Wren Kin

We’ve had an interesting DNA match in our DNA surname project, with some exciting implications.

Here are the details of the match:

Participant #1: A Wrenn from Tennessee, who says he can trace his line to Albert Walker Wrenn (1813-1889, Spotsylvania, Virginia).

Albert Walker Wrenn may be found on pages 99, 112, and 158 in John Howard Wren’s book, “Wren’s of Virginia.”

Participant #2: A Wren from California, who traces his line to Thomas W. Wren (b. 1836 in Haywood County, Tennessee, d. 1923 in Wood County, Texas).

Thomas W. Wren has been a brick wall in my research, as I’ve been unable to identify his father.

The DNA test resulted in a match of 42 markers out of 43, or a most recent common ancestor (MRCA) within six or seven generations (depending on what DNA charts you read; it could be six, it could be seven).

If the Wrenn from Tennessee is descended from Albert Walker Wrenn, then he is also descended from Nicholas Wren and Margaret Bell of Virginia, Albert’s ancestor…

…and if the Wrenn from Tennessee is descended from Nicholas Wren and Margaret Bell of Virginia, then so is the California Wren!

We can’t depend completely on DNA results to fill out our genealogy charts, but we can use it to point us in the right direction. Most of it still depends on our careful documentation of family connections. There is a chance that the paperwork isn’t complete to prove the above connection, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Tennessee Wrenn and the California Wren are still related.

What we must do at this point:

1. Cite all the paperwork documenting the Tennessee Wrenn’s line
2. Drum up more DNA participants!

The more participants, the more matches we’ll have to W(R)en(n)s from all over the world!

Wouldn’t it be grand if one day we find a documented male W(R)en(n) descendant of a cousin of Sir Christopher Wren — who is interested in joining the DNA project? That will be the day when we may finally put to rest — or hold up high — the long-disputed tradition in so many Wren(n) genealogies: that most American Wren(n)s are descended from Sir Christopher Wren.