Cotton/Cotten DNA Project
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Cotton DNA project is to create a database which will enable us to identify the various families bearing the Cotton or Cotten surname. The results may make it possible to tell which families are connected in the male line, and as the database grows, to differentiate between branches within each family. While not a substitute for traditional paper genealogy, genetic testing can often lead the way in getting past "brick walls" by suggesting a direction for the paper research to take. Also while DNA results cannot prove the paper trail, they can help to back up that research, and a negative result can certainly disprove many incorrect assumptions.
METHOD
The chromosomes in the nucleus of a human cell are grouped in 23 pairs. In a female, the 23rd pair is composed of two X chromosomes, and in a male of one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. When sperm or egg cells are produced, the chromosome pairs separate and each egg or sperm cell receive only one half of the pair. So for about half of all sperm cells, the final chromosome is a Y. At the time of fertilization, the individual chromosomes from the sperm and egg pair up again. However, because of the differences between the X and the Y chromosomes, they are able to swap almost no DNA with each other. So any sons that a man fathers will inherit a nearly identical Y chromosome. Because of this fortunate coincidence of biology (the passing of the Y chromosome from father to son) and cultural tradition (the passing of surnames in the same manner), these DNA tests can have significant value in genealogical research.
The Y chromosome tests that are used examine sequences of DNA known as STR's (Short Tandem Repeats). These STR's are composed of about two to five base pairs which are repeated numerous times. Because of occasional mutations, the number of repeats can sometimes change. These mutations, known as polymorphisms, are passed along from father to son. By comparing the number of repeats in each of the markers tested, it is possible to tell if the men being tested come from the same recent male line.
PARTICIPATION
Any males with the Cotton or Cotten surname or who believe that they are direct male line descendants of a Cotton male are welcome to participate. We also welcome any other possible spelling variations (Coton, Cottin, Cottone, etc.). Women are obviously not able to participate directly, but they can play an important part in the research by recruiting or sponsoring a brother, father, uncle, etc. There are currently over 100 men who have been tested or are in the process of testing. If you are interested in joining the project, you may do so by contacting Ross Cotton or Michael Cotten. The test is easy and painless, simply rub a swab over the inside of the cheek and mail the kit back to the testing company in a preaddressed envelope.
List of participants -
FAMILY 1
(Anonymous) Cotton (Ray Shelton)
FAMILY 2
Darrell Gerald Richmond Cotton
Ian Sidney Cotton
Richard G. H. Cotton
FAMILY 3
David Allen Lambert
Meredith Leonard Cotton
Ross Gilbert Hamilton Cotton
Sir Thomas Robert Wellington Stapleton-Cotton
William Raymond Cotton
FAMILY 4
Allan Douglas Cotton
Brian Cotton
David Lee Cotton
Douglas Lloyd Cotton
Doyle Mark Cotton
Hikaru Kitabayashi
Mark Allen Cotton
Michael John Cotton (1)
Michael John Cotton (2)
Robert Gordon Cotton
Robert Murry Cotton
Ronald Kenneth Cotton
Terrence Richard Cotton
William Jennings Cotten
William Melvin Cotton
FAMILY 5
Richard E. Cotton
FAMILY 6
Michael Leigh Cotton
FAMILY 7
David Marshall Cotton
David Michael Cotten
Gregory Perry Cotten
Jack Russell Cotton (Pamela Sherry)
James Murray Cotten
Jerry Wayne Cotton
Joel Brian Cotton
Ralph Alton Cotton
Richard Polhemus Cotton (Stephane Crow)
Robert Gene Cotton
Ryan K.
