About us
William Johnson arrived in the Mohawk Valley of the Province of New York in 1738 to manage the estates of his uncle, Admiral Sir Peter Warren, and to make his own fortune.
Johnson learned to speak the Mohawk language and to hunt with the Indians. He was adopted as a Mohawk and given the name Warraghiyagey. For his efforts on behalf of the British, in the French and Indian War, he was made a Baronet by King George III, in 1757.
Sir William Johnson, Bart. died at Johnson Hall in July 1774. He never married, but estimated that he had fathered between 600 and 700 children in the 36 years he lived in North America.
The Sir William Johnson yDNA Project will attempt to match the yDNA of his known male descendants with males who have family legends of descent from Sir William Johnson.
Known male descendants of Sir William Johnson:
Sir John Johnson
William Johnson, also known as, Tagcheunto, and William of Canajoharie
Brant Johnson, also known as Keghneghtaga
Peter and George Johnson, his sons by Mary (Molly) Brant
The sons of Mary McGrah, daughter of Christopher McGrah
John and Warren Johnson, brothers of Sir William
The majority of Sir William Johnson’s male descendants do not have the Johnson surname and may have Native American ancestry. However, their Y-Chromosome will be similar to that of the Irish Sir William Johnson.
To participate in this project, a man MUST be the direct descendant in the male line, of a male child fathered by Sir William Johnson. The Y chromosome passes from father to son, if the line of descent has been interrupted, by a female, the y chromosome is lost.
To prove your line of descent from Sir William Johnson, please register for the 37 marker yDNA test. If you would like to know more about your genetic ancestry, then consider registering for the 67 marker yDNA test.
Johnson learned to speak the Mohawk language and to hunt with the Indians. He was adopted as a Mohawk and given the name Warraghiyagey. For his efforts on behalf of the British, in the French and Indian War, he was made a Baronet by King George III, in 1757.
Sir William Johnson, Bart. died at Johnson Hall in July 1774. He never married, but estimated that he had fathered between 600 and 700 children in the 36 years he lived in North America.
The Sir William Johnson yDNA Project will attempt to match the yDNA of his known male descendants with males who have family legends of descent from Sir William Johnson.
Known male descendants of Sir William Johnson:
Sir John Johnson
William Johnson, also known as, Tagcheunto, and William of Canajoharie
Brant Johnson, also known as Keghneghtaga
Peter and George Johnson, his sons by Mary (Molly) Brant
The sons of Mary McGrah, daughter of Christopher McGrah
John and Warren Johnson, brothers of Sir William
The majority of Sir William Johnson’s male descendants do not have the Johnson surname and may have Native American ancestry. However, their Y-Chromosome will be similar to that of the Irish Sir William Johnson.
To participate in this project, a man MUST be the direct descendant in the male line, of a male child fathered by Sir William Johnson. The Y chromosome passes from father to son, if the line of descent has been interrupted, by a female, the y chromosome is lost.
To prove your line of descent from Sir William Johnson, please register for the 37 marker yDNA test. If you would like to know more about your genetic ancestry, then consider registering for the 67 marker yDNA test.