Welcome back everyone and thank you for joining me.
This is the seventh video in my origins series, which explores family history research and several of the Haplogroups that exist in my ancestry including my paternal and maternal genetic groups. The series includes a few How to videos, including How to begin researching your family history, how to record and source the data you collect, how to get past those early parish records, break down walls and how to publish your family history.
These are all videos planned over the coming weeks, so if any of the subjects interest you, then please keep watch for those upcoming videos. This series of videos goes live every Monday at 12 Noon British Standard Time.
Todays video takes a look at my 4x great-grandfather – Henry Harris paternal Y-DNA Haplogroup.
A group called R-M269, The age of the mutation M269 is estimated at roughly 4,000 to 10,000 years ago – This group is
phylogenetically classified as R1b1a1b
The Haplogroup is of particular interest for the genetic history of Western Europe, being the most common European haplogroup. It increases in frequency on an east to west gradient (its prevalence in Poland estimated at 22.7%, compared to Wales at 92.3%). It is carried by approximately 110 million European men.
It is believed and from recent study that this genetic group came about right at the beginning of the Neolithic Revolution.
For anyone who shares this Y-DNA your in for a treat as there has been extensive research into this subclade and plenty of DNA groups. My own Harris ancestry is part of one such a group and it’s believed the family have roots in Wales
Through this line I know as far back as 8 generations, but I will talk on that more later, firstly lets take a look at some of the ancient and prehistoric links that share this DNA Haplogroup.
There are 85 known samples recorded on the ancientdna website and they are pretty much all continental Europe or Russian, including an interesting sample from Egypt.
This Egyptian sample came from a mummy dating from the
Pre-Ptolemaic Period – the Ptolemies were the longest and most recent Egyptian dynasty of ancient origin.
And was founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter, a companion of Alexander the Great
The Egyptian Mummy was found in the ancient city of Thebes, located in present day Luxor.
The Y-DNA Haplogroup R-M269 has also been found extensively through ancient samples discovered in Germany, these samples belong to the Bell Beaker Culture – Some of the skeletons analysed were found in the village of Kromsdorf, Thuringia, Germany.
The Bell Beaker culture is an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell beaker drinking vessel used at the very beginning of the European Bronze Age. Arising from around 2800 BC
In France, the haplogroup has been discovered in skeletons that belong to the La Tene culture, La Tene was a European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BCE to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BCE),
Interestingly this DNA group is also associated with both Danish and Swedish vikings, and there are lots of samples discovered from skeletal remains found in both Skara and Karda, Sweden and Sealand, Denmark.
The Viking Age (793–1066 AD) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe, and even reached North America.
R-M269 has also been found associated with the
Koban Culture and the East Slavs in russia which is interesting as a very famous Russian dynasty carries that Haplogroup –
The Romanov family, and from excavating and studying the remains of Nicholas II of Russia who was murdered alongside all of his family in 1918 possibly including the famous Anastasia it was discovered that he belonged to the subclade – R-M269.
If no illegitimacy breaks exist in his tree, paternally Nicholas II descends from Elimar I, Count of Oldenburg who was born in 1040 and died 1112 – through the male Oldenburg lineage we also find King Christian I of Denmark (1426 – 1481), who’s daughter Margaret went on to marry King James III of Scotland
Nicholas II last Tsar of Russia is not the only famous monarch to have had his genome tested.
3 of the kings belonging to the House of Hanover have too –
These include – king George I, King George IV and King William IV
In my own lineage –
I can trace my Harris line back to my 8th great-grandfather – Henry Harris of Ewhurst, Surrey who was born in 1655 and died 1707
From the Harris family DNA project, its been suggested that the Harris family may have originated in Wales, which is certainly very likely when you consider that 92.3% of Welsh men share their male Y-DNA with that one subclade R-M269 – making them one very big family.
The following DNA Origin videos I have planned includes my maternal haplogroup
- K1a1a
My paternal Haplogroup R-YP417
And the following Haplogroups that I have identified of which belong to my ancestors including –
I-S17250 / R-CTS2509 / K1B1A1A / and I-Z138, That last one is an interesting one, as the DNA is Viking in origin.
So if you’re interested in genetic DNA then please watch out for those forthcoming videos.
Next week is the eighth video in this origins series and I will be taking a deep dive into British Census Records so please watch out for that.
Until next week,
A big thank you for joining me, stay safe, keep well and bye for now.
The Lives of my Ancestors 