Introduction

These pages summarize much of what has been learned through the Burnett Y-DNA Project. The Project aims to help Burnett descendants discover their Burnett roots. It uses Y-DNA testing to enable them to identify their Burnett family line with scientific certainty and to expand their tree by using information that others in their family line have already discovered. About half of the lines lead back to early Burnett ancestors in Scotland or England; about another half lead back to early Burnett arrivals in the USA, with their earlier origins not yet being identified. Many testers have been able to add multiple new generations, while others have used the results to successfully identify their pre-Colonial origins. We might expect to make further headway on this if we had more testers from the UK.

This research is the result of the time, money, and effort of hundreds of Burnett descendants. Those who shared their DNA, those who spent innumerable hours researching, and those who collaborated are all recognized here as essential to this work. This was written and compiled by Terry (née Burnett) Barwin and Lawrence Pearse (a Burnett descendant). Both are volunteer genealogists for the House of Burnett. Terry is a volunteer administrator for the Burnett Y-DNA Project and specializes in North American genealogy research and Y-DNA analysis. Lawrence specializes in UK genealogy research and autosomal DNA analysis.

As with any publication, it is imperfect and outdated before it is issued, but it seeks to help speed the process towards the next set of more perfect answers. As time marches on, so do science and technology and we can hope that historical records continue to become more accessible and that DNA increasingly provides new answers.

One might assume that all Burnetts descend from a single man. This is far from the case. The Burnett Y-DNA Project has so far identified about 40 unrelated Burnett paternal subgroups that lead back several hundred years and many more Burnett paternal lines that have begun using the surname within the past 300 years. As more people take the Y-DNA test and join the Project, we can expect those numbers to grow.

What is Y-DNA?

There are three types of DNA used in genealogy. The first is called autosomal DNA. This is the DNA you get from both parents and is useful in identifying parents, grandparents, 1st–5th cousins, Aunts, Uncles, etc. This type of DNA becomes more difficult to use in researching ancestors beyond your 3rd Great-Grandparents because it gets watered down at each generation. Although it has been used successfully beyond 3rd Great-Grandparents, this often requires the assistance of a skilled expert.

Diagram illustrating how Y‑DNA, autosomal DNA, and mitochondrial DNA are inherited.

mtDNA (Mitochondrial DNA)

The second type of DNA is mtDNA or mitochondrial DNA. This is passed from your mother. This is used to assist in tracing your maternal ancestry and origins – that is your mother, your mother’s mother, your mother’s maternal grandmother, and so on. It can, however, be of limited benefit because it does not change much from one generation to another, so it can be difficult to differentiate a maternal 2nd cousin from a maternal 10th cousin.

Y-DNA (Paternal Line DNA)

The Burnett Y-DNA Project on Family Tree DNA (Burnett Y-DNA Project - Overview - FamilyTreeDNA) created a virtual laboratory in which we could prove and sometimes disprove our Burnett ancestry. The Y chromosome is stable enough to identify two men who share a common ancestor within the past 1,000 years or more. A more advanced version of the test, called the “Big Y”, can identify mutations shared by testers and date the mutation +/- 80 years, enabling the identification of branches within a paternal line as well as the identification of testers who share a particular branch, much like a branch of a family tree, but specific to about 3 generations instead of a single generation.

The basic Y-37 test provides a top level haplogroup and a list of “matches” – men who share an ancestor with the tester within the past 1,000 years. Men on the list could be a brother, a father, or 1st – nth paternal cousin. Most men find that their matches are distant cousins. If the matches are not too distant, it is often possible to identify their common ancestor by comparing their trees. When a match is more distant, but still within the period where records exist, there is a possibility of extending one’s tree further back in time by identifying how the two men are related. It is also possible with the Y-37 test to distinguish one group of testers from another who have the same top level haplogroup.

The most basic benefit of Y-DNA testing is to enable people not only to identify their own haplogroup but to use their haplogroup to eliminate possible ancestral lines. If you receive a major haplogroup of R-M269 (aka R1b), for example, you automatically know you are not of the same paternal line as a tester whose haplogroup is J-M172 (aka J2) or I-M253 (aka I1). Major haplogroups were formed by mutations that occurred in our ancient ancestors many thousands of years ago. Mutations occurring more recently create minor haplogroups. In the Burnett Y-DNA Project, within each major haplogroup, sub-groups are created representing those related within the past (roughly) 1,000 years. This is beneficial because if you are considering an ancestor as your own, and a proven descendant of that ancestor has tested and does not match your haplogroup and sub-group, it is proof that you do not descend from that ancestor. In this way, you can avoid wasting time on ancestors to whom you are unrelated.

