SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF yDNA FOR THE BYERS SURNAME 

by KAREN BYERS KEMPER

Genetic testing of yDNA has proved useful in determining whether early arrivals of Byers’ on the shores of the U.S. in the 1700s are related as well as useful in determining whether a particular relative is related to another.  In general, beyond the considerations of early scribes altering the spelling and the wish by some to conform to the Scots spelling, the results show that all Byers/Byars/& variant spellings may ;  and some Byers’ are of their surname. 

As we continue to test for the STRs (short tandem repeats) markers that have allowed matching of genetically related relatives and the formation of our subgroupings, we have expanded to SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) testing with the Big Y 700.  Many participants have upgraded and the results in Groups A & C have been further divided to illuminate even closer relationships.

We have also learned that some genetic matches to Byers’ are entirely different surnames.  For example, Group “A” Byers’ share genetic matches with many Moores, Group “B” Byers’ share matches with Parrish and Shaddock, and Group “C” Byers’ share with Irwins.  There are other Byers participants that share genetic matches with many varied surnames.  An easy explanation (and probably likely) would be a NPE (non paternal event).  Another likely reason for these events goes back to before surnames started;  however, one can also look to surname practices in early Scotland to understand cultural practices that may have contributed. 

The “Border Reivers” (residents along the border between Scotland and England) experienced a great amount of unrest socially whereby various clans intermixed.  Women were widowed and remarried.  It was acceptable for a male to use the woman’s surname.  There were trial marriages.  Women often kept their maiden names.  Men adopted the surname of a leader/protector.  Alistar Moffat in his book, The Reivers:  The Story of the Border Reivers, [published in 2007 by Birlinn Limited] further illuminates the social condition when he writes:

“…heldsmen (leaders) could threaten the ultimate sanction.  They could condemn men to be disnamed, to be removed from the surname and cast into outlawry.”

He also writes that often a clan member with a particular surname would often be referred to by the name of his land.  Could it be that a hypothetical “Given name Irwin of Byres” became “Given Name Byers”?  One finds that early maps (1564-1614) of Scotland by Timothy Pont indicate locations of Byres’.  One specific Byres is on the River Annan about four miles from Annan, Dunfriesshire, Scotland.  One of our participants indicates his oldest known Byers ancestor is from Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland.  

At the beginning of this study in 2004 the yDNA results of the participants with origins in Scotland all tested as closely related but as more Byers’ joined the study, it became apparent that those with geographic origins on the continent of Europe were of a different genetic lineage.  Many of these are now in the Boyer surname group.  It would be prudent for any Byers researcher to be CAUTIOUS regarding making any substantial conclusions regarding these resulting differences.  The country of origin is useful to the researcher in that it may allow him to focus further research in that preceding country’s records; however, one must also consider the early movements of people in Europe.

The results of our youthful study originally focused on  establishing the differences in the colonial ancestors.  We have been able to establish different “Byers” (including variant spellings) groups and have been able to direct participants to their specific ancestors that they share closely aligned yDNA results.  To explore our deep ancestry, we have been updating members in each subgroup with the Big Y 700 testing.

This study is still in progress; however, considerable progress has been made and some results are summarized in the following report.  In addition to studying various Byers Groups based upon their shared genetic lineage, we have been accumulating data upon Colonial Pennsylvania Byers with yDNA analysis.

As with early Colonial Byers in Pennsylvania, the practice of using the same given names repeatedly (such as John, James, Samuel, William, Andrew, etc.) and the people living in the same geographic locality make it difficult to determine who belongs to which family…testing their yDNA helps!  This study has groups based upon the participants genetically matching lineage (90% probability at 15 generations for 37 markers, approximately 400-500 years ago); however, there are a number of Byers’ who to this date have no genetic matches (some of which give Scotland as their origins).

It is apparent that many Byers families that arrived before 1750 were from Ireland preceded by Scotland.  These Byers maintained their association with the Presbyterian Church of Scotland in the U.S.  During the same time, early immigrants with the surname of Boyer (and variations) were  arriving and often the spelling of their name became the same as the Scots-Irish spellings….they lived in the same geographic area making quality research difficult.  Contemporaneous publications often confused the various Byers/Boyers.  !

With the “Plantation of Ulster” mostly through the 1600s, many Scots settled in the northern counties of Ireland.  The Ireland (Scots-Irish) “paper” genealogy at this early time period is impossible as Irish records started in 1845 with marriages.  This is well after many of our early U.S. Byers had left Ireland for Canada, Australia, and the U.S.  The website, www.byersfamilies.com gives some early records such as cemetery and various “lists” that have survived.  “Perhaps” with continued yDNA testing we can distinguish between the Byers’ of different counties.  We have started to investigate.

