Revel-Revels-Revell

DNA Project

Many People have been doing Genealogy Research on the Revel family and its different ways of spelling. Many of these folks live in different parts of the world. It’s awesome that this is being done, however many people also have errors and wrong information copy. Some are going by assumptions. The last 15 years when DNA was more into Genealogy, it was great to learn what DNA was telling us. Rather if it was YDNA, MTDNA, or AutosomalDNA or which company that you use. I find it the best to use FamilytreeDNA being the fact that it has more to offer and to know they have group projects. One of my Projects is the Revel-Revels-Revell DNA Project where I’ve been getting more Revel’s families involved into DNA Testing. One of the DNA Test that I value the most is YDNA. There are many different levels of YDNA testing that are 12 Markers, 25 Markers, 37 Markers, 67 Markers, 111 Markers, and BigY-700. These Markers are tested in Plates at the DNA Lab in Houston, TX by GeneByGene. Each YDNA tester gets a Haplogroup SNP that is assign to their Paternal family line. Each DNA Project has an Admin, and some have CO-Admin. The Revel-Revels-Revell DNA Project is open to having Admin and Co-Admin.

The Revel’s have many YDNA testers who have been assign a Paternal Haplogroup SNP, four of them are the most outstanding differences that define which Revel family belongs to which.

These four are R-FT388383, R-FT410866, E-FT380130, and O-BY60500. Each one of these Paternal SNP’s are assign to each Revel group they came from like, R-FT388383 belongs to the Eastern Shores group from when Randall Revel 1613 came to Somerset, Maryland between 1630-1635. The R-FT410866 belongs to John Revel 1630 who came to Henrico County, VA in 1652. The E-FT380130 belongs to John Revel 1718 and Edmond Revel 1720-25 who were found first in the Carolina’s. The O-BY60500 belongs to Nathaniel Revels 1750 who took his mother’s maiden name Revels from Sabra Revels who was a sister to John Revel and Edmond Revel who both belong to the E-FT380130 group.

John Revel 1718 was found by David Wells who brought him to my attention back in 2014 and told me that I Should look into him being that fact that he had 50 acres of land who he sold to William Rhodes in 1755 on the Welch Tract of the Peedee Indian land that covered South Carolina and the North Carolina State line about 100 miles range wide. John Revel 1718 lived just Southwest of the Little Peedee River in the 1740's/50's. which of the time was called Prince Frederick Parish, now days is Marlboro County and Marion County, SC. He lived about 10 to 30 miles Southwest of Robeson County, NC today. The Peedee Indians were mixed between Cherokee and also other Indian tribes in the area and now days are called the Lumbee Indians.

In some old stories passed down from the older generation folks down in Florida, were that the Revels came from South Carolina and were Spaniards who settled next to the Tucker’s from England in the late 1600's and some of the family crossed over the Peedee River up to North Carolina. This would explain why we find John Revel 1718 in South Carolina and his brother Edmond Revel 1720-25 in Edgecombe County, North Carolina and how these two brothers are E-FT380130 men. John Revel 1718 had a son name Edmond Revel who crossed over to Bladen and Robeson County, NC as early as 1770. He married a lady name Marmaduke who was Native American and seemed to have been related to the Rewis family. The same Rewis family did YDNA testing and showed to be the Q Haplogroup. Marmaduke was found on the deed Record in Robeson County, NC in 1803 after Edmond's son of John Revels died. Edmond and Marmaduke had the following known children Edmond 1765, Jeremiah 1767, Burwell 1770, John R 1772, and Elijah 1774. Burwell stayed in Robeson County, NC and we have one Male Direct descendant from him who has done BigY-700 DNA Testing and showed up as a E-FT380130. Edmond and Jeremiah were listed in the Peedee Militia as Loyalist 1780-1782 fighting on the wrong side and took off to Richmond County, GA. Family story told that Jeremiah died along the way to Georgia. Many of the Revels living in Florida, Texas, Delaware, and Arizona today are from Edmond Revels 1765. Edmond Revels was first found in 1790 on a voters list signing a petition in Richmond County, GA and by 1800 he worked as a Court Recorder for the Montgomery County, Courthouse. In 1818 he bought land in Emanuel County, GA which later became Tattnall County, GA when they changed the County lines. He also served in the first Florida War in 1818. In 1820 and 1830 Census he is in Applying County, GA listed as free of color. He died in Madison County, FL Near Cherry Lake about 1833. Edmond Revels is always found near John Rewis and James Kersey. James Kersey also came from Robeson County, NC down to Georgia. John Rewis came from the North Carolina and South Carolina like Edmond 1765 did. Many of the Direct Male descendants from Edmond Revels 1765 all tested E-FT380130 or to its downstream SNP E-FT387426. Some of these families have different last names like Byrd, Duncan, Bennett, and Drumm. Andrew James Revels 1838 changed his last name to Duncan around 1860 after the Third Florida war and went to Licking County, Ohio. James Andrew Byrd 1834 came from Hardy Revels. Hardy Revels 1788 was a son of Edmond Revels 1765 who lived mostly in Richmond County, GA until about 1831 when he had land in Irwin and Lowndes County, GA and lived near his younger brothers Jeremiah, Henry, and John Revels. Hardy Revels 1788 had two different families and all the male paternal direct descendants all showed to be E-FT387426, which showed that Hardy Revels 1788 formed that terminal SNP.

