Dewees(e) Surname Project- Background

Background

Dewees(e) family historians report that this family name in America primarily derives from a single immigrant family in the 17th century. Extensive research by Dewees(e) genealogists indicates that Garrett Hendricks deWees, who arrived in New Amsterdam (New York City) from The Netherlands about 1663, was the likely male progenitor of the Dewees(e) line in America.

The human Y chromosome is passed from father to son, as is the family surname. Recent studies of genetic marker sites on the Y chromosome now make it possible to estimate the number of generations back to an ancestor shared in common by males having the same surname.

To study the question of single family origin, it will be critical to have DNA samples from Dewees(e) males who can unambiguously trace their family history back to one of the three purported sons of Garrett Hendricks deWees- William, Cornelius, or Lewis (also known as Lambert).   The exact parentage of Lewis Dewees has yet to be proved through standard genealogical records, but see for discussion:  http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.deweese/358/mb.ashx .  However, we encourage all Deweeses to join the project, even if there are breaks in your known Dewees(e) lineage.  Based on Y-DNA data gathered in this project, we may be able to assign a Dewees(e) male to his correct lineage.

Funding Available: Limited funds from the Dewees group General Fund are available to help defray costs for new participants based on need. Project Administrators will review prospective participants’ need on a case by case basis. Please contact Andrew or Curtis Dewees for further details.