Stilwell/Stillwell Project Summary

The Stilwell/Stillwell Project was initiated almost two decades ago with the objective of determining whether the Stillwells associated with Lt. Nicholas Stilwell (~1603 – 1671, Staten Island, NY) are related to the UK Stilwell lines from the towns of Dorking and Thursley in County Surrey.  Two haplogroups were identified – I-M253 and R-M269. The UK Stilwell lines are in the I-M253 haplogroup along with a couple men with US lineages and unknown paternal immigrant lines.  The R-M269 haplogroup consisted of one man with a paper trail to the second son of Lt. Nicholas, also named Nicholas, and some men with unknown paternal immigrant ancestors.

There was a reinvigoration of the Stilwell Project in 2019.  Y-DNA testing methodologies have improved immensely and there was hope of obtaining DNA signatures of the various sons of Lt. Nicholas and also determining if there were other Stilwell lines in the US.  Below is a summary of the status and confusion as of September 2021.

I-M253 or more specifically I-FT159769.  I recruited three men to be tested that I found by following lineages in the published genealogies of Lt. Nicholas Stilwell to the current time.  Two of the men descend from Lt. Nicholas first son Richard and one man descends from the last son Jeremiah. They tested in the I-M253 haplogroup.  In addition, there are five other men with US lineages and unknown paternal immigrants in this haplogroup.

R-M269 or more specifically R-FT62937>FT63119.  This haplogroup has 14 Stilwell men in it.  There is the original member of the project with a paper trail to second son Nicholas and his son Nicholas.  There are two men who we have connected second Nicholas and his son Elias.  There are possibly a couple men with paper trails to son Daniel but the genealogies say that there is no known list of descendants of Daniel.  In addition, there is conflicting DNA evidence to have both these men be sons of Daniel.  The remainder of the men have not identified their paternal immigrant.

Bottom line:  There is apparent evidence for BOTH the I-M253 (UK group) and the R-M269 haplogroups to be associated with Lt. Nicholas Stilwell (~1603-1671, Staten Island).  

There are stories that Lt. Nicholas changed his surname.  Certainly some of his descendants connect to the UK Stilwell line.

Lee Family:  A DNA match appeared to a man with the surname Lee that is four SNP’s upstream (earlier time) than the Stilwell men in the R-M269 haplogroup.  This haplogroup is R-FT62937.  We had several other men tested in this group (Lee Family Group 15B).  This family group did not make smaller haplogroups (younger branches of the Y-DNA tree) as the Stilwell groups have done.  I am clueless why this is so and suspect some testing deficiency or omission.  Lee is the only DNA hint to another surname.

The Stilwell/Stillwell Project has been a lot of fun for me and I have enjoyed getting to know many of you.  If you have any ideas of how to move forward, please contact me.  For now, I have no clue how to sort out the two haplogroups and Lt. Nicholas Stilwell.

Fondly, Barbara Garrison (bjg@psu.edu)

June 2022