# Population Genetics > mtDNA Haplogroups >  mtDNA R1A in Colinial Virginia. How?

## elghund

On one of my family lines, there runs the mtDNA haplogroup R1A (not to be confused with the y-DNA R1A). This particular line is documented to the late 1700s Virginia where the documentation finally runs out. From my reading mtDNA R1a occurs at low frequencies in parts of India, the Caucasus and Russia and Poland. Although there was a few East Indians in the colonies they were generally single men and few in number. I could find only one case of where a woman came from East India. The Caucasus, Russia and Poland also seem like unlikely sources for mtDNA is colonial Virginia. Again, the very few settlers from these areas also tended to be single men.

Can I assume one of the above regions to be the origin of mtDNA R1a in my family, given that it is in colonial Virginia, or does this mtDNA exist at low frequencies throughout Europe? I can't find any data for mtDNA R1A frequencies. The search is complicated by the very common y-DNA haplogroup R1a.

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## zanipolo

> On one of my family lines, there runs the mtDNA haplogroup R1A (not to be confused with the y-DNA R1A). This particular line is documented to the late 1700s Virginia where the documentation finally runs out. From my reading mtDNA R1a occurs at low frequencies in parts of India, the Caucasus and Russia and Poland. Although there was a few East Indians in the colonies they were generally single men and few in number. I could find only one case of where a woman came from East India. The Caucasus, Russia and Poland also seem like unlikely sources for mtDNA is colonial Virginia. Again, the very few settlers from these areas also tended to be single men.
> 
> Can I assume one of the above regions to be the origin of mtDNA R1a in my family, given that it is in colonial Virginia, or does this mtDNA exist at low frequencies throughout Europe? I can't find any data for mtDNA R1A frequencies. The search is complicated by the very common y-DNA haplogroup R1a.


Vikings brought slaves from east baltic sea lands to britain and iceland. It could be from this scenario.

After the Romans, the vikings where the biggest holders of slaves in europe.

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## Fire Haired

i think u just have a very very very very very very very very rare european mtDNA haplogroup somehow 100's or 1,000's of years ago ur family in europe inter married with someone who had a maternal line going back to india or somewhere else in asia

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## foryouandme

Well, as some of you may know that I'm a fan of rare haplogroups. Not very much is known about them. Correct me if I'm wrong but this MtDNA seems to have similar distribution to Y-DNA haplogroups R1a and R2 perhaps they were their wives. Have you tried looking on mitosearch.org 

http://www.mitosearch.org/haplosearc...&submit=Search

http://www.mitosearch.org/haplosearc...&submit=Search


According to Wikipedia:




> *R1*
> R1* (16278): In Kurdish from Turkmenistan (9%).R1a
> R1a* (3337): Found in Brahmins from Uttar Pradesh (India). Also in Adygei people (Caucasus).R1a1: Found in Northwest Caucasian people like Kabardins and Adygei people. Observed in eastern European populations like northwestern Russians and Poles.

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## Tabaccus Maximus

> On one of my family lines, there runs the mtDNA haplogroup R1A (not to be confused with the y-DNA R1A). This particular line is documented to the late 1700s Virginia where the documentation finally runs out. From my reading mtDNA R1a occurs at low frequencies in parts of India, the Caucasus and Russia and Poland. Although there was a few East Indians in the colonies they were generally single men and few in number. I could find only one case of where a woman came from East India. The Caucasus, Russia and Poland also seem like unlikely sources for mtDNA is colonial Virginia. Again, the very few settlers from these areas also tended to be single men.
> 
> Can I assume one of the above regions to be the origin of mtDNA R1a in my family, given that it is in colonial Virginia, or does this mtDNA exist at low frequencies throughout Europe? I can't find any data for mtDNA R1A frequencies. The search is complicated by the very common y-DNA haplogroup R1a.



Read the history of Jamestown, Virginia. One of the original cockamamy plot of the train-wreck that eventually became the Virginia company was to start mulberry plantations for the production of silk. A number of Easterners who were from either/or a combination of Persians or Indians.
A good number of Poles were brought in to the early Jamestown colony as workers since the lordly Englishmen that came in had no expectation to work.


The ship manifests are very incomplete. The land patents through which most importations are known are comical to the degree of which fraud was socially acceptable.

I would investigate every one of these foreign people and work backwards. This is probably your best opportunity to find a possible female ancestor.

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## kbwilliams

I realize this is an old thread, but if anyone is still following, I'd like to say that my mtdna is r1a and my family came from Lancashire UK in 1874. I can trace the maternal line to 1713, so it seems likely that your colonial Virginia ancestors might have been from Britain.

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## aleene

The thread is still valid, as there seem to be few R1a mtDNA people around. Would be interesting to know where these people come from.

I have it as well (R1a1a1). I am dutch to 1750.

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## Leo7

Hello I have tested my haplogroup with 23andme and I have R1a(mtDNA). I and my relatives came from tuscany (Italy)

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## aleene

You can upload your 23andme data to dna.jameslick.com/mthap/ and get refined results

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## Wheal

There were primarily indentured slaves in America in the 1600's. Typically impoverished that wanted to leave Europe and start a new life where there was the potential of more opportunity.

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## Leo7

I have upload my 23andme data on dna.jameslick.com. results say that "best mtDNA Haplogroup Matches" is with R1a1a. But write: "Your results contained differences with this haplogroup".
Has you test with 23andme V5 ? Your corrispondence with R1a1a1 is Total?

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## Leo7

> You can upload your 23andme data to dna.jameslick.com/mthap/ and get refined results


I have upload my 23andme data on dna.jameslick.com. results say that "best mtDNA Haplogroup Matches" is with R1a1a. But write: "Your results contained differences with this haplogroup".
Has you test with 23andme V5 ? Your corrispondence with R1a1a1 is Total?

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## aleene

I have the same results. Guess we need to find another place to improve the quality of the results.

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## HAYZOO

Saxons and Angeles lived not far from lands in inhabited by West Slavic peoples in fact The part of modern Germany that is East of the Elbe probably has had more Slavic speakers then Germanic speakers At certain periods of time so they could have been the source thats why Slavic town names are so common in Northeastern Germany despite most inhabits considering themselves German today Berlin is is Slavic word and was originally settled by Slavs its funny considering that was the capital of Nazi Germany

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## HAYZOO

Maybe Gypsies

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## Angela

Lots of Swiss Germans went to the U.S., among them the famously misnamed Pennsylvania Dutch. Do the dates work?

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## ratchet_fan

Is mtdna R considered West Eurasian?

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