About us
NEWS
MURRAY CLAN DNA RESEARCH PROJECT
AUGUST- SEPTEMBER 2021
As at 1st of September 2021 this Project has a membership of more than 1344 individuals.
Please Join our MURRAY CLAN DNA RESEARCH PROJECT GROUP on Facebook for Updates and discussion threads pertaining to this project.
Your FTDNA Kit number will be required at the time of requesting membership. All new members will receive the link to the page when joining our Project here at Family Tree DNA.
If you have tested via the following providers :
Ancestry ; 23&Me or My Heritage, Living DNA etc, please transfer the Raw Data over here to Family Tree DNA for FREE . Link below.
https://www.familytreedna.com/autosomal-transfer
Please use the Kit number generated by FTDNA when requesting membership of our Facebook Group.
Please see our latest Newsletter below:
Dear Members,
To: 1,344 members as at 1st September 2021.
Please note that my email changed quite some time ago to my secondary email address as follows : so please delete my old email address from your contact list is no longer in service, so if you have sent recent email to that address, and had no reply, could you please forward those emails to the gmail address instead. For those members requiring an extra layer of privacy , I also have an encrypted email service, so please contact me and I shall forward that email address to you.
This email contains the latest News and advice for members and guests of our Murray Clan DNA Research project at Family Tree DNA. Since the last correspondence at the commencement of the worldwide pandemic, I am still hopeful that this email finds yourself and your family members; friends and colleagues in good health , and safe in the face of such extreme pressures due to the current worldwide emergency . Due to extreme weather conditions and flooding along the east coast of USA, (especially New York where many of our members live), please know that we are thinking of you now during this crisis situation.
As many of us are fully aware now, and I mentioned in the previous Newsletter:
that life is fragile against unknown viral enemies, we can take strength from each other via the silver thread of kinship that binds us all, so please feel free to join us at our Facebook Group page and discuss your family mysteries and brick walls, and perhaps even find long lost cousins who can help you with your research. [Link Below] You may receive this email more than once if you manage a number of kits in our project , or have more than one email address attached to your account/s. Please delete excess emails accordingly.
During this extremely troubling past 18 months many of our members have expressed a desire to work on their family tree if they have the opportunity to work from home at any point in 'Lock Down Cycles' due to COVID-19. The latest Sale from FTDNA has now finished and we thank the many members who upgraded from their Ancestry dot com, or 23&Me; My Heritage , Living DNA autosomal DNA kits, and ordered a YDNA Kit or the BigY700 test. These are the ONLY sure ways of determining your direct FATHER-LINE exclusively. The tests above from the 4 sites above-mentioned are YDNA tests. Please note this information as it is very important. The autosomal tests mentioned above are specific to finding ALL inside line relatives up to 5 generations past, and on occasion one will find distant relatives from your father’s paternal line. In order to find the specific father line of your surname, whether that be Murray, Lindsay, Sutherland, Douglas, MacDonald etc, one needs a YDNA TEST ONLY!
Therefore if you or your male relative has transferred autosomal DNA Kits to FTDNA from the above mentioned vendors, for FREE to FTDNA, please consider a YDNA upgrade at some point in the future. I am hopeful that there may be another sale for YDNA Kits in the near future, and usually November-December as well, so please look out for emails from FTDNA notifying members of the upcoming YDNA Kit price reductions. Y37 Upgrades are very affordable, especially so when on sale, and orders can be facilitated directly from your FTDNA desktop login- whereby a new Kit will be sent to all members who have transferred, or for FTDNA customers who have returned a Kit previously, that sample will be used for the upgrade in most cases (unless very old).
To reiterate: The autosomal test from Ancestry and 23&Me etc does not trace your father-line exclusively, so it is highly recommended that if you wish to find your matches within your male Murray lineage , that you upgrade your kit to the Y37 YDNA test as a minimum.
Please do not forget to join us on our discussion Forum within our Facebook group, link accessible here and also from our Home Page link below my signature hereunder. You will need your FTDNA Kit number in order to Join here:. As mentioned in the previous email : those male members considering a BigY 700 test, please contact me beforehand so that I can check your results and determine if the BigY will benefit you at this present time. For those men who have results for the BigY 500 only, you will certainly benefit from the upgrade to BigY-700 IF you have good matches within your YSTR results, and IF those other men have ordered or will order the BiGY 700 test in the future.
Also; there are many results inaccessible to me as Administrator and therefore I cannot help you regarding the many queries that members have from time to time.These are settings that reverted to MINIMUM access, during a past FTDNA site upgrade. Can ALL members please check your project settings for the Murray project, and grant me at least Limited access, and for any members who I have personally sponsored, or that our Project has sponsored, please grant me Advanced access. For any members who require me to upload their family trees via Gedcom, , or your photo, or Family history biography, or to process any changes or new orders or upgrades to your account , you will also need to change the setting to Advanced access, at least until the changes have been processed.
