I've received a lovely collection of eight faux marriage certificates from Guild Member Des Gander as a result of his Marriage Challenge for the Honiton Registration District in Devon. The Cruwys marriages all relate to the Mariansleigh tree, and I have passed on copies to the relevant researchers.
Rather fortuitously Jan Ennis in New Zealand has just been in touch with me about the line of James Cruse and Georgina Crute whose marriage certificate was included in the collection. I've been working with Jan on her tree over the last few days, and was able to send her a copy of the certificate. Jan's line goes back to James Cruse and Maria Shepherd who married in 1830 in Burlescombe, Devon. We've not yet been able to find a baptism for James. He was born c. 1807 either in Devon or Somerset. In the 1851 census his place of birth is given as Milverton, Somerset, but in the 1861 census his birth place is shown as Crediton, Devon. By 1871 James Cruse and Georgina Crute had settled in Barking in Essex.
Outline details of the certificates are provided below. Copies can be provided on request.
- 1858 The Parish Church, Honiton: James Cruse, blacksmith, son of James Cruse, blacksmith, and Georgina Crute, daughter of John Croot, shoemaker. (James Cruse and Maria Shepherd line)
- 1864 The Parish Church, Sidmouth: Thomas John Pincombe Crews (widower), cabinet maker, son of Joseph Crews (deceased), baker and Eliza Ann Cowd, daughter of William Cowd, tailor
- 1869 The Parish Church, Honiton: Robert Eastmond Cruwys, farmer, son of Robert Cruwys, farmer, and Frances Henrietta Pinney, daughter of John George Pinney, surveyor. (Mariansleigh tree)
- 1873 The Parish Church, Honiton: William Cruse, servant, son of John Cruse, labourer, and Jane Radford, daughter of John Radford, quarry man.
- 1899 The Parish Church, Escot: Reginald Levieux Daniel Cruwys, son of Robert Eastmond Cruwys, farmer, and Bessie Annie Baker, daughter of Jesse Thomas Ward Baker, farmer. (Mariansleigh tree)
- 1903 The Parish Church, Feniton: Ada Fanny Cruwys, daughter of John Steer Cruwys, retired farmer, and Willie Douglas Stevens, a railway clerk from Dorchester, the son of Joseph Stevens, an innkeeper. (Mariansleigh tree)
- 1901 The Parish Church, Payhembury: Kate Maria Pinney Cruwys, daughter of Robert Eastmond Cruwys, and Frank Griffin, farmer, son of Thomas Griffin (deceased), farmer. (Mariansleigh tree)
- 1905 The Parish Church, Feniton: Sophie Kitty Mary Cruwys, daughter of John Steer Cruwys, retired grocer, and William Edmund Berry, photographer, son of George James Berry, schoolmaster. (Mariansleigh tree)
Friday, 23 October 2009
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Haplogroup U4 project
I wrote back on 7th June 2008 about my mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test and my rare U4 haplogroup. At that time I joined the mtDNA haplogroup U4 project at Family Tree DNA, but the project was very quiet and I received no communications from the group administrator. It therefore came as no surprise when the admin announced at the end of August that he was stepping down. William Allen, who runs the new U4 blog, has taken over as the group admin, and I offered to help out as a co-administrator. We are joined by Ron Scott, who is an expert on mtDNA and has done a considerable amount of work on the phylogeny (the family tree) of haplogroup U4 and all its subclades. Inevitably the project took up far more time than I originally envisaged, and I have been somewhat preoccupied in recent weeks, hence the lack of postings to this blog. I spent a lot of time updating the U4 project website, and have been busy recruiting new participants from Mitosearch, the public mtDNA database. My efforts were rewarded by a considerable boost in membership from 160 participants when we took over the project on 25th August to 280 as of today's date. The project is continuing to grow at a steady rate. If you have had your mtDNA tested either by Family Tree DNA or the Genographic Project and you belong to haplogroup U4 then I do hope you will join our project. It is free to join, and no further tests are required.
Mitochondrial DNA has always been somewhat neglected by family history researchers, largely because fewer mutations occur and, with the standard HVR1 and HVR2 mtDNA tests, people can often have large numbers of matches, the majority of which will be of no genealogical significance. In 2005 Family Tree DNA introduced a full-genomic sequence (FGS) test, which can refine matches in a genealogical time frame, but the test has always been very expensive, and beyond the reach of the average researcher. However, earlier this month Family Tree DNA announced a special promotion for their existing customers with the offer of a substantial reduction in the cost of the FGS test.
