by Phillip G. Goff, GGFA Director of Genetic Genealogy
The YDNA pages on the GGFA website are updated regularly for new discoveries and expanded analysis. As of March 2023, analysis of YDNA, atDNA and paper trail documentation has identified 34 genetically distinct Gough/Goff families around the globe. There are undoubtedly many more Goff/Gough families yet to be confirmed through DNA.
Follow these steps to reach the GGFA DNA pages:
- Login to your GGFA account
- Click on “Archives & Research” from the horizontal menu
- Click on “DNA Surname Study” in the dropdown menu
- Click on “Current DNA Family Groups,” which leads to the 34 Gough/Goff families.
If you provided information on your lineage in your GGFA profile, you may have been assigned to one of the 34 family groups. If so, find that family in the above list. Each family has a code, such as the below:
1564 GOUGH/GOFF (GB-OXF/US-MA-BRI/US-VA-BHM) R-FTB51877
The code starts with the earliest proven date for the family. Next are the known forms of the surname, with the earliest form shown first. The parenthetical locations for the family prioritize the earliest origins first. Locations use ISO abbreviations. Finally, the paternal terminal haplogroup is identified.
The following genetic families have been updated since the start of 2023:
- 1564 GOUGH/GOFF (GB-OXF/US-MA-BRI/US-VA-BHM) R-FTB51877 family narrative and genetic tree have been update for a new Big Y 700 result.
- 1709 GOUGH (GB-SHR / GB-LEC) J-M410 family has been updated to include a genetic family tree. Locations in the UK include Wem, Mainstone and Diddlebury, Shropshire, UK; Coleorton, Kegworth, Long Whatton, Swannington, Thringstone and Whitwick, Leicestershire, UK; Boroughbridge and Copgrove, Yorkshire UK, and Salt Lake Co., UT, USA.
- 1763 GOFF (US-CT-NLN) J-FT23228 family narrative has been revised to reflect the findings of Big Y 700 testing.
- 1857 GOFF (US-TN-DEK) R-FGC60426 family has been updated for a new Big Y 700 result. The genetic tree and terminal YSNP have been updated for this family.
- 1858 GOFF (US-TN-DEK) I-P109 family has been updated for a new YDNA result. A genetic family tree has been created for this family.
Please regularly check the GGFA DNA pages keep up-to-date on the latest findings from the DNA research.
Phillip Goff is the co-author, along with Roy L. Lockhart, of The Four Goff Brothers of Western Virginia. Since 2004, he has run the Goff/Gough Surname DNA Study, which today has about 400 participants.
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