The Collector, the Coin and My Ancestry

When the email appeared with the title, Robinson Elsdale - silver birth coin, I was very hesitate to open it, because I didn't know somebody from plumpudding. But, I knew the name of Robinson, and since I was curious, I googled what I could with the four words I had available.

Okay, the message was very interesting, the writer is a coin dealer in England and he bought a "Five Shilling piece of William III dated 1696, engraved to record the birth of Robinson Elsdale (the son of the famous Robinson Elsdale  of Surfleet who died a few months after his son of the same name was born March 1783  [and younger brother to Samuel and your ‘Mary’ – so uncle to John Molson])" He went on to say, he "came across your ancestry pages on the internet whilst trying to find out about him (he was ordained and became headmaster of Manchester Grammar School) and thought you might be interested to have the image."

A quick review of my genealogy matched what he told me, and with more information, including his full name, I googled more. Yes, indeed, he is a very well-known coin collector/dealer, and soon I'm quite interested in knowing more and could I post his two images.

An immediate response came, and since it was interesting, I've decided to share it. "The coin is dated 1696 - You can just about see the date to the left on the reverse (the engraving side above the ‘R’) the crown on the shield splits it.  Yes, the coin had been in circulation for nearly a hundred years – which is why it is quite a worn piece (Not uncommon – I can remember Victorian coins in my change as a schoolboy in the 1960s).  Not old by English standards.  Our first coins were issued in around 40 BC. This coin of William III is the sort of coin that circulated in America before you revolted – and of course this English king named Williamsburg.  The first US coins were only issued in the 1790s." "The reason there is an anchor on it is because Robinson Elsdale (senior) was in the navy and a sea captain.  The coin was obviously engraved for him (senior) as a keepsake for the birth of his son of the same name – and he died a few months after (That really threw me having a Robinson Elsdale dying in 1783 and a Robinson Elsdale being born in 1783 !!!)"

"In the late 18th. century it was all the fashion to engrave coins as keepsakes and love tokens.  Most commonly to give to one’s sweetheart  especially by sailors who might spend months away from their love – but also as memento mori and birth tokens.  They are tremendously popular at the moment because of the ancestry bit, unfortunately whereas thirty years ago they were very cheap to buy, now they are not."

All of us who blog or have our ancestry online are used to having people write us about all kinds of things. Anything from wanting information, giving information, asking miscellaneous questions, and now, I have a coin dealer giving me some information that ties into my genealogy tree. My fourth great-grand aunt was married to the father whose name is on this coin, and she was the mother of the son who probably received this coin.

Where Is He? -- Wordless Wednesday

Does anybody know if all these old photos were taken in Kilburn, England?
(Photo of my grandfather at least 50 years ago.)

Things Royal -- Follow Friday

Rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, May 1991

YouTube video "The Major General's Review and the Colonel's Review are scheduled on the Saturdays two and one weeks preceding the Queen's Birthday Parade respectively." (from Wikipedia)

My Prince Charles and Princess Diana post with photos taken of them in Virginia, 1985.

At least once a week I have somebody using key words "Princess Diana burial site?" on my search box. This is the perfect opportunity to reply by provide several links that address that question. From:

Find-A-Grave

Wikipedia

Photos

Answers.com

On Wednesday, Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski of In My Life posted her, "Wordless Wednesday: I've Been to London to Visit the Queen" post. Please check it out, she has a great photo of Queen Elizabeth. Because of Cindy's post, I decided to do this one.

Just because several others are posting Royal related connections, I'll point you in the direction of my Post, A Bradstreet, A Dudley and Royalty, I claim ancestry to King Edward I, like many others!

He Changed His Name To Hide!

The longer you do your genealogy research, the more you realize that not all ancestors told the truth. We want them truthful in order for us to follow their past. But what if they changed their name? What if they came from another country? What if the well-known Canadian beer, Molson, could have been named after your ancestor? A lot of what if's. All these are facts, and solved, over time, because the middle name of my ancestor was actually his surname, and an author wrote a book about John Molson. Once in a while we get lucky.

James Pell Jr., was one of the original 35 Associates who received land in 1796 which formed the first township in Lower Canada. I'm fortunate to have a lot of information on him, since, he and several generations of Pells lived in that area. But, it wasn't until a cousin and I merged our information that things got interesting. I hadn't considered looking further back into England to trace the line, I stop once they set foot in North America. He, on the other had, has the surname of Pell, so he was more curious. During a seven year span, we researched, and merged, wondered and often, well no, we didn't often think about giving up. Where was James Pell from? There was no trace of him or his parents in England.

