Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that I descend from Richard Lang, son of Robert and Millicent (Myrick) Lang, via their son William (and William’s wife Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams) … as illustrated below.
This would make Richard my 4th Great Grandfather. I don't know whether this is correct. It very well may not be but this is the hypothesis I set out to test.
As discussed below, based on available evidence drawn from a range of sources, I am reasonably (not entirely!) confident that I descend from Richard Lang’s parents Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick. I am confident that I descend from William Lang and Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams. What I am very uncertain about is the step in between William and Martha and Robert and Millicent.
To help illustrate this further, here is a snapshot from my tree showing Richard as the speculative link between William and Robert (II):
Key Research Questions
Two interrelated research questions arose when I considered possible alternatives. The answer to these questions potentially casts doubt on the hypothesis that Richard is my 4th Great Grandfather.
These two interrelated research questions are:
- Is it possible that I descend from a different child of Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick - that is, from a sibling of Richard rather than from Richard himself? … In which case, Richard would be my 4th great grand-uncle (5th great uncle)[1].
- Is is possible that the William Lang who is Permelia Lang's father is not the same William Lang as the William Lang who is the son of Richard Lang?
In effect, these two questions ask the same thing in different ways. If the answer to the questions is 'Yes, it is possible', then that points to Richard possibly not being my 4th Great Grandfather.
The next question becomes: Which of the alternatives is the most probable - that Richard is not my 4th Great Grandfather or that he is? - Or is it impossible to say?
Looking at the Evidence
In order to answer the two interrelated research questions, I have approached the review of evidence from both ends taking into account documentary evidence from traditional sources, where available, as well as DNA-related evidence.
I started with the connection back from me to William Lang and Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams; working backwards. I then looked into the evidence of a connection down from Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick to William Lang; working forwards. The puzzle I am trying to solve is sandwiched in between the two. After that, the next step, was to look at evidence relating to my connection to Richard Lang and Sara Benson.
I have made use of reverse genealogy[2] in my investigation. This became particularly important when considering the possible link between me and Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick and between me and Richard Lang and Sara Benson because traditional sources of information have proved elusive. Consequently, I have been looking closely at shared matches and the extent to which I can cluster and triangulate matches around a common ancestor either as pedigree triangulations[3] or segment triangulations[4].
Pedigree triangulations can provide important clues for determining family and genealogical relationships but, in the absence of segment data, they don’t necessarily confirm genetic inheritance. They are not necessarily indicative of where the shared DNA has come from. Sometimes people connect on multiple lines.
It is important that I consider how complete my tree is, as well. The more incomplete my tree, the greater the likelihood that the genetic link could be coming from a line I have yet to discover; a line that also links to the DNA matches.
My decent from William Lang and Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams
Taking into consideration both traditional sources of evidence and DNA-related evidence, I can be confident that this part of my tree – myself back to William Lang and Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams, is genealogically correct.
Working with shared matches and pedigree triangulations …
I have connected several matches (matching me and one another) who share William Lang and Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams as most recent common ancestral couple (MRCA) with me and whose shared matches suggest the connection is via William rather than Martha. I also have DNA matches who trace their ancestry back to Martha ‘Patsy’ Adam’s father, William, her Grandfather, James (II) and her Great Grandfather James (I). This gives me further confidence that I am a descendent of William Lang and Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams.I have also connected matches (matching me and one another) who share Permelia Lang and Travis Stone as most recent common ancestral couple (MRCA) with me and whose shared matches suggest the connection is via Permelia Lang rather than Travis. In addition, I have evidence of segment triangulation to Travis’ parents. This adds to my confidence that I am a descendent of Permelia and Travis.
What I don’t yet have is a segment triangulation directly to William and Martha and to Permelia and Travis. So, I am unable to fully step back a genetic connection to Richard Lang and his parents, Robert and Millicent.
William Lang and William Lang – one in the same or not?
I haven’t been able to find much information about the William who married Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams. Records suggest that both he and his wife, Martha, were born in South Carolina. It appears that he and Martha had moved to Alabama by 1835 as their youngest child was born there that year. William and Martha moved to Kemper County, Mississippi sometime between 1835 and 1840. There appear to be a number of people named William Lang in Kemper County during this time period. The 1840 US Federal Census for Kemper County, Mississippi shows a William Lang living alongside Travis Stone in Kemper County. Travis Stone is William and Martha’s son-in-law. For this reason, I think this record belongs to the William Lang who married Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams[5]. William appears to have died sometime between 1840 and 1850. According to the 1850 United States Federal Census, Martha was living with her children Richard, Martha and Emily in Kemper County, Mississippi in 1850. William is not on this census entry. This census record shows that Martha was living nearby to her daughter Permelia Lang and her family, and nearby to her son Robert Lang and his family[6].
