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From:
Subject: Re: [DNA] R1b DNA and Judaism
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 18:19:24 EST


Hi Joy and Listers,
I have been communicating privately with the Boone DNA Project
administrator today and sharing the identity of the person(s) involved.
The specific Boone donor whose DNA scores are included in the Melungeon
DNA Project data base is NOT in Daniel Boone's line and hence no claims have
been made regarding this specific donor. He is from a second Boone line that
lived near the Daniel Boone family, but does not share the same DNA pattern.
I believe if you will carefully read through all my postings, you will
find that I have never claimed 'definitive proof' of any person's or group's
ancestry -- only of research hypotheses and propositions. Virtually all research
in the social and physical sciences is premised upon hypotheses; rarely if
ever do researchers claim to have 'proven' a specific point. This would hold
especially true in the area of DNA inquiry which is in its infancy.
What I do believe is that Donald Yates and I will be able to document,
using a variety of sources of information (and I have said this before several
times -- these include archaelogy, census records, genealogy, historic
migration patterns and DNA scores) is that a strong case can be built for the presence
of a sizable population of Jewish and Muslim descent dwelling in Scotland
from the 1100's onward. While each individual fragment of data we have collected
can/could be explained by alternative scenarios (e.g., given and surnames, DNA
scores, clan insignia, coinage, marital patterns, Hebrew lettering, Stars of
David, cemetery markers, sarchophagus inscriptions) , it would be very
difficult to dismiss the overall pattern of the data.
Once again, however, I do NOT expect most persons to adopt our viewpoint
on this. It is simply too contrary to the received view in history and too in
conflict with our cultural stereotypes of Scotland and Jews/Muslims. Western
culture sees them as two very disparate entities and even if one of the
members of the Royal Family of Scotland were to stand up and declare himself to be
of Jewish descent (which, incidentally, has actually happened), his claim would
be dismissed as ludicrous, erroneous, somehow mistaken, false, etc. (And
incidentally, Don Yates and I examined both the Jewish and Royal Scottish
genealogies on this point and believe that the fellow actually is in error in terms of
descent from the Tribe of Judah; we believe his ancestors were actually R1b
converts to Judaism dating from around 900 CE in France).
Finally, no, certainly the fact that members of a family are now Jewish
does not mean that the family was always Jewish -- Judaism started around
3,000 years ago and since that time has had many persons coming in to the religion
and exiting out of the religion. However, the particular person I am
referring to is only 7 generations removed from Daniel Boone's lifetime, so it is
unlikely (though not impossible) that his line converted to Judasim and forgot
that the family was originally Christian.
Beth

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