In 2007, cousin Duane Pell informed me of a rather new book, Molson, The Birth of a Business Empire by Douglas Hunter. He couldn't put it down, as it was not only interesting, but filled with Pell and Gibbins information. We soon found out there was name change. The last name of Pell was taken when James Gibbins Sr., several of his sons, including the above James Pell, and a very young John Molson, founder of the Molson Brewing Company of Canada, arrived in Canada sometime during the 1780s.  During this migration, many letters were written between these sailors and their families back in England. Fortunately, letters and diaries were saved and are now in the Molson Brewery Archives. We soon were shaking our heads in disbelief, but were happy. The line went back a further generation, but now there was a new surname, no longer Pell but Gibbins. My cousin tried to get used to the fact that he really was a Gibbins!

John Molson was often called home to help with estate matters. During those trips, my James Pell Sr. (formerly James Gibbins) was left in charge of the new brewery. While in England, John stayed at James Gibbins's daughter's house, she being a possible bride. Per the above book, "And by bequeathing the brewery to Gibbins 'and his Heirs and Assigns forever' in the March 1785 will, Molson made Ann Gibbins Elsdales (a widow) and the (her) children among the ultimate beneficiaries of his estate." 

Apparently, there was a break, a few years later, in the friendship between John Molson and James Gibbons / Pell.  Probably due to either money or  with mismanagement of the brewery. James Sr. returned to England several times for visits, then ultimately staying there, using the name of James Gibbins, and his son, James Gibbins Pell Jr. remained in Missisquoi County, Quebec, and kept the name of Pell.

James Gibbins Pell Jr., my 4th great grandfather was born about October 12, 1759 in Spalding, So. Lincolnshire, England, and died January 28, 1846 in St. Armand East, now called Frelighsburg, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada. His first wife's name is unknown, with whom he had two children, but his 2nd wife, Margaret Brisbin and James Pell are buried in Frelighsburg as shown by their graves recently posted.

Towards the end of the Molson book, there are some interesting quotes, one in particular caught my eye. In a letter to Molson, written by a future brother-in-law, "Your guardian Companion Gibbins is among us and doing God only knows what. Gibbins is a very free spoken plausible genius. I rather more than suspect him to be an hypocrite and that he is not over and above addicted to the crime of veracity." There is also a statement that his own daughter banished James Gibbins from her house.
Yes, there's one in every family.

My cousin and I prepared a paper, and had it bound, then sent it to the Missisquoi Historical Archives in Stanbridge East, Quebec. The family was one of the earliest settlers of that area, and it was important to let future researchers of the Pell line know there isn't one. They need to follow the Gibbins line in England instead. Six months after we submitted our documentation, I went to Salt Lake City and discovered a marriage record of James Gibbins's parents. William Gibbons married Sarah Pell on 30 May 1722 at Algarkirk, Lincoln, England.  I now know where the name Pell came from.

This post was written for the Carnival of Genealogy (COG), a special blog a month, which is open to all bloggers. This month's theme is, "There's one in every family!" and this is my first Carnival entry.  Jasia of  the Creative Gene blog has been hosting the Carnival of Genealogy, and in December she is celebrating her 100th Carnival (that is 100 months). Please join me in congratulating Jasia and check out her blog at Creative Gene.

Sources used:

Academic dictionaries and encyclopedias (Note: Information about James Gibbins.)

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (Note: Information about James Pell.)

Molson: The Birth of a Business Empire by Douglas Hunter, Canada: Penguin Books, 2001. (He gave me permission to use his book, with many quotes, for the paper several years ago.)

Surname Saturday -- PELL aka GIBBINS (England to Quebec, Canada)

The PELL line had roots in England with the surname GIBBINS. The name was changed to PELL upon arrival in Quebec. I have listed four generations below. My direct lines are in green.  If you have any of these names and wish to share information, please contact me.

Descendants of WILLIAM GIBBINS

Generation No. 1

1.  WILLIAM GIBBINS was born in England.  He married SARAH PELL May 30, 1722 in Algarkirk, Lincolnshire, England.  She was born in England.

