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When I retired, I took on a huge genealogy project: working with the Tarvin Family Association to document as many of Jason and Sarah's descendants as possible. I discovered a lot more Tribbys, and corresponded with a number of fourth cousins. While none of these relatives had reliable records earlier than Jason and Sarah, I saw some intriguing references to eighteenth century Tribbys in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New England, plus a lot of later Tribby and Tribbey families I could not connect to my tree.
I took Ancestry.com's DNA test and found additional relatives, but since that type of "autosomal" testing is really only reliable out to about third cousins, I found only one new Tribby cousin.
In 2017 I took a different DNA test -- one that looked at my Y-chromosome. Because Y-DNA is passed unchanged, except for genetic mutations, from father to son, it is possible to prove family connections going back centuries.
FamilyTreeDNA offers a range of Y-DNA tests that allow you to start with a less expensive test then later upgrade to analysis of more markers that provide additional information. The Y-67 test (and, later, Y-111 upgrade) proved that four of us were connected, but the number of generations separating us was approximate. We all belonged to the R-M269 haplogrop (genetic branch).
One of the distant cousins in this group, Tim Treeby, lives in England. His extensive research shows the original family name, Treby, came from the Devon area in southwest England.
Three of us traced ancestors back to Fleming Co., Kentucky in the early 1800s and suspected we were fifth cousins, but the tests were not precise enough to prove it fully.
In 2020, a new cousin appeared in our group. The surprise: his last name is Tedrow. His ancestry was reliably traced back to a Bill Tedrow, who married Eleanor Hyatt in 1867. After Eleanor's death in 1877 Bill disappeared and their two sons were raised by their maternal grandparents. The descendants hoped that Y-DNA testing would prove which part of the Tedrow family they connected to. Instead it demonstrated they are connected to the Tribby family.
In 2025, four of us upgraded to the most extensive test, Big Y-700. The new test showed three of us had a common ancestor who was born about 1750, which matched our assumption that we were all descended from William Tribbey of Fleming Co., Kentucky. The three of us now belong to a much more specific haplogroup: R-FTG78142.
Our common ancestor with Tim Treeby went back much further: to 1450! Tim has his own haplogroup: R-FTG77331.
Several months later, our Tedrow cousin upgraded his test. His haplogroup is R-FTG78833 and our common ancestor is estimated to have been born around 1700.
When I created my account in 2025 there were fewer than 40 Tribbys in the tree. I quickly added the Tribby descendants of my great-great-great-grandfather Jason Tribby.
The best documented early Tribby is Revolutionary War veteran John Tribby (1758-1819). I entered his ancestors and his Tribby descendants into WikiTree.
I am using a vaiety of resources to add well-documented Tribby, Tribbey, and Treby descendants to WikiTree. Here are links to the patriarchs I have worked on so far, the men who have well-documented lines of descendants:
There are lots more Tribb(e)ys who may or may not fit into these lines. I plan to keep plugging away at adding them to WikiTree. Help is always welcome.
One of these descendants took the test, with surprising results: he ended up in a separate, unconnected haplogroup, R-PH1120. There are far fewer men in this haplogroup compared to the groups mentioned above. Could there be two distinct hapogroups for men with the surname Tribby? Was a non-Tribby male adopted by the Tribby family long ago? Getting additional male descendants of John Tribby to take the test should provide the answers.
NOTE: Prices and procedures are current as of the last update to this page (June 2026), but they can change so check with the FamilyTreeDNA website for the latest information.
The least expensive FamilyTreeDNA Y-DNA test is the Y-37 test, which sells for $119 but is often on sale for as low as $79. It will verify whether or not you are a biological match, and give a very rough estimate of how many generations separate you from the others in the same haplogroup. Their next level up, Y-111, costs $249 (sale $199) and provides more precision in estimating how closely you are related to others
Neither of these provides the precision we need to identify how someone fits into a known family tree. Big Y-700 examines enough DNA material for a very close estimate of how many years have passed for the mutations that have happened to two men's Y-chromosomes. The Big Y-700 test costs $449, although it is often on sale for as low as $379. You might want to verify your genealogical connection with the less expensive Y-37 test and once proven pay for the upgrade to Big Y-700 ($339, sale price as low as $229).
FamilyTreeDNA's "Family Finder" is an autosomal DNA test similar to tests offered by Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, and 23andMe.com. According to an April 2025 blog post, some Family Finder results include Y-DNA information. If you already have a DNA test from Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, or 23andMe.com, you can download your test results file and then upload it for free to FamilyTreeDNA. There's a chance you could get your Y-DNA haplogroup information and know if you are a genetic match.
I put together step-by-step instructions on How to Transfer Ancestry DNA Results to FamilyTreeDNA
To contact me about Tribby genealogy use email address dtribby@gmail.com