I want to use Y DNA to investigate how the various McKinstry familes are related. The McKinstry surname appears to originate in two adjacent parishes in southern Galloway, Scotland. The name first appeared in records there just before 1500 - with umpteen phonetic variations of "McKinnistry". Woulfe, author of a reference on Scotch Gaelic names, thought it was Mac An Astrigh and meant "son of the traveler" or "son of a wanderer". Scotch Gaelic was still spoken and Gaelic patronymic names still used in Galloway until atleast 1600. The name spread through Galloway and adjacent Dumfries, and to nearby parts of northeastern Ireland. In addition, Willis, author of a 19th century book on New England McKinstry families, claimed that atleast two of the families carried a tradition of having been near Edinburgh. He also cited vague ancient family traditions that the New England families were related. It is not necessarily true that a family living in Edinburgh did not originate in Galloway, particularly since this family were diehard Presbyterians. It is very likely that most McKinstry lines originating in Galloway share a single Y DNA lineage. The New England families share a Y DNA lineage with each other if they are related. McKinster is a common variation of McKinstry, and also an independent surname. It has a research project on Facebook. People named McKinster are welcome to join this project, and we'll see how independent the two names are. Please e-mail me at tiggernut24@yahoo.com if link below does not take you to the McKinstry project web site.