Conger Genealogy

Comment

Comment by Tootie Dennis on October 22, 2009 at 7:08am

Just a new member and not a direct CONGER descendent. There are CONGER'S in my paternal side as married in's. My family took part in the SHARP DNA testing several years ago. It has not produced any links for us to other SHARP lines...but it sure has weeded out a lot of lines that we tried to connect in out research. DNA is not the "all knowing" answer but it sure is a wonderful tool to help match lines that may connect in a given time period. In my opinion if you can get a CONGER DNA testing group going you will be glad that you did. I would be most interested in your Father-in-laws last know CONGER connection going back from him. Tootie

Comment by Barbara Bradley Petura on July 11, 2009 at 8:25pm

Hi Blaine, I hope he agrees. If he does, I might encourage my Conger first cousin to consider doing it as well. He is very interested in Conger genealogy, at least our line. We worked together for awhile with positive results. My Conger line went from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, the along the Ohio River to SE Indiana, but then to northern Indiana, southern Michigan and then eastern Wisconsin. Other twigs on that branch went to Iowa.

Comment by Blaine Bettinger on July 11, 2009 at 7:50pm

I noticed the Cumberland project too, but didn't find anything interesting. My father-in-law is a Conger, and I plan to ask him if he would undergo a genetic genealogy test. If that goes forward, I will definitely let you and the group know since he is also a descendant of John Belconger.

Comment by Barbara Bradley Petura on July 11, 2009 at 3:33pm

Hi Blaine - I am not aware of any of my Conger cousins having done a Y DNA test. But I poked around on the Web and found this info:

Cumberland Gap YDNA Group Project for men whose family line is associated with Claiborne, Hancock and Hawkins Co., in Tn., Lee, Russell or Scott Counties in Virginia, or Bell or Harlan Counties in Kentucky. The surname CONGER shows up on their list. Don't know if that means any Conger has been tested or if the surname is simply in historical records there. That's all I found.

Sure would be interesting if Conger men would have Y DNA tests done -- perhaps helping answer the question of where the Congers really came from. So many theories of where they came from on the Continent, to settle in East Anglia, England, before John Belconger came to America. Have you had yours tested?

Comment by Blaine Bettinger on July 11, 2009 at 2:10pm

Barbara - do you know if any male Conger descendants have undergone genetic genealogy testing?