Higgins (Y-DNA)

Status summary

Completed as of March 23, 2021:

• Recruiting additional direct male-line Jonathan Higgins descendants for further SNP testing - anyone interested in submitting their DNA for testing should contact MayflowerDNA1620@gmail.com

Still to do as of March 23, 2021

• NGS/WGS test multiple descendants of Jonathan Higgins to firmly place family clade as well as test descendants to discover any subclades unique to descendants lines

Biography

For more information see Higgins, Mrs. Katharine Chapin, Richard Higgins... and his Descendants (privately published), Worcester, MA 1918.

First Generation

Richard Higgins is said to have been born about 1609 in England. It is unknown when he emigrated to New England, but he first appears in Plymouth in 1633. He married Plymouth 11 Dec 1634 Lydia Chandler and they are known to have only had two sons before her premature death (Plymouth): Jonathan and Benjamin (Jul 1640).

Second Generation

Jonathan Higgins was born Plymouth in Jul 1637 and died aft 21 May 1711. He married twice, first Eastham 9 Jan 1660 Elizabeth Rogers and second aft 16 Jul 1679 Hannah Rogers. By his first wife they had six children: Beriah (1661), Jonathan (1664), Joseph (twin 1666/7), Jemima (twin 1666/7), Hannah (c1672) and Elisha (c1677). By his second wife, they had five children: Elizabeth (1680), Mary (1682), Rebecca (1686), James (1688) and Sarah (1690).

Third Generation

Beriah Higgins was born Eastham 29 Sep 1661 and died bef 27 Apr 1699. He married and had at least one son: Joseph (bef 1697, likely unm.).

Jonathan Higgins (II) was born Eastham "latter end of" Aug 1664 and died there bet 2 Nov 1753 and Jun 1754. He apparently married twice, with his second wife being Lydia SPARROW Freeman. By his first (Unknown) wife, Jonathan had at least two children: Thankful (c1692) and Samuel (1694). By his second wife he had: Hannah (bef 1697), Jonathan (c1697) and Experience (dau. c1699).

Joseph Higgins was born Eastham 14 Feb 1666/7 and died bef 21 May 1729. He married abt 1689 Ruth _____ and they had three children: Joseph (1690 m Mercy Remick), Beriah (c1692) and Ruth (1700).

Elisha Higgins was born Eastham about 1677 died bet 19 Sep 1749 and 7 Aug 1750. He married three times, first Eastham 30 Sep 1701 Jane Collins; second Eastham 23 Nov 1739 Elizabeth _____ and third Harwich 24 Apr 1746 Rachel Lincoln. He only had children by his first wife: Elisha (1701/2), Martha (1703/4), [Beriah] https://www.thomasrogerssociety.com/p8.htm#i216 (1705/6), Alice (1707), Apphia (1709), Jonathan (1711), Elizabeth (1713), Joseph (1717-b1749 likely unm.), Ruth (1719), Barnabas (1722) and Philip (1724/5 poss. no ch.).

James Higgins was born Eastham 22 Jul 1688 and died there 11 Jul 1777. He married twice, first Sarah Mayo and second Eastham 12 Dec 1726 Sarah Bixbie. By his first wife he had three children: Rebecca (c1716), James (c1718) and Hannah (c1720). By his second wife he had one more child: Dorcas (bef 1731).

Fourth Generation

Samuel was born Eastham 5 Oct 1694 and died there 25 Jul 1776. He married Barnstable 9 Oct 1718 Mehitable Phinney and they had ten children: Hannah (1719), Ebenezer (1721 m Hannah Yates), Martha (1723), Susanna (1726), Jonathan (1728), Samuel (1730), Eliakim (1733), Silvanus (1736), Lydia (1737) and Prince (1741).

Jonathan Higgins (III) was born Eastham abt 1697 and died 30 Jan 1792. He married Harwich 5 Apr 1722 Rebecca Hopkins and they had one child: Phebe (1722/3).

Joseph Higgins was born Eastham 1 Oct 1690 and died Lyme, CT 21 Dec 1783. He married Eastham 18 Feb 1718/9 Mercy Remick and they had eight children: Joseph (c1721), Rebecca (1724), Christian (c1725), Mercy (c1728), Thankful (c1734), Jemima (c1735), Silvanus (c1736) and Joseph (c1740).

Beriah Higgins was born Eastham abt 1692 and died aft 1736. He married abt 1716 Desire Cooke and they had six children: Thankful (1717), Jemima (1719), Desire (1724), Deborah (1725), Beriah (1727) and Phebe (1736).

DNA results R-DF89

Previous Y-DNA testing

The O'Higgins - Higgins DNA Project Group R1b documents three individuals who state their Most Distant Known Paternal Ancestor (MDKPA) was Richard Higgins (c1603-1675). None of them have done any Y-SNP testing, but one of them has done 111 Y-STR testing. While FTDNA only predicts the family would fall under R1b-M269, plugging in the 111 Y_STR values into the Nevgen.org haplogroup predictor comes up with: R1b U106>Z381>Z301>S1688>U198>>DF89 with 100% probability.

Further DNA testing needed

NGS/WGS testing of descendants of Richard Higgins (and preferably of Jonathan Higgins) would further refine this prediction.

References & External Links

• Westgate, Alice W.A. (revised by Ann T. Reeves) (2nd ed. rev. by Peggy M. Baker), Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: vol. 19 Rogers, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA. Second edition 2013
• Thomas Rogers Society
• Higgins, Mrs. Katharine Chapin, Richard Higgins... and his Descendants (privately published), Worcester, MA 1918