Member Count
243
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Description
The object of the Swann DNA Surname Project is to establish the relationship between the various Swan(n) families around the world. We invite all Swan(n) family members to participate in this project. At present we have more information on file about families with the surname located outside of the British Isles, but all participants world-wide are welcome to join. This Surname Project includes Swan(n) families with origins in Ireland.
We now have excellent genetic signatures for several Swan(n) families in America and some in Britain. We have research work on tracing several of these families across the Atlantic, notably the ancestors of William Swan of Swann's Point, Virginia, and Edward Swan of Maryland. Currently we have 14 separate Swan(n) clusters identified by Y-DNA testing, i.e. more than one participant, and many more single representatives. The largest cluster, descendants of Edward Swan of Maryland, has 25 participants.
This is exceptionally difficult research - impossible without DNA - the Swann surname is more common on the British mainland, markedly less so in Ireland and Scotland where the Swan spelling vastly predominates. For Ireland it is likely to arise from migration from outside. Over 10,000 Swan/Swann entries occur in the 1881 Census of England, Wales and Scotland. As an approximation, you can divide that number by 6 to get an estimate of the male heads of households. We are planning to have a Swan/Swann website and now have a Swan/Swann DNA and Genealogy Facebook page, which has access by invitation only, to circumvent issues with family trees online at places like Ancestry, constant repetition of errors via the internet, and too many folk just cutting and pasting other folks' data, mistakes and all.
The Swan Coat of Arms is taken from a photograph of the eaves of the Swan House at Wye in Kent taken in the 1970s, and home to William Swan of Wye (d. 1598), father of Sir Francis Swann of Denton Court in Kent (d. 1622/3). This structure no longer exists.
Requirements
A Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common surname. They are of the most interest in cultures where surnames are passed on from father to son like the Y-Chromosome. This project is for males taking a Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) test. Thus, the individual who tests must be a male who wants to check his direct paternal line (father's father's father's...) with a Y-DNA12, Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, or Y-DNA111 test and who has one of the surnames listed for the project. Females do not carry their father's Y-DNA. Females who would like to check their father's direct paternal line can have a male relative with his surname order a Y-DNA test. Females can also order an mtDNA test for themselves such as the mtDNAPlus test or the mtFullSequence test and participate in an mtDNA project. Both men and women may take our autosomal Family Finder test to discover recent relationships across all family lines.
Surnames In This Project
Anglicized versions of Schwann, Swan, Swann, Swanne, Swon