Standish (Y-DNA)

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Status summary

As of October 3, 2020:

  • Standish surname project contacted
  • Patrilineal (all male line) descendants of Myles Standish encouraged to NGS/WGS test. Any male who believes they are a patrilineal descendant should Read me First
  • Y-DNA Haplogroup: I-FT276480

IMPORTANT Read me First

Paper trail

For more information see: Wakefield, Robert S. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: vol. 14 Standish. Names in bold font have Y-DNA descendants who have Y-DNA tested.

Speculative Ancestry

See From Leiden to Plymouth Facebook group, especially Will of John Standish "the Son" In addition, https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/LYRF-1R1 documents a supposed ancestry for Myles Standish going back into antiquity.

Myles Standish had claimed in his will where he was heir to a Standish family from the Isle of Man but lost out on his inheritance through some means. He had made unsuccessful attempts to regain what he believed was his inheritance.

A Myles Standish (spelling varies) was a soldier in 1601 and was apparently being treated in a hospital in the Netherlands. Some have claimed he was the eldest son of John Standish "the son" (son of John Standish "the father") whose 1601 will was mis-filed under the year 1627. The will ordained "his children" (unnamed) as executors. The testator died 12 Dec 1601 and his property was transferred to his "only son" William in Mar 1601/2.

The Myles Standish (spelling varies) in the Netherlands has been said to have died 1 Nov 1601, but he also appears in later records at Leiden.

While this line is still unproven, it does explain how Myles claimed where he lost out on his rightful inheritance. He would have been the eldest son of John Standish "the son".

First Generation

[1] (Capt.) Miles Standish[1] was born about 1587,[2] possibly at the Isle of Man.[3] He died at Duxburrow (now Duxbury) 3 Oct 1656.[4] He was married twice, his first wife Rose travelled with him on the Mayflower, but she died in the first sickness 29 Jan 1620/1 without having any children. Capt. Standish married New Plimoth by 1624 to Barbara _____.

Miles Standish and (second wife) Barbara had seven children; one daughter (Lora, who apparently never married) and six sons (Charles [died young], Alexander, John [died young], Myles, Josiah and Charles [prob. never married])

Second Generation

[2] Alexander Standish was born about 1626 and died 6 Jul 1702 "being about 76 years of age"[5] He married twice, first abt 1660 to Sarah Alden. After her death, he married by 1689 to Desire DOTY (Sherman)(Holmes) (her third husband). By his first wife, Alexander had eight children: Lora(h), Lydia, Elizabeth, Mercy, Myles, Sarah, Ebenezer and David (died young). By his second wife he had three children: Desire, Thomas and Ichabod.

[3] Myles Standish (II) was born at Plymouth 5 May 1629 and died at sea aft 20 Aug 1661. He married Boston 19 Jul 1660 to Sarah Winslow, daughter of John Winslow. They had no children.

[4] Josiah (Josias) Standish was born at Plymouth about 1633. He married twice, first at Marshfield 19 Dec 1654 Mary Dingley.[6] She died 1 Jul 1655, without having any children. He remarried before Aug 1669 to Sarah Allen.[7] By his second wife, Josiah had eight children: Mary, Martha, Myles, Josiah, Samuel, Israel (son), Lois and Mercy.

Third Generation

Myles Standish was born Duxbury and died 15 Sep 1739. He married bef 5 Jul 1702 Experience Sherman and they had five children (Duxbury): Sarah (1704), Patience (1707), Priscilla (1710), Miles (1713/4 m Mehitabel Robbins) and Penelope (1717).

Ebenezer Standish was born Duxbury abt 1672 and died Plympton 19 Mar 1755. He married abt 1680 Hannah Sturtevant and they had six children: Zachariah (1698 m Abigail Whitman), Moses (1701 m Rachel Cobb), Hannah (1703/4), Zerviah (1706/7), Sarah (1709) and Mercy (1716).

Thomas Standish was born Marshfield 29 Jan 1690/1 and died aft 13 Jun 1774. He married 20 Jan 1717/8 Mary Carver and they had seven children: Amos (1718), Desire (1720), David (1723 m Hannah Magouin), Mary (1733), William (1737 m Abigail Stetson) and Beth (1739).

Ichabod Standish was born Marshfield 10 Jun 1693 and died Halifax 29 Feb 1772. He married Plympton 26 Nov 1719 Phebe Ring and they had four children: Mary (1722/3), Desire (1725), Phebe (1727) and Ichabod (1729-1731).


Myles Standish died Preston, CT bef 9 Apr 1728. He married twice, first Bristol, CT 5 Dec 1700 Mehitable Cary and second 8 Jul 1724 Elizabeth Thatcher. It is currently unknown whether he had any children by either wife.

Josiah Standish (II) died Stafford, CT 26 Mar 1753. He married Sarah ?Cary? and they had seven children: Eleazer (c1690 unm.), Jehoden (son, c1690 unm.), Mehitable, Sarah, Hannah (1705), Mary (1708) and Josiah (1725 unm.)

Samuel Standish was born Duxbury abt 1680 and died Preston, CT 4 Aug 1753. He married twice, first Preston 1 Jun 1709 Deborah Gates and second Hannah WITTER Park (no ch.). By his first wife, Samuel had seven children: Deborah (1711), Samuel (1713 m Abigail BROWN Backus), Lois (1715/6), Abigail (1716/7), Sarah (1718/9), Israel (1721/2 m Content Ellis & Dorcas Bellows) and Thomas (1724 m Sarah Williams).

Israel Standish died Preston, CT bef 26 Jan 1729/30. He married Preston 8 Feb 1703/4 Elizabeth Richards and they had four children: Elizabeth (1706/7), Miles (1709 m Jerusha Fuller, Hannah Nye & Mehitabel Nye), Amy (1710) and Prudence (1711).


  1. Pilgrim Hall Museum Myles Standish Probate
  2. MD 63(2014):138-49 "The Long-lost Portrait of Myles Standish Rediscovered" had "Aetetis suae 38. Anno 1625" However, there is some evidence where this inscription was added to the painting some time in the late 19th Century.
  3. Despite claims made by various researchers, the parentage and ancestry of Capt. Standish has not been identified. Anderson's Mayflower Migration p. 166 states the most probable parentage of Myles was made by G.V.C. Young in 1984 claiming Myles was son of John Standish, son of another John Standish, who was son of Huan Standish of Ellanbane, Isle of Man. In his will, Myles Standish noted how he lost out on his inheritance of various lands in England and the Isle of Man. The Mayflower Quarterly 72 [Jun 2006]:153-56 has an article by Jeremy D. Bangs which discusses this topic in depth.
  4. MD 1:12-13; NEHGR 87:152
  5. NEHGR 87:153
  6. Marshfield published VRs, p. 1
  7. will of her father, Samuel Allen 2 Aug 1669

DNA Results I-FT276480

Previous Y-DNA testing

Previous Y-STR testing through the Mayflower Societyand the Standish surname DNA project has suggested that the Standish lineage belongs to Y-DNA haplogroup I (defined by the marker M170, among others); further, one Standish kit has been further classified as I-L38 based on Y-STR results.

NGS/WGS Results

Three patrilineal (all male) descendants of Myles Standish have taken the Big Y-700 test. These testers descend from the two sons of Myles who left descendants (Alexander & Josiah) and since they match each other, we are confident this is the Haplogroup of Myles Standish. In addition, other Standish's have done DNA testing, with some of them belonging to the R Haplogroup (so are not related to Myles Standish) while others document a close relationship to Myles Standish (falling into clades immediately above the Myles FT276288 clade). The Myles Standish family results fall under: I-M170>P215>CTS2257>L460>P214>S2525>S2519>S2497>L38>S2606>FGC29656>BY1183>Y18919>S4556>BY14000>FT277048>FT276288>FT276480

English Standish Family DNA results

The Standish DNA Project (Group 01) includes two individuals who bear the Standish surname but do not descend from Myles Standish. One of these individuals claims ancestry going back to Ince, Wigan, Lancashire, England and can trace their line back to a Henry Standish, born 1743. The other individual claims ancestry going back to Glin Lodge, Ireland and can trace their line back to Rev. Richard Standish, born 1760. The Y-DNA clade of the English Standish line is I-FT276288, which is the parent clade of the Myles Standish clade of FT276480. The Y-DNA clade of the Irish Standish line is I-FT277048 which is the parent clade of FT276288.

On average a new SNP is discovered in Big Y-700 results roughly every 83 years (with a wide variation due to the random nature of SNP mutations). Myles Standish's I-FT276480 clade only consists of one SNP, so it's parent clade (FT276288) formed roughly 83 years before the Myles Standish clade. While it is possible Myles Standish may have been the first individual with the FT276480 mutation, it is more likely this mutation occurred one to four generations before him. This would roughly mean the parent clade of FT276288 formed roughly one to two centuries before Myles' estimated birth of c1587.

In a similar vein, the FT276288 clade is comprised of 4 SNPs, yet its parent clade FT277048 is also found in the Standish family. The fact the FT276288 clade contains four SNPs indicates FT277048 clade formed roughly two to four centuries before FT276288, yet the founder was likely a Standish as well. The Standish surname originated from the village of Standish in Lancashire, England.[1] The first known reference to this village dates to 1178 and the first reference to an individual with the Standish surname was Ralph de Stanedis in 1206.

For more information see: Standish Y-DNA YouTube presentation by Mike Terry[2]

Lines DNA tested

The following is the lineage of the two individuals who have taken the Big Y-700 test[3]

 Myles Standish (c1584-1656)
   Alexander Standish (c1626-1702)
     Thomas Standish (1690/1-1789)
       David Standish (1723-1795)
         David Standish (II) (1758-1831)
           Thomas Standish
             James Standish
               father
                 Tester
   Josiah Standish (c1633-1690)
     Samuel Standish (1680-1753)
       Israel Standish (1721/2-1802)
         Nathan Standish (1753-    )
           Erastus Standish
             Edmund Standish
               Merit Standish
                 grandfather
                   father
                     Tester


  1. There is also a village of Standish in Gloucestershire, but since the Standish family is known to be from Lancashire, its origins certainly came from the Lancashire village.
  2. Permission granted to post this link
  3. Permission granted to post

References and External links

  • Goodrich, Merton Taylor, New England Historical and Genealogical Register 87(1933):149-60 "The Children and Grandchildren of Capt. Myles Standish"
  • Young, G. V. C., Myles Standish: First Manx American, Isle of Man 1984 (also More About Pilgrim Myles Standish 1987 and Ellanbane Was the Birthplace of Myes Standish 1988)
  • Wakefield, Robert S. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: vol. 14 Standish General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA 1997
  • Anderson, Robert Charles The Mayflower Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth, 1620 New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2020 pp. 159-67
  • Mayflower Quarterly 72[Jun 2006]:133-159 "Myles Standish, Born Where? The State of the Question," by Jeremy D. Bangs (provides an in-depth review of Myles Standish unknown parentage)
  • Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Increasings From the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, Second edition 1995, 1996. pp. 106-109
  • Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Passenger References (from contemporary records & scholarly journals), [www.stewartbooks.com Stewart Publishing & Printing], Canada 2nd Edition 2015
  • Myles Standish Society
  • Myles Standish Society Genealogy
  • Discover.FamilyTreeDNA.com Notable Connections
  • WikiTree profile for Myles Standish
  • The Standish Family - The Mayflower Society


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