The Burnett Y-DNA Project

Burnetts of Edgefield S. Carolina (I‑M253A and R‑M269U)

Some of the first men to take the Y-DNA test and join the Burnett Project were descendants of Williamson Burnett (1764–1833), son of James Burnett of Buckingham County, Virginia. Williamson, according to the pension record filed by his widow, was born in Buckingham County, Virginia and died in Bedford County, Virginia. Williamson married Priscilla Carter in 1792. In Williamson’s last will and testament, he asserted that several of his wife Priscilla’s children were not fathered by him: “I give unto Williamson, Joseph and Ammon Burnett, children of Persiller Burnett, $1.00 each. Two of the above named children, Joseph and Ammon have been born since Persiller Burnett abandoned my bed and board and by the like conduct hath forfeited all right to protection or support from me.” Bedford County court records also documented the paternity, but for three sons: “On the motion of John Headen it is ordered that Berry Carter be bound by the Overseer of the Poor to John Carter & William Burnett, Joseph Burnett, and Amon Burnett son of Priscilla Burnett to Julius Saunders.” (Source: Bedford County Order Book 18, P16, 24 July 1820). At the time, any man who fathered an illegitimate child was required to pay the Overseers of the Poor to provide support of the child.

Y-DNA test results suggest Julius Saunders was, in fact, the father of three of Priscilla Carter Burnett’s sons: Williamson (Jr), Joseph, and Christopher Ammon Burnett. Y-DNA testing further revealed that Priscilla’s son James was not fathered by Julius Saunders and was likely fathered by Williamson. James’ descendants possess a haplogroup of R1b (R‑M269), whereas the sons of Priscilla Carter Burnett and Julius Saunders share haplogroup I‑M253. Williamson remarried in 1807 to Tempy Hatcher and had a son, David Burnett Hatcher. Descendants of David Burnett Hatcher have not been identified for testing.

James Burnett (1735–1815) of Buckingham County, Virginia named Williamson Burnett as his son in his last will and testament. James relocated to Smith County, Tennessee where his will was proved in 1815. James also named another son, Thomas R. Burnett, in his will. No descendants of Thomas R. Burnett have been identified for testing.

That seemed to be the end of a fascinating story, until more testers came along. These new testers descend from Thomas Burnett and Mary Quarles, and they are a Y-DNA match to Williamson’s biological son, James Burnett. Descendants of Williamson’s son James and descendants of Thomas Burnett and Mary Quarles share the sub-group “R‑M269U” (aka R1b‑U) in the Burnett Project. The family chart at the end of this document may make all this a bit clearer in terms of how these ancestors fit together.

Thomas Burnett was born about 1750 and died in 1798. His death is well-documented by his Last Will and Testament as well as by a lawsuit filed against the administrator of his estate, William Quarles. Thomas married Mary Quarles about 1770, but the marriage record has not been found. Thomas and Mary were in Edgefield County, South Carolina by 1780 and were living in Edgefield on Chavers Creek when Thomas wrote his will. The location of Thomas’ birth is unknown. Thomas held a large plantation and eight slaves at his death.

Y-DNA test results reveal that Thomas was paternally related to James Burnett (1735–1815) of Buckingham County, Virginia and his son Williamson. Thomas’ and James’ descendants are an exact match at Y‑37. In addition to the Burnett testers, the sub-group includes other testers of the surname Ley/Leys/Lee and Irvine. The relation between the Ley and Irvine testers and the Burnett testers seems distant, with one tester reported as Genetic Distance of 2 and the others at Genetic Distance 3 and 4. With the Y‑37 test, a genetic distance greater than 4 suggests that two men are not paternally related in over 1,000 years.

It seems likely that Thomas Burnett of Edgefield and James Burnett of Buckingham were brothers, but their relationship is unknown. The names Ley/Leys and Irvine are reminiscent of Scotland, and these names are known to have been connected to the Burnett of Leys line. However, Burnett of Leys’ descendants are yet a different haplogroup, J‑M172, thus this line is not directly descended on a paternal line from Burnett of Leys. Burnett of Leys and the Irvine family share an annual family reunion in Aberdeenshire, Scotland to this day. Big Y testing of the descendants of Thomas, Williamson, and their Ley and Irvine matches may shed further light.