- US $229 (was $439) for first time mtDNA test takers
- US $179 for those who have already tested HVR1 and HVR2
- US $199 for those who have already tested HVR1
The new price from November has not yet been announced but will no doubt represent a considerable saving on the current project price of $439, and will finally make the FGS test an affordable option for anyone wishing to use modern DNA techniques to aid research into their direct maternal line. Family Tree DNA are currently the only company to offer the full-sequence test. No doubt other companies will follow in due course, and the FGS test will eventually become the standard test for matriline researchers. It will however take time for the database to reach critical mass. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the test was previously so expensive, Family Tree DNA already have a considerable advantage over their competitors with 6,180 full-sequence tests in their database. We have had a large number of upgrade orders in the U4 project, and I have also ordered the upgrade for myself. No doubt other projects will have seen similar sales volumes. It can only be a matter of time before the FGS database grows to a sufficient size to answer some of our genealogical questions.
Mitochondrial DNA has always been somewhat neglected by family history researchers, largely because fewer mutations occur and, with the standard HVR1 and HVR2 mtDNA tests, people can often have large numbers of matches, the majority of which will be of no genealogical significance. In 2005 Family Tree DNA introduced a full-genomic sequence (FGS) test, which can refine matches in a genealogical time frame, but the test has always been very expensive, and beyond the reach of the average researcher. However, earlier this month Family Tree DNA announced a special promotion for their existing customers with the offer of a substantial reduction in the cost of the FGS test.
Dear Family Tree DNA customerThe promotional prices for existing Family Tree DNA customers are:
I am pleased to make a very special announcement about our Full Mitochondria Sequence test.
As you know, this test has continually dropped in price from its initial introduction at $895 in 2005. These price decreases were related to volume and workflow, translating productivity into economies of scale that allowed us to reduce prices to those customers interested in testing their full mitochondrial sequence.
Now Family Tree DNA is doing it again, but this time we are going to take advantage of new technology that will allow us to run more samples in less time, and the savings are substantial. We expect that this price decrease will hearken a new era of Full Mitochondria Testing for the entire Genealogical community!
We will jumpstart this new era of complete mtDNA testing with an aggressive price in order to build the comparative database to the levels genetic genealogists require to answer precise ancestral and geographic questions.
So now on to the news that you've been waiting for. A new price for the mtFull Sequence test will be introduced in November but until then we are offering our current customers a promotional price through October 31st, 2009...
Depending upon the time that it takes to process these upgrade orders using our new hardware, we may experience a back order or lag time in November. If this occurs we expect to resolve the backlog in December.
- US $229 (was $439) for first time mtDNA test takers
- US $179 for those who have already tested HVR1 and HVR2
- US $199 for those who have already tested HVR1
The new price from November has not yet been announced but will no doubt represent a considerable saving on the current project price of $439, and will finally make the FGS test an affordable option for anyone wishing to use modern DNA techniques to aid research into their direct maternal line. Family Tree DNA are currently the only company to offer the full-sequence test. No doubt other companies will follow in due course, and the FGS test will eventually become the standard test for matriline researchers. It will however take time for the database to reach critical mass. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the test was previously so expensive, Family Tree DNA already have a considerable advantage over their competitors with 6,180 full-sequence tests in their database. We have had a large number of upgrade orders in the U4 project, and I have also ordered the upgrade for myself. No doubt other projects will have seen similar sales volumes. It can only be a matter of time before the FGS database grows to a sufficient size to answer some of our genealogical questions.
Friday, 21 August 2009
DNA article in Family History Monthly
The October issue of Family History Monthly is now on sale in the UK. It is a DNA special with a four-page article by yours truly on DNA testing. There is also an interesting article by Chris Pomery on the use of DNA in the Dr Crippen case, and a competition to win a free DNA test from Family Tree DNA. I am currently the project administrator of three DNA projects at Family Tree DNA. I have two surname projects for the surnames Cruwys/Cruse and Kennett. I also run a geographical project for the county of Devon. I would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in joining these projects.
