The mutations which occur in the male sex chromosome (and in the female mitochondrial DNA) fall into defined haplogroups. [Haplogroups are groups of haplotypes that share common ancestry defined by shared sequence. Haplotypes are a set of closely linked alleles (genes or DNA polymorphisms)inherited as a unit.] These haplogroups have received intensive study in the recent years and new variations are still being found. The Germanna Thomas family is in Haplogroup E . This haplogroup can be further refined as more mutations have been added to the basic E pattern. More specifically the Germanna Thomas family is in Haplotype E3a3b .
The distribution of this haplotype has been plotted around the world. First, the basic E pattern originated , long ago, in Africa. It has split into two branches, E3a and E3b , with E3a remaining mostly in Africa. Haplogroup E3b is found mainly in populations from East Africa, West Asia, and Southeastern Europe and Italy.
Some percentages show the distribution among the population. In Italy, 15.7% of the people in the Calabria area have the E3b3a , especially among the Albanian community of Cosenza Province. 11.7% of the Askenazim Jews have this haplotype, as do 10% of the Shephardim Jews. In Tunisa, 5.2% of the males have the haplotype. 5.1% of the Ethiopians have it, as do 3.5% of the Sardinia Italians.
In northern Europe the haplogroup is very rare. In England it is almost nonexistent, and no cases have been found in Wales, Ireland, or Scotland (except for the "accidentals"). Southwestern Germany has a low frequency.
Apparently, the male line of the Germanna Thomases came from the south side of the Alps, but this may have been from the south, or from the east, via the south.
In the U.S.A., the general frequency of E3b3a is about 2%, so it not that rare here. In Europe it occurs at about a 1.7% rate. This may have arisen with the arrival of Neolithic farmers from the Near East. Or it may have been introduced directly into Europe from Africa (perhaps by way of Roman soldiers?).
[I need to read more so I will stop here.]
[This is fun, as it certainly gives one the BIG picture.]
(18 Apr 06)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.