What Our DNA Remembers: The John & Altha (Judd) Hamilton DNA Study

Glen Hamilton · October 7, 2026

John D. Hamilton and Altha Judd married in New York around 1818. They raised their family there and in Illinois, and left almost no record of where John came from. This first edition report brings together the DNA of hundreds of their descendants to answer questions the documents never could. Y-DNA ties John's male line to Thomas and Lydia (Wing) Hamilton of Cape Cod. Autosomal DNA shows that John's and Altha's families came from different backgrounds, that Joseph Hamilton was probably John's brother or close kin, and that the Peterson family descends from Supplina and Jane (Sumpter) Hamilton. The report also lists the families the study most needs to hear from, with names, dates and places to help you recognise your own line. If you descend from John and Altha, or from the Joseph Hamilton, Thomas and Lydia (Wing) Hamilton, or Trowbridge families, please consider joining the study.

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