I haven’t been able to find much information about Richard’s son William and most of the information I do have is from secondary sources. As I indicated in my post Loyalist - Rebel - Justice of the Peace: Richard Lang (1744-1816), Richard’s son William appears to have been born in about 1780 in South Carolina and moved with his family to East Florida in about 1782. In the 1787 Spanish census of Householders of Amelia Island, Spanish East Florida, Richard’s household was shown as follows:
Ricardo Lang – Native of South Carolina; Protestant; is married with 2 sons and 4 daughters; occupation farmer; has 1 negro, 2 horses, and 11 head of cattle; is owner of a sloop with twenty-two feet of keel; requests land[7].
The children mentioned here are most likely William and David and Elizabeth, Rebecca, Lydia, and Anna. They are the youngest 6 living children of Richard and Sara at the time. Maria, Sara and Eady were all born after 1787. Two years later in the December 1789 Spanish census of Householders of St Mary's River, Spanish East Florida [8] Richard’s household was shown as:
Richard Lang, 45 years old; his wife 38. He has four children named: Rebecca, 1_? ___, 8; David, 6; Sara, 2. No slaves. 0 pigs; 2 horses; 0 cows. His religion is Protestant[9].
The ages of the named children don’t line up with baptism records, the missing child aged 8 could be either Lydia who would have been about 7 when the census was taken or William who would have been aged 9 in December 1789. Either way, one of them was missing from the census in December 1789 along with William’s younger sisters, Anna (aged 5 at the time) and Maria (aged 1 year at the time). None of the missing children were living with their older brother Isaac either as his household is shown in the 1789, Spanish census of Householders of St Mary's River, Spanish East Florida as follows:
Isaac Lang, 22 years old; his wife 16. He has no children. His property: 1 Negro, 6 head of bovine cattle, 3 horses, 8 pigs. His religion is Protestant[10].
Perhaps the missing children were living with one of their older sisters - Elizabeth who married David Bailey in 1789 or Mary who married Francis Sterling sometime before 1789; something I need to research further.
I can’t find any mention of William after this. He may well have returned to South Carolina as an adult and be the same William that married Martha 'Patsy' Adams but we don’t know this. So, whether or not Richard’s son William is the same William as the William who married Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams remains an open question. He may or may not be. Evidence that I have found to date from traditional sources does not shed much light on William Lang. Is it significant that William and Martha's first son was named Robert, their second son William and their third son Richard?
As far as I have been able to determine at this point, then, the answer remains, ‘yes, it is possible they are not one in the same’. However, at this point, I don't think it is any more probable that they are not the same person than the hypothesis that requires that they are. There just isn't enough evidence to determine this.
My descent from Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick
To date, I have connected a significant number of my DNA matches to my tree with Robert and Millicent as most recent common ancestral couple (MRCA). Some of these matches can be grouped as pedigree triangulation groups but, as these matches are on Ancestry, some may not be showing as shared matches to each other because they share less than 20 centimorgans (cM) with one another. While I have confidence that these connections are indicative of a genealogical connection, I can't be certain that they are indicative of a genetic connection. They may link to me in multiple ways.
What is potentially more useful is that I have been able to form a segment triangulation group around Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick, albeit it small. This is illustrated below in a table and by chromosome mapping. Note that the 'Actual Relationship' referred to below is the speculative actual relationship based on the hypothetical connection of Robert(II) ⇨ Richard ⇨ William ⇨ Permelia ... etc.
I can place some reliance on the descendants of Robert Lang (III). Traditional sources agree he is the son of Robert (II) and his descent lines appear to be reasonably well sourced. This, therefore, lends weight to my relationship to Robert and Millicent. The link of the matches to Richard in the adapted McGuire chart remain speculative because the link between William and Robert Lang (II) via Richard remains speculative. Those matches who, like me, have speculated they descend from Robert and Millicent via Richard and William may simply have wrong trees, given that traditional sources of evidence do not help in making these connections. Noticeably, if you set Richard aside, the link is via one child of Robert and Millicent only. I do have other matches who link to other children of Robert and Millicent but they either don't link on that segment or no segment information is available.
The probability figures on the adapted McGuire chart above show that the relationships are possible and are within the range of probability. However, the shared cM value for these matches is low; all are under 40cM and, when put into the DNA shared cM project calculator, version 4, at DNA Painter[12] they show a wide range of probability relationships. For these reasons, the What are the Odds (WATO)[13] tool is not useful here.
So, I have a number of DNA matches who group together around Robert and Millicent that, potentially, link me to them genealogically (based on tree triangulations) and/or genetically (based on segment triangulation).
