This DNA project was initiated with the hope of determining the genetic heritage of Sewright families in the United States with origins in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The secondary goal of the project is to determine if Sewright families with variant name spellings in the United States are related.

Since few, if any, Sewright families have been able to document their origins in Northern Ireland or Scotland before 1850, a Y-DNA project may be the only way to confirm genetic origins among the various branches of the families in the U.S.