Saturday, 15 August 2009
DNA Projects for the British Isles
I find that I am increasingly spending time advising people on which geographical projects to join at Family Tree DNA. I always recommend that people should test within a surname project wherever possible as you are most likely to have a match with someone with the same surname. (For a basic introduction to DNA testing please read my article here.) However, there are many surnames for which no projects have yet been established. The prospect of setting up a surname project might well be a daunting task for some people. If you are hoping to get an elderly relative to take a test on your behalf you will want to ensure that his or her DNA is stored before it is too late, and there will not necessarily be time to wait until a suitable DNA project has been established. A useful alternative in such situations is to test with a geographical project. In this way you can benefit from the discounted project pricing and the free 25-year archival storage provided by Family Tree DNA. Some geographical projects focus on both Y chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Others focus specifically either on Y-DNA or mtDNA. Geographical projects can be a particularly useful repository for mtDNA results as you are most likely to have a meaningful match with someone from the same location. Family Tree DNA have an alphabetical list of geographical projects on their website, but it is a time-consuming task sorting through the list to see if there is a project for a particular area of interest. I have therefore compiled this list of geographical projects relating to the British Isles for the benefit of UK researchers. Once you have tested with Family Tree DNA you can join as many other relevant projects as you wish. There are some overlapping projects and it will usually be possible to join both projects. I have excluded from the list some projects which no longer appear to be active. If you know of any projects which are missing from the list please get in touch and I will be happy to include them. All the projects at Family Tree DNA are run by volunteer administrators who decide on the criteria for joining their projects. Some projects have very specific requirements, whereas others are very broad.
English DNA Projects
There are currently very few English geographical projects, and a number of the projects in this list, including my own new Devon project, have only been set up in the last few years. There will no doubt be many new projects established in the months and years to come as more people from the UK get their DNA tested. If anyone is interested in running an English county project and would like some idea of the work involved please get in touch. I would be particularly interested in hearing from anyone who might be interested in setting up a Somerset project as I have a number of people who have expressed an interest in joining such a project. The following is a list of all known active projects for English counties and regions:
Birmingham and West Midlands mtDNA Project
Project members must have a paper trail back to Birmingham or those areas close by in the West Midlands (Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire). Only those people who have taken a high-resolution mtDNA test (HVRI and HVR2) are eligible to join.
Colchester Camilla Project
The Colchester Camilla Project was set up in February 2011. It is a geographical project for everyone with a direct paternal or maternal ancestral line originating in or around the town of Colchester in Essex. The project is aiming to show a genetic link with the DNA taken from human remains of people who lived in or around Colchester during the Romano-British period (43AD to 410AD). Further information on the archaeological findings in Colchester can be found here.
Cornwall Y-DNA Project
A new Y-DNA project established in July 2011. The project is restricted to those who have a good paper trail to Cornwall on their paternal line.
Cornwall mtDNA Project
This project is for anyone with an ancestor on the direct maternal line who lived in Cornwall.
Devon Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
My Devon DNA Project was only established in March 2009 but has already attracted over 130 participants. The project is open to everyone with a direct paternal or maternal ancestral line from Devon, and participants must have a documented paper trail to Devon. The project specifically excludes deep-rooted lines from America where the only connection with Devon is in the 1500s or 1600s, as these pedigrees are prone to error and are very difficult to verify. There is also the possibility of a non-paternal event leading to the introduction of non-Devon DNA.
East Anglia Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The East Anglia DNA Project is for anyone whose paternal or maternal line can be traced to East Anglia. For the purposes of the project East Anglia is defined by its historical boundaries, which include the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, plus northern Essex and southeast Lincolnshire. Although the bulk of the participants have been tested at Family Tree DNA the project is hosted on an external website and is therefore able to accommodate results from other testing companies.
Hampshire Y-DNA Project
The Hampshire project is open to anyone with a direct paternal line from Hampshire.
Manx Y-DNA Project
A new DNA project launched in August 2010 by Guild of One-Name Studies member John Creer.
Nidderdale Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
A new Y-DNA and mtDNA geographical project launched in 2011 by Guild of One-Name Studies member Nigel Brooks. The project is open to everyone with a direct paternal or maternal ancestral line originating in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the county of North Yorkshire.
Northumberland Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
This project is open to "all with any association with the county of Northumberland".
Oxfordshire Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The Oxfordshire DNA project is a dual DNA project which is collecting Y-DNA and mtDNA results for people with a direct paternal or maternal ancestral line from Oxfordshire. Participants must have a documented paper trail to Oxfordshire prior to 1900.
Ravenstonedale DNA Project
A DNA project for people with any of the surnames found in the parish of Ravenstonedale in Westmorland. Participants must have a documented paper trail to an ancestor who lived in Ravenstonedale before 1800. The project accepts Y-DNA, mtDNA and Family Finder results.
Saddleworth Surnames DNA Project
A new Y-DNA project established in December 2013 which is investigating the surnames of Saddleworth in Yorkshire. Updates are posted on the project's Saddleworth History Blog.
