Results of the E-Z36149 Geographic Census

Hello,

Continuing from the success of our E-Y17357 Geographic Census, the E-Y14891 (AB-005) Project is happy to announce the results of our E-Z36149 Geographic Census! A survey was sent out to E-Z36149 members (confirmed or predicted) on FamilyTreeDNA asking for genealogical and geographic information for members’ most distant known ancestors (MDKA) on their paternal lines. We combined the results of that survey with member-submitted data already present on FTDNA to attempt to reconstruct the history and spread of E-Z36149. 

E-Z36149 is an interesting subclade for a few reasons.
1) Its size. E-Z36149 makes up over a quarter (185/659 = 28%) of all E-Y14891 members on FTDNA!

2) Its age. E-Z36149 is only around c. 650 years old! (850-475 ybp at 95% confidence)

3) Its geographic spread. E-Z36149 has a very high percentage of Western Ashkenazi Jews (WAJs) relative to Eastern Ashkenazi Jews (EAJs). 

Please note that:
1) This is a map of ancestor locations, mostly in the early-to-mid 19th century, although many are much older. 

2) This map was made through both direct responses to the survey as well as compilation of member-submitted genealogical information on FTDNA. 

3) Shown on the map are the ancestral towns of 59 individuals of the 185 confirmed or likely Z36149+ group on FTDNA. That yields a response rate of 32%. 

Notable hotspots on the above map are the southern Rhineland (modern Germany and Alsace-Lorraine), historical Podolia (specifically surrounding Kolomyya, Ukraine), and Chelm-land (Eastern Poland, NW Ukraine, and SW Belarus). Meanwhile, ancestor locations in Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Hungary were more spread out. 

E-Z36149’s phylogeny is indicative of star-shaped growth. This means that E-Z36149’s most recent common ancestor’s (MRCA) descendants diversified quickly both genetically and, soon after, geographically, due to a few generations with lots of children. Using a conservative definition for a phylogenetically-important SNP, there are ten distinct lines branching off from the MRCA. Using a liberal definition, there are two subclades, with seven of the aforementioned ten going under E-BY20365 and the other three going under E-FGC71948. 

Sadly, we found no genealogy for an E-Z36149 member that extends past 1600 CE. Without one, it becomes difficult to make very confident statements about the spread of the group or its subclades. That being said, the geographic data corresponds well with the historical narrative, and there are some things we can say with some certainty. 

The conventional narrative for the origin of EAJs is migration from western Europe, primarily the Rhineland, which has been referred to as the “cradle of Ashkenazic Jewry.” It was there- especially in the towns of Mainz, Worms, and Speyer- that much of the religious and cultural distinction for Ashkenazim developed. Jews arrived in the Rhineland mostly between the 9th and 11th centuries, and indeed mostly stayed there through the dark periods of the Crusades and the Black Death to eventually start migrating east into what is now Eastern Germany, Czechia, and the Polish province of Silesia, particularly during the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. The density of ancestral towns surrounding these famous and historically critical environs indicate that it is very likely that the MRCA of E-Z36149 lived in this region c. 1350 CE. That means that if your paternal line falls into E-Z36149, your patrilineal ancestors very likely lived in the Rhineland during this time period, and depending on your subclade downstream E-Z36149, may have left for Eastern Europe soon after the MRCA or hundreds of years later. 

Using the conservative definition, there are six subclades and four stems (or, subclades defined by a single individual). At least four of those six have at least one WAJ in the subclade. One subclade- E-BY142197- likely has no known WAJs as members. An Alsatian Jew is close to both E-FGC71938 and E-FT252865, so further testing is needed to confirm which subclade they fall into. One subclade- E-Y134172- is made up mostly by WAJs. We are confident in saying that:

1. If you are in E-A22300 and an EAJ, your most recent WAJ ancestor on your paternal line likely lived less than 400 years ago. 

2. If you are in E-Y134172 and an EAJ, your most recent WAJ ancestor on your paternal line likely lived less than 300 years ago. 

3. If you are in E-Y101552 and an EAJ, your most recent WAJ ancestor on your paternal line likely lived less than 500 years ago. 

4. If you are in E-BY142197 and an EAJ, your most recent WAJ ancestor on your paternal line likely lived less than 500 years ago. 

5. If you are in E-FGC71938 or E-FT252865 and an EAJ, your most recent WAJ ancestor on your paternal line likely lived between 400 and 600 years ago. 

6. If you are a stem in E-Z36149 and an EAJ, it is unclear when exactly your most recent WAJ ancestor on your paternal line likely lived, but it is at most 650 years ago. 

So, while not lucky enough to find a genealogy going back to the 14th century, we were able to reconstruct parts of the history and spread of E-Z36149. In particular, we identified the southern Rhineland as the place of origin of the MRCA, based on the location of his descendants who stayed in the west. And as most subclades of E-Z36149 have at least one WAJ, we proposed when an EAJ in each subclade’s most recent WAJ ancestor on their paternal lines might have lived. This estimate creates a window in which a given EAJ’s ancestor must have migrated east. We believe this information to be helpful for one exploring their family history beyond just traditional genealogy, and we look forward to continuing this effort with other subclades of E-Y14891.