Higgins (Y-DNA)
Contents
Status summary
Completed as of March 23, 2021:
- Recruiting patrilineal (all male-)line Jonathan Higgins descendants for NGS/WGS testing. Any male who believes they qualify should Read me First
IMPORTANT: Read me First
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 (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).
Elisha Higgins was born Eastham 3 Jan 1701/2 and died Bennington, VT 22 Jan 1777. He married twice, first Eastham 19 Oct 1721 Sarah Lewis then Eastham 24 Jan 1733/4 Hannah DOANE Atwood. By his first wife he had four children: Jane (1722/3), Sarah (1725), Elisha (1727) and Edward (1733). By his second wife he had four more children: Joseph (1734/5), Abigail (1737), Abial (1740) and Uriah (1742).
Beriah Higgins was born Eastham 15 Jan 1705/6 and died aft 1774. He married twice, first Eastham 1 Jun 1730 Jemima Witherell and second (int. Eastham 15 Oct 1755) Abigail Higgins. By his first wife he had eleven children: Beriah (1731), Mercy (1733), Jemima (1735-1736), Joseph (1737), Jemima (1738), Anna (1740), John (1742), Lot (1745-1746), Lot (1746/7-1765 unm.), Jane (1748) and Rachel (1750). By his second wife he had two more children: Ephraim (1757) and Beriah (1759).
Jonathan Higgins was born Eastham 8 Oct 1711 and died aft 19 Sep 1749. He married (int. Eastham 28 Jun 1736) Rachel Doane and they had eight children (Hardwick): Jonathan (1736), Lurana (1738), Henry (1740 d.y.), Henry (1743), Bethiah (1746), Joshua (1748), Rachel (1751) and Phillip (1754).
Barnabas Higgins was born Eastham 1722 and died Wellfleet 18 Aug 1799. He married twice, first Truro 3 Mar 1742/3 Mary Smith then Truro 2 Mar 1748/9 Abigail Paine. By his first wife he had three children: Jane (1744-1744), Barnabas (1745) and Elisha (1748). By his second wife he had five more children: Daniel (1751), infant son (1755-1755), infant son (1756-1756), Phillip (1758) and Mary (1760).
Phillip Higgins was born Eastham 4 Mar 1724/5. He married Truro 26 Mar 1747 Phoebe Lewis, but they had no children.
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.
NGS/WGS testing
Two individuals have Big Y-700 tested and they documented where they fall under different haplogroups, separated by thousands of years. It is currently believed the true Higgins line falls under DF89>FGC12306>FGC12305>PH1254>FGC12307
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
- Thomas Rogers Society Genealogy Database
- Higgins, Mrs. Katharine Chapin, Richard Higgins... and his Descendants (privately published), Worcester, MA 1918