Yorkshire Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
A new project established in July 2013 for people with proven or suspected Yorkshire heritage on the direct paternal or maternal line.
Irish DNA Projects
The Ireland Heritage Project is the largest country-specific project in the world with almost 5,000 Y-DNA participants and over 1000 mtDNA participants as of March 2013. The project has its own website with background information on the project and tips and resources for researching in Ireland. The Y-DNA and mtDNA projects have separate project pages at Family Tree DNA:
Ireland Heritage Y-DNA Project
Ireland Heritage mtDNA Project
These projects welcome respectively those with paternal or maternal lines of Irish origin regardless of whether or not the county of origin is known.
Munster Irish Y-DNA Project
This is a research project focusing on the historical families of Munster present in pre-Norman times, studying the ancestral haplotypes prevalent in the province.
Ulster Heritage Y-DNA Project
The Ulster Y-DNA Project aims to "further the study of Ulster surnames, families, clans, and tribal affiliations of the people of Ulster and their descendants throughout the Diaspora". The project is open to anyone with Ulster ancestry which includes "Ulster families of Native Irish, Hebridean Gael, Ulster Scot and English Settlers, Norman, Welsh, Frisian, Manx, etc., origins".
Ulster Heritage mtDNA Project
The Ulster Heritage mtDNA Project is open to all men and women who have Ulster ancestry.
Irish clans
There are in addition a number of projects devoted to the various Irish clans. A listing can be found on the Clans of Ireland website.
Scottish DNA Projects
Scottish DNA Project
The Scottish DNA Project (formerly the Scottish clans projects) was established in October 2001. It was one of the very early geographical projects, and is now the largest geographical with over 5,500 members as of March 2013. The project is now administered by the Genealogical Studies team at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. The Scottish DNA blog provides news and updates from the project.
Border Reivers Y-DNA Project
This project has been set up to test the Y-DNA profiles of members of the families found along the Anglo-Scottish Border who are collectively known as the Border Reivers. A full list of surnames associated with the Border Reivers clans can be found on the Electric Scotland website. The project is also open to descendants of 'transplants' to Ulster, the United States, Canada, Australia, and around the world.
Isles of the Hebrides Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
This project is open to those people whose ancestors in either the direct paternal or maternal line resided on one of the Isles of the Hebrides.
Mid Argyll Y-DNA Project
A study of a group of families from mid Argyll who are often referred to as the MacLachlans of Dunadd (Clann Mhic Lachlainn of Dunadd).
Orkney Y-DNA and mtDNA project
The project has not defined the entry criteria, and appears to be open to everyone with ancestry form Orkney.
Shetland Islands Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The Shetland DNA Project is "only open to those who can show with genealogical records that their ancestor in either the direct paternal or maternal line resided in Shetland in the 1800s or earlier". In addition the ancestor's name should appear in the Shetland families database. A patronymic naming system was common in the Shetlands among Norse families until the 1800s and DNA testing will help researchers to make genetic connections further back in time.
Scotland and the Flemish People Y-DNA Project
A project focusing on Scottish families with Flemish roots. The project is being developed in tandem with Scotland and the Flemish People, a research project run by the Institute of Scottish Historical Research at St Andrews University
Individual Scottish clan projects
There are numerous individual Scottish clan projects, many of which will include a variety of different surnames. The Clan Donald DNA Project is now "the largest family-based genetic genealogy project in the world" and was the first project to acquire 1,000 members. A listing of Scottish clan projects can be found on the Scotland DNA Project website.
Welsh DNA Projects
Wales Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The Wales DNA Project is attempting to collect the DNA haplotypes of as many persons as possible who can trace their Y chromosome and/or mtDNA lines to Wales. Project members are required to submit an ancestral chart.
The Welsh Patronymics Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The Welsh Patronymics project was launched on 6 December 6 2002 and focuses on the patronymic-style surnames (Williams, Jones, and Roberts, etc) which are found in Wales.
The British Isles Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
If there is no surname project for your surname and none of the geographical projects listed above meets your requirements another alternative is to test with the British Isles DNA Project. This is the largest geographical DNA project in the world with 4,552 project members at the time of writing. The project is very broad in its scope. It "is open to persons whose family history or surname indicates a paternal or maternal lineage originating in the British Isles, or who have a family tradition pointing back to the British Isles". Participants can therefore join even if they have not identified an ancestor who lived in the British Isles.
