Snidow DNA Project


At the August, 2007 meeting, the Snidow Association voted to pay for DNA testing of one of its members with the hope of eventually proving the lineage to Christian Sneido in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and to work in cooperation with the Prillaman Family to determine if there is a relationship between Walburga Prillaman, wife of Jacob Prillaman to the Snidow family.

William E. Snidow of Pembroke, Virginia, agreed to be tested for the Snidow Association. Results of his test were received in October, 2008. Values for 25 points or markers on the Y Chromosome were listed. To date, this is about all we have by way of information. Until other members related to the Snidows are tested and their results are available for comparison, few definite conclusions can be made. We did learn that for details to be more conclusive, more markers should have been tested. We also learned that William's Haplogroup* is R1b1b2, a fairly common group among European men. His test does not show a relationship to the Prillaman Family.

It has long been the belief of both families that Walburga Prillaman and Elizabeth Helm Snidow were sisters. The Prillaman Family, interested in investigating the relationship, found a willing DNA participant in 84 year old Evelyn Miller. She descends from Jacob Prillaman Jr.'s daughter, Elizabeth, who married Obadiah Winters. It is the understanding of her family and others that Elizabeth was the daughter of Barbara Catherine Snidow, the first wife of Jacob Prillaman, Jr. The line would descend as follows: Elizabeth Helm Snidow, Barbara Catherine Snidow Prillaman, Elizabeth Prillaman Winters, Lydia Winters Woodbury, Cynthia Woodbury Deveraux, Bertha Deveraux Owen, Lura Owen Vaughn, Evelyn Vaughn Miller.

The DNA results show that Elizabeth Snidow and Walburga were not sisters. They may be related in some other way but do not share the same mother or maternal grandmother. Twyla Edwards, who heads the Prillaman family DNA project, reports that since receiving and considering the results, she will have reservations about the DNA proof until more women in the family line can be found and are tested.

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