Anderson Blood

[gilmore]

...I for one know that my family, which was originally Neilson, emmigrated to the new world around 1740 from Scotland due to english persicution and political strife (most likely the clearances). ...

The clearances did not get underway until over 20 years after that date:

"What the landlords thought of as necessary "improvements" but became known as the Clearances are thought to have been begun by Admiral John Ross of Balnagowan Castle in Scotland in 1762, although MacLeod of MacLeod (i.e. the chief of MacLeod) had done some experimental work on Skye in 1732."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_clearances

The Countess of Sutherland did not start removing the Gunn clan families until 1809. See http://www.highlandclearances.info/c...clearances.htm

[gilmore]

Y chromosome markers are passed from father to son, as are surnames.

Take a look at the results of the Gunn surname Y chromosome DNA project. http://worldfamilies.net/surnames/g/gunn/results.html

The overwhelming majority are in the R1b hapolgroup, which developed in the Iberian peninsula during the last Ice Age when northern Europe was covered in vast ice sheets when a group of humans were isolated from others. After the ice receded, the descendants of these people went up the coast of France to the western coast of the British Isles, which were at that time still connected by land to mainland Europe. Their descendants settled in Ireland, and after some centuries their descendants, known as the Scotii, settled in Scotland and gave it their name. In 1500 AD about 2/3 of the men of the Iberian peninsula were in haplogroup R1b. About 3/4 of the men of Scotland were in R1b.

Meanwhile, in the Balkans another isolated group of humans developed the I haplogroup. A third isolated group developed R1a in central Asia. Some of their descendants wound up in Europe. About 1/3 of Scandanavian men were in the I haplogroup, about 1/3 were in the R1a, and about 1/4 were R1b.

Here are maps with pie charts showing the distribution of Y chromosome haplogroups: http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/~mcdonald/Wo...groupsMaps.pdf

Thirteen of the 16 men in the Gunn surname project are R1b, like the vast majority of Scots whose ancestors came from Ireland. Only one is in haplogroup I, none are in haplogroup R1a, unlike what would be expected if these men were indeed descended patrilineally from Scandanavian Vikings.

Therefore, most Gunn men in this study show DNA evidence that their forefathers were much more likely Irish Scots than Viking.

[Cawdorian]

Thirteen of the 16 men in the Gunn surname project are R1b, like the vast majority of Scots whose ancestors came from Ireland. Only one is in haplogroup I, none are in haplogroup R1a, unlike what would be expected if these men were indeed descended patrilineally from Scandanavian Vikings.

Haplogroup I may indicate Viking or Norse descent, some clan bloodlines are primarily I1a.

How many on the forum have taken Y DNA tests?

[sirdaniel1975]

Haplogroup I may indicate Viking or Norse descent, some clan bloodlines are primarily I1a.

How many on the forum have taken Y DNA tests?

I have not for $ reasons. I know my male ancestors came from Scotland, I'm not concerned about that.

I do find this paragraph interesting:

The lineage of Clan Gunn and its Sept families can not be attributed to a single surname. There was a time when using surnames wasn't a standard practice. Many surnames were based on parental affiliation, occupation, personal appearance, or regional location. As a result, Clan Gunn has many surnames associated with it. Some people with surnames in the Gunn Sept list are descendants of Gunn ancestors. Others are not. This project is for males with surnames listed in the Gunn Sept list. If you are a male with a surname in the sept list and you think you may have a connection to Clan Gunn, you are welcomed to join. If you are a woman who has a male relative with a surname in the sept list and you think they may have a connection to Clan Gunn, you will need them to provide a sample on your behalf of your family. You will be asked to provide a family tree so that your DNA results can be correlated with families related to the Gunns. You are encouraged to test for either 25, 37, or 67 markers since this inmproves the chances of finding matches between members of the project. Please note that have a match with another member doesn't necessarily mean you are related. Markers mutate over time and can present false matches as a result. That is why the family tree must be submitted to correlate against the DNA results. There is no guarantee that you will match anyone with Gunn ancestry or anyone with the same surname as you since surnames were often selected by several methods. This often meant that members of the same family could have different surnames or people from unrelated families could have the same surname.

From: https://www.familytreedna.com/surnam...7&special=true


This thread has gotten of topic, and I realize I've contributed to that. I apologize Riverkilt.

[gilmore]

Haplogroup I may indicate Viking or Norse descent, some clan bloodlines are primarily I1a.

How many on the forum have taken Y DNA tests?

I did, and discovered a host of long-buried secrets.