Other geographical projects
There are many other geographical projects for other countries and regions, and it is not possible to provide details here. There is however a very useful listing of DNA projects with 50 or more members on the World Families Network website where most of the large geographical projects can be found. DNA Ancestry is the only other testing company which hosts geographical projects. Their website does not have a public listing of geographical projects. The majority of Ancestry projects are however very small and are mostly duplicates of existing projects at Family Tree DNA. If anyone knows of any other geographical projects for the British Isles do let me know and I will add them to my list.
This page was last updated on 23rd May 2016.
© 2009-2016 Debbie Kennett
English DNA Projects
There are currently very few English geographical projects, and a number of the projects in this list, including my own new Devon project, have only been set up in the last few years. There will no doubt be many new projects established in the months and years to come as more people from the UK get their DNA tested. If anyone is interested in running an English county project and would like some idea of the work involved please get in touch. I would be particularly interested in hearing from anyone who might be interested in setting up a Somerset project as I have a number of people who have expressed an interest in joining such a project. The following is a list of all known active projects for English counties and regions:
Birmingham and West Midlands mtDNA Project
Project members must have a paper trail back to Birmingham or those areas close by in the West Midlands (Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire). Only those people who have taken a high-resolution mtDNA test (HVRI and HVR2) are eligible to join.
Colchester Camilla Project
The Colchester Camilla Project was set up in February 2011. It is a geographical project for everyone with a direct paternal or maternal ancestral line originating in or around the town of Colchester in Essex. The project is aiming to show a genetic link with the DNA taken from human remains of people who lived in or around Colchester during the Romano-British period (43AD to 410AD). Further information on the archaeological findings in Colchester can be found here.
Cornwall Y-DNA Project
A new Y-DNA project established in July 2011. The project is restricted to those who have a good paper trail to Cornwall on their paternal line.
Cornwall mtDNA Project
This project is for anyone with an ancestor on the direct maternal line who lived in Cornwall.
Devon Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
My Devon DNA Project was only established in March 2009 but has already attracted over 130 participants. The project is open to everyone with a direct paternal or maternal ancestral line from Devon, and participants must have a documented paper trail to Devon. The project specifically excludes deep-rooted lines from America where the only connection with Devon is in the 1500s or 1600s, as these pedigrees are prone to error and are very difficult to verify. There is also the possibility of a non-paternal event leading to the introduction of non-Devon DNA.
East Anglia Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The East Anglia DNA Project is for anyone whose paternal or maternal line can be traced to East Anglia. For the purposes of the project East Anglia is defined by its historical boundaries, which include the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, plus northern Essex and southeast Lincolnshire. Although the bulk of the participants have been tested at Family Tree DNA the project is hosted on an external website and is therefore able to accommodate results from other testing companies.
Hampshire Y-DNA Project
The Hampshire project is open to anyone with a direct paternal line from Hampshire.
Manx Y-DNA Project
A new DNA project launched in August 2010 by Guild of One-Name Studies member John Creer.
Nidderdale Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
A new Y-DNA and mtDNA geographical project launched in 2011 by Guild of One-Name Studies member Nigel Brooks. The project is open to everyone with a direct paternal or maternal ancestral line originating in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the county of North Yorkshire.
Northumberland Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
This project is open to "all with any association with the county of Northumberland".
Oxfordshire Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The Oxfordshire DNA project is a dual DNA project which is collecting Y-DNA and mtDNA results for people with a direct paternal or maternal ancestral line from Oxfordshire. Participants must have a documented paper trail to Oxfordshire prior to 1900.
Ravenstonedale DNA Project
A DNA project for people with any of the surnames found in the parish of Ravenstonedale in Westmorland. Participants must have a documented paper trail to an ancestor who lived in Ravenstonedale before 1800. The project accepts Y-DNA, mtDNA and Family Finder results.
Saddleworth Surnames DNA Project
A new Y-DNA project established in December 2013 which is investigating the surnames of Saddleworth in Yorkshire. Updates are posted on the project's Saddleworth History Blog.
Yorkshire Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
A new project established in July 2013 for people with proven or suspected Yorkshire heritage on the direct paternal or maternal line.
Irish DNA Projects
The Ireland Heritage Project is the largest country-specific project in the world with almost 5,000 Y-DNA participants and over 1000 mtDNA participants as of March 2013. The project has its own website with background information on the project and tips and resources for researching in Ireland. The Y-DNA and mtDNA projects have separate project pages at Family Tree DNA:
Ireland Heritage Y-DNA Project
Ireland Heritage mtDNA Project
These projects welcome respectively those with paternal or maternal lines of Irish origin regardless of whether or not the county of origin is known.
