Results
Clan Chisholm DNA Project Results Report as of April 21, 2009
Y-DNA results:
We can now see that the Chisholm clan is composed of multiple patriarchs who migrated from different parts of the world to create the clan in Scotland. We have identified several lines that show relationship between two or more testers plus many others who do not yet have a Chisholm match.
Haplogroups are DNA signatures that are used to look at migrations of man. A resource on this topic is Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestry. To see research and graphics of the Y-DNA tree, go to ISOGG YSNP Tree.
The Haplogroups in Clan Chisholm as of 21 April 2009 are:
E = 1.3%
Mixed group I = 48.5%
J2 = 9.0%
R1a = 1.3%
Mixed group R1b = 41.0%
The largest related group of Chisholm men is the I1 Norse at 37.2% of the entire project.
• Y-DNA Haplogroup E would appear to have arisen in Northeast Africa based on the concentration and variety of E subclades in that area today. But the fact that Haplogroup E is closely linked with Haplogroup D, which is not found in Africa, leaves open the possibility that E first arose in the Near or Middle East and was subsequently carried into Africa by a back migration. E1b1b1 probably evolved either in Northeast Africa or the Near East and then expanded to the west--both north and south of the Mediterranean Sea.
• Y-DNA Haplogroup I overwintered in the Balkans during the last Ice Age and some members of this group also overwintered in Iberia. Kit 99204 came from Eastern Europe. The subgroup I1 today is found mainly in northwestern Europe; some I1’s are Anglo-Saxons, and others are Norse Vikings. The largest single Chisholm group are the Norse Vikings. Within that grouping some genealogical paper trails lead to the Border and others to the Highlands which is consistent with the History of the Chisholms. One of the oldest inhabitants of great Britain is the I2a group called Isles . Another I2a grouping comes from Sardinia and the last I2b group is found both in Britain and Northwest continental Europe..
• Haplogroup J, particularly J2 came out of the Near East, moved west along the Mediterranean to Italy and southern Spain. No J2’s got to Ireland, but they did get to Wales, England and Scotland in small numbers.
• Haplogroup R1a is believed to have arisen on the Eurasian Steppe, and today is most frequently observed in eastern Europe and in western and central Asia. It is also associated with Vikings, particularly Norwegian Vikings.
• Y-DNA Haplogroup R1b is the most prolific haplogroup in Europe and its frequency changes in a cline from west (where it reaches a saturation point of almost 100% in areas of Western Ireland) to east (where it becomes uncommon in parts of Eastern Europe and virtually disappears beyond the Middle East. This group is thought to have spent the last Ice Age in the refuge found in Spain and southern France. The group labeled Hap R1b is a mixed group of men who are unrelated. Many different genetic lines moved into territories controlled by Chisholms and took on the name as was a common Scottish custom. Some men who were formerly in the group of unrelated men have found matches and are in put in related R1b groupings. The 3 largest groups are the Celtic Picts from the Strathglass area, a grouping called Britain #1 and the Virginia, USA grouping.
mtDNA Results:
Fifteen people with Chisholm ancestry have tested the female lineage. mtDNA is traced along the straight female line which changes surnames with every generation. It is extremely unusual to find mtDNA matches even if the person has tested both HVR1 and HVR2 since with both tested the match can range back 700 years. All of the mtDNA haplogroups reported in these tests are found in the British Isles and are discussed in Bryan Sykes, The Seven Daughters of Eve. All of these haplogroups are also discussed in Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestry.
The mtDNA Haplogroups in Clan Chisholm as of 21 April 2009 are:
H = 53.3%
HV = 13.3%
J = 13.3%
T = 13.3%
U = 6.7%
Eight are in mtDNA haplogroup H (also known as Helena). This haplogroup comprises 40 to 60 % of the mtDNA gene pool in Western Europe and as such is considered the most successful of the mtDNA haplogroups in reproducing itself. It also comprises about 20 % of southwest Asian lineages, 15 % of central Asian lineages and 5 % of northern Asian lineages.
Two are in mtDNA Haplogroup HV which is found throughout the Near East and in parts of East Africa. Around 30,000 years ago some members moved north and west to carry their lineages into Europe.
Two are in mtDNA haplogroup J* (also known as Jasmine) which has a very wide distribution, being common in eastern and northern Europe, and is present as far east as the Indus Valley bordering Indian and Pakistan and as far south as the Arabian peninsula. mtDNA haplogroup J is largely considered one of the main genetic signatures of the Neolithic expansion and is associated with the spread of agriculture.
Two are in mtDNA Haplogroup T (also known as Tara) which is common in eastern and northern Europe and found as far east as the Indus Valley and the Arabian Peninsula. It is considered one of the main genetic signatures of the Neolithic expansion.
One is in mtDNA Haplogroup U (also known as Ursula) which has a wide distribution. Most in mtDNA haplogroup U come from a group that moved northwest out of the Near East. Today they are found in Europe and the eastern Mediterranean at frequencies of almost 7% of the population.