John R Revels 1772 went to Georgia around Burke County with his brother Elijah Revels. John was also found on a Land Record whiteness with his brother Edmond Revels 1765 in Emanuel County, GA along with James Kersey. John R Revels lived in Irwin and Thomas County, GA until he took off to around Arkansas and Texas Boarder. Family stories from Randolph Revels of Thomas County, GA daughter Selena who moved to Crockett, TX stated that her Uncle John and her Grandfather John Randolph Revels was buried around Texas and Arkansas state line. She had also passed down that her father Randolph Revels was part Indian and chased the creek Indians out of the State of Georgia with a bullhorn on a horse across the Mississippi River with his brother and Cousins.

Elijah Revels came from Robeson County, NC to Georgia around 1807. He was listed in a deed with John Johnson in Robeson County, NC in 1807 and then in 1818 the same John Johnson in Emanuel County, GA took James Walea to court for guardianship of an Infant Child Mary Revels. Story was told that Mary Revels was a daughter of Elijah Revels and Mary had lived with and family members were fighting for guardianship over her.

Edmond Revels 1738 had some daughters but none of them are proven, some stories were told that he had Elizabeth and Sarah and Sarah had married a Raines and Elizabeth had married a Kersey who was James Kersey mother. Nothing has been proven for the female Revels to who they official married. I have seen some records of a Betty Kersey being Mulatto.

Edmond Revels 1738 was listed as Mulatto in the 1790 Census of Robeson County, NC, many researchers confused this Edmond Revels 1738 with Edmond C Revel 1720-25 of Edgecombe and Nash County, NC. These two Edmond’s are different and are nothing more than an uncle/Nephew Relationship. David Wells pointed this out when he noticed all the Records that the Edmond of Edgecombe/Nash mostly used a C for his middle Initial but the Edmond of Robeson County, NC never did use a C as his middle Initial.

Edmond C Revel 1720-25 was first found in Edgecombe/Nash County, NC around 1760. It’s not clear on who he married, and many researchers say he married Sabra, however this isn’t true because Sabra Revels was never married and in all the Court Records she is in, she wasn’t married but had base-born Children and bonded out. Sabra Revels was clearly a younger sister to Edmond Revel 1720-25. Edmond only had two sons name Elijah Revel 1744 and Micajah Revel 1747. Five Descendants did YDNA/BigY700 testing from Elijah Revel 1744 and four of them are Haplogroup E. Two of them are father/son who did BigY Testing and showed up as a E-FT380345 which is a downstream SNP of E-FT380130. Another descendant of Elijah Revel 1744 did YDNA37 and matched to the E-FT380130 line. Another man in Missouri did the YDNA12 back in 2010 and matched the Revels from the E-FT380130 line. Only 1 tester showed to be a Haplogroup R, which he questions his Genealogy work and came to find that one of his Revels ancestors wasn’t from the Revel line.