The Scots-Irish people started their relocation to the U.S. in about 1717. As William Penn opened new territory following treaties with the Indians, many continued to the West.   Below is a table indicating the Byers of Pennsylvania that we have researched.  We found descendants and tested their yDNA.  The resulting genetic lineage helps determine who may have been related.  We were able to determine the genetic connections of those First Four Byers in Mercer County, PA, who are often mentioned in the history books of the area.  We know which ones were related and how.

yDNA Early Pennsylvania Byers:

The Group “A” Byers from their Big Y testing indicate they are from the Haplogroup R-U106.  Their yDNA Big Y testing results define them as “the Scottish Twig” of R-U106 with their origin before Scotland in the Flanders area.   Big Y testing helped because the relationship was proven that two sons were brothers when there had been no paper documentation for one of the sons.

Our southern US Colonial Byars’ (Group “B”) whose earliest known ancestors are primarily in Virginia, North Carolina, and the Spartanburg area of South Carolina. The Spartanburg area Byars were found to be from possibly six different genetic lineages.  They tend to spell their names, “Byars”, but also include spelling of Byas, Bias, Byers, etc.  (Not only were some not able to read or write but many spellings were modified by the Southern accent!)  Some of the best known early Byars of this group include William Byars, born c. 1735, Nathan Byars, born c.1749, and William Byars, born c.1765.  Because they share the same yDNA, we know they were related, just not exactly how.  Brothers? Cousins?  Uncle?  Nephew?  To explore the many Southern Byars paper trails, consult the following site: https://logan-family.org/doc/byars.html

One major finding of the yDNA for this Group has been to dispel the longstanding theory that James Byars who was born about 1713 and died about 1792 (possible wives of Peggy Gentry and Rachel Matthews) of Hanover, Virginia, was the father of Nathan Byars.  He was not!  yDNA from these lines do not match each other.

Members of this group match the surname of Parrish and Shattock/Shaddock.  Please refer to the extensive work by Philip Shaddock for more in depth information regarding the Byars connection to these other surnames.  The extensive research by Mr. Shaddock concludes that the Parrish/Byars connection originated in early colonial Virginia.  He concludes that the common ancestor was an indentured servant, Jon Shaddock who in 1637 was listed in a Virginia court document. Further research by Don Parrish concludes a slightly different origin. The Big Y testing indicates that their Haplogroup is R-U152>>>Z36.

Group “C” Byers’ while genetically related, when considering their “paper genealogy”, fell into five groups.  To date we find no paper genealogy that can connect these five Byers families…with the yDNA surname study and paper genealogy we had run into a “brick wall.”  It is unfortunate that the records of Ireland before 1845 are nonexistent and we are unable to find a common ancestor in Ireland to enable us to connect our Byers’ to an ancestor.  The good news is that we can positively say that the Byers’ of Ireland had previously originated in Scotland.

This Group C  has the same genetic lineage as the Irwin Clan of which much has been written.  One participant has been working on his Big Y with the Irwin Surname Study in an effort to find a SNP that will separate our Group C Byers from the Irwin group. GREAT NEWS, now he has signed up with our Byers Surname Group as an Administrator and has expertise in genetics and computers!  BETTER YET he is unraveling the relationship of these five Byers subgroups of Group C.   For a progression of his efforts to unravel these relationships, check the “Activity Feed” tab on this site. We can now be fairly confident in saying that a son of an Irwin born in Dumfriesshire around 1430-1550  took the name Byers and gave rise to all Group “C” Byers families. We also now know that some of these families are more closely related, for example with David of Donegal likely sharing an ancestor with  William the Seaman sometime after 1600. 

When considering the different genetic lines of Irwins, the Byers are most closely related to the Bonshaw Irwin line.   Notice that the old town of Bonshaw is within 10 miles of the Byris Tower/Castle near Hoddom, Scotland!  The Byers Group C participants share the Haplogroup designation of R-L151>>>DF13.

The connection to the one oldest known Byers ancestor was in Scotland rather than Ireland.  History tells us that in general with The Plantation of Ulster starting in about 1608 and the apparent arrival on the shores of the U.S. in early 1700s there is about 100 years we potentially lived in Ireland which translates to about three or four generations.  It is likely also that many Byers’ arrived in Ireland during the “Killing Times” (c.1680-1688) in Scotland.  That would translate to about forty years before the U.S. …one or two generations.

Mention has been made regarding the three largest Byers Surname Study groups.  We continue to study all Byers and welcome help from participants who may add to our research.  We have been able to establish another sizable group, “F”.  We have been able to use Big Y testing for two members.   Some members of the group attribute their oldest known ancestor to a Colonial era of Virginia and one member’s oldest known is in Ireland.  Previously, paper genealogies of this group often include the patriarchs with Group B members.   It is represented by the haplogroup R-L151>>>DF13.

*****While we welcome the participation of our surname Byers, we do ask those that are interested to read the material written regarding the yDNA test on Family Tree DNA’s website.  Particularly our fellow “ladies”!   Sorry we biologically are not suitable for yDNA testing and you will need a male to sponsor if you do not have a father, brother, uncle or cousin to be tested.  We require 37 markers.