Did you know in 2015, a DNA study of Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, revealed she has the extremely rare mitochondrial marker in her DNA called “X1c”?
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Abraham Lincoln's mother had a secret past
Abraham Lincoln is a monumental figure in our nation’s history, yet his mother’s maternal ancestry has been debated since the time of Lincoln himself — with many stories of secrecy, mystery, and confusion surrounding the genealogy of his mother, Nancy Hanks.
Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon, wrote that Lincoln usually avoided the topic of his parentage, but had confided in Herndon that his mother “came from a family of Hanks,” and had been born out of wedlock.
Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtDNA study
Modern mtDNA testing offered the chance to test the maternal bloodlines to see the true bloodline of Nancy Hanks.
Daughters of known living descendants of Lincoln provided their DNA for full mitochondrial sequencing.
On October 21, 2015 (exactly 150 years after President Lincoln was assassinated) researchers released the results of the mtDNA study:
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Lincoln was indeed from the Hanks family line
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the mtDNA mutation connecting the mothers/daughter bloodline is the same rare "X1c" mutation most common among the Druze in Northern Israel
The testing of matrilineal relatives of Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, provided evidence that the the 16th president of the United States belonged to the very rare haplogroup "X1C" — making Abraham Lincoln a direct descendant of the Druze.
Table showing the results of tested mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) supplied by relatives, and suspected relatives, of Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Also displayed is the earliest known ancestor of each descendent volunteer.
Mitochondrial DNA is the small circular chromosome found inside mitochondria. These organelles, found in all eukaryotic cells, are the powerhouse of the cell.[1] The mitochondria, and thus mitochondrial DNA, are passed exclusively from mother to offspring through the egg cell.
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