Update 10/19/2022: One genealogy conversation leads to another and a third Marie Rouensa mtDNA proven descendant, Amy Meyer, joins our project!

Marie Rouensa descendant, Amy Meyer

Traditional mitochondrial DNA research of known matrilineal lines of descent from an earliest ancestor, Marie Rouensa, takes on a new dimension as autosomal DNA matches among descendants, shared segment triangulations, and most recent common ancestors are identified.

The subject of Marie Rouensa's fascinating history, and the C4c1 haplogroup finding first discovered for Rusty Petitjean, along with his matrilineal line of descent from Marie Rouensa, in November of 2020 by our Acadian Amerindian Ancestry DNA project, were topics of conversation among the St. Landry Smith genealogy group members.  The St. Landry Smith project had been started by Amy Meyer, a known descendant of Marie Rouensa.  Deadra Doucet Bourke, who also participates in the group, shared the news about the discovery of Rusty Petitjean's matrilineal line of descent, since proven, from ancestor Marie Rouensa nearly two years ago.

While Amy had formed the Smith project to research a Smith surname lineage from St. Landry, Deadra's story about mtDNA matches among matrilineal descendants of Marie Rouensa piqued her interest. Amy wanted to know more about the C4c1 mtDNA haplogroup subclade identified by Full Sequence mitochondrial (mtDNA) test results of two of her descendants, Robert Franklin and Rusty Petitjean. 

As Deadra explained  project findings, Amy began to wonder if her mtDNA test results would qualify her as a member of the same C4c1 mtDNA haplogroup subclade to which Rusty and Robert belonged. Amy knew about her genealogical line of descent from Marie Rouensa, as did Robert Franklin before he had his mtDNA test. What would her Family Tree DNA Full Sequence mtDNA test results reveal?

Unable to contain her excitement, Amy announced that she too was a descendant of Marie Rouensa!  Pleasantly surprised, Deadra immediately shared a link about Rusty's line of descent from Marie Rouensa. (See: https://familyheritageresearchcommunity.org/rouensa-dna for the initial article and project updates).

After reviewing the article, and scanning the lines that were posted for Marie Rouensa's matrilineal DNA descendants, Rusty and Robert, Amy was confident that her Full Sequence mtDNA test results would be in line with Rusty's and Robert's, and she has since been proven correct. All three Marie Rouensa matrilineal descendants belong to the C4c1 subclade and are exact matches with one another. Matching mitochondrial (mtDNA) test results for Amy, Robert, and Rusty may be referenced in the Acadian Amerindian Ancestry DNA Project. (See: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/AcadianAmerIndian?iframe=mtresults).

Amy had already established her genealogy leading to Marie Rouensa through her own research, information contributed by a cousin, and Father Vidrine's tireless efforts in the realm of Marie Rouensa's family history, and had the Full Sequence mtDNA test and joined our project to honor and acknowledge the part that Marie Rouensa plays in her genetic makeup.  

Amy Meyer's genealogy, as follows, has been researched, scrutinized, and qualified so that other matrilineal descendants of Marie Rouensa may confidently connect to her line of descent:

1.   Amy (C4c1) Singleton Meyer
2.   Mother  (C4c1)  / Father
3.   Edna (C4c1) Manuel / Hubert Paul Smith
4.   Hermance (C4c1) Veillon / Leo Manuel
5.   Edna (C4c1) Attale / Michael Veillon
6.   Marie Ida (C4c1) Tate / Homer "Henry" Attales
7.   Onesima (C4c1) Tate / William Tate
8.   Eugenie (C4c1) Fontenot /Hilaire "Elie" Tate
9.   Eugenie (C4c1) Soileau / Henri "dit Bellevue" Fontenot
10. Marie Jean "Marianne" (C4c1) Vidrine / Jean Baptiste "Richaume" Soileau
11. Elizabeth (C4c1) de Moncharvaux / Capt. Jean Baptiste de Vidrine
12. Marie Agnes (C4c1) du Chassin / Capt Jean Francois Tiserant de Moncharvaux (most recent common ancestor (MRCA))
13. Anges (C4c1) "dite Philippe" Estienne / Nicolas Michel du Chassin
14. Marie (C4c1) "Ouacanteoua" Rouensa / Capt Michel "dit Philippe" Estienne
15. Marie Jeanne (C4c1) Indigenous Woman / Chief Francois-Xavier "Mamenthousena" Rouensa (earliest mtDNA-proven ancestor)

Comment from co-author Deadra Doucet Bourke: Robert and  Amy's ancestry comes together with Eugenie Soileau and Henri Fontenot (generation 9), Robert's through daughter Josephine, while Amy is through daughter Eugenie. All three come together on Marie Agnes du Chassin and Captain Jean Francois Tiserant de Moncharvaux (generation 12).

Comment from co-author Marie Rundquist: Research continues to highlight the matching, and genetic relationships that may be derived by comparing members' mtDNA and autosomal DNA test results.  Autosomal DNA comparisons will therefore continue to feature in our mtDNA project research.

Comparisons among Amy's, Robert's and Rusty's autosomal DNA results, at a minimum of 5 cm, have yielded the following findings (Note: Amy had submitted her mother's autosomal DNA test results (from the same matrilineal line) used in this comparison):

Comparisons of Amy's and Robert's autosomal DNA test results at a minimum of 5 cm

Largest segment = 16.3 cM            
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 36.1cM (1.006 Pct)            
Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 4.3                
4 shared segments found for this comparison.                        
178930 SNPs used for this comparison.                        
50.653 Pct SNPs are full identical    

Comparisons of Amy and Rusty's autosomal DNA test results at a minimum of 5 cm

Largest segment = 6.3 cM            
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 27.4cM (0.765 Pct)            
Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 6.5            
5 shared segments found for this comparison.            
146089 SNPs used for this comparison.            
52.184 Pct SNPs are full identical    

Comparisons of Rusty and Robert's autosomal DNA test results at a minimum of 5 cm

Largest segment = 11.1 cM            
Total Half-Match segments (HIR) 76.2cM (2.123 Pct)            
Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 3.8            
12 shared segments found for this comparison.            
422218 SNPs used for this comparison.            
70.215 Pct SNPs are full identical                    
        
From the ISOGG.org Wiki, we read, "In autosomal DNA testing the term triangulation is most commonly used to describe the process of reviewing the pedigree charts of clusters of shared matches/in common with matches in order to identify a common ancestor or ancestral couple. This process is sometimes also known as tree triangulation." (See: https://isogg.org/wiki/Triangulation).

In a near-perfect demonstration of the definition of triangulation, a comparison of Amy's, Rusty's and Robert's autosomal DNA yield a triangulated, 5.1 cm, shared segment, on Chromosome 1.

Since hearing about the Marie Rouensa story, and the descendants who have had DNA tests to prove their lines that lead to her, Amy's cousin wants to find out more about the project and the journey of discovery that comprises the DNA test results, genealogies, and family histories that are needed to validate an ancestral line.  

The Acadian Amerindian Ancestry DNA project co-administrators invite all matrilineal descendants of Marie Rouensa to have the Full Mitochondrial Sequence mtDNA test from Family Tree DNA and to join our project!

Click https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/acadian-amerindian/about to join!

-- by Marie Rundquist, Deadra Doucet Bourke, with Amy Meyer
Link to: https://dna-genealogy-history.com
Link to: https://familyheritageresearchcommunity.org/rouensa-dna
Link to: Rundquist, M., Bourke, D.D. (2020, November 1). Full Article: https://dna-genealogy-history.com/uploads/3/4/0/9/34098671/petitjean-serendipitous_c4c1_mtdna_finding-final.pdf

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