Looking more comprehensively across the matches’ trees and my own tree, the DNA does not appear to be coming to me from anywhere else. However, I am conscious of the incompleteness of my tree. I have not yet been able to extend the line beyond my 2nd Great Grandmother, Eliza, whose surname remains unknown. Similarly, I have a significant gap in my tree beyond my 2nd Great Grandmother, Nancy[14]. Who knows what is to be found behind those brick walls? On the other hand, I do also have a set of DNA matches who trace their ancestry back to Millicent’s Grandfather, Francis Myrick. Again, I can’t be sure this is where the DNA is coming from either.
Notwithstanding all the reservations expressed above, I feel reasonably confident that I descend from Robert and Millicent. When combining DNA matches with a connection via segment triangulation and DNA matches connected via pedigree triangulation, I can tentatively step back my connection to Robert and Millicent. However, this entails a speculative connection to Richard and it concerns me that I cannot fully step back the connection via Richard using chromosomal data. I cannot discount that I may be wrong. There is much here that remains open to challenge.
Even if we accept it as likely that Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick are my ancestors, the information above neither supports nor casts doubt on the hypothesis that my descent is via their son Richard Lang and his son, William. The evidence from traditional sources is clear that Richard is a son of Robert and Millicent. This evidence also points to Richard having had a son William (see above) but the answer to the two key interrelated research questions outlined above remains the same - ‘Yes, it’s possible’.
On the basis of what I have discovered so far, then, my hypothesis that Richard Lang is my 4th Great Grandfather is neither fully supported nor disproved. Nor, at this stage, does this information point to one scenario being more probable than the other.
Looking at Richard Lang and Sara Benson
It is likely, but not certain, that I am somehow related to Richard because:
- I am reasonably confident (although not certain) that I descend from Richard's parents, Robert and Millicent
- I know from traditional sources that Richard is the son of Robert and Millicent and that he married Sara Benson as discussed in my previous post Loyalist - Rebel - Justice of the Peace: Richard Lang (1744-1816).
What I don’t know, is how I relate to Richard Lang. As explained above, my hypothesis is that I descend from Richard via his son William (and William’s wife Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams) … and so on, and that, therefore, Richard is my 4th Great Grandfather. On the basis of the discussion so far, this continues to remain speculative at this point in time.
So, what links can I find directly to Richard Lang and Sara Benson? I have connected several matches (matching me and one another) who share Richard Lang and Sara Benson as most recent common ancestral couple (MRCA) with me and whose shared matches suggest the connection is via Richard rather than Sara. Most of those connections descend via Richard’s son Isaac. Several descend from his son, David and a few from his daughter, Sara.
The evidence from traditional sources that Isaac is the son of Richard is relatively strong. Traditional sources of evidence give me confidence that Isaac, David, Sara and their descendants do descend from Richard, and therefore, from Robert and Millicent.
Isaac and his descendants
Of the DNA matches who descend from Richard via his son Isaac, descent continues via 9 of Isaac’s children – William, Nathaniel, Willis, Isaac, Robert, George, Susan, Priscilla and Elizabeth. When I connect them to my hypothetical line (William to Richard to Robert (I) Lang) in my tree, these DNA matches range from 5C to 5C2R; most being either 5C or 5C1R. My shared DNA with these matches ranges from 7cM – 46cM; the majority greater than 10cM; the average being 17cM.
Using this information, I used the Shared cM Project Calculator, version 4 found on the DNA Painter website[15] to consider the relationship probability for each of the matches. I didn’t use WATO[16] because most of the matches share less than 40cM with me. The probability percentages range from 30.77% to 63.65% probable; the majority being around 62% and 63%; the average being 58.27%
All of the relationships for this set of matches fall within the range of what is probable. However, it is important to acknowledge that the shared DNA values are relatively small and, therefore, cover a wide range of probabilities.
With this in mind, I looked at how the probability percentages would change if Richard was the brother of my 4th Great Grandfather rather than my 4th Great Grandfather. This, in effect, would mean that my MRCA with these matches, instead of being Richard, would be Robert and Millicent thereby changing the relationship by one generation. As I expected, this made no change to the percentages because of the relatively low shared cM values and the wide range of probabilities associated with them.
David and his Descendants and Sara and her Descendants
I repeated the above exercise for the DNA matches that descend from Richard’s son David and from Richard’s daughter Sara. DNA matches that descend from David descend via three of his children – Ann, Richard and Margaret. DNA matches that descend from Sara descend from her son, Richard, and three of her grandchildren via son Richard. For David and Sara’s descendents, there is a similar pattern to that found with the descendents of Isaac. However, the shared cM’s are smaller, expecially in the case of Sara’s descendents.