Munster Irish Y-DNA Project
This is a research project focusing on the historical families of Munster present in pre-Norman times, studying the ancestral haplotypes prevalent in the province.
Ulster Heritage Y-DNA Project
The Ulster Y-DNA Project aims to "further the study of Ulster surnames, families, clans, and tribal affiliations of the people of Ulster and their descendants throughout the Diaspora". The project is open to anyone with Ulster ancestry which includes "Ulster families of Native Irish, Hebridean Gael, Ulster Scot and English Settlers, Norman, Welsh, Frisian, Manx, etc., origins".
Ulster Heritage mtDNA Project
The Ulster Heritage mtDNA Project is open to all men and women who have Ulster ancestry.
Irish clans
There are in addition a number of projects devoted to the various Irish clans. A listing can be found on the Clans of Ireland website.
Scottish DNA Projects
Scottish DNA Project
The Scottish DNA Project (formerly the Scottish clans projects) was established in October 2001. It was one of the very early geographical projects, and is now the largest geographical with over 5,500 members as of March 2013. The project is now administered by the Genealogical Studies team at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. The Scottish DNA blog provides news and updates from the project.
Border Reivers Y-DNA Project
This project has been set up to test the Y-DNA profiles of members of the families found along the Anglo-Scottish Border who are collectively known as the Border Reivers. A full list of surnames associated with the Border Reivers clans can be found on the Electric Scotland website. The project is also open to descendants of 'transplants' to Ulster, the United States, Canada, Australia, and around the world.
Isles of the Hebrides Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
This project is open to those people whose ancestors in either the direct paternal or maternal line resided on one of the Isles of the Hebrides.
Mid Argyll Y-DNA Project
A study of a group of families from mid Argyll who are often referred to as the MacLachlans of Dunadd (Clann Mhic Lachlainn of Dunadd).
Orkney Y-DNA and mtDNA project
The project has not defined the entry criteria, and appears to be open to everyone with ancestry form Orkney.
Shetland Islands Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The Shetland DNA Project is "only open to those who can show with genealogical records that their ancestor in either the direct paternal or maternal line resided in Shetland in the 1800s or earlier". In addition the ancestor's name should appear in the Shetland families database. A patronymic naming system was common in the Shetlands among Norse families until the 1800s and DNA testing will help researchers to make genetic connections further back in time.
Scotland and the Flemish People Y-DNA Project
A project focusing on Scottish families with Flemish roots. The project is being developed in tandem with Scotland and the Flemish People, a research project run by the Institute of Scottish Historical Research at St Andrews University
Individual Scottish clan projects
There are numerous individual Scottish clan projects, many of which will include a variety of different surnames. The Clan Donald DNA Project is now "the largest family-based genetic genealogy project in the world" and was the first project to acquire 1,000 members. A listing of Scottish clan projects can be found on the Scotland DNA Project website.
Welsh DNA Projects
Wales Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The Wales DNA Project is attempting to collect the DNA haplotypes of as many persons as possible who can trace their Y chromosome and/or mtDNA lines to Wales. Project members are required to submit an ancestral chart.
The Welsh Patronymics Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
The Welsh Patronymics project was launched on 6 December 6 2002 and focuses on the patronymic-style surnames (Williams, Jones, and Roberts, etc) which are found in Wales.
The British Isles Y-DNA and mtDNA Project
If there is no surname project for your surname and none of the geographical projects listed above meets your requirements another alternative is to test with the British Isles DNA Project. This is the largest geographical DNA project in the world with 4,552 project members at the time of writing. The project is very broad in its scope. It "is open to persons whose family history or surname indicates a paternal or maternal lineage originating in the British Isles, or who have a family tradition pointing back to the British Isles". Participants can therefore join even if they have not identified an ancestor who lived in the British Isles.
Other geographical projects
There are many other geographical projects for other countries and regions, and it is not possible to provide details here. There is however a very useful listing of DNA projects with 50 or more members on the World Families Network website where most of the large geographical projects can be found. DNA Ancestry is the only other testing company which hosts geographical projects. Their website does not have a public listing of geographical projects. The majority of Ancestry projects are however very small and are mostly duplicates of existing projects at Family Tree DNA. If anyone knows of any other geographical projects for the British Isles do let me know and I will add them to my list.
This page was last updated on 23rd May 2016.
© 2009-2016 Debbie Kennett
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