Angeline Dawson

The grandaughter of Anna Dawson, daughter of Angeline Gastinell had her mtDNA tested April 2008. See DNA explanation in William Dawson and Corrine Tureaud Dawson's notes. Keep in mind that results can change as more people test and databases are filled with more information.

Low Resolution Matches (HVR1)

Haplogroup Country Comment Count

L2 Italy (1640) - 2

L2 Portugal (328) - 1

L2 Spain (720) - 1

L2a Angola (158) Cabinda 1

L2a Angola (158) Mbundu 1

L2a Cameroon (864) Chadic 1

L2a Dominican Republic (13) - 1

L2a France (1595) - 1

L2a Guinea-Bissau (344) Futa-Fula 2

L2a Mali (40) Bambara 2

L2a Mali (40) Songhai 1

L2a Mozambique (416) - 25

L2a Mozambique (416) Bantu 10

L2a Sao Tome and Principe (121) - 2

L2a Sierra Leone (587) Mende 1

L2a1 Gabon (957) Mitsogo (Bantu)1

L2a, the most common clade (62% of the total L2), is the only one widespread all over Africa . L2a may be subdivided into two major widespread subsets by the 16309 mutation (HVS-I). The derived form at 16309 appears to be more concentrated in western Africa , but distribution studies are hampered by likely reversions at this position. L2b and L2c are virtually absent in eastern Africans and rare in southern Africans, but are common in some Senegalese populations. The fourth, newly-defined clade, L2d, is rather rare, but appears to be mainly restricted to western Africa .

Origin of L2a

It is difficult to trace the origin of haplogroup L2a with any confidence. The deepest part of L2a is most common in East Africa . However, the diversity and TMRCA (Time to the Most Recent Common Ancestor) are similar in East (61,250 [SE 13,500] years) and West (54,100 [SE 17,087] years) Africa . The diversity accumulated separately in East and West Africa, estimated from the main shared founder types (and disregarding the possibility of subsequent gene flow), is again similar in the two regions, at ~14,000 years (14,100 years [SE 5,100], and 13,800 years [SE 4,700], respectively), suggesting a separation shortly after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). An easterly origin for L2a also faces the following difficulties: that the other subclades of L2 (L2b, L2c, and L2d) have a clear western distribution, and that L2d diverges earlier in the mtDNA phylogeny than L2a (Torroni et al. 2001). A possible solution would be an origin for L2a somewhere between east and west, followed by dispersals in both directions along the Sahel corridor. Thus, it may have become prevalent somewhere in north Central Africa, spreading both east and west along the Sahel belt ~20,000 years ago at the peak of the LGM (or somewhat earlier). (Salas et al. 2002).

A two-dimension plot based on the correspondence and phylogeographic analyses of absolute L and M1 haplogroup frequencies of west, east, central, southwest and southeast African populations, also places L2a squarely between east and northwest Africa. [Plaza, et al. 2004 (pdf)

Population Frequency

L2a is the most commonly observed cluster (18.8%) among African Americans (Allard et al. 2005). It is particularly abundant in the Kanembou (38% of the sample), but is also relatively frequent in nomadic Arabs (33%). [Cerny et al. 2007]

L2a can be further divided into L2a1, harboring the transition at 16309 (Salas et al. 2002). The most extensive pan-African haplotype (16189 16192 16223 16278 16294 16309 16390) is in the L2a1 haplogroup. This sequence is observed in West Africa among the Malinke, Wolof, and others; in North Africa among the Maure, Hausa, Fulbe, and others; in Central Africa among the Bamileke, Fali, and others; in South Africa among the Khoisan family including the Khwe and Bantu speakers; and in East Africa among the Kikuyu. Closely related variants are observed among the Tuareg in North and West Africa and among the East African Dinka and Somali. (Ely et. al. 2006; Watson et al. 1997). For more on this specific haplotype, click HERE.

Two L2a sub-clusters, L2a1a (defined by a substitution at np 16286 and a coding-region marker at np 3918), and L2a1b, are well represented in southeastern Africans. (Pereira et al. 2001; Salas et al. 2002). In the north, most Ethiopian L2a1 sequences share mutations at nps 16189 and 16309, however a minor portion, L2a1c, shares mutations at nps 16209, 16301, and 16354. (Kivisild et al. 2004).

L2a high freq in southeastern Africa , arose 70,000 years ago when split

Bantu migration 2500-3000 years ago to West Africa , difficult to trace because of Slavery