The Gumble name caught my attention because my maiden name is Gambrell and we really have no proof of where our family came to American from. It is 'tradition' that they may have come from Ireland to America, but no proof of that. I've seen Gumble shown as a possible variation of Gambrell. In DNA research, we 'thought' at one time we're related to the Gambrel / Gumbrel / etc. family from Kent, but it seems DNA has disproved that. Years ago I communicated with someone at a parish office in Kent, England and she suggested that maybe our surname was an alias due to an illegitimate child and that the biological name is actually something else. So, lots of speculation and not much else surrounding my maiden name.
I know it's a longshot, but 'just in case', my Gedmatch kit # is RL048381C1. My DNA consultants results and my Gedmatch admixture do show I have Roma / Romani DNA. I also compared my kits to those here:
http://www.newforestromanygypsytraveller.co.uk/dna.phpand I match all, to one degree or another, depending on the settings used. Also, I've been curious about the New Forest and Epping Forest communities because those names were also given to communities in Colonial America to which I have connections. I have multiple lines of Native American ancestry and have been told that the early Romani to America often blended in with them and over time their ancestral identify was lost, as they began to identify with the Native Americans. That makes sense with what was happening ethnically in this country and fits with my DNA. Still, like anyone, I hope to find the actual ancestors if I can.
My son and I also show Iberian (Portuguese and Spanish) DNA. My son's is 21.8% and we have no close Iberian ancestors. He also shows Finnish which I have read can be part of our Native American or part of our Romani. I'm thinking in cases like ours, it's perhaps not an either/or but a both.
For a while I participated in a Romany Research UK group and I match with almost everyone but no idea 'how'. I even found a member of the group who shows as my 5th-8th cousin in my DNA matches on Ancestry. She and her family are from Wales. I match every Gedmatch kit# from her kinfolk that she shared with me. We shared our trees with each other and still never found how we're related.
I added a lot of known family lines to my Ancestry tree in hopes of finding how I'm related to them. Still have no clue. I did find one ancestral line of mine that 'may' be what I've been looking for. Maybe someone on here can confirm or refute this for me. This is a 9th great-grandfather of mine who immigrated from Epping Forest UK to America:
Edward Riggs II, Sgt. in the Pequot War of 1637*
BIRTH ABT. 1619 • Nazeing, Epping Forest District, Essex, England
DEATH: 05 MAR 1667 • Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, Colonial America
His father Edward Riggs I wasn't from Epping Forest, but his mother Elizabeth (Holmes) Riggs was:
Elizabeth (Holmes) Riggs of Epping Forest
BIRTH ABT. 1590 • Nazeing, Epping Forest District, Essex, England
Elizabeth's father was also from Epping Forest. His wife's maiden name may have been Rooke. I haven't traced back any farther than them.
If anyone recognizes these family lines or can tell me more about the Nazeing community in Epping Forest District, that would be much appreciated.
