DNA TEST FINDINGS & ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS 

Apart from your immediate family, it is very rare to come across another Keep. When you do, the question always arises, “I wonder if we are related?” and “I wonder what ancestral Keep families we descend from?”  Others have taken for granted earlier research, which incorrectly links them back to purported ancestral forefathers, based upon flawed paper trails. Our DNA project has clearly demonstrated that we are not all related, and also that earlier published family trees can be far from accurate.

The Expanded Keep DNA Project   By extending our aims and objectives from the original  uncertainty of John Keep of Longmeadow’s ancestry, we have now established the possibility of 4 separate and unconnected Keep clans, and an illegitimate branch which has retained our family name. If your family has not yet been tested, you might want to consider a male member undertaking a test. Whilst this will help you find answers to your own lineage, it will greatly help the project gain a greater understanding of Keeps around the world. 

        DNA TEST FINDINGS & ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS

                                 The Charts Explained

On this page we present our findings to date in tabular form on a coded coloured chart, containing and comparing the number sequence for each individual test. To assist you with the chart the following explanation by family groups is given:

1.  The Descendants of Walter Kep, born about 1230 at Astwood, Buckinghamshire, England, which includes John Keep of Longmeadow.  

2.  The Descendants of John Kepe b 1519 at West Hendred, Oxfordshire, England. 

This group, which is referred to for convenience as the “Wessex Keeps” is shown on the chart in blue. Another major breakthrough in our knowledge of Keep families came with the testing of Keeps with a known lineage back to Berkshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire. When the test results became available, they did not match those in relation to the Walter Kep established line, as can be seen by comparing those shown in blue to those in green.  As they did not match, we had identified that there were in fact two distinct Keep families.  With regard to those numbers shown in blue, whilst they are not all perfect matches, they remain within the parameters indicating a distinct Keep family to a 100 per cent probability, which is supported by documentary research.  This constituted a major breakthrough in our quest to the understanding of the Keeps.  It furthermore put individual members of the family group in touch with each other, who were researching the family history and has greatly enhanced their knowledge and efforts in tandem. An interesting aspect of this group are the test results at rows 10 & 11, because according to published trees they were shown as descendants of Walter Kep, but testing highlighted this misconception.

Click Here for the detailed explanation page.

                                                                                   * * * *

Other Keep Family Lines Identified

Two stand alone rows can be seen on the chart, which suggest that there may be at least two more separate Keep lines in England to be identified and confirmed by more participants taking tests. They are:

3.  The Descendant of Walter Keep b 1762 in England, and died on 6 Sept 1862 at Islington, Middlesex, England. See row 4.

* * * *

4.  The Descendant of Richard Keep b 1757 at Enfield, Middlesex, England. See row 9.

* * * *

5.  The Descendant of Stephen Keep baptized 3 Feb 1771 at Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, England is also included on the chart. He was the illegitimate son of Ann (Bates) Keep and possibly Richard Stilman.

Whilst the test results at row 16 show that this participant is not linked to other Keep lines, we have included this line because they have retained the Keep name.  Hopefully we will be able to establish who fathered Ann’s child three years after the death of her husband Thomas Keep, a descendant of Walter Kep above. See row 16.

Click Here for the detailed explanation page.

More Information Needed  We need more Keep males from all countries to participate, especially from England, Australia, and Canada, to progress the project across the board. From recent interest from Keeps in Canada, we have identified at least two distinct Keep families.  However, their ancestral lines at present can only be traced back two or three generations in England by traditional methods, so we therefore need Canadian male Keep participants to establish any links to those family groups we have already identified.  Also there are a number of Keeps in The Netherlands, and their participation would be of great interest.