     

Children of WILLIAM GIBBINS and SARAH PELL were:

                   i.    JOHN GIBBONS, b. 1723.

                  ii.    WILLIAM GIBBONS, b. 1726; d. 1726.

                 iii.    WILLIAM GIBBONS, b. September 13, 1727, Fosdyke, Lincolnshire, England.

                 iv.    WILLIAM GIBBONS, b. 1728.

                  v.    ELIZABETH GIBBONS, b. 1729.

                 vi.    MARY GIBBONS, b. 1729.

2.             vii.    JAMES GIBBINS, b. November 26, 1731, Spalding, Lincolnshire, England; d. Aft. October 21, 1787, Poss. Boston, So. Lincolnshire, England.

               viii.    GEORGE GIBBONS, b. 1734.

Generation No. 2

2.  JAMES GIBBINS (WILLIAM) was born November 26, 1731 in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, and died Aft. October 21, 1787 in Poss. Boston, So. Lincolnshire, England.  He married SUSANNAH FIELDS November 26, 1756 in Fosdyke, Lincolnshire, England.  She was born Abt. 1735 in England, and died Bef. 1785.

     

Children of JAMES GIBBINS and SUSANNAH FIELDS were:

3.                i.    ANN (NANCY) GIBBINS, b. December 29, 1757, Spalding, So. Lincolnshire, England; d. 1837.

4.               ii.    JAMES (GIBBINS) PELL, b. Abt. October 12, 1759, Spalding, So. Lincolnshire, England; d. January 28, 1846, St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada..

                 iii.    WILLIAM (GIBBINS) PELL, b. Abt. 1762, Surfleet, So. Lincolnshire, England; d. of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

                 iv.    GEORGE (GIBBINS) PELL, b. July 01, 1761, Spalding, So. Lincolnshire, England; d. of St. Johns, Quebec, Canada.

                  v.    JOHN GIBBINS, b. 1764, Surfleet, So. Lincolnshire, England.

                 vi.    SUSANNAH GIBBINS, b. 1768, Surfleet, So. Lincolnshire, England.

                vii.    LUKE GIBBINS, b. Abt. 1770, St. Pauls, London, London, England.

Generation No. 3

3.  ANN (NANCY) GIBBINS (JAMES, WILLIAM) was born December 29, 1757 in Spalding, So. Lincolnshire, England, and died 1837.  She married ROBINSON ELSDALE March 31, 1779 in Pinchbeck, So. Lincolnshire, England, son of SAMUEL ELSDALE and MARY ROBINSON.  He was born December 1744 in Surfleet, So. Lincolnshire, England, and died October 15, 1783.

     

Children of ANN GIBBINS and ROBINSON ELSDALE were:

                   i.    SAMUEL ELSDALE, b. 1780.

                  ii.    SARAH ELSDALE, b. 1781.

5.              iii.    ROBINSON ELSDALE, b. 1783, Surfleet, So. Lincolnshire, England; d. 1850.

4.  JAMES (GIBBINS) PELL (JAMES GIBBINS, WILLIAM) was born Abt. October 12, 1759 in Spalding, So. Lincolnshire, England, and died January 28, 1846 in St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada..  He married (1) (__).  She died Bef. 1790.  He married (2) MARGARET BRISBIN Aft. 1790 in Caldwell's Manor, Noyan, Lower Canada, daughter of WILLIAM BRISBIN.  She was born Abt. 1754, and died August 29, 1819 in St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.

     

Children of JAMES PELL and unknown wife were:

6.                i.    WILLIAM GIBBONS PELL, b. January 26, 1787, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; d. Abt. 1862, Racine, Racine Co., Wisconsin.

7.               ii.    GEORGE A. PELL, b. Abt. October 1797, Canada; d. June 14, 1832, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.

Generation No. 4

5.  ROBINSON ELSDALE (ANN (NANCY) GIBBINS, JAMES, WILLIAM) was born 1783 in Surfleet, So. Lincolnshire, England, and died 1850.

     

Child of ROBINSON ELSDALE was:

                   i.    DANIEL ELSDALE.

6.  WILLIAM GIBBONS PELL (JAMES (GIBBINS), JAMES GIBBINS, WILLIAM) was born January 26, 1787 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and died Abt. 1862 in Racine, Racine Co., Wisconsin.  He married ANGELICA (ANNA) VANANTWERP September 21, 1813 in Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada, daughter of PETER VANANTWERP and SUSANNAH BOND.  She was born February 21, 1795 in Schenectady, Schenectady Co., New York, and died Aft. 1860 in Racine, Racine Co., Wisconsin.