R-M269 and I-M253 are two of the most common haplogroups in the western world and are by far the most common haplogroups for Burnett testers. Haplogroup R1b/R-M269 is the largest in the Burnett Y-DNA Project and has over 25 sub-groups of matching testers. Mutations that form new branches occur, on average, about every three generations. Each minor mutation creates a new haplogroup or branch within your paternal family tree. Using our family trees, in combination with the new branches, we can often identify which ancestor was responsible for a mutation, thereby proving that any tester who possesses that mutation descends from that ancestor. More often, however, we can link a mutation to a range of ancestors – grandfather to grandson. This is still very helpful in extending family trees. If you find your haplogroup, you can see all its branches and ancestor haplogroups using the Discover tool. https://discover.familytreedna.com/ The tool even provides an estimated date when each SNP/haplogroup was created.

As mentioned, the Burnett Y-DNA Project categorizes testers into sub-groups of men who share a common paternal ancestor within the past roughly 1,000 years or less. To identify these groups, the project uses sequence letters. The first R-M269 group was named R-M269A, the second R-M269B and so on. To date, there are 33 sub-groups across the entire project where at least two matching Burnetts were identified, categorized in the chart below.

The Big Y‑700 and Haplogroups

The advanced version of the Y-DNA test, called the Big Y‑700, identifies the “SNPs” (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in the Y chromosome, which are formed when Y-DNA mutates. Y-DNA mutates about every three generations on average. When a mutation occurs, all the descendants of the ancestor whose Y-DNA mutates carry that mutation forward. When two or more men are identified that share the same SNP, the SNP becomes a more refined haplogroup. In this context, the terms SNP and haplogroup are synonymous.

To give readers a sense of how many significant unrelated paternal Burnett lines exist and where they were located and originated, we offer the chart below. The chart lists each significant group within the project by major haplogroup. As discussed, within each major haplogroup, testers are grouped with their matches – those testers who the test has identified share a common ancestor within the past 1,000 years. We describe these as Paternal Sub-groups. The letter preceding the description of each group identifies the sub‑group to which they belong; for instance, Burnett of Barns is sub-group I‑M253C – Group C within the major haplogroup I‑M253.

The age listed refers to the estimated length of time that each is known to have been using the Burnett surname based on historical records and Y-DNA. Many groups have likely been using the name much longer. The age listed refers to the most distant proven age.

