Difference between revisions of "Mayflower DNA Project"

Revision as of 15:38, 4 September 2022

Project dashboard

• About the project
• Y-DNA and mtDNA Primer
• How you can help
• DNA sample collection tips
• Participant consent
• Results:
  • Y-DNA (direct paternal lineages)
  • mtDNA (direct maternal lineages)
  • autosomal DNA (not yet started)
  • Y-DNA of Allied Families
  • mtDNA of Allied Families

IMPORTANT: Read First

The vast majority of descendants of Mayflower Passengers will NOT have Y-DNA or mtDNA from a family in this project. Only males have the Y sex chromosome and they inherit this chromosome solely from their father, who inherited it from his father, etc. Thus, the Y-DNA follows the Patrilineal (not Paternal) line (father's father's father's father's etc.). While everyone has mtDNA, we inherit this DNA solely froum our mothers, who inherited her mtDNA solely from her mother. Thus, the mtDNA follow the Matrilineal (not Maternal) line (mother's mother's mother's mother's etc.)

Methodology

Although the project ultimately plans to use all three types of genetic genealogy test results (Y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal/X DNA), at the present time, the focus is on using advanced Y-DNA and mtDNA tests to characterize the patrilineal (all male line) and matrilineal (all female line) lineages from the Mayflower. For each surviving lineage from the Mayflower, this will provide the most comprehensive Y-DNA and mtDNA profile that is possible with current commercial genetic testing technology. When available, we will make use of prior genetic genealogy research related to these lineages (e.g. Y-STR test results) to provide supporting evidence and to guide project recruitment.

Through this approach, we aim to achieve the following objectives:

• Place the Mayflower passengers and crew into the broader human Y chromosome tree by determining high-resolution haplogroups for individual paternal lineages
  • this can help provide a demographic-level picture of the ancestral origins of the groups comprising the 1620 Mayflower voyage
  • these efforts will also likely aid in more general research of the human Y tree
• Identify unique, stable genetic markers for individual paternal lineages
  • in some cases, it may be possible to identify one or two markers that confirm patrilineal descent from a single individual from the Mayflower
• Use the results to aid in genealogical research associated with the Mayflower passengers and crew, including tracing ancestry further back within England, Holland, etc.
  • testing related lineages that stayed in Europe can be particularly helpful here

Contact us

Project administrators may currently be reached at MayflowerDNA1620@gmail.com .

References and External links

• Roser, Susan E., Mayflower Passenger References: from contemporary records and scholarly journals Stewart Publishing, Canada Second edition 2015
• Anderson, Robert Charles, The Mayflower Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth, 1620 New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA 2020

• Caleb Johnson's MayflowerHistory.com and Mayflower Passenger list
• Mayflower 400 Passenger List: an interactive guide
• American Ancestors 2020 Mayflower Passengers and Crew
• wikipedia List of Mayflower passengers
• International Society of Genetic Genealogy
• General Society of Mayflower Descendants
• Guide to the Silver Books
• "Mayflower" article on Wikipedia
• Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) & General Society of Mayflower Descendants Mayflower DNA Project
• Y-SEQ Mayflower Group
• Geni.com Mayflower Passengers

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