KIT NUMBER: 171836
For more information on this Gordon family, contact:
rburtz@windstream.net
Descendants of Levi Francis Burtz Sr. - b. 1787-after, d. 1850
Levi F. Burtz Sr. was the son of Mary Hannah Inman and a Gordon Male not yet identified. He was born in Newberry County South Carolina, and has been always thought to be the eldest son of Michael Burtz 1752-1831, a veteran of the American Revolution. Michael Burtz and Hannah Inman had two other sons, Joshua Burtz, 1795- 1775 and Michael ll Burtz, 1795-after 1850, as well as one daughter, Martha Burtz, 1804-after 1860.The second daughter, Elizabeth Burtz, appears to have been a Gordon also, being two years older than Levi.
The Gordon ancestry of Levi Burtz was discovered by the DNA of a tester from the Burtz Surname DNA project matching many Gordons at the Y-37 level. An Up-grade to 67 markers, resulted in more very close Gordon matches. This was totally unexpected !, The Y-37 results from a descendent of the brother of Michael Burtz, Frederick Burtz 1755-1824, resulted in Haplogroup I2b1, which suggested that the Burtz brothers Haplogroup was I2b1 and not I1 which was the result from the descendent thought to be the oldest son of Michael Burtz.
In order to clarify this question, a test was obtained from a descendent of each of Michael's other two sons, Joshua Burtz, and Michael ll Burtz. Both two men tested I2b1 and are identical at 37 Markers. The initial test of the descendent of Frederick Burtz differed from the two identical results by a distance of 3, which established that the Burtz DNA is I2b1 and not I1 which is the Haplogroup of the Jock & Tam Gordons, which the descendent of Levi Francis (Gordon) Burtz matches very closely. Testers #145232 and #171836 are 4th cousins, 5 generations and 150 years in descent from two of the sons of Levi F. Burtz Sr.; Lebeous Wesley Burtz, 1814-1885, and Rev. James Barrett Burtz, 1824-1911.This result establishes without doubt that Levi F. (Gordon) Burtz was a genetic Gordon, and that he and his sister Elizabeth were Gordons adopted by Michael Burtz when he married Mary Hannah (Gordon) Inman about 1789, and he and Elizabeth were reared under the Burtz surname with their half-siblings.
Michael's 1828 pension application for service in the American revolution gives the particulars of his service, and states that because of his failing health, is in need of a pension, and states--"He has no one to assist him except his wife, HIS CHILDREN HER CHILDREN, BEING MARRIED OFF"---ect. The DNA evidence validates what the pension application says. They both had children from previous marriages. In the case of Hannah, obviously a Gordon who is yet to be identified. It was known that Michael had been previously married to Elizabeth Randall, and had one son by her.
Our most distant known ancestor is probably John George Gordon, but we do not know who the link is at this time.
DNA testing revealed information that could have been known no other way. It also clarified existing documents such as deeds and census records, so that taken together, a more complete picture exists for further investigation by both families.