Elijah Revel 1744 is pretty much the easiest proven child that Edmond C Revel 1720-25 had. He was listed as a doctor. Which one of the late Testers who lived until his 90's in Missouri did YDNA12, he had passed down of his Great Great Grandfather Jeptha Henry Revell, He had stated that his Revell Ancestors was a doctor, the only Doctor found is Elijah Revel 1744.

Micajah Revel 1747 has been a little mixed up for YDNA Testing, the descendants who has done YDNA Testing from Micajah Revel 1747 claim to be from his sons Etheldred B Revell 1772 and Robert Marion Revelle 1789 show to be an E-FTC9799 and only matched up to each other. They don’t match up to the descendants of Elijah Revel 1744 or to the Peedee Revels. They do match up to the descendants from Elijah Revel 1744 and the Peedee Revels in AutosomalDNA, which makes me think that it’s possible that Etheldred B Revell 1772 and Robert Marion Revell 1789 had a mother who was a Revel. Being the evidence that we’ve seen so far with Revel women having children with slaves who are E-M2 or O haplogroup men, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this had happened. I find it odd that in the Nash County Deeds Index that the only known son of Micajah Revel 1747 was Henry Revel 1774. It wasn’t until Micajah Revel 1747 moved to Kentucky, when you start seeing other children being claimed to be his by their descendants. Henry Revel 1774 might just be his only son who was his. More YDNA testing needs to be done to verify which son was his for sure. Being that the fact that Micajah Revel 1747 did have a brother name Elijah Revel 1744 and he was for sure a E-FT380130 and matched up to the Peedee Revels, Micajah Revel 1747 was most likely a E-FT380130. Some might argue that Henry Revel 1774 was the son of Elijah Revel 1744, it was known in the family that Elijah Revel 1744 was Henry’s uncle who was a son of Micajah Revel 1747. Elijah Revel 1747 was the Executer of Henry’s will when he died around 1802, Micajah Revell 1747 had already left Nash County, NC to Kentucky before 1800.

Sabra Revel 1725-35 is another family who has people scratching their heads and fusing about. I’m not sure as of why it’s such a fuss. Sabra Revel must have met a Slave who was of Asian Haplogroup. In Court Records she never married, and she probably wasn’t allowed to marry the man she had children with. Any children she had would have a different haplogroup than her brother and father had. In some passed down stories from the Revels down in Florida, one of their Revel ancestors was a Slave Trader and worked on the Slave trade Ships and Ports. He brought over Slaves from Africa to the Carolinas to work on the farms. One of these Slave trade ships was the Portuguese Slave Ships who went from Madagascar who were also part Asians in Africa. These men would carry the O Haplogroup. In Court Records found, Sabra had a base-born child name Sal and Nathaniel, Sal was bounded out to Joseph Howell who lived near Edmond Revel 1720-25 and Nathaniel Revel was bounded out to Mary Fort. Nathaniel Revels was born around 1750 and was bounded out to Mary Fort to be a farmer. Nathaniel Revels father didn’t have the last name Revels unless he took the last name Revels as a slave to the Revels family. In some research found near the Revels was the Blount family who had a lot of Slaves and some of the O Haplogroup men did come from the slaves that the Blount family bought off the Slave trade ships who were either Asians or Black Slaves. Interesting thing is, The famous Hiram Rhodes Revels had a great Nephew who did YDNA testing and matched up to both Black men with the last name Blount who also were slaves of the Blount Family. His YDNA Haplogroup is also a E-M2. Only seems that the Blount family near the Revels had Asian and Black slaves who some of the Revel women had children with. When doing research of which Revel who worked on the Slave trade Ports and Ships, I could only find Randolph Revel who was also in the War of Jenkins Ear and was listed under William Gooch’s Regiment. He had fought in a battle in Cuba and retreated back to South Carolina to defend the ports from the Spaniards. This would make sense of what the Old family Stories we have down in Florida and what YDNA is also showing in the Revel family.

Randolph Revel was born around 1690 somewhere in the America Colonies. He could have been from Pennsylvania being the fact that John Revel is found on the Welch Tract in the 1740's/50's The Welch Tract started in 1731 by men who came from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, or just simply he was born in the Area and lived in the area before the Welch Settlers from Pennsylvania came down to South Carolina. Randolph Revel very well possibly had John Revel 1718, Edmond C Revel 1720-25, and Sabra Revel 1725-35. Is this what really happen, I’m not for sure, but it does make very logical sense. He was in William Gooch’s Regiment and many of the men that was in his Regiment were Indentured Servants.

