The Uma Clan (U3 Haplogroup) of Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA & MatriLine

Through the work of Prof. Bryan Sykes at Oxford Ancestors (www.oxfordancestors.com) and with the purchase of their MatriLine service, I have learned that I am not an offspring of one of the well-publicized "Seven Daughters of Eve," the mitochondrial DNA mothers of 95% of native Europeans. See also an ABC News article at http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/daughters000420.html as well as this Discovery Channel site: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/realeve/realeve.html

Although I am of maternal European extraction, my mitochondrial DNA sequence differs from that norm. Worldwide, 33 maternal mitrochondrial DNA lines exist at present. Mine, the Uma clan, comprises a small portion of that remaining 5% of Europeans. Take a look at the chart at Oxford Ancestors' website. If Uma were represented, she would share a node with the European Daughters, Ursula and Katrine.

About Uma

According to Oxford Ancestors, Uma's descendants are found "mainly in Western Eurasia, particularly Turkey, Armenia, Syria, and Iraq, though there are also members of her clan as far afield as Norway, Scotland, Denmark and Germany ... If your recent roots were in Europe then one or more of your maternal ancestors would have made the exotic journey from the Levant at the [sic] some time in the past." Sykes' description goes on to say they don't know when or where Uma lived, but they'll make the information available as research is performed.

About Me

Upon learning the results of my MatriLine test, I was a little disappointed to not be from one of the Seven Daughters, because Oxford Ancestors has discerned places and times of origin for them. I suppose the same will come for Uma in time.

It does feel strange for this Scottish lass to discover a probable Near to Middle Eastern origin, even in light of the "Out of Africa" theories essentially proven through mtDNA research.

The earliest maternal ancestor I know is Sara McMILLIAN born about 1810 Scotland. Sara married Peter ROBINSON. [In the IGI, I have found a Sarah MAC MILLAN born about 1804 in Kilchoman, Islay Island, Argyll, Scotland who married a Peter ROBERTSON who was born about 1808.] I descend from their daughter, Jane, born May 1830 in Scotland. About 1852, probably in Glenelg, Grey County, Ontario, Canada, Jane married Duncan McKECHNIE. In Glenelg, they had a daughter, Barbra, on January 1, 1861, seen variably as 1862 and 1863 as well. On September 1, 1886 in Wells Township, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada, Barbra married William JOHNSON. Together, they had a daughter, Barbara Emily, born October 21, 1895 in Dafter Township, Chippewa County, Michigan, USA. On April 23, 1916 in Sault Saint Marie, Chippewa County, Michigan, USA, Barbara married Alexander Earl SCALES. They are my great grandparents.

As I reflect about the MatriLine data, I realize that being of European descent and coming from Uma's clan could be of a greater genealogical impact that coming from one of the Seven Daughters. Uma's mitochondrial DNA appearing so rarely in Europe implies that it is a rather recent addition to the European population. Being that her descendants are primarily in the Levant and then sprinkled around northern Europe could mean that a descendant of Uma was brought back to Europe as part of the Crusades or that seafaring northern Europeans found her descendant at an eastern Mediterranean port. Prof. Sykes gives several such hypotheses for other individuals in his book, The Seven Daughters of Eve. A simple, alternative explanation for Uma's mtDNA rarity at present would be that Uma descendants produced fewer daughters.

Technically speaking, my mtDNA sequence is U3 haplogroup with mutations at 16343G & 16390A. The former is a mutation occuring most often in the Near to Middle Eastern countries listed above. [See http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~macaulay/founder2000/index.html for more information.] The latter mutation, 16390A, is one I could not find in the literature associated with U3. See also http://shelob.bioanth.cam.ac.uk/mtDNA/

In summation, I'll probably never know my much more, but this experience has made me richer for the depth of knowledge. I'd love to connect with others from Uma's clan as well.

Addendum:
Shortly after creating this website in November, 2001, I was contacted by another U3 haplogroup descendant. Our haplotypes are very similar. She shares the same 2 mutations of 16343G & 16390A, plus has an additional mutation at 16356C. Her genealogical research on her maternal line has taken her back as far as about 1800 Georgia, USA.

July 2003: Over time, I have heard from 5 additional Uma descendants and am casually compiling information. If you choose to contact me, include your specific mutations and your maternal genealogical line, including your maternal surnames, locations, and dates as best you can. Post also at Sykes' Oxford Ancestors message board, too. Have your contact information current there as well. At present, there are 5 Uma descendants who are listed there with identical mutations as mine, all are in USA, but none have contact information available.

Related Link

My Genealogy Site