For David’s descendents:
DNA matches range from 5C to 5C2R; most being either 5C or 5C1R. Shared DNA with the matches ranges from 7cM-39cM; the majority are greater than 10cM; the average being 16cM. Probability percentages range from 48.98% to 63.39% probable; the majority being above 61%; the average being 59.60%
For Sara’s descendents:
Only three DNA matches have been connected to this line, one per each of Sara’s grandchildren via her son Richard. These matches range from 5C to 5C1R. Shared DNA with the matches ranges from 7cM-14.90cM; average 10cM. Probability percentages range from 60.44% to 63.39% probable; the average being 62.38%.
Again all of the relationships for these two sets of matches (David's descendants and Sara's descendents) fall within the range of what is probable but it is important to acknowledge that the shared DNA values are very small, cover a wide range of probabilities, and, as small matches, have a higher chance of being false positive matches.
As was the case in relation to the matches who linked to Richard via Isaac, when the relationship is changed by one generation, this made no change to the percentages because of the relatively low shared cM values and the wide range of probabilities associated with them.
Notwithstanding the various reservations expressed above, my hypothesis about my relationship to Richard appears to hold to the extent that the hypothesis is not disproved. However, I am no closer to being any surer of it. My 4th great grandfather may well be a son of Robert (II) Lang and Millicent Myrick (although that is still open to challenge), but he may or may not be Richard Lang. The answer to the first of the two interrelated research questions remains ‘Yes, it is possible that I descend via a different child of Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick – that is, from a sibling of Richard rather than Richard himself. I don't have enough information to judge which alternative is most probable.
Benson-related DNA matches
Unfortunately, I haven’t yet been able to trace Sara Benson’s family back with any certainty using traditional sources. The next logical step is to find evidence of a connection between me and the Benson family. If Richard Lang and Sara Benson are my 4th great grandparents, I should have a clump of matches with shared Benson ancestors. If I can find some potential shared common ancestors, I may be able to figure out where Sara fits within the Benson family e.g., who her parents may be in order to add weight to the hypothesis that Richard is my 4th great grandfather.
This lack of information about Sara's ancestry signals another line in my tree that is incomplete and which, therefore, is potentially the source of multiple connections to DNA matches that I don't yet know about. Further reason to continue to view my hypothesis about Richard Lang with some scepticism.
This aspect of my research is still in progress. I am discovering that I have a number of DNA matches who trace their ancestry back to Robert Benson born about 1685 in Greenville, Virginia, died 1757 King George, Virginia, married Frances Prou. I have a lot more work to do in analysing these matches and their shared matches etc.
So ... Is Richard Lang my Ancestor?
The question of whether I descend from Richard Lang, son of Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick, via their son William (and William’s wife Martha ‘Patsy’ Adams) ⇒ William ⇒ Permelia … etc. making Richard my 4th Great Grandfather is a question I still cannot answer – May be / May be not?
Is it possible that I descend via a different child of Robert Lang and Millicent Myrick – that is, from a sibling of Richard rather than Richard himself? and that William Lang who is Permelia’s father, is not the same William as the William that is the son of Richard Lang? - May be / May be not?
More work to do. The search continues for more concrete evidence to either disprove, or better support, the hypothesis; my main focus now being the Benson family.
I hope I will have more to say on this topic at a later date … ?
N.B. I have now moved by blogging efforts from this platform to We Are.xyz so that I can integrate building my family history archive with blogging. This post, or a similar version of it, can be found at: https://app.weare.xyz/blog/the-dual-genealogist/blogposts/my-relationship-to-richard-lang-what-does-the-dna-say
Notes
[1] Depending what nomenclature you use.
[4] A segment triangulation is where 3 or more people who each share DNA with one another in the same place on the same chromosome and can all trace their family tree back to the same common ancestor or ancestral couple. That is, they each share an overlapping segment on the same chromosome with one another.
[7] Extract from: Donna Rachal Mills (1992) Florida’s First Families - Translated Abstracts of Pre-1821 Spanish Censuses, Mills historical press Tuscaloosa, Alabama & Naples, Florida (p.64) Transcript via Ancestry.com. Originally shared to Ancestry.com by Ralan64 on 10 June 2013. Accessed 4 May 2022
[8] This is now Nassau County, Florida.
[9] Donna Rachal Mills (1992) - See Note 7 (p.115)
[10] Donna Rachal Mills (1992) - See Note 7 (p.115)
[11] Method developed by Lauren Reed McGuire - See Lauren Reed McGuire GUEST POST: The McGuire Method – Simplified Visual DNA Comparisons (posted 19 March 2017) via Blaine Bettinger (Ed.) The Genetic Genealogist [Blog].
[12] Shared cM Project Calculator via DNAPainter [Website] Accessed 2 February 2020
[13] What are the Odds Tool (WATO) via DNAPainter [Website] Accessed 2 Feb 2020
[15] Shared cM Project Calculator via DNAPainter [Website] Accessed 2 February 2020
[16] What are the Odds Tool (WATO) via DNAPainter [Website] Accessed 2 Feb 2020
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