I took a Y-67 test through Family Tree DNA to better understand my German roots going back through Ludwig Frederick Freysinger who immigrated (Probably from Germany) in 1754 and hopefully further back.  I was surprised when I got no links to Freysingers or any variation on that.  What I did get were mostly Bells including all the closest Links. 

My at-DNA matches also substantiates the Bell connection. I found  5 Frysinger matches two of which are closely related to me. When I check Bell’s, I get 43.  Bell is a much more common name so that may be part of  the difference, but the results would seem to confirm the Y-DNA data. At-DNA or autosomal DNA is the most common and least expensive test, the one most take, and I took mine through Ancestry.com. I shared the results with a lot of other sites.

The Y-DNA results gave me links to the closest matches and usually let me see their trees.  The closet match starts with William Bell 1685-1757 then his son Samuel 1724-1803 then Samuel’s son John 1770-1848.  The next two closest match starts with William Bell 1685-1757 then his son Joseph 1742-1823  then Joseph’s son Joseph Jr 1778-1855.  All these sons and grandsons spent their entire lives in Augusta County near Fort Defiance in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  As more decedents of William Bell publish their Y-DNA data it will be possible to understand the connection with more certainty.

When I tried to figure out where the Bell DNA got into my line, the most likely spot was near Augusta County Virginia.

Ludwig's son Johan Peter Frysinger born 1779  moved from Pennsylvania to near Harrisonburg Rockingham County, Virginia before 1796 and the complete family moved on to Ohio in 1815 or 1816.  The likely Bell was one of William Bell's grandsons. I have narrowed the list down to 2 likely and 7 more possible by looking at what Bells lived nearby the age of the suspects and the genetic closeness based on my Y-DNA testing.

The suspects resided in Augusta or  Rockingham Counties Virginia which are adjacent, in fact Rockbridge County formed in 1778 by splitting off some land from Augusta County. The distance between Harrisonburg, Rockingham County and Fort Defiance, Augusta County is 16 miles.  Both families probably lived on farms outside their respective cites but the distance between was clearly small. Both counties are in the Shenandoah Valley which runs along the north eastern edge of Virginia.

This proximity of people only existed for a relatively short period of time.  The Frysinger clan moved to Virginia a little before 1796 and John Peter died 4 January 1815. The family then moved to  Ohio in 1815 or 1816.  The event in question took place around March 1798, nine months before William was born.

I  am descended from this Johan Peter or Peter Frysinger’s son William Frysinger born 25 Dec 1798  He was the second child of Catherine or Anna Catherine Aker (born 12 Jan 1773.)   She was 25 years old at that time. Her husband was only 19.  They got married the year before. Their first child was born a year before they got married.

Looking at William Bell’s male offspring.  It would appear that one of his grandsons or possibly one of his great grandsons would be the likely person.  Their birth dates range from 1744 to 1778.  Click HERE for details of the Bell tree.

The most likely Bell is John Bell born 28 April 1770 in New Hope Augusta County Virginia.  He was married 9 January 1787 in Augusta County.  The runner up is Joseph Bell Jr born 25 May 1778 in Augusta County.  He got married 19 Jan 1800.

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