BUCHANAN Y-DNA Project
The Clan Buchanan Y-DNA project is based with Family Tree DNA ( www.ftdna.com ). Names specifically included in the project are:
Bohanan, Bohannon, Boughannan, Buchanan, Buchannan, Buchannon, Buchanon, Buckhannan, Buckhannon, Buckhanon, MacAnsellan, MacAuslan, MacCausland, McAslin, McHannan.
Other affiliated family names are welcome to join the project.
Background
Ross Buchanan, one of our DNA Project Managers says, “Like many of you, I have traced my Buchanan line back to a region in Scotland, Perthshire in my case, only to find that it becomes lost among other Buchanan families in the earliest years of the old parish registers. This project attempts to take the researcher back another step, into the time before the parish registers and other old documents.”
Aims
To identify the ‘deeper‘ origins of our respective lineages.
To group together those lineages that are shown to be closely related.
To ascertain whether or not regional groupings of lineages are apparent.
To assist in clarifying relationship uncertainties in the early records.
To serve as a forum where participants can compare results and discuss problems.
The Y-DNA Test
To discover your family‘s Y-signature, you (or a male relative) must provide a sample for testing. The test kit includes a soft brush which you rub on the inside of the cheeks to gather loose cells. We are using the services of Family Tree DNA based in Houston, Texas (www.ftdna.com) to process the sample.
Because the surname-related information is carried on the Y chromosome, and only males have a Y chromosome, only males can test. However, many female genealogists are very good at persuading their brothers, male cousins, uncles or father to be a Y-DNA donor for their family.
This genetic material is passed down from father to son, unchanged (or almost unchanged), for many generations, hence its usefulness in surname studies. It does not take part in the recombination of genetic material that occurs before the making of each new individual and therefore it does not reveal our personal genetic characteristics.
To order your test, or a test for a relative, go to FamilyTreeDNA. The male-specific Y-DNA tests check for specific markers on the Y chromosome. The 12 marker option (YDNA-12) does not provide sufficient resolution to distinguish close family lineages. The YDNA-67 markeroption is a good place to start and can confirm close relationships. For experts, check out Big Y-700! Our preference is Y-DNA111 test.
Results
Initial results show that most of us belong to Haplogroup R1b, the genetic group to which almost all Celtic people belong.
One participant is in Haplogroup I1a and his nearest matches strongly indicate that he is of Scandinavian descent.
Our Y-signatures are mostly rather similar, but with some important distinctions. Some participants have been surprised at their close relationship with each other, showing a surname kinship that goes back many generations. A few of us, so far, have no very close matches. Our ancestors covered the spectrum from gentry to peasants and our results reflect a different order, one of migration and settlement, of variously related families scattered among the hills of Stirlingshire and Perthshire under the clan system.
For an up-to-the-minute view of results, see the table at: www.familytreedna.com/public/Buchanan/
Our position on the L21 “Big Tree” is at: http://www.ytree.net/DisplayTree.php?blockID=430&star=false
New Directions (10 years on, 2016)
The project has gained huge traction and is one of the leading surname genetic genealogy projects in the world. We have access to a very knowledgeable individual who is interpreting our results voluntarily. We are tracking down and testing pedigreed individuals from the main cadet lines so that everyone can benefit from their results.
Testing the modern SNP mutations on the Y chromosome brings about the following benefits to our Clan Buchanan members:
Identifies whether or not one’s Buchanan lineage is descended from the chiefly line or from one of the other Buchanan groups.
Provides a developing knowledge of how the clan fits into the overall picture relative to other families and clans (eg. our distant cousins in the MacGregor Clan).
Instructs a developing knowledge of which lines represent which cadet branches of the clan.
Helps establish a link to one of these cadet lines to help direct genealogical efforts using paper records and written genealogies such as Auchmar’s account of the clan from 1723 and Guthrie Smith’s continuation of this work in the 1800s.
Allows connection to other Buchanans around the world who are shown to be closely related for pooling genealogical information.
Provides newly discovered mutations specific to particular lines which can then be easily and cost-effectively used to check if groups of Buchanans are related or not, ie. “the Buchanans in the next town over – I’ve always wanted to know if we are the same line.”
Provides access to what can become a life-long hobby as new results and developments occur all the time.
Creates a potential means for identifying descendants of the Auchmar line – the last line to come off the chiefly line before the main line was extinguished.
The DNA, therefore, offers, in combination, a strong set of tools for helping individual members delve more deeply into their genealogy and origins and re-establish the descendants of the branches of Clan Buchanan.
Contact
I look forward to hearing from Buchanans and related families, including variant spellings such as Buchannan, Buckanan, Bohanon etc. Many of the Buchanan septs have their own projects, but if yours is not listed at FTDNA you are welcome to join this project.
Sincerely,
Project Administrators
Alex Buchanan and Ross Buchanan