each may have living male-line descendants today who could serve as additional testers for this line.
Generation 5: Robert Eldridge Freeman (19 May 1930 – 31 July 2016)
Born: 19 May 1930 — Wythe, Virginia (Lead Mines district)
Spouse: Georgia Laura Johnson (1935–2025) — married 4 July 1953, Surry, North Carolina
Died: 31 July 2016 — Dobson, Surry, North Carolina
Burial: Peoples Church Cemetery, Holly Springs, Mount Airy Township, Surry, North Carolina
FamilySearch ID: PCS9-CKC — 15 attached sources
Generation 6: Mark Robertson Freeman (1959 – 2015)
Born: 1959
Died: 2015
FamilySearch ID: PCSS-GV5
Mark Robertson Freeman is the son of Robert Eldridge Freeman and Georgia Laura Johnson. Though Mark is deceased, he left at least one son — a living male-line descendant who we recently identified and recruited into the Freeman DNA Project. A Y-37 test is currently in the mail to this tester. This is the first Y-DNA test this family has ever had. The Y-37 will tell us whether this Wythe County line carries the Native American Q haplogroup signal at all. Until those results come back, the DNA status of this entire line is completely unknown. If the result is Q, a Big-Y 700 upgrade immediately becomes the next priority.
Current DNA Status of This Line
An Appeal to Other Descendants of This Family
If you are a male-line descendant of this family — particularly through any of the other sons of Robert Freeman (1863): Claude, Lonnie, Hollie Alexander, or Woodrow Wilson — or through any of the sons of William F Freeman: Elmer Luther or Harlis Franklin — we would love to hear from you. A second independent tester from this line would help corroborate whatever the Y-37 comes back with and strengthen the case for further testing.
Contact us in the comments or through the Freeman DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA: https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/freeman (I am David Freeman there)
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