Significant research has been undertaken to identify how Thomas Burnett of Edgefield, South Carolina was related to James Burnett of Buckingham County, Virginia, to no avail. It is hoped that additional testers will bring new clues over time.

Major Haplogroup

Williamson’s son James and the descendants of Thomas Burnett and Mary Quarles share the major haplogroup R‑M269 (R1b). Priscilla Carter Burnett’s descendants fathered by Captain Julius Saunders are of the major haplogroup I‑M253. Big Y testing has not been undertaken for either group.

Both R‑M269 and I‑M253 are very common haplogroups dating back many thousands of years.

Y-DNA‑Verified Paternal Ancestors

Below are the ancestors reported by the testers who descend from James Burnett of Buckingham County, Virginia and Thomas Burnett of Edgefield. Many of the birth and death years are circa / estimated where no record of the actual year was found.

Name	Birth	Death	Spouse
Thomas Burnett	1750	1796, Edgefield SC	Mary Quarles
Williamson Burnett	1762, Buckingham VA	1833, Bedford VA	Priscilla Carter
Jeremiah Estil Burnett	1788, Edgefield SC	1870, Claiborne LA	Martha Huffman Devore
James Burnett	1793, Buckingham VA	1872, Smith TN	Nancy Phelps
William Burnett	1797, Edgefield SC	1821, Edgefield SC	Martha (Morgan?)
John Quarles Burnett	1815, Edgefield SC	1902, Montague TX	Catherine F. Harris
Thomas Ozias Burnett	1818, SC	1897, Edgefield SC	Lucy Miner
John Henry Burnett	1830, Bedford VA	1907, Obion TN	Mary D. Flippin
Francis Marion Burnett	1850, Claiborne LA	1939, Atoka OK
Thomas Flippin Burnett	1856, Bedford VA	1915, Baylor TX	Mary E. Glover
Oscar Oziah Burnett	1857, Edgefield SC	1926, Richmond GA	Mamie Fuller
George Estil Burnett	1883, Wise TX	1962, Tarrant TX	Ida McGregor
Powell G. Burnett	1885, Baylor TX	1961, Cook IL	Nora Lee Jackson
Claude Thadeus Burnett	1886, Edgefield SC	1962, Orange FL	Norden W. Rogers

Below are the ancestors reported by the testers who descend from Group I‑M253A, descendants of Julius Saunders and Priscilla Carter Burnett.

Name	Birth	Death	Spouse
Julius Saunders	1758, Albemarle VA	1836, Bedford VA	Priscilla Carter
Williamson Burnett	1804, Bedford VA	1849, Bedford VA	Catherine Hall
Joseph Burnett	1806, Bedford VA	1885, Bedford VA	Elizabeth Johnson
Christopher Ammon Burnett	1807, Bedford VA	1885, Bedford VA	Orpha Lefwich
Elisha Callahan Burnett	1831, Bedford VA	1924, Bedford VA	Sarah Martin
John Burnett	1834, Bedford VA	1907, Lynchburg VA	Mary Johnson
James Crawford Burnett	1838, Bedford VA	1910, Bedford VA	Matilda Mitchell
Marcel Valentine Burnett	1844, Bedford VA	1916, Lynchburg VA	Missouria Ellis
John William Burnett	1856, Bedford VA	1904, Lynchburg VA	Lucy Jane Key
Mahlon Admire Burnett	1861, Bedford VA	1924, Roanoke VA	Emma D. English
John Jefferson Burnett	1864, Bedford VA	1936, Lynchburg VA	Clara Belle Burnett
Colon Bruce Burnette	1883, Bedford VA	1959, Lynchburg VA	Gertrude Caldwell
Gorman Burnett	1891, Lynchburg VA	1965, San Diego CA	Perle Ford / Ann Holman
Elisha Forest Burnett	1896, Bedford VA	1969, Lynchburg VA	Mary E. Martin

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