Richard Clough Yr Hen (meaning "the Elder"), a glover from Denbigh, Wales, was the father of three daughters and seven sons. One son, Richard (Jr.) made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he was created a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. Upon his return to Great Britain he accumulated a considerable fortune as an agent/factor to Sir Thomas Gresham.
John Clough emigrated from London in 1635 on the ship 'Elizabeth' and took up residence in Salisbury, Massachusetts. His descendants had long wondered if they were related to the Welsh Clough family but, despite much effort, could trace no connection.
In the summer of 2001, Rebecca Clough Harpole contacted Oxford Ancestors, Ltd., to inquire about starting a Clough Y-line DNA study. Thanks to her efforts the John Clough Genealogical Society also became involved. To start the Clough/Cluff/Clow Surname Study cheek swabs from 5 men who carry the Clough surname were sent in the first batch to be analyzed by Oxford Ancestors. Included in this group: a member of the Clough Society who is a direct male descendant of John Clough of Salisbury, MA; a direct male descendant of Sir Richard's son by a Dutch mistress who lives in England; a New England Clough descendant who hadn't been able to find a connection to John Clough using existing records; a representative from the Kentucky Clough group; and the brother of the study's originator.
While members of the First Clough Family Trip to Great Britain were at Oxford University in October 2001, Dr. Bryan Sykes, Professor of Human Genetics at Oxford University and creator of Oxford Ancestors, Ltd., gave the group the results of the first batch of analysis. The results for the Clough Society donor, a descendant of John Clough of Salisbury, MA, and the Sir Richard Clough descendant donor WERE EXACTLY THE SAME! This, along with the fact that these families share a very uncommon surname, HIGHLY SUGGESTS that those that descend from John Clough of Salisbury, MA are indeed related to those that descend from Richard Clough Yr Hen.
