The Ancestors and Descendants of Absolom Simeon and Obedience Wise Nolen
* This Post is a follow-up to a Post in which we relate the Murder of Absolom Simeon Nolen and the trials and tribulations Obedience Wise Nolen survived. You may want to read the earlier post first: https://communicatinglife2.blogspot.com/2020/06/murder-on-ten-mile-creek-saga-of.html (Click on the highlighted text to find the links)
A Summary of the Nolen Genealogy with Degrees of Certitude:
Oral traditions and written records are the "stuff" of "traditional" genealogy, and constituted the sole basis for family histories until the 21st century. However, within the last two decades, a second source of genealogical information has emerged, and begun to supplement and expand "traditional" genealogy. At this time, we are still stumbling forward, struggling in our efforts to probe the potential of "genetic genealogy." However, we are gradually learning to use a range of genetic tests to clarify, support, or refute the findings of "traditional" family history research.
I come from a long line of family historians, and have worked with "traditional genealogy" for over 50 years. Since 2010, I have been intrigued by the potential of "genetic genealogy". That year my nephew did a Y-DNA test, which identified 10 generations of our Jackson family. Miraculously, the puzzle we had worked on for over 30 years was solved.
Recently, I wrote a brief introduction to genetic genealogy, hoping to encourage more of my family to participate. If you are unfamiliar with genetic genealogy and how the different DNA tests can be used, it is a good place to start.
Summarizing Our Nolen Family History: In the Nolan genealogy, presented in detail here, we show 7 generations back from my generation (3 generations back from Sim Nolen). We have great confidence in these data. This high degree of certainty, exists because we have multiple written records (documentation) and Autosomal DNA results linking my cousins and I to other descendants of a single Nolen Ancestor and his wife.
They are Stephen Noland/Nolen, Sr. (who was born 1682 in Cecil, Charles, Maryland and died March 7, 1732 in Charles Maryland) and his wife Mary O'Bryan Connell (b. 1865 in Charles, Maryland & d. 1747 in Charles, Maryland). The DNA matching of living descendants of the same ancestor is sometimes called triangulation.
Does this absolutely PROVE we are their descendants? NO, because multiple families could have identical errors in their genealogies -- BUT every separate line that is connected by DNA makes the probability of an error lower, and the likelihood of accuracy, greater. We can connect with confidence to Stephen (1682) and Mary(1685), but no further, because 7 generations is typically as far as it is possible to go using only Autosomal DNA.
As it turns out this Stephen (1682) was probably the first of our Nolen line to be born in North America; his father came from Ireland. We have documentation, with some blanks and some contradictions for 3 additional generations, taking us back to late 16th century Ireland. For these generations, the evidence is reasonable, (that is, more likely than not) but far from absolute.
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| Historical genealogy of the Nolen Family of Ancient Ireland published in 2000, $39.95 on Amazon |
For an additional 8 generations, back to the 14th Century, and our proposed ancestor Eocha Oge Nuallain (b. in 1385 in Carlow, Ireland and d. in 1435 in Carlow, Ireland) we have an "historical" genealogy which has been passed down for many generations. Direct evidence supporting all, or portions, of this genealogy is lacking, and the best we can estimate is that this linage is possible.
The method by which we could verify the proposed Nolen Genealogy, going back 18 generations and over 600 years is Y-DNA. In fact Y-DNA testing of Nolen Males has the potential for taking our knowledge of our Nolen ancestry even further back into the mists of legend and prehistoric Ireland.
Out of the Mists of Legend
With the Spotlight of Y-DNA
For many years, I have resisted including the legends of the NOLEN CLAN as part of my family history. And this has been difficult, because the Nolen Mythology is absolutely the BEST. But I was resolved to keep my genealogy as factual as possible, and the remote past WAS impossible to prove.
Well, that was once true, but it is no more. In fact under certain circumstances we can be more positive of our ancient roots than of our immediate kin. We have moved into the era of genetic genealogy, and new avenues of investigation are available.
And I won't be shy -- I AM LOOKING FOR NOLEN MEN interested and motivated to do Y-DNA testing to determine which Nolen Linage we are descended through, and whether we are indeed descendants of Niall Nolgiallach (often called Niall of the Nine Hostages), the great King of Ireland.
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| Modern Depiction of King Niall o Ireland |
If you are unfamiliar with the legends of Niall, you are in for some great fun. For a first look at the stories of Niall, I recommend: https://bardmythologies.com/niall-of-the-nine-hostages/. OR
In fact, you can watch any of a large number of videos on You Tube. Just search for videos on Niall. Niall and Irish history/mythology is currently a very hot topic. I really love the story that Niall won his kingdom because he was willing to kiss a withered, ugly, old hag.
When you are ready for factual information, you may want to try any number of serious books, films, and lectures on Niall. A good start would be: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niall_of_the_Nine_Hostages
Most histories place Niall in the 5th Century A.D., using the year 400 as an estimated date of his birth. However, some experts believe the "historic" Niall lived much earlier.
In recent years, the Y-DNA of Niall has become rather famous, and a bit controversial. Y-DNA is passed down from Father to Son, for generations. Specific mutations can identify different lines, while commonalities can be used to trace back hundreds, even thousands of years. This approach has been used in Y-DNA mapping studies in Ireland. Interesting results have emerged related to surnames associated with Niall (including O'Niall/Niel/Neal and O'Nolan/Nolen/Noland). The O' means "son of" and indicates the sons of Niall. Nolen/Nolan is the English version of "Nolgiallach," so these surnames, as well as several of others, are associated with Niall.
Y-DNA studies of Irish men identified a particularly fertile "Father" who apparently has at least 2 to 3 million male descendants scattered around the world. In the northwest of Ireland 1 in every 5 men (21%) are his direct descendants. This prolific Celt was the Irish equivalent of Genghis Khan, who is the presumed "Father" of millions of men in Asia.
Based on statistical data used to estimate the time period for the life of the Irish "super father," researchers hypothesized that he was the legendary, High King, Niall Nolgiallach (i.e. Niall Nolan). Revised estimates for the age of the "super father" suggest that he lived at least a couple of hundred years before the time period usually allotted to Niall (5th Century). These findings, if sustained, would make the "super father" Niall's grandfather or 2nd or 3rd great grandfather.
Y-DNA STUDIES OF NOLEN MEN -- Not only is there great interest in Y-DNA studies in Ireland, but in Texas at the laboratories of Family Tree DNA (where most Y-DNA studies are done), there is an active Nolen/Nolan Surname project, with considerable information on the various Nolen Lines. This Nolan Surname Page shows Y-DNA profiles for four Nolen Family linages, tracing each to a location an ancestor. If some of our Nolen Men are tested, we can identify the linage of our Nolen Family and know where we originated in Ireland. This page gives an overview of the Nolen Y-DNA and history.
More specific information about all of the Nolen's participating in the Family Tree DNA Surname Project is given on the official Family Tree Nolan Surname Project page. If you look for the name "Pierce Nolen/Nolan" as the earliest known ancestor of the man being testing, you will find that Pierce (our presumed ancestor) actually appears in two different groups, the Carlow Nolen's and the Tipperary Nolen's. Test results from our Nolen Men can tell us which of these groups matches our family, and where we lived in Ireland.
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| Distribution of Y-DNA Haplogroup R-M269 |
Interestingly, both of these Nolen linages are part of the same Haplogroup -- R-M269. Also known as R1b1a1a2, this group is a sub-clade of human Y-chromosome haplogroup R1b. The mutation on R-M269, which identifies this Haplogroup, occurred in a single man between 4,000 and 10,000 years ago. By the 2010 population count, he had about 110 million male descendants in Western Europe. Eighty-two percent of men of Irish descendant belong to this Haplogroup.
OUR NOLEN GENEALOGY AS OF 2020
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