Randolph Revel may have come from Henry Revel who was born in 1655 and was a prisoner at Chateau D’lf in Marseille, France. Henry Revel was sent to America by the King of France in 1687. The area that Henry Revel was in the 1600's had a lot of history of Whitish Moors Converting into Huguenots in southern France. Henry was sent to prison because of his outspoken speeches of his Belief, which is mostly known what the Huguenots did. The Revel family back in America also heard stories of them being Huguenots and they did go to North and South Carolina after they was kicked out of France.

Languedoc was independent from France in the 1200's which they welcomed Whitish and Black Moors to live. Most of these Moors converted into Huguenots and Languedoc Stretched from Spain to Italy. There is also a small Village in Southern France today name Revel and is known for a timber town. The Whitish Moors came from Spain when they had Invaded Spain in 711AD to 718AD. They also went to the Island called Monorca which some remaining parts of a castle in Monorca is called Revull. In an old Florida Story from Brock Revels family of Titusville, FL it was told the Revels came from that Island Monorca, which the Descendants from Brock Revels match to the E-FT380130 Line and Brock Revels is a descendant from John Revel 1718 who was a brother to Edmond C Revel 1720-25 and Sabra Revel 1725-35. The island Monorca is known from its still Standing Moorish Buildings today. The Revel name most likely was spelled Revila or Revula and according to the Houseofnames, The Revilla name is from the moors that started in Spain. The Whitish Moors came from Africa and to which the E-FT380130 has matches to People in Northwest Africa and down in Mexico who came from Spain, and all talked about coming from the Whitish Moors. It is Plain as day that John Revel 1718, Edmond C Revel 1720-25, and Sabra Revel 1725-35 all were descendants from the Whitish Moors Northwestern Africa group.

Some researchers are confusing Edmond C Revel 1720-25 as a O-BY60500 and claiming that he had a son name Nathaniel Revels, there has been no proof in any documents with Edmond Revels having a son name Nathaniel Revels. When clearly in an Edgecombe County, NC Court Document in 1762 Nathaniel Revels a base-born child bonded out to Mary Fort as a farmer. So far, all the Direct Male testers who has done YDNA testing all show to be a O-BY60500 or a Downstream SNP O-FT45548. This in only one Source from one man doing YDNA. This isn’t like the E-FT380130 where you have a Court Document from Edmond C Revel 1720-25 son Elijah Revel 1744 having their Paper trail proven to their Male direct descendant who matches up to Revels outside of Edmond C Revel 1720-25 to his brother John Revel 1718. If this didn’t happen then a question would be raised which Haplogroup Edmond C Revel 1720-25. This did happen like that, so it confirmed that Edmond C Revel 1720-25 is 100% a E-FT380130.

The Black in the Revel, People have question if the Revel, Revels were black people. They were for sure tri racial. They weren’t just one or two races if you are talking about the E-FT380130 and the O-BY60500 Groups. If you’re talking about the R-FT410866 and the R-FT388383 Group, then you will be getting one race, and some families might be two different races.

The E-FT380130 and the O-BY60500 Revel, Revels family were all listed as Mulattos or Free of Color. I think it’s also good to know, what did they start off as? Well, it is hard to know for sure in some terms, but there are some great clues with E-FT380130. The YDNA for the E-FT380130 group has two YDNA Matches who are in Northwest Africa and these two men are not White like British and they not Black. These two men are whitish brown looking like a Spaniard or a Mexican or a Native American today. They also have three YDNA Matches who live down in Mexico and have lived there for years until coming over from Spain. These men are both not White or Black. These men just look like everyday Mexicans but they say they have a lighter shade to them. If the Revel-Revels came from Henry Revel 1655, then yes Henry could have been a little more white than the other YDNA Matches that he matched up to in YDNA. Henry Revel 1655 could have mixed in easy with the Indian Tribes in the Carolinas. If John Revel 1718, Edmond Revel 1720-25, Sabra Revel 1725-35 did come from Randolph Revel 1690 who worked on the Slave trade Ships would have been probably a little darker than the other British families nearby, and it seems that he may have had his children with one of the Slaves on the ship. The AutosomalDNA origin test from 23andMe and FTDNA both show descendants from the E-FT380130 and O-BY60500 having Black African ancestors. The time frame for them is pretty much dead set to about the time of when the Slave trading was happening. This is why you start seeing the Great Grand Children to the Great Great Grandchildren of John Revel 1718, Edmond Revel 1720-25, and Sabra Revel 1725-35 starting to be more listed as White in the Census records if each descendant just married White Women or even Native Women.

