Help Us Solve a 200-Year-Old Family Mystery
William Keaton and his wife, Catherine Gresham, had thirteen children who were named as heirs in his 1830 estate records, all of whom have been traced forward except Sally. Sally (Keaton) Reeves, wife of William Reeves, remains the final child whose identity after 1830 was unknown. We are seeking descendants to do at-home mitochondrial DNA testing through Family Tree DNA to aid this research.
A woman named Sarah Reeves lived in DeSoto County, Mississippi, in 1850, heading a household five inferred Reeves children, ages 21 down to 7. Sarah was age 53 (born about 1797), with a birthplace of South Carolina. Documentary evidence points to her being Sally (Keaton) Reeves.
The Sally Keaton DNA Research Project seeks to definitively establish whether Sarah Reeves, born around 1797 in South Carolina and later residing in DeSoto County, Mississippi, was the same person as Sally Keaton, wife of William Reeves, listed in William Keaton’s 1830 estate records in Anderson District, South Carolina. Sally is a common nickname for Sarah. William Keaton’s estate documents name “William Reeves and Sally his wife” as distributees, also stating that they lived outside of the state of South Carolina. Papers in the estate records indicate William and Sally Reeves lived in Tennessee, W.D. (likely western district).
Our research objective is to connect the identity of Sarah Reeves of DeSoto Mississippi to Sally (Keaton) Reeves through DNA evidence and genealogical documentation. Autosomal DNA evidence is showing a connecting between descendants of Sarah Reeves and descendants of other Keaton children (Abner, Jessee, Reuben, Archibald, William, and Lucindrilla). We particularly need mitochondrial DNA test takers who are descendants of Sally through an unbroken female line—especially descendants of her daughters Martha M. (Reeves) Coody and Mary Jane (Reeves) Martin. Mitochondrial DNA testing can provide evidence to confirm or refute this connection, helping to solve a genealogical puzzle that has persisted for generations. If you are a female-line descendant of Sarah Reeves, your participation could be the key to unlocking this family mystery and connecting Sally’s descendants to their Keaton heritage. Sally’s female lines have been traced forward to the great-granddaughter level, shown below.
Female lines of descent from Sally (Keaton) Reeves down to the great-granddaughter generation
Confirming Martha M. (Reeves) Coody’s Family Connections
Beyond establishing Sally’s identity, this DNA research project also aims to strengthen the evidence for Martha M. (Reeves) Coody’s parentage. Autosomal DNA evidence has already shown that Martha’s descendants are genetic matches with descendants of other children of William and Sarah Reeves, providing strong support for the hypothesis that Martha was their daughter. However, mitochondrial DNA testing offers another type of evidence that can further solidify this parent-child relationship between Martha and Sarah (Sally) Keaton Reeves. Mitochondrial DNA is only passed on by mothers to their children. By comparing mitochondrial DNA from Martha’s female-line descendants with confirmed Keaton family members, we can add another layer of genetic proof to complement the existing autosomal DNA matches. This multi-faceted DNA approach strengthens the overall case and provides more comprehensive evidence for Martha’s place in the family tree, helping to overcome the documentary gaps that have made these 19th-century family relationships challenging to prove through traditional genealogical methods alone.
About Us – Family Locket Genealogists
Nicole Elder Dyer serves as the principal researcher for the Sally Keaton DNA Research Project. Nicole is a professional genealogist specializing in research throughout the Southern United States and is the founder of Family Locket genealogists, established in 2015. She works alongside her mother, Diana Elder, AG, AGL, an Accredited Genealogist with twenty-two years of research experience and credentials through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Together, Nicole and Diana co-authored the bestselling genealogy guides “Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide” and “Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist’s Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence,” and co-host the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast. Their team of professional researchers brings extensive expertise in Southern U.S. genealogy, DNA analysis, and genetic genealogy methodologies—making them uniquely qualified to tackle the complex multi-state research challenges presented by the Sally Keaton case. Diana’s specialization in the Gulf South Region, including Mississippi and Arkansas where Sally lived, combined with Nicole’s experience in the Carolinas and Tennessee, provides comprehensive coverage of Sally’s migration path. Read more about Family Locket Genealogists here.
Current Mitochondrial DNA Baseline for Comparison
We already have a mitochondrial DNA test result from a confirmed Keaton family member to serve as our comparison baseline. A descendant of Sally Keaton’s sister Lucindrilla (Keaton) Welch through her daughter Malissa Welch has completed mitochondrial DNA testing at FamilyTree DNA. This provides us with the Keaton family’s maternal mitochondrial DNA signature, which should match any true female-line descendants of William Keaton and Catherine Gresham’s daughters, including Sally.
DNA Testing Logistics
FamilyTree DNA is the preferred testing company for this project because they offer the most comprehensive full mitochondrial DNA panel test, which examines the complete mitochondrial genome rather than just select regions. This detailed analysis, priced at approximately $129, provides the highest resolution for comparing maternal lineages and detecting even distant relationships. To encourage participation and remove financial barriers, our research study is prepared to cover the cost of mitochondrial DNA testing for qualified participants who are potential female-line descendants of Sally Keaton through Martha M. (Reeves) Coody and Mary Jane (Reeves) Martin. To learn how the at-home DNA test works, see “Taking Your DNA Test” at Family Tree DNA’s website. We would mail the test kit to your home, and you would send in the kit to Family Tree DNA.
To join the research study, email Nicole@FamilyLocket.com.
Documentary Research Challenges
The primary challenge in researching Sally stems from the prevalence of the name William Reeves in the early 19th century, making it extremely difficult to distinguish which William Reeves household in Western Tennessee belonged to Sally and her husband. Additionally, Sally’s migration pattern from South Carolina to Tennessee, then to Mississippi, and finally to Arkansas created a complex trail across multiple states with varying record-keeping practices. The family’s westward movement coincided with periods of limited documentation, particularly in frontier areas where formal records were sparse. Further complicating the research, Sally’s descendants have preserved no family knowledge of her maiden name or Keaton parentage, leaving DNA analysis as one of the few remaining tools to establish these connections. Burned courthouses and a lack of records combined with the geographic dispersion of the family have made traditional genealogical methods insufficient for definitively proving Sally’s identity and lineage.
Read More
Slides about the Sally Keaton Research study:
Dyer, Nicole Elder. “Sally Keaton: My Fourth-Great-Grandmother’s Sister.” Presentation slides. Excerpt taken from the “Integrating AI into Genealogy Research and Writing” course at the Texas Institute of Genealogy Research, June 2025. Sally Keaton Research Slides.
Nicole has written several genealogy education blog posts using the Sally Keaton research as a case study. These posts explain several aspects of the research so far:
Dyer, Nicole Elder. “Who was Sally Keaton? Determining Unique Identifiers for a Research Objective.” Blog post. 23 January 2024. Family Locket. https://familylocket.com/who-was-sally-keaton-determining-unique-identifiers-for-a-research-objective/.
——————. “Analyzing Naming Patterns: A Southern United States Example.” Blog post. 7 December 2024. Family Locket. https://familylocket.com/analyzing-naming-patterns-a-southern-united-states-example/.
——————.” Create DNA Descendancy Diagrams with AI.” Blog post. 6 August 2024. Family Locket. https://familylocket.com/create-dna-descendancy-diagrams-with-ai/.