     

Children of WILLIAM PELL and ANGELICA VANANTWERP were:

                   i.    ELIZA JANE PELL, b. April 22, 1814, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. September 09, 1860, Racine Co., Wisconsin; m. LEWIS EDWARD TRAVER, January 30, 1837, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; b. Abt. 1811, Canada.

                  ii.    JAMES MILLS PELL, b. February 18, 1816, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. Bet. 1860 - 1870.

                 iii.    PETER RHEA PELL, b. May 22, 1818, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. August 22, 1906, Hiawatha, Brown Co., Kansas; m. ELIZABETH EVE WATCHON HALL, October 26, 1841, St. Armand E., Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; b. May 22, 1818, England; d. February 16, 1905, Hiawatha, Brown Co., Kansas.

                 iv.    WILLIAM GIBBONS PELL, b. August 10, 1820, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. September 21, 1900, Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado; m. (1) ELIZA PARKER, October 20, 1872, Longmont, Nebraska Territory; b. 1837, Wisconsin; d. January 29, 1874, Boulder, Boulder Co., Colorado; m. (2) ELLEN H. BERGERON, June 14, 1875, Denver, Arapahoe Co., Colorado; b. 1848, of Quebec, Canada; d. April 12, 1900.

                  v.    DANIEL VANANTWERP PELL, b. September 13, 1822, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. February 14, 1909, No. Adams, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts; Stepchild; m. ELIZABETH LARAWAY, June 05, 1849, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; b. June 20, 1824, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. September 26, 1865, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.

                 vi.    SAMUEL PELL, b. Abt. 1823, of Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.

                vii.    GEORGE PELL, b. March 08, 1825, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. August 11, 1826, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.

               viii.    GEORGE EDWARD PELL, b. January 05, 1828, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. Aft. 1900, of Niwot, Boulder Co., Colorado.

                 ix.    NATHANIEL STEVENS PELL, b. February 15, 1831, Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. March 26, 1920, Hiawatha, Brown Co., Kansas.

                  x.    SUSAN ANN PELL, b. August 08, 1834, of Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. Bef. 1870, Racine, Racine Co., Wisconsin.

                 xi.    SARAH AMELIA PELL, b. October 11, 1837, of Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. May 26, 1919, Selah, Yakima Co., Washington; m. SAMUEL JOHNSON, Abt. 1860, Prob. Yorkville, Racine Co., Wisconsin; b. June 1835, England; d. Aft. 1910, Washington.

7.  GEORGE A. PELL (JAMES (GIBBINS), JAMES GIBBINS, WILLIAM) was born Abt. October 1797 in Canada, and died June 14, 1832 in Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.  He married ANNA KNAP March 26, 1823 in St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada, daughter of JONATHAN KNAP and MARY ALVORD.  She was born April 22, 1798 in Redding, Fairfield Co., Connecticut, and died February 20, 1866 in Dunham, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.

     

Children of GEORGE PELL and ANNA KNAP were:

                   i.    SUSANNAH M. PELL, b. February 14, 1824, St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. Aft. 1881; m. JOHN NASON MILLS, January 19, 1848, St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg) Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; b. April 16, 1817, St. Armand W. (Philipsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. Aft. 1881.

                  ii.    JAMES GIBBINS PELL, b. July 06, 1825, St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. March 20, 1913, Frelighsburg, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; m. (1) MARY ELIZABETH KEMP, January 02, 1853, St. Armand E., Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; b. Abt. 1825, United States; d. Bef. 1861, No Info. on her death located.; m. (2) JULIA ANN JAQUAYS, December 24, 1864, St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co.,  Quebec, Canada; b. March 10, 1846, United States; d. December 12, 1922, Frelighsburg, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada.

                 iii.    GEORGE ANNA PELL, b. December 31, 1826, St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. September 25, 1916, Waterloo, Shefford Co., Quebec, Canada; m. OREN BAKER KEMP, October 01, 1850, St. Armand E. (Frelighsburg), Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; b. June 29, 1826, Frelighsburg, Missisquoi Co., Quebec, Canada; d. February 26, 1917, Waterloo, Shefford Co., Quebec, Canada6.

Katharine Hepburn and my DNA, A Follow-up with Obituary, and His New Book DNA USA

Back in September 2009, the New England Historic and Genealogical Society (NEHGS) send out a notice in their weekly email newsletter with a request asking readers if they would like to participate in a genetics research study,  provided you met the criteria. The screening and research was to be done by Bryan Sykes MA PhD DSc, a Professor of Human Genetics at Oxford, England.  Professor Sykes

The email message stated that Professor Sykes was interested in identifying documented descendants of early (pre-1700) immigrants to New England – and the more lines of descent from early New Englanders the participant has, the better. When I read that, I was thought I might qualify.

First, he wanted our name, town and email address. And, a brief summary of my New England ancestry including the patrilineal and matrilineal elements. Hum, elements, I wondered about that. He wanted an estimate of the percentage of my pre-1700 ancestors who lived in New England. If I met his criteria, I was to email the information to Dr. Sykes in England, and let him know that I would be available to meet him in Boston during the week of September 14–18.


Since I have a lot of old New England Ancestry, and wanted to participate in his study, I dashed off a quick email. I told him that I had 2064 direct ancestors, and that my parents both had New England pre-1700 roots, surnames BISHOP and POOLE. I wasn't able to give him the percentage though, but gave him an attachment of 52 pages with all the names. I guess I thought he would be able to figure it out.


He quickly wrote back saying, "Dear Barbara, Thank you very much indeed for volunteering to participate in my New England DNA study through NEHGS. I would love to talk with you at the Society on Tuesday and perhaps take a DNA sample. Please let me know if that is still convenient. Kind regards, Bryan Sykes"


So on Tuesday, September 15th at 11:30 I met him and his assistant (his charming collage age son), in the Board room. After I gave him additional information, group sheets and such, he said he was going to tape the conversation. Hum, well ok. But I wondered what was I going to talk about? I knew nothing about DNA. He wanted to know about my genealogy research. Oh heaven, now I was happy. Turns out I managed to ramble for a good 45 minutes all about genealogy and how I got started in it. After my talking, I realized that the saddest thing was, I hadn't even googled his name prior to the meeting. I had no idea how well-known he was. But if I had, I might have been a little bit intimidated. So ignorance was bliss in this situation, and I told him. I felt very foolish because I hadn't done any research on him first, and surely didn't ask a single intelligent question. I learned an important lesson that day.


Once my chattering was done, I answered more questions, and filled out a release form, he brought out two DNA test kits. I was glad I passed the oral part. One test was the simple swab swipe. As for the other, he told me it cost close to $300 and that he was giving me the name of Katharine Hepburn for my identity on the DNA kit. He asked what my favorite movie of hers was, and I couldn’t think of one! And I am a true movie lover. After the testing, he gave me a copy of his book, "The Seven Daughters of Eve" and autographed it. When all was said and done, I had my picture taken.


After the appointment, I spent the day in the library, and while there, I googled his name. Maybe he didn't care that I was so ignorant, he was looking for somebody with my kind of roots for DNA analysis. I sure hope my samples helped in some way. It wasn't until later, that I heard about 200 people replied to him. I am indeed very fortunate to have met him, to have the experience, and to have the autographed book. And now, I know a lot more.

Bryan Sykes obituary – The Guardian

December 22, 2020 medical

The human geneticist Bryan Sykes, who has died aged 73, pushed forward the analysis of inherited conditions such as brittle bone disease and double-jointedness, and was one of the first to extract DNA from ancient bone.

The same Bryan Sykes, holder of a personal chair at Oxford University, analyzed hair supposedly taken from mythical hominids such as the Bigfoot and Yeti, and announced the results in a three-part television series. His delight in science and enthusiasm for communicating it to popular audiences were both aspects of an expansive personality that alternately inspired and exasperated his colleagues.

Sykes was not the only one to realize that the ability to read sequences of DNA code opened up the possibility of tracing human ancestry to our early origins. He was exceptional, however, in seeing that the wider public would connect emotionally to these stories if the dry details of the science could be presented accessibly. His book The Seven Daughters of Eve (2001) proposed that every living European could trace his or her ancestry to one of seven women living between 8,500 and 45,000 years ago. They, in turn, would share descent from a single Eve, who lived in Africa even earlier. He gave the seven women names and, anticipating peoples desire to know which tribe they belonged to, the same year set up the first direct-to-consumer genetic testing company, Oxford Ancestors, as an Oxford University spinout.

Sykes began this work long before modern methods of whole-genome DNA sequencing were available. When, in the late 1980s, he, Erica Hagelberg and Robert Hedges of Oxfords Research Laboratory for Archaeology first extracted DNA from bones up to 12,000 years old, they opted to focus on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). There are more than 1,000 mitochondria in each cell but only one nucleus (where most of our DNA resides), increasing the chances of retrieving mtDNA. But Sykes soon appreciated that it has another property. It is inherited largely unchanged in the maternal line over thousands of years, while nuclear DNA is mixed with every generation. To test whether it would be possible to use mtDNA to trace distant ancestors, Sykes first confirmed that domesticated golden hamsters from numerous locations, which he had heard were all descended from a single wild-caught female, had the same signature in their mtDNA.

