About us
Currently, the Project includes Pettys (and related names) who represent three of the most ancient genetic categories (major haplogroups): E, I, and R (plus one member with the major haplogroup 'G') - meaning that the members of these different groups, even though they may carry the same or similar surname, are extremely distantly related. Men from these different major haplogroups are grouped separately, as are sub-catagories of haplogroups within these larger groups.
Thus, in the preferred chart for referencing and comparing members of the Project (go to Genetic Reports and select Y-DNA Results Colorized), members are grouped first by major (ancient) haplogoup, then within major haplogroups, by "haplotypes" (in this case, the genetic designation provided by FTDNA's low-level Y-DNA tests (Y-12 through Y-111) and by autosomal DNA tests). By testing Y-SNP mutations (in addition to Y-STR mutations), the Big Y test results provide much more information than the low-level (Y-STR only) tests, and with sufficient numbers of Big Y testers in a specific haplotype, the results from this high-level test are able to refine the connections between those in the group, allowing the possibility of specific relationships to be determined and/or confirmed.
The 'E' category currently (June, 2024) has 8 representatives, and the ''G' has 1. The 'I' category, this Project's largest, has 46 representatives, and the 'R' category has 19.
All but one of the members of the E category belong to the E-M35 haplotype - the one other being in the E-M78 haplotype.
Forty of the members of the 'I' category belong to the haplotype I-M253, with all but 7 having taken the Big Y test. Thanks to these Big Y testers, the I-M253 group is now revealing its genetic sub-structure, with three subclades of the I-Y24458 haplogroup being represented. The Petty line itself is mostly associated with the I-Y24458 subclade, I-BY34474, and represents an apparent New World clan of Pettys; four subclades of BY34474, as well as subclades of those haplogroups, have thus far been identified as well.
The R category has 19 members, all but one of whom belong to the R-M269 haplotype. (The other haplotype represented is R-P25.) Seven of the R-M269 members have taken the Big Y test, with at least four of these being relatively closely related, and represent another apparent New World clan of Pettys.
We look forward eagerly to having more Petty (and related names) descendants join us in this Project, and, if not already having done so, taking or upgrading to the Big Y test, as it is these results that will provide the genetic information that can lead to the discovery and confirmation of the greatest detail about the interconnections of those within each of the Project's haplotype groups.
Please send your request to join, including the information listed below, to rlpetty@mac.com. (Items of high sensitivity due to privacy concerns may be excluded.) Upon joining, please consider also making your Family Finder data available to this Project, or transferring autosomal results from another provider (Ancestry.com, 23 and Me, etc.) via a GEDCOM file.
1. Your full name, plus birth year and location.
2. Your earliest known paper-documented Petty ancestor, incl. full name and birth/death years and locations (if known).
3. A listing of your own known, presumed, or strongly suspected direct male lineage, including names and birth/death years and locations, from your earliest (known) Petty ancestor to yourself.