Native American seems to be Peedee Indian for sure, but some of the Revel-Revels must have had two or three different native American in them. The Revels from the Peedee Indian Land seem to be more different, they did betrayed the Peedee Militia Loyalist and took off to Georgia, but none of them wanted to file any claims of being Native Americans. They chased the Creeks and the Seminole Indians out of the land. It would look bad on them if they did. Many of the Revels in Florida wouldn’t talk about Native American Indians. The only Revels who really try to claim Native American was the Revels who went to Wisconsin or the Revels who stayed in Robeson County, NC. The Revels down in Florida did hear stories about a Revels male Ancestor married a Native American woman and went down south to Georgia and Florida. Edmond C Revel 1720-25 could have married a Native American or could have been up to Henry Revel. One thing for sure is, none of the Revel-Revels came from James Revell the Matomkin Indian. Thier has been 0% who his children are. Some researchers are claiming he had two children Edward Revell and Charles Revell however there is 0% proof that he had children or not. These two men are just simply from the R-FT388383 British line and not E-FT380130 or O-BY60500 at all. No Passed down stories has ever been told of a Native American taking the Revell name in Maryland. The Revels stories from the older generation in Florida are pretty well detail with matching what DNA Shows them.

The Peedee Area of South Carolina seemed to also have got another Revel family about the same time as Jeremiah and Edmond was in. This family is Durham Revill and Paul Revill. There was a story written by Mr. Watson years ago tying Durham and Paul with Jeremiah and Edmond. However, YDNA Test was done on a Direct Male descendant from Durham Revill, and he showed to match the R-FT410866 British line. The Descendants of Durham have no knowledge of them coming over from England, but from the Nantes of France in 1685 as a later bunch. They would say Durham and Paul could speak French and it was passed down by his Grandson that Durham only spoke French. This is probably true being the fact that R-FT410866 is an older formed SNP with a Private Variants of 4 and pushing the connection back to between 1400 to 1650. The R-FT410866 also have two matches to people who currently live in England, which I believe that if I was to get more Revell from England to test, I’m going to find them being the R-FT410866. The R-FT410866 Line from John Revel 1630 who came to Henrico County, Virginia shouldn’t be confused with the Revel and Revels family of E-FT380130 being that these two lineages are different, but they also have same first names and were near each other from North Carolina down to even in Georgia and Florida. Often the two lines also mixed with each other down the road in later Generation. It’s almost like they’re best friends with each other and even work well together in family history. When doing the family research, it’s important to know which one of these groups you come from, or you're going to cross ties and get messages on Ancestry or an email letting you know that you got this person in your tree, but you belong to the E-FT380130 group that person belongs to the R-FT410866 group. It’s even the same way between the E-FT380130 and O-BY60500. Not so much with R-FT388383 unless you’re putting Charles Revel who married Sarah Curtis in your tree, when it’s a proven fact that Charles Revel who married Sarah Curtis is a R-FT388383.

Notable people related to the Revel line, there isn’t a lot of famous people related, there is some people who might be descendants from a Revel family. Some who are for sure have Revels ancestors. The one person who everyone thinks of is Hiram Rhodes Revels who was the First African American who was a Senator for the State of Mississippi in the late 1800'S. There is also Country Singer Easton Corbin who is a descendant of John Revels 1803-1849 and Elizabeth Jenkins Revels. Sonny Shroyer who is a descendant from Hannah Revel Crosby 1728 who played the cop Enos in the TV Show “Dukes of Hazzard” Sonny Shroyer is really good friends with the Revels in North Florida and South Georgia. Kacey Musgraves who is a descendant from the Revely family. Jason Aldean who seems to be a descendant from the Revell of England. Heather Locklear who is related to the Revels.