The SMITH Connection

A snippet there, a snippet here. So are trees pieced together.
the importance of examining originals, not just indexes was reinforced this week when Rosemary provided the snippet from the marriage of George Henry FAIRBAIRN and Jane SMITH - they were 2nd cousins, Jane's mother being an Ellen FAIRBAIRN.
Ellen turns out to be the daughter of Andrew FAIRBAIRN and Margaret HENDERSON.
This is yet another piece of corroboration that George Henry's father John was indeed the son of William FAIRBAIRN, schoolmaster of Bowden then Galashiels.
The One Name Study pages have been updated to include the key participants in the FAIRBAIRN and SMITH relationships teazed out from the above.

Journey to the present ctd

Journey to the Present update - the next test has been completed, we're now at Z60+, I1a2a1 - which, oddly enough is the same path a group of the RUNCIMAN DNA project have also taken.
So the two families shared a common ancestor some 3,500 years ago - ever so approximately.
Jul 2013 update: But there they diverged. The FAIRBAIRNs have tested Z141+ and the RUNCIMANs Z140-, where Z141 and Z140 are "equivalent".

The time estimates from the I1 project currently put this branch at about 3-4500 years ago - ie creeping into recorded history! Take a look at the Timeline of Prehistoric Scotland to put this into context. But bear in mind all such dna time estimates are subject to variation.

Many thanks to those who have donated to the FAIRBAIRN DNA Project general fund. Your generous donations allow this testing to continue.

Short DNA sale

Family Tree DNA have advised that they are having a "DNA day" sale which originally finished 11:59pm 22 April 2013 CDT.
It has been extended to the 25th April, with the following explanation:
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This year we began our commemoration of National DNA Day on April 19th. This coincides with the celebration by the National Human Genome Research Institute and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History's partnership to celebrate the 1953 discovery of the double helix and the 2003 completion of the Human Genome Project, which was April 19th.

However, DNA Day is celebrated worldwide on April 25th. Therefore, we've extended our sale! The usual conditions apply - orders must be made and paid for by 11:59 p.m. CDT on Thursday, April 25th. 
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Great time to be in.
Here's the original notification, with the prices:

Excellent Family Finder & mtDNA full sequence pricing, and news of Y-DNA upgrades being available on Father's Day
So if you've been thinking about doing your bit for our overall knowledge of FAIRBAIRNs, go to Family Tree DNA, select the FAIRBAIRN project and order your appropriate test.
If in doubt about what is best, select a link in the footer of any of the FAIRBAIRN pages linked at top right and ask.
If already tested, log in to your personal page at Family Tree DNA and select an upgrade. The tests relevant to you will pop up.

From their advice to administrators:

"While the special pricing features all the major tests, we’re placing particular emphasis on the Full Mitochondrial Sequence and Family Finder. We’ll offer Y-DNA upgrades during a Father’s Day sale and will give you those details at that time.

By carefully choosing the sale options and limiting the length of the sale, we will be better able to focus our resources on processing the tests efficiently and avoiding delays in delivering results.

We are proud to announce we have successfully moved our mtDNA Full Sequencing line from Sanger DNA sequencing to what is called Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). This gives us much greater capacity to process tests, to reduce costs without sacrificing quality, and to ensure shorter turnaround times.

We must run the entire sequence every time we process an mtDNA full sequence test, even for upgrades. However, in recognition of your prior investment- and National DNA Day – we’re offering our lowest price ever for the FMS and upgrades.

Rather than the 8-10 weeks first generation sequencing required, we expect results to be completed within 5-6 weeks. This does depend on the number of orders received though. If their DNA is already at our lab, those who order first may expect even shorter turnaround times.

For a limited time we will be selling the FMS for $189 and whether you’ve tested HVR1 or HVR1+2, you’ll be able to upgrade to the Full Sequence for just $129!

In addition, we are also lowering the Family Finder to $169 for this sale!

Here is the list of all tests under the promotion:

Full MtDNA Sequence…. $189
Upgrades to FMS….$129
Y-DNA37 (new and add-on)…. $119
Y-DNA67 (new and add-on)…. $199
Y-DNA37 + Full MtDNA Sequence…. $308
Y-DNA12 + FF…. $218
Y-DNA37 + FF…. $288
Y-DNA67 + FF…. $368
Family Finder.... $169
Family Finder + Full MtDNA Sequence…. $358
SuperDNA….$388 (Y-67 + FMS)
Comprehensive DNA…. $557 (Y-67 + FMS + FF

The sale will begin tonight, April 18th, at 6PM CDT and will conclude at 11:59PM CDT on Monday April 22nd. All orders must be placed and paid for by the end of the sale to receive the promotional price.

There will be no need for a coupon - all prices will be automatically adjusted on the website."

Journey to the present

Further to the earlier post on less deep ancestry the first SNP testing results are in for our selected representative from the matching FAIRBAIRNs (& ELLIOTTs) in Lineage 1. We have advanced from I1 down to terminal SNP Z59+, aka I1a2a.
Next test is on order.

Needed an Irish pin on the map

An Irish section has been included in the One Name Study lineages.
Two families are listed there, both of County Cavan

• Walter and Jane (CORBETT) FAIRBAIRN, whose son Walter (together with wife Jane BROWN, and family) are found in Ayr by the mid 1830s, 

and that of

• Walter and Eleanor whose son George emigrated to Kiama, New South Wales in 1856.

The latest update brings a few additions to several charts, the main ones being

• Samuel being added to the Penicuik FAIRBAIRNs as son of Archibald & Margaret (GIBBS) FAIRBAIRN, along with his brother George

and a few twigs into the family of

•  James and Margaret (SHAW) FAIRBAIRN.

All because of a search for a John & Helen, and one thing led to another ....

George, nail manufacturer of Stirling, placed

One Name Study pages have been updated to merge the family of George FAIRBAIRN and Janet ROBERTSON/Mary HARDIE of Camelon Park, Stirling, with George the son of William & Margaret (SCOTT) FAIRBAIRN, William being the schoolmaster of Bowden then Galashiels (and uncle of Sir William).
Thank you Rosemary for your post on GenForum which led to the information sharing which has most definitely convinced me that we've found these are one and the same George

Gardening connection

Richard has unearthed a reference in the will of John the bookseller in Edinburgh, one of his/the Penicuik FAIRBAIRNs, to John "the Gardener in Chelsea" to whose children he left £500.
Tentative id of John is that he might just be John Snr's step- nephew.

With a tail wind and a bit more luck and perseverance just maybe the Clapham nurserymen will also "fit" in here somewhere? 
Of the three families only the Clapham line are currently represented in the DNA project so if anyone can claim descent from the Penicuik line, or the Chelsea gardener (whose children are currently unidentified), we would love to hear from you.