To reiterate : Please also check your Settings on your settings page for our Group and grant me access to your results if you have not done so already, and please note that I would need Advanced Access if you wish me to upload photos, or Gedcoms (Family Tree) or set the details of your Distant Ancestors on your behalf. Minimum access is extremely limiting and I cannot even enter your results at all.
For the benefit of new members I am including information here published within the previous newsletter.
A number of members of the Murray Clan USA have contacted me about my article in the Clan Newsletter in December issue of Aitionn regarding our recent news regarding the Atholl / Tullibardine / Dunmore YDNA results and the matches to existing Murray & Morrow men within our project here at FTDNA. For those of you who are members of our Facebook group you will have heard this news already, and many have read my research findings on the St Andrews University Flemish in Scotland Research website. Here are the links regarding the Conference at St Andrews University in Scotland which I attended in June 2016 to present my findings regarding the Murray Clan DNA Research project. The conference paper can be downloaded from the university project website for those members who have not accessed this previously.
Download PDF
This was written in February 2016 prior to our Dunmore Atholl Tullibardine family results notification in June 2016. As previously mentioned : all members are most welcome to join our Facebook group, (see link above and include your KIT number ) where we discuss various topics from genealogy links to DNA results. Members will also find information pertaining to Clan links and happenings, which most recently includes exciting news from Stirling in Scotland whereby the Guardians of Scotland Trust have raised the initiative for an artwork at Stirling bridge representing the legendary William Wallace and Andrew Moray, which will be of interest to all of our members who are interested in Scottish History. More information is available on our Facebook page, and from the following links :
All members may also join the Murray Clan Society in Scotland for no charge: administered by the descendants of the highly respected and ancient Murray Moray family of Abercairny at Crieff in Perthshire Scotland.Note their instructions below:
If you wish to join up please send your contact details to Anna Moray Parker c/o Estate Office, Abercairny, Crieff, Perthshire PH7 3NQ or email If you are wondering about which tartan to wear please note the advice from the Abercairny Moray family that:
"We wear the Murray of Atholl and Murray of Tullibardine tartans. These are available in modern and more muted 'antique' settings. Website and here:
Mr John Drummond Moray of Abercairny , a member of our DNA Project and descended from the hero Andrew of Moray, is is a trustee of the Guardians of Scotland Trust and has undertaken much in depth research on the history of the Murray Clan, of which his family took center stage, along with our Clan Chieftains, the Murrays of Atholl, and their cousins the Earls Dunmore, Mansfield (Stormont). We are indeed very fortunate to have such hard working and active Clan leaders within our International Murray community. Read about Mr Moray’s commitment to the Andrew Moray Memorial here:
Please also note that our latest News is now online for those wishing to keep up to date: Could all members of the YDNA project check to see that your Kit number is visible on our YDNA Results page’ You must be logged in when you access the link. If you do not see it there and yet you have obtained previous results, you should then log in to adjust your 'Privacy Settings' to ensure that your distant ancestor details and YDNA STR allele marker results appear within the project. Please read our News online for further information and contact me if you need any help changing these settings.
In an upcoming Newsletter (Part 2) to all members, I shall be discussing the results pertaining to various groups within our project, as well as explaining some of the complexities regarding DNA testing and the nomenclature used within reference materials. I shall also include links to various help pages at FTDNA and elsewhere in order to help you to decipher your results within this very scientifically complex field of research. As many members become overwhelmed when confronted with terminology and meanings relating to the various areas of DNA testing, I hope to be able to help to guide you towards the various resources available online that will enable you to understand the ongoing research and most recent advances which gathers us together as ‘Citizen Scientists’ via this and other DNA Projects. Although the Murray Clan DNA Research Project is fundamentally a YDNA Surname project for male Murrays and related families, we also recruit females related to Murrays or whose surname is/was Murray, as well as males whose surname is not Murray but who have Murray ancestors. We also allow men who match Murrays , of other surnames , to join our project, along with researchers involved in the depths of YDNA analysis. Our project also includes a number of guests . Could all members please spread the word about our project to all Murrays that you come across via your research, and also inform your relatives that it is only via a YDNA test that the Murray (or your particular male line surname,} can be discovered through matching other related Murray men descended from your distant ancestral progenitor.
MURRAY lineages already discovered and are members of our project to date:
1. MURRAY OF ATHOLL- & EARLS DUNMORE (Cadet lines wanted especially of Tullibardine!) Haplogroup I-P37
2. MURRAYS OF COCKPOOL, ANNANDALE, FALAHILL; Philiphaugh, Stanhope, Elibank etc. Haplogroup R-U152 > L20
3. MORAYS OF ABERCAIRNY : Since 1800 circa YDNA is Home-Drummond R1a
4. MURRAYS OF IRELAND via Ui Neil of (Nine Hