- Most of our researchers either descend from the line of “William Cloude the immigrant” who came to America in 1682 or they are aware of him and believe they are his descendants.
- We know little of William’s ancestry.
- We have several branches who cannot tie into the line of William. These are our dead-end or brick wall lineages.
- Every line, even the line of William, is a dead-end or brick wall lineage, since they all stop at some unknown or unproven ancestor.
Goal I – Our initial goal was to determine the DNA signature for William Cloud the immigrant. This signature is a first step in helping other lines tie into William’s line. We needed tests from as many of his lines of descent as possible in order to establish this. This goal has been partially met — but we still need more participants from other lines to help us improve the accuracy of this important benchmark.
Goal II – The most important thing to most Project participants is to find a lost ancestor. DNA research requires that known lineages be compared to the unknown, so establishing the signature for William the immigrant (Goal I) was important.
Goal III – We want to press back in time and learn about ever more distant ancestors. This will be accomplished as more people join the Project and our store of evidence (additional trustworthy pedigrees accompanying new DNA data) increases.
Current Status –
We have participants from several distinct family groups — listed below in order of the birth date of their oldest known ancestor:
- William Cloude (the immigrant) (1621 England)
- Joseph Cloud (1710 PA)
- Isom Cloud (1779 NC)
- William Cloud (ca 1780 SC)
- Jeremiah Cloud (ca 1784 GA)
- James Washington Cloud (1797 PA)
- Ruben Cloud (1799 TN)
- Jesse Whitmer Cloud (1806 PA)
- Thomas J. Cloud (1862 IN)
The DNA evidence confirms that the lines of Joseph (1710 PA), Jeremiah (1784 GA), James (1797 PA), Jesse (1806 PA) and Thomas J. (1862 IN) are all descended from William the immigrant (see the Interpretation link).
- The evidence shows that the line of Jeremiah Cloud (1784 GA) and that of Thomas J. Cloud (1862 IN) ties into the line of William the immigrant’s grandson William. (see the Interpretation link).
- The lines of Joseph (1710 PA) and James W. (1797 PA) appear to tie into the line of William’s son Robert, but there isn’t enough evidence to show for certain which of Robert’s sons is their ancestor.
- The evidence indicates that the line of William (1780 SC) may be distantly related to William the immigrant through one of his paternal ancestors. This line will benefit from additional participants which will help us reach into William the immigrant’s ancestry.
- The line of Isom (1779 NC) originated in the same part of Western Europe as the rest of our Project participants, but it is not related to the line of William the immigrant within any useful genealogical time frame (less than a thousand years or so).
Our DNA Project has descendants from only two of William Cloude’s sons who lived to adulthood.
Children of William “the immigrant” CLOUDE and Susan JAMES in our DNA Project:
| William CLOUD (1647-1720) | no representation | ||
| Joseph CLOUD (1651-1739) | no representation | ||
| Susan CLOUD | (died young) | ||
| William CLOUDE (1621-1702) | Susannah CLOUD | ||
| Robert CLOUD (1656-~1720) | 4 DNA tests | ||
| Jeremiah CLOUD (1659-1747) | 21 DNA tests | ||
| John R. Cloud (1664-1744) | no representation | ||
| James CLOUD (1664-1664) | (died young) |
Where do we go from here?
- We need to locate and recruit participants from other branches of the family of William the immigrant.
- We need to locate and recruit participants from the family groups of William and Isom Cloud.
- We need to expand our vision beyond the time frame of William the immigrant (early 17th century).
- We need to recruit Cloud surnamed men from other parts of the world.
- Cloud DNA Home.
- Why DNA - Ways in which DNA can help genealogical research.
- Goals - The reasons we're using this tool and what we expect from it.
- Guidelines - The procedures used and how to participate.
- FAQ - Answers to the most common questions about the use of DNA in genealogy.
- DNA Basics - A brief introduction to DNA and how it is used in genealogy.
- The DNA Lab - Information about the testing service that performs our DNA tests.
- The DNA Test - How the DNA sample is taken and what is done with it.
- We need You - Why we need you to join the Project.
- Project Rules - The simple requirements for successful participation.
- REGISTRATION - The Registration Form.
- Submit Pedigree - Submit your Pedigree Information.
- What to expect from your Y-DNA test:
- Cloud DNA Project Results:
- * Anyone descended from a Cloud family can join the Project.
- Participation is not restricted to Cloud Family Association members.
- * The Y-STR CLOUD Surname Project can only use data from men who are a descendant through the male-only line of a CLOUD male ancestor.
- Your pedigree is required to facilitate comparison and analysis of your data.
- See "Project Rules" for eligibility.
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