Burnett Project Haplogroups / Paternal Sub-groups Chart

Haplogroup / Age	Description / Most Distant Traced Ancestors	Probable Origin	Tester Residence
I‑M253 / I1
200 years	A. Priscilla (nee Carter) Burnett 1767 and Julius Saunders (NPE)	Unknown	USA
300 years	B. Testers tracing back to Rutherford County VA and Scotland; managed by a separate Y‑DNA Project	Scotland	USA, Australia, Scotland
500 years	C. Burnett of Barns of Burnetland / Peeblesshire	Scotland	NZ, Australia, USA
270 years	E. Moses Burnett 1740–1781 & Rachel Morley of Frederick VA	Unknown	USA
450 years	F. Aberdeenshire lines: Robert Burnett b.1776, Nathaniel Burnett 1730, Robert Burnett & Elspet Booth	Scotland	USA, England
I‑P37
300 years	A. Eastern Scotland lines: James Burnett 1810, John Burnett 1704, William Burnett 1776	Scotland	Scotland
J‑M172 / J2
500 years	A. Burnett of Leys, Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Australia, Canada, Scotland, England, NZ
250 years	B. William Burnett b.1774 of Madison County VA; Ramsay testers	Unknown	USA
R‑M269 / R1b
400 years	A. Largest group; Colonial VA lines (Hanover & New Kent)	Unknown	USA, Canada
210 years	B. Fleming Burnett b.1806, Patrick County VA (NPE)	Unknown	USA
400 years	C. Managed by a separate Y‑DNA Project	Unknown	USA
370 years	D. Scottish Lothians & Ireland lines: Robert Burnett 1655, George Burnet 1665, etc.	Scotland, Ireland	Scotland, Canada, USA
400 years	E. Thomas Burnet & Mary Cooper of Suffolk County NY	Unknown	USA
270 years	F. Robert Burnett 1755–1820 & Susanna Hollingsworth of Fayette OH	Unknown	USA
230 years	G. John Burnett 1794 & Lucretia Evans; John G Burnett 1810 & Letitia Godsey	Unknown	USA
250 years	H. Stephen Burnett 1762–1815 of Robertson TN; Elihu Burnett 1810–1844	Unknown	USA
270 years	I. John Burnett 1756–1805 & Mary Morgan of Nelson/Ohio County KY	Unknown	USA
350 years	J. William Burnett 1750–1812 Campbell KY; James Burnett 1740–? Prince Edward VA; Peter Burnett 1752 Yorkshire	Unknown	USA
300 years	M. Thomas Burnett 1775 & Rachel of Dutchess NY; Thomas Burnett 1750–1792 of Dumfriesshire	Scotland	USA
200 years	N. Dr. Azariah Burnett of Grainger TN 1817–1862 (probable NPE)	Unknown	USA
300 years	O. Robert Burnett 1759 & Jean Masterson; John Burnett 1760 & Jane of Cumberland	Scotland / England	England, New Zealand
320 years	P. George Burnett 1770 & Elizabeth Adams; James Burnett 1750 & Margaret of Martin NC; Edward Burnett 1844 & Margaret McCluskey	Scotland / Ireland	USA, Scotland, Canada
200 years	R. Descendants of a daughter of Joseph Burnett & Mabel Melton (NPE)	Unknown	USA
280 years	S. Robert Burnett 1741 & Ann Fassett of London & Surrey	England	England
200 years	T. Descendants of Frankie (female) Burnett of Knox/Laurel Kentucky (NPE)	USA	USA
300 years	U. Thomas Burnett 1750 & Mary Quarles of Edgefield SC; James Burnett 1735 of Buckingham VA	USA	USA
250 years	V. Daniel Burnett 1775 & Hannah Gornto of NC; migrated to Georgia & Florida	USA	USA
350 years	W. Jacob Burnett 1670 & Frances of Somerset England	England	England, Canada
320 years	X. Thomas Burnett & Mary Johnston; James Burnett & Mary Nicholson of Orange County NY (early 1700s)	Scotland	USA
300 years	Z. Archibald 1753 & Eunice of Worcester MA and Isaac Burnett 1780 & Deborah Grindle of Washington County ME	Scotland	USA

Paternal Sub-group Summaries and Research Insights

The Paternal Sub-group summaries provided in these pages are based on a combination of Y-DNA results, family trees provided by testers, family trees built by project administrators, and historical research. When new testers join the Burnett Y-DNA Project, they share their family tree. While we await the results, we validate the tree they have provided to the extent possible using historical records.

The summaries include the names of the ancestors of our testers, including their wives where known. Names of recent ancestors are omitted for tester privacy reasons. Most of the ancestors listed herein have been validated, but in some cases the records to prove or disprove an ancestor do not exist or could not be found, and a combination of Y-DNA results and indirect evidence has been used for validation.

As an example of the insight Y-DNA can provide, we offer David Burnett (ca. 1738–1832) of Franklin County, North Carolina. Prior to the Burnett Y-DNA Project, he was little known and little researched. As it turns out, David has a very prolific group of descendants. Results from two testers revealed a haplogroup of R‑FT199951. One tester descends from Reynolds Burnett and the other from Pleasant Burnett, who were then traced using historical records to their father David Burnett.

Big Y results from three other testers revealed the same haplogroup but could not readily be traced to David. Descendants had been searching for years to identify the parents of Jeremiah W. Burnett, George W., and Joseph Burnett shown below.

An exhaustive search using historical records in combination with autosomal DNA finally identified an additional son of David, Joseph Burnett. Joseph was named as a son of David in a probate record but had not been found in any other records. Without the Y-DNA evidence linking these men to David, we would not have known to look for another son of David as the ancestor of these testers. We now also have test results from Joseph’s son, Reynolds Burnett.

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