McAmis DNA Study
Hi folks,
In an attempt to figure out where the three brothers came from, a study of McAmis DNA has begun at www.familytreeDNA.com.It includes McComish and McCamish, McCammish, etc, etc.
So far we have had several descendents of the three brothers sign on. Results on two descendents of William indicate they are very closely related. No surprise but comforting! A couple other results are pending.
In addition the founder of the project offers to pay the fee for testing of men in Scotland and Ireland . So far we've found one man and his results are pending. If you know of anyone, please have them contact me, as well as McAMIS in Antigonish, Nova Scotia (probably Scots) and Australia (especially if they know where in Ireland their family came from). One line left from Tyrone but they have not responded to my emails. Another line left County Down for Wisconsin in the 1800s....no email response from them either. There were a heck of a lot more with this surname in Ireland than Scotland but it could have spontaneously appeared in various places.
So far here is what we know. DNA research is forcing the scientists to redo their renditions of the peopling of Europe. It's clear that the descendents of the original settlers after the ice age are the so-called "Celts", though "Celt" is really a language grouping. The two descendents of William are of this group (Atlantic Modal) so their ancestors have been there since the Ice Age andgot 'squeezed' westward by the Germans and Norse.
Furthermore, for the one with the 37 markers, his DNA is very close to what is called the "Niall" group. While the Trinity scientists who did the study believed that the DNA group originated with a very early Irishman, it couldn't have. For one thing, he had 2 brothers that they forgot about. Some speculate that this DNA pattern possibly originated before they came to IReland. The greater DNA pattern indicates they 'wintered' the ice age in Spain. That would account for its presence in Scotland (abt 6% but up to 98% of men in northwestern Ireland have the same typing). It is also thinly spread in Europe, possibly at too high a percentage to be accounted for by 'wild geese'.
There is no relationship to Clan Gunn or Clan Thompson. The Clan Gunn people don't appear to have found the DNA of the founder. By comparison with the Campbells, they have a very good paper trail of descent and their DNA studies bear that out while many people just bearing the surname are not blood related, which is what you would expect. As powerful clans moved into areas, local people signified their alliance by taking the surname of the dominant clan.
Broken clans like Gunn and McGregor have problems with DNA research as they don't know what the DNA of the founders was and have no documentation linking people today to the founders. You do a lot of DNA studies and assume the one with the greatest commonality is 'real' clan DNA... but maybe not.
That said, there were are a few McComishes in Aberdeen.One alternately used the surname Farquarson, another local clan. He was also Catholic (that's where I found this)...early 1700s. Many highland clans remained Catholic. Never a hint I've seen that the 3 bro's were interested in anything but Presbyterianism.
We do know some things. The three brothers are not related to the McComishes of Maryland. Their DNA has been tested too. THey were a possiblity largely due to the proximity of an early PA McCamish in south eastern PA whose wife was a Quaker, probably a spur of a Maryland Quaker family that the McComishes there DID intermarry with (with an Ames family too).
There was one close match on a McCormick of unknown origins, but without enough 'granularity' (markers tested) to tell if this was significant or not. McCormick is found in the same parishes in Ireland where McCAMISH/McCOMISH is they are found most other places too in Ulster....just too many of them.
The results of the 37 test disclosed no 100% matches at all yet, with or without the surname McAmis. One admin of the Irish DNA study told me all his identical matches were in the county where his ancestors came from. So it does work at finding family origins.
For more info see www.familytreedna.com . And our website:
http://www.familytreedna.com/(nsgqoj55zjtyztuzzjvxnj45)/public/McAmis/index.aspxhttp://www.familytreedna.com/(nsgqoj55zjtyztuzzjvxnj45)/public/McAmis/index.aspx
(or type McAmis in the surname box on the left of the main page).
We've also joined the Irish Heritage group and you can find our resultsthere too and compare with lots of others(possibly just 25 marker till an update is done).
Anyone in the UK, etc, who would like a free test should email me ([email protected]), the administrator of this project. Anyone else can get a discount by joining our project....then I'll be emailing you
Members will also receive the results of a long study conducted the traditional way. We'll publish when we got some DNA results....we need a final chapter! As well as what we've found out about the DNA so far.
Help us figure out where the three brothers (or any others with the surname) came from.
Linda Merle (McAmis DNA Study Administrator)
More Replies:
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Re: McAmis DNA Study
Linda Merle 5/18/07
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Re: McAmis DNA Study
Miles Kehoe 9/17/07
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Re: McAmis DNA Study
Linda Merle 9/18/07
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Re: McAmis DNA Study
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Re: McAmis DNA Study