Results
The initial results show just how different the Y-chromosome DNA of Kendrick families can be.
#1 & #2 are of Haplogroup I, and are very similar, suggeting that the two are distant cousins. This result was not expected, but their relationship has since been confirmed. #11 is also of Haplogroup I, but is sufficiently different for us to be able to say that this is not a close relative of #1 and #2.
#3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, and #10 are of Haplogroup R and are very similar. The known genealogy of some of these men suggests that William Kendrick (b.c.1704) who married Sarah Jones, or a close relative of his, may be a common ancestor. The DNA results support this view. Certainly they are closely related.
#13, #14, #17, #18, and #19 are also of Haplogroup R, but though they are of the same sub-group they are significantly different from #3 to #10, and therefore not closely related to the family of William and Sarah.
#12, #15, and #16 are especially interesting. They are of Haplogroup E which is usually associated with Mediterranean countries. This group has been found previously in parts of Wales which were once the sites of Roman encampments, suggesting that the male line ancestors of these three men descended from Roman occupation forces or settlers. However, a recent publication in the Journal of the Clwyd Family History Society proposes an alternative explanation, namely that copper mining in this area might have attracted miners from Spain where early copper workings have been found.