About us
"JACKS" is a shorthand label for a surname cluster Jacobs, Adams, Cummings, Kemp and Small within the R1a haplogroup (Y DNA). Four of these surnames have an association with Ulster Scot origins. The Jacobs group have proven themselves through DNA testing to be descendants of John Jacob of Ann Arundel Co., Maryland, (c.1631-1726) who came to Maryland as an indentured servant in the 1660s from an unknown place of origin, and became a founder of a successful and widespread American family. The Kemps are known to come from County Cavan, Ireland, where some still live, and whose descendants have spread across Ireland and Britain, and on to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. The Cummings are an old lineage with many branches, mostly in Canada and the USA today, but who seem to have a deep connection with Ulster, and a more tenuous connection to Scotland before that. Small and Adams are also surnames that have a connection with the northern counties of Ireland and the Scotch Irish migrations to America in the 18th Century.
All of these surnames are in the R1a haplogroup, and all the testers share a very rare STR marker DYS447=21 (just 1% of R1a testers). Many of these testers have taken the Big Y which has identified several Y SNPs shared by the whole group, in particular YP984, currently used as the group marker. This is a subgroup of the R1a-YP355 grouping, which is associated with Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and Norway, and more information can be found about this grouping here: https://yp355.wordpress.com/ . This is in turn a subgroup of R1a-L448, which is one of the many R1a subclades of Scandinavian origin that spread across Europe in ancient and medieval times.
This Project will bring together the various surname clusters and individual testers who are YP984+, or who share the key markers, to discover more about the origins of this group. Anyone who matches any of the members in an STR test is invited to join, and anyone who matches any of the YP984 SNPs in a Big Y, Full Genomes or SNP Pack/Panel test is also invited to join. We are interested to recruit new members who have one of the JACKS surnames or another surname that is not recognised yet in the group. We hope for all members to discover whether this group appeared in Ireland, maybe as a descendant of Viking age migrants, or migrated from another part of Scotland or England into the north of Ireland, through this Project
All of these surnames are in the R1a haplogroup, and all the testers share a very rare STR marker DYS447=21 (just 1% of R1a testers). Many of these testers have taken the Big Y which has identified several Y SNPs shared by the whole group, in particular YP984, currently used as the group marker. This is a subgroup of the R1a-YP355 grouping, which is associated with Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and Norway, and more information can be found about this grouping here: https://yp355.wordpress.com/ . This is in turn a subgroup of R1a-L448, which is one of the many R1a subclades of Scandinavian origin that spread across Europe in ancient and medieval times.
This Project will bring together the various surname clusters and individual testers who are YP984+, or who share the key markers, to discover more about the origins of this group. Anyone who matches any of the members in an STR test is invited to join, and anyone who matches any of the YP984 SNPs in a Big Y, Full Genomes or SNP Pack/Panel test is also invited to join. We are interested to recruit new members who have one of the JACKS surnames or another surname that is not recognised yet in the group. We hope for all members to discover whether this group appeared in Ireland, maybe as a descendant of Viking age migrants, or migrated from another part of Scotland or England into the north of Ireland, through this Project