This project includes the common variations of Chestnut, including Chesnut, Chestnut, Chesnutt, Chestnutt, Chesney and McChesney.

The following is a hypothetical framework proposed early on in the project using only the most basic Y12 DNA test. It is being revised now that there are more participants.

Project members are ordered into eight sub-groups. There are two main haplotypes, R1a and R1b.

The R1a haplotype is commonly referred to as the Eastern European haplogroup. One member in the Chesney Group has this haplotype. Without more participants, this person is likely not descended from a Chesnut.

The other seven groups belong to the R1b haplotype, which is referred to as the Western European haplogroup. Our R1b members are divided into two groups, the Chastains and the Chesnuts. One hypothesis that we are now able to test (in part) is that the Chesnuts were originally Huguenots from France. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Huguenots were heavily persecuted and many fled to the British Isles and to the American Colonies. The prominent Huguenot Chastain family came to the American Colonies. One hypothesis was that a branch of the Chastain family came to Northern Ireland and anglicized their name to Chesnut (Chastain means Chestnut in French). A comparison of the six Chesnut groups with the Chastain participants shows a number of mismatches in the most basic Y12 DNA test. It is not likely that the two groups have a common ancestor within the last thousand years. The link between Chastain and Chesnut does not appear likely. The members of the Chastain group have only one marker difference (out of 12 markers) with their genetic nearest neighbor in the Chastain group or two markers difference from their furthest genetic neighbor.

In looking at DNA matches within the Chesnuts, most of the many matches have the earliest known ancestor in the British Isles, indicating the Chesnut name may have originated there.

There are two Groups of sub-Groups represented by participants so far (as of this writing), Group B&G and the larger Group C/D/E/F.

Group B&G differs from Group C/D/E/F by the minimum difference of three slow-marker positions,which is a pretty significant difference. B&G has the #393 marker value of 14 and a #388 marker value of 10. Group B&G is composed of sub-Group B (Elwood Chestnut, b.?, d. 1919 Philadelphia) and sub-Group G (John Chestnut, b.1821 Craig Park, N. Ireland). These two sub-Groups differ by only one slowly mutating marker, marker #390. Sub-Group B has a value of 24, like all the other Chesnuts, but sub-Group G has a value of 25.

The C/D/E/F group has a #393 marker value of 13 and a #388 value of 12 (a two-step difference for this marker). These two markers are slowly evolving or slowly mutating markers,so these differences came about pretty far back in time. The Chesnut Group C/D/E/F consists of four sub-Groups and a fifth hypothetical sub-Group, the hypothetical Group X which is intermediary with the remaining sub-Groups C through F. It probably existed, but we don't have participants with this match yet. It was similar to the other group (B&G) except for the minimum differences previously noted.

Sub-Group C has three participants with oldest known ancestors as follows: a) John Chesnut, b ca.1810 Perry Co., PA; b) Hugh Chesnutt, b. 1777 of TN; and c) William Chesnut, b.ca 1727, m. 2nd Callahan. One hypothesis was that William (b.1727) was born in PA and moved to VA. Perhaps he was a great-uncle to the John (b. 1810 PA).Some of William’s offspring moved to TN, perhaps giving rise to Hugh (b.1777) of TN. Sub-Groups C is also related to Sub-Group F with a difference in the #389-2 marker.

Sub-Group D has a difference of only one fast-changing marker, marker #385b. Sub-Group D has a value of 15, whereas all other groups of Chesnuts have a value of 14 for this marker. Sub-Group D has two participants with oldest known ancestors as follows: a) William J. Chestnut, b. 1844; and James Chesnut, b. 1830 Northern Ireland.

Sub-Group E (Robert Chestnut, b.ca 1830 Northern Ireland) differs from hypothetical sub-Group X by only one fast-changing marker, marker 439 which has a value of 13. Sub-Groups C through F and hypothetical sub-Group X have a value of 12 for this marker. This difference suggests that sub-Group E is fairly closely related to hypothetical sub-Group X. The minimum difference between Groups E&X and Groups C/D/F is with one slowly-changing marker, marker #391, with a value of 10 for C/D/F. Groups C/D/F differs from all other groups previously mentioned, which have a marker #391 value of 11.

Group F has a value of 31 for this slowly-changing marker, a difference of two steps as compared to a value of 29 for all other Chesnut groups. Group F has one participant with an oldest known ancestor, Alexander S. Chesnut, b. 1672 County Antrim, Ireland.

All of the differences in the Chesnut sub-Groups B through G most likely originated before any of them came to North America. We are seeing different families making the migrations in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. It is most likely that the Group B&G is not related to the Group C/D/E/F because the marker values are so different.