Thomas Burnett of Suffolk, NY (died 1684) (R‑M269E)<
Descendants of this paternal line can reliably trace their paternal lineage to Thomas Burnet, who married Mary Cooper in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts in 1645. Among their children were sons Lot, Aaron, and Daniel, who have numerous descendants. Thomas was born ca. 1620 and died in 1684 in Suffolk, NY. He named 11 children in his will, and several of the descendant lines have been traced to modern times. Most of the known descendants remained in the New York/New Jersey areas, but some spread further afield within the USA.
The earliest generations of this Colonial American Burnet line consistently spelled their surname with a single T. Many generations of Thomas and Mary Burnet were well‑educated, suggesting Thomas may have descended from a prominent family of the United Kingdom. Many attended the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University. Below are some of the distinguished ancestors of this paternal line:
- Dr. William Burnet (1730‑1791), member of the Continental Congress and Surgeon General of the Eastern District
- Major Ichabod Burnet (1756‑1783), Aide‑de‑Camp to Gen. Nathaniel Greene in the Revolution
- Judge Jacob Burnet (1770‑1853), U.S. Senator
- Isaac G. Burnet (1784‑1856), first mayor of Cincinnati
- David G. Burnet (1788‑1870), Interim President of the Republic of Texas
- Brevet Brig. General Henry L. Burnett (1838‑1916), Judge Advocate of the conspiracy trial in the assassination of President Lincoln
Y‑DNA evidence has conclusively shown that Thomas Burnet, earliest known ancestor of this line, was not, as once thought, the Thomas Burnett born about 1612 in Braintree, Essex, England, grandson of the 11th Laird of Leys. The paternal Burnett of Leys line is haplogroup J‑M172. Our subject line is haplogroup R‑M269, not paternally related to Burnett of Leys in many thousands of years.
The belief that this line descended from Burnett of Leys seems to have taken root in the book The Family of Burnett of Leys with Collateral Branches (1901) by George Burnett, wherein he speculated that Thomas “may be the one who came to Lynn Mass prior to 1643 or the Thomas, son of Thomas Burnet, MD who was born 1612”. To date, no historical records support this claim. No testers of other surnames have been identified as a match to this group. If the group was formed before Thomas’s birth due to an NPE, there is no evidence of that yet.
Although we have no record of the origin of this line, we know that during the period of his marriage, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was largely populated by English Puritans and Separatists. Historical context link
Major Haplogroup: Descendants of R‑M269 dated 4465 BCE. Since this is the 5th Burnett line discovered by the Burnett Project, it is referred to as R‑M269E. Few testers in this group have upgraded to Big‑Y, and only the major branch R‑FTA92253 and one sub‑branch have been discovered. R‑FTA92253 is scientifically dated to 1561 ± 80 years, likely occurring at Thomas’s birth or the birth of his father or grandfather. The sub‑branch R‑FTA93318 is shared by descendants of Thomas and Mary’s son Aaron.
Earliest known ancestor: Thomas Burnett, died 1684, married Mary Cooper in 1645.
Origins: Archaeological digs reveal that ancestors of this line were in the United Kingdom during the Iron Age. Migration map link
Migration map showing the ancestral routes of the R‑M269E Burnett line from Asia through Europe to the British Isles.
Locations in USA
Early ancestors were located mainly in New York and New Jersey.
Famous Descendants
The progenitor, Thomas Burnet, was originally a member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, along with other prominent members mentioned above.
Y‑DNA‑Verified Paternal Ancestors
From the reported family trees of our testers, the paternal ancestors listed below are confirmed members of this paternal line. Many of these are represented by multiple testers. If your Burnett ancestor is listed below, it means you also descend from this paternal Burnett line. Many of the birth and death years are circa / estimated.
| Name | Born | Died | Wife's Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Burnet | 1619 | 1684 Suffolk NY | Mary Cooper |
| Lott Burnet | 1650 Suffolk NY | 1702 Suffolk NY | Phebe Mills |
| Aaron Sr Burnet | 1655 Suffolk NY | 1755 Union NJ | Elizabeth |
| Daniel Burnet | 1664 Suffolk NY | 1710 Port Royal NJ | Abigail |
| Joseph Burnet | 1676 Suffolk NY | 1737 Suffolk NY | Temperance |
| Daniel Burnet | 1680 | 1729 | |
| Aaron Jr Burnet | 1695 Suffolk NY | 1771 Morris NJ | Sarah Herrick |
| Samuel Burnet I | 1695 | 1718 Richmond NY | Antje Mangels Roll |
| Joseph Burnet | 1709 Suffolk NY | 1770 Suffolk NY | Arrezine Bella |
| Samuel Burnet II | 1718 Richmond NY | Lucy Chase | |
| Mathias Burnet Sr | 1723 S Hanover NJ | 1783 Morris NJ | Mary Lindsley |
| William Burnett | 1724 Bottle Hill NJ | 1806 | Mary Miller |
| Aaron III Burnet | 1725 | Morris NJ | |
| David Burnet | 1741 Suffolk NY | 1807 Suffolk NY | Sarah Reeves |
| Mathias Lindsley Burnet | 1749 NJ | 1811 Morris NJ | Phoebe Brookfield |
| Matthias Burnet | 1749 NJ | 1805 Essex NJ | Dorcus Conger |
| Samuel Burnet III | 1753 | 1819 Morris NJ | Ruth Hedges |
| Ebenezer Burnet | 1757 Morris NJ | 1819 Orange NY | Lydia Rogers |
| Justus Burnett | 1760 Bottle Hill NJ | 1826 Essex NJ | Lois Crane |
| David Burnet | 1766 Essex NJ | 1832 Greene PA | Esther Jennings |
| Stephen Burnet | 1778 Morris NJ | 1863 Lucas OH | Naomi Wheton |
| John Wickliffe Burnett | 1781 Morris NJ | 1851 Monroe PA | Rachel Britain |
| Matthias Burnet | 1782 Suffolk NY | 1843 Suffolk NY | Mary Sayre |
| David Burnett | 1786 Suffolk NY | 1842 Suffolk NY | Sybil Fowler |
| Job Brookfield Burnet | 1791 NJ | 1880 Morris NJ | Mary O Hedges |
| Ralph Burnet | 1792 Morris NJ | 1846 Shelby OH | Phebe Lindsley |
| Elias C Burnette | 1794 NJ | 1859 Greene PA | Sarah Smith |
| Stephen Grover Burnett | 1796 Hanover NJ | 1862 Vigo IN | Hanna S Creal |
| Stephen Burnet | 1808 Suffolk NY | 1873 Suffolk NY | Sophia Bishop |
| James Burnett | 1818 NJ | 1894 Holt NE | Amy Classon |
| Hiram E G Burnett | 1819 NJ | 1901 Champaign IL | Serena Lester |
| George Henry Burnett | 1823 Suffolk NY | 1893 Suffolk NY | Frances Jagger |
| John Quincy Burnet | 1825 Morris NJ | 1899 Morristown NJ | Helen Marie Rice |
| Charlton Burnett | 1826 Monroe PA | 1907 Monroe PA | Jane C Levering |
| William Burnett Sr | 1828 Vigo IN | 1908 Morris KS | Margaret Denny |
| Luther Daniel Burnet | 1833 Suffolk NY | 1917 Suffolk NY | Mary Ann Jennings |
| David Smith Burnette | 1833 Greene PA | 1914 Greene PA | Clarinda |
| Amos James Burnett | 1854 Whiteside IL | 1934 Pennington SD | Martha Border |
| Harry Charlton Burnett | 1858 Monroe PA | 1920 New York NY | Elizabeth McLennan |
| Egbert L Burnett | 1860 Suffolk NY | 1935 Suffolk NY | Lettie A Jennings |
| Lester Burnett | 1862 Washington IL | 1925 Thurston NE | Julie Ann Fulk |
| Thomas Jefferson Burnett | 1862 Suffolk NY | 1940 Litchfield CT | Elizabeth Irwin |
| William Henry Burnette | 1864 Greene PA | 1949 Greene PA | Jennie Sharpnack |
| Ives Buddington Burnet | 1880 Brooklyn NY | 1965 Madison NJ | Katherine Merritt |
| Otis LeFon Burnett | 1884 Morris KS | 1905 Morris KS | Anna Wiggins |
| George Harrison Burnette | 1888 Greene PA | 1955 Lenoir NC | Nelly Fordyce |
| Claude Willis Burnett | 1889 Holt NE | 1964 Meade SD | Helen Powers |
| Leland Jennings Burnett | 1896 Suffolk NY | 1958 Suffolk NY | Lois B Smith |
| Harry Charlton Burnett | 1890 Lake CO | 1969 Wasco OR | Medora Sassaman |
| George Irwin Burnett | 1900 New York NY | 1978 Suffolk NY | Mary E Hussey |
| Lester Bryan Burnett | 1900 Washington NE | 1960 Los Angeles CA | Vera Snoddy |
Family Chart
The chart below is highly summarized, listing only the most distant ancestors to illustrate which ancestors are represented by Y‑DNA testers. Some birth and death dates are circa / estimated.
Note that the father of ancestor Stephen Burnet (1778–1863) in the chart below has not been identified. This test is not a Big Y test. It is known that Stephen came from Morris County, New Jersey, so it seems highly probable that he also descends from Thomas Burnet and Mary Cooper. Many of their descendants resided in Morris County, including descendants of Aaron Burnet.
Abbreviated family chart showing the earliest known ancestors and Y‑DNA tester connections for the R‑M269E Burnett line.