The Burnett Y-DNA Project

Burnetts of Washington and Nelson County Kentucky (R‑M269I and I‑M253E)

These two sub‑groups, although paternally unrelated, are discussed together because they have been confused by researchers. Two different men, both named John Burnett, both married to a woman named Mary, and who both resided for a time in Nelson County, Kentucky, have been understandably mixed up in family trees. Washington County, Kentucky, was created in 1792 from a portion of Nelson County. Both men were residing in Nelson prior to the creation of Washington County. After its creation, one remained in Nelson County and the other in Washington County. Y‑DNA testing has shown these two men were not paternally related. They are detailed below.

1) John Burnett Sr. of Nelson County, Kentucky — son of Moses Burnett & Rachel Morley

Born ca. 1756; married Mary Morgan; died 1804–1805 in Ohio County, Kentucky. John of Nelson County appears on the tax lists of Nelson County prior to 1810. He was granted land on Cedar Run. He moved to Ohio County about 1799, to the part which became Grayson County in 1810. He died in late 1804 or early 1805. He and his suspected brother Thomas, who also lived in Nelson County, both had a son named John. Thomas’s son John also appears in the Nelson tax lists after 1792, adding to the confusion.

John married Mary Morgan in 1785 in Nelson County. Proof of this marriage is found in the Revolutionary Pension of Simon Pryor. John and his suspected brother Thomas lived in Nelson County as early as 1785. About 1799, John moved to Ohio County. He had at least six sons: John Jr., Matthew, William, Thomas, Isaac, and Absalom. These sons appear, one by one, as they reached age 21, in the tax lists of Ohio County. In 1810, the part of Ohio County in which they lived became Grayson County, and they thereafter appear on the Grayson tax lists.

John died between November 1804 and November 1805. In November 1805, he was listed among insolvents as deceased: “John Burnett dec’d and left no property.”

Nothing is known of John prior to his appearance in Nelson County. DAR records suggest his wife Mary Morgan was born in Virginia, so it is likely John was also born there. Many trees suggest he was born in Essex County, Virginia, but no evidence has been found and Essex seems unlikely. Some trees show the Morgans as originating in the Berkley, Virginia (now West Virginia) area, which seems plausible. To live in Nelson County in the 1780s required frontier skills — avoiding Indian attacks and enduring wilderness hardships.

Burnett testers in this sub‑group have a high frequency of matches to testers of the surname Burns / Byrne, particularly at the Y‑111 level. The Burnett tree joins the Burns/Byrne tree about 1479 ± 80 years according to Big‑Y results showing shared haplogroup R‑FTA50931. Testers report this Byrne/Burns line as originating in Ireland. It is not known whether the name Burnett was adopted from Byrne/Burns or vice‑versa.

2) John Burnett of Washington County, Kentucky

Born ca. 1776; died 1813 Washington County; married Mary (last name unknown). John appeared on the Washington County tax list in 1792, along with Robert Burnett. By 1796, he held land on Cartwright’s Creek and Pleasant Run. Tracking through tax lists shows he died 1812–1813. His land was transferred to his wife Mary by 1813. John left a will naming his wife Mary. The will is faded and difficult to read. He did not name all his children, but they appear in later deed records. Mary was named Administrator of the estate; administration later transitioned to Robert Burnett.

Two deeds written in 1817 name all heirs of John and Mary Burnett of Washington County: Rachel (Burnett) Ward, Nancy (Burnett) Gowdy, William, John, Elizabeth, David, Robert, Mary Ann, Leanna, and Clarinda. Many of these children were likely underage when John died. The deed states the land was transferred by order of the Washington County Court due to a chancery case involving Robert Burnett, Executor of John Burnett. Obtaining the full case file could provide additional information.

John of Washington County is said to have been the son of Moses Burnett and Rachel Morley. Various informal papers provide these names and origin information.

The website “Pat J’s Stories” states that the death record of Mary’s sister, Susannah Morgan‑Pryor, is on microfilm at the Kentucky Archives. It reports she died 22 December 1861 at age 111, born in Monongahela, Virginia. The original record was not located for this research.

The site also suggests Charles Morgan and his wife were killed by Indians and that Susannah came to Nelson County to live with her sister Mary Morgan‑Burnett. Monongalia County, Virginia (now West Virginia) was created in 1776 from Augusta County. If true, this fits well with a frontier family living in Nelson County in 1785. The 1850 census recorded Susannah’s birth year as 1764, suggesting she died at age 97.

Major Haplogroup

Descendants of John Burnett & Mary Morgan share major haplogroup R‑M269 (R1b), designated as R‑M269I in the Burnett Project. Big‑Y testing revealed haplogroup R‑FTA54744, dated 1661 ± 80 years.

Descendants of John Burnett & Mary of Washington County are haplogroup I‑M253 (I1), designated as I‑M253E. Big‑Y testing has not been undertaken for this group. One tester upgraded to Big‑Y‑700, revealing haplogroup I‑Y5388, created about 1,000 years ago.

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

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 are represented by multiple testers. If your Burnett ancestor is listed below, it means you also descend from this paternal Burnett line. Many birth and death years are circa / estimated.

Ancestors in I‑M253E — Descendants of Moses Burnett and Rachel Morley

Ancestors in R‑M269I, Descendants of John Burnett and Mary Morgan