This is my first post in some time. I’ve been chasing DNA matches trying to solve multiple brick walls. And there are a plethora of brick walls along my Trantham line. My father has many DNA matches who descend from Whittingtons who migrated from South Carolina to Mississippi. Among them are descendants of Grief Whittington and Cornelius Whittington, early settlers of Amite County, Mississippi. I am trying to figure out how the Trantham and Whittington lines intersect. Not to oversimplify procreation, but in order for folks to have common ancestors, they have to be in close (ahem) proximity to one another.

I finally found a connection between the Whittingtons and the Tranthams, and it dates back to before 1700. Captain William Whittington appears in court records as the Sheriff of Somerset County, Maryland in 1695/1696. The earliest Martin Trantham/Trentham (my ancestor) on record was appointed Subsheriff of the same county in 1693. Okay, so now I can at least place Whittingtons and Tranthams in the same county. Both in law enforcement lol. This opens the possibility of an intermarriage between the two families, and an explanation as to why my dad has so many Whittington DNA matches. The mystery is not quite solved but it’s a step in the right direction.

Link to William Whittington as Sheriff: https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000535/html/am535–131.html

Link to Martin Trentham’s 1693 appointment/oath: https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000535/html/am535–66.html

Kenfolk: Trantham
Relationship: Still unravelling
Common ancestors: Yes