Thomas Wayne Cotton
(Anonymous) Cotten
FAMILY 8
William Gene Cotton
FAMILY 9
Bryan McKinley Cotten
(Anonymous) Cotten (Gerry Dickens)
FAMILY 10
Steve Lawrence Cotton
FAMILY 11
Andre Omer Cotton
Barry Arthur Cotton
Charles Edgar Cotton III
James Zina Cotton
Lee Hubert Cotton
Rex E. Cotten
Sheldon Eugene Cotton
Thomas Earl Cotton
FAMILY 12
Kenneth Wayne Cotton
Michael John Cotton (3) (Nicky Barr)
William Fenwick Cotton
FAMILY 13
Marion Sherman Cotton
Michael Dale Cotton
Richard Roy Cotton
FAMILY 14
Joseph Bruce Cotton
Tom William Cotton
Verne Alban Cotton
Wayne Leroy Cotton
William Tucker Cotton
FAMILY 15
Eric Cotton
Robert David John Cotton
FAMILY 16
Peter Daniel Cotton
FAMILY 17
Frank Albert Cotton
FAMILY 18
Barry Percy Carrington Cotton
Christopher John Cotton (Janine Windsor)
Donald Maurice Cotton
Frederick Peter Cotton
John Michael Cotton
John Nicholas Cotton
Leslie Stanley George Cotton
Michael Raymond Cotton
Paul Geoffrey Cotton
Stanley George Cotton
FAMILY 19
Claud Cecil Cotton
John Frederick Rhodes
FAMILY 20
Lynwood Irvin Cotton
FAMILY 21
Robert Randolph Cotten III
FAMILY 22
Daniel Luzern Cotton
Frankie LaVern Cotten Jr.
George Rainey Cotton
Norris Wade Cotton
Roger James Cotton
Simon FitzSimon Cotton
(Anonymous) Cotton
FAMILY 23
Jason Lee Cotton
FAMILY 24
James Braxton Cotton
Jerry Dean Cotton
FAMILY 25
Lee Cotton
FAMILY 26
Jacques Edward James Cotton
Joseph Albert Cotton
Joseph Neree Leonard Cotton
FAMILY 27
Walter Bradley Cotton
FAMILY 28
Steven Ray Cotton
FAMILY 29
Edward Bernard Cotton
FAMILY 30
David Frank Cotton
FAMILY 31
David James Thompson Cotton
FAMILY 32
James Sutherland Cotton
FAMILY 33
Christopher John Nicholas Cotton
FAMILY 34
Gordon Huffman Cotton
FAMILY 35
Houston Cotton
FAMILY 36
(Anonymous) Cotton (Maggie Jones)
FAMILY 37
Bruce Nicholas Cotton
RESULTS
The participants are grouped together in family units determined by the test results. Values in the pink cells are the reconstructed ancestral haplotype for the family as far as can be determined at present. The values for individuals are in blue (when matching the ancestral haplotype), yellow (when not matching, probably representing a mutation), and green (when no ancestral haplotype has been determined). Cells are left gray for those markers which have not been tested for the individual. This is because participants have been tested by several different companies which do not test all of the same markers and also because there are several different tests available from each company.
Comments on a few markers -
*DYS 389II - This marker is actually an extension of marker 389I. Because of this, a mutation in the first marker will affect the value for the second, making it appear that there has been more than one mutation. To avoid confusion, the values given in the chart for 389II are actually the value for 389II minus 389I.
*DYS 394 - Also known as DYS19
*DYS 439 - Due to a rare type of mutation known as an SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) which occurs just before this marker in one of the tested families, the testing method used by Family Tree DNA will yield no value for this marker. The company usually assigns a value of 12 at this point but this is somewhat arbitrary so the value is shown as "n" for null on the project chart.
*DYS 442 - Because of different methods of measuring this marker, the value as reported by Ancestry DNA is always 5 greater than that reported by Family Tree DNA. To facilitate comparison, the Ancestry DNA values have been adjusted to match the standards of FTDNA.
*GATA-H4 - This marker is designated as GATA-H4.1 by Ancestry DNA and is reported with a value 11 higher than by FTDNA. The values in our chart have been adjusted to fit the FTDNA conventions.
HAPLOGROUPS
Anthropologists have categorized human Y-DNA into a number of distinct major divisions called haplogroups which they have designated with the letters A through T. Each of these groups has a number of identified subclades and together form a sort of family tree of the human race. As the field of population genetics continues to grow and more men are tested, these results should be able to determine the origin of various haplogroups. Individuals might then identify the nation, tribe or clan that their direct male line came from, e.g. someone of British origin could know if their ancestor was Briton, Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman, Scot, etc.
Though haplogroups can only be proven with an SNP test, it is possible to make a general prediction about a group by comparing STR results. At this point, only families 4, 7 and 11 have been SNP tested. The project haplogroup page attempts to categorize our participant families based on the information we have at present.