Sykes went on to use this method to solve the mystery of the origins of islanders scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean: whether they had arrived from the Americas, as Thor Heyerdahl had suggested on the basis of the 1947 voyage of the Kon-Tiki raft, or from Asia. Receiving hospital treatment on Raratonga in the Cook Islands after a motorcycle accident while on holiday in the mid-90s, Sykes realized he could resolve this uncertainty using mtDNA. He went on to collect samples from Pacific islands and Pacific Rim countries, and established that Polynesia was in fact entirely settled from Asia.

In 1987 he won a British Association for the Advancement of Science media fellowship that enabled him to spend seven weeks working with Channel 4 News. The lessons he learned about what makes a good story came to the fore in Seven Daughters and his subsequent books.

Adams Curse (2003) drew some controversial conclusions about the influence of the Y chromosome on male behaviour, but also covered studies that traced descent via Y chromosomes. These pass from father to son, like British surnames, though without the uncertainty introduced by nonpaternity events. When the chairman of the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, Sir Richard Sykes, wondered if the two of them might be related, Bryan collected DNA from dozens of Sykeses in Britain. He discovered that more than half of them shared the same unusual Y chromosome variant, suggesting a single founding father in Yorkshire in the 13th or 14th century.

His collaboration with enthusiasts searching for the Bigfoot and Yeti raised eyebrows even higher. Hairs from bits of mystery creatures that had long lain in museums and temples made their way to his lab. The three-part Channel 4 series Bigfoot Files (2015) maintained the suspense to the end, but all the samples proved to come from known animal species. A hasty claim that a Yeti specimen was a match to a prehistoric polar bear proved to be a case of mistaken identity. For Sykes it was all education as entertainment he never seriously believed that such creatures existed, but sought to encourage curiosity rather than squashing it.

Born in London, Bryan was the son of Frank Sykes, an accountant, and his wife, Irene. He attended the independent boys school Eltham college, near his home in south-east London, and developed passions for the natural world, experiments and inventions. He also excelled at cross-country running, rugby and swimming.

He studied biochemistry at the University of Liverpool, and did a PhD at the University of Bristol on the connective tissue protein elastin. He arrived at Oxford in 1973 as a research fellow in the Nuffield department of orthopaedic surgery, continuing to work on elastin and collagen. By the time he was appointed lecturer in molecular pathology in 1987, he was deploying new genetic techniques to explore inherited disorders of bone and connective tissue. His collagen genetics group moved from orthopaedic surgery to Oxfords newly established Institute of Molecular Medicine, founded by the geneticist Sir David Weatherall, who was an important mentor. He was appointed to a personal chair in human genetics in 1997, and formally retired in 2016.

Sykess expertise in bone led to his involvement in the effort to extract DNA from ancient specimens. As his interest in studies of human populations developed, he recruited lab members who worked in that area alongside those who continued his pathological studies. Colleagues remember the lab as being unusually collaborative, though occasionally disrupted by TV cameras, and Sykes himself as encouraging and supportive. He took them all to Scotland in 1998 to assist with the collection of samples for his work on prehistoric migration into Britain (published as Blood of the Isles, 2006). A keen fisherman, he got out his rods in the bar of their hotel to teach them how to cast a fly.

Sykes was extremely smart and a brilliant communicator, with a streak of mischief: he didnt turn a hair when Italian colleagues casually invited him to access the bone store at Pompeii by climbing over a fence (they had arrived before opening time), and there was always champagne in the lab when anyone published a paper.

Sykes met Sue Foden when she was a student in Oxford, and they were married in 1978. Though the marriage was annulled in 1984, he and Sue remained close and had a son, Richard, born in 1991. His later marriage to Janis Wilson ended in divorce. In 2007 he collaborated with the Danish artist Ulla Plougmand on an exhibition featuring the seven daughters of Eve, and their subsequent relationship lasted until the end of his life. In later years, as his health deteriorated, Bryan was increasingly supported and cared for by Sue. She, Ulla and Richard survive him.

Bryan Clifford Sykes, geneticist, born 9 September 1947; died 10 December 2020.