I just wanted to let folk know about a new y-DNA study through familytreeDNA, aimed at trying to link some of the many Sinnott, Sennett, Sinnett (and any name in the form S-NN-T) families, particularly those who believe they have Co. Wexford origins.
Its a y-DNA surname study, which means that it needs men to take the test, and they need to be able to show a male S-NN-T ancestor, and an unbroken line of descendancy along the male line from father to son from that person. That would normally mean that they would have the Sinnott (or any variant of it) name themselves.
Its a new study, but what is really interesting is that the haplotype of the first people whose tests have come through is not a particularly common one - its an "E" haplotype, rather than the most common R1b in the British Isles.
With so many Sinnott, Sennett, and Sinnett (and other variant spellings) families believing they have Co Wexford roots, but not being able at the moment to connect with other families of the same name who also have Wexford roots, genetic DNA studies are going to become a very important way of discovering whether there are common ancestors, and may even help confirm the origins of the Sinnott name - including answering the question "are all Sinnotts really descended from the family of that Flemish soldier who arrived in Ireland in the 1100's with Strongbow?".
The surname DNA project is also wanting S-NN-T descendants who DONT have Co Wexford roots to test as well, as results will then be used to confirm multiple origins of the surname, as well as whether Sinnotts from different regions are in fact connected - an example here is whether the stories of an Irish connection to Welsh Sinnetts (some of whom ended up in London) is in fact correct or whether the Welsh Sinnetts had a completely separate origin, and whether the Cornish and Hampshire Sennetts are also completely separate groups.
If anyone wants to know more, flick me a PM, or check out the Sennett One Name Study (Guild of One Name Studies), or the Sennett DNA surname study at familytreeDNA.com. If you want to go straight for getting a DNA test done, ordering it through the project will give a discounted rate, and the minimum recommended test is a 37 marker y-DNA. If you have already been tested at another company, tests can usually be transferred to familytreeDNA, but you may have to pay a fee for this.
Disclaimer: I don't work for familytreeDNA, and I don't stand to get any financial gain from any of this.
