From the International Society of Genetic Genealogy
[ISOGG] website Mitochondrial DNA - mtDNAThe Romanovs - The Last Russian Royal Family
In July 1991, nine bodies were exhumed from a shallow grave just outside Ekaterinburg, Russia.? Circumstantial evidence, along with mitochondrial DNA sequencing and matches, gave strong evidence to the remains being those of the Romanovs, the last Russian Royals who were executed on July 18, 1918.? The following sequences for Tsar Nicholas II,? his cousin, Count Nicholai Trubetskoy, Tsarina Alexandra, and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, are taken from Bryan Sykes book, "The Seven Daughters of Eve
*The Tsar's sequence contains a new mutation at position 169, a state referred to as heteroplasmy - the existence of more than one mitochondrial type in the cells of an individual, i.e., the presence of both normal and mutant mtDNA in a single individual.? The remains of his brother, Grand Duke of Russia, Georgij Romanov were exhumed, and the results were identical to the Tsar's, including the heteroplasmy at 16169Y.
Tsarina Alexandra, the three children buried with her, and Prince Philip's mitochondrial DNA were an exact match on 740 tested nucleotides.
Stanford University's, Alec Knight's 2003 paper, "Molecular, forensic and haplotypic inconsistencies regarding the identity of the Ekaterinburg remains"? ?presents a conclusion that the identity of the Ekaterinburg remains has not been established.Marie Antoinette
DNA was extracted from a lock of Marie Antoinette's hair that was snipped from her head as a child.? Her DNA matched a sample taken from a heart believed to be from her son, King Louis XVII.? Marie Antoinette's farthest known maternal line ancestor: Bertha von Putelendorf, d 1190.Jesse James
In 1995, the infamous outlaw, Jesse James' body was exhumed for DNA testing.? Samples of hair and other fragments from his first burial site at his home were also recovered and sampled, along with mtDNA samples extracted from two living James' relatives.? All samples resulted in a perfect match, thus concluding that the body in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, is indeed that of Jesse James. Ancient DNA HaplotypesCheddar Man
In 1903, skeletal remains were found in a cave in Cheddar, England. The remains of a 23 year-old man, who was killed by a blow to the face, were discovered to be at least 9,000 years old. Ninety-four years after the discovery of "Cheddar Man", scientists were able to extract mitochondrial DNA from his tooth cavity.
Bryan Sykes, and his team at Oxford University distributed DNA test kits to local Cheddar schools, and a match was found to a local schoolteacher, Adrian Targett. Read more on Cheddar Man.Ice Man - Otzi of Italy
Widely known as "Otzi (Oetzi)" the Iceman found in 1991 in the Italian Alps, is also known as "Similaun Man".? Of the Neolithic era, Otzi lived between 3350-3300 B.C. in the "Copper Age". He was believed to be 46-years old when he died at the top of a mountain pass from wounds received.? Ice Maiden - "Juanita" of Peru
Also known as "Juanita", the Inca Ice Maiden was discovered on Mount Ampato, near Arequipa, Peru by Johann Reinhard in 1995.? She was sacrificed sometime around the ages of 12-14 and lived about 500 years ago.? Her body lay frozen at the mountaintop until a nearby volcanic eruption melted Mount Ampato's ice capLuke the Evangelist - aka St. Luke
A doctor, but better known as the biblical author of the "Gospel According to Luke", Luke the Evangelist was believed to have been born in Antioch, in the Roman province of Syria.? Historical sources cite that he died at the age of 84 in Thebes (Greece) around the year 150 A.D.? His body was interred first in Constantinople, and then later transferred to Padua, Italy.? Geneticists have tested the remains believed to be those of Luke, and sampled Syrian and Greek populations for comparison.? ?They've determined that the body attributed as Luke's, is likely of Syrian origin.Y-Chromosome DNA
NOTE: The following haplotypes are extracted from living descendants.? ?In the instance of ancient haplotypes, those haplotypes have been hypothesized based on a "founder's theory".Thomas Jefferson - Sally Hemmings
In 1998, the most famous Y-chromosome DNA testing case ever to debut, asked "Did Thomas Jefferson father children by his slave, Sally Hemmings?"
Five descendants of Thomas Jefferson's paternal uncle, Field Jefferson, were tested.? ?John Weeks Jefferson, the only living male descended from Eston Hemmings in a direct Y-chromosome line of descent, confirmed that they share a common Jefferson ancestor.? Whether that ancestor was Thomas Jefferson has been a subject of controversy among the descendants.Genghis Khan - An Asian Alpha Male
As eight percent of twenty-one hundred Central Asian males tested had a "unique Y-chromosome lineage", it has been deduced that this may be the "founder" lineage of Genghis Khan. Colla Uais - Father of the Clans
A High King of Ireland, Colla seized Ulster and then took his followers to Scotland around 325AD.? His descendants, Fergus, Loarn and Angus (sons of Erc) became the "founder" lines for the Scottish kingdom of Dalriada circa 465AD (Source article).? Mark E. MacDonald, the National Historian for Clan Donald and Director of the DNA project, has deduced Colla's haplotype based on DNA results from many various Scottish clan DNA projects. Niall of the Nine Hostages
Like Colla Uais, Niall Noig?allach, was a High King of Ireland, and the father of millions of descendants.? He lived in the 5th century, and his estimated death date is 450/455 AD (Source).? The Southern and Northern U? N?ill (meaning "descendants of Niall"; U? pronounced 'Ee') dynasties produced the Irish High Kings for centuries and includes St. Columba, Niall's great-great grandson. Somerled - The Norse Scot foe of the Vikings
Tradition has that the great Somerled of Argyll, born c. 1100AD, was descended from Irish kings.? However, his deduced ancestral haplotype says otherwise.? ?He may have been kin to the very Vikings that he tore the hearts out of.
Coming soon (hopefully): Billy the Kid, Christopher Columbus,? Joan of Arc,
John Paul Jones, and? Jamestowne settler, Bartholomew Gosnold
NOT coming soon: Mozart and Bartholomew Gosnold
*NOTE:? All of the above haplotypes (with the exception of Colla Uais) are the result of scientific genetics studies, and most, if not all, have been published in scientific journals.? Genghis Khan, Colla Uais, and Somerled's haplotypes have been deduced using a "Founder's Theory", a hypothesis that modern DNA haplotypes reveal the modal signature of the common ancestral alpha male.? ?Submissions of additional haplotypes are welcome, please submit the values along with an online link to the scientific publication of the subject's study to ISOGG.? Submissions will be reviewed and ISOGG reserves the right to accept or decline submissions.? The purpose of the "Famous DNA" page is to provide a compilation of famous historical homo sapiens sapiens haplotypes to aid individuals with their haplotype comparisons.
*The full name for 156Y is DXYS156Y (the Y version of a marker that can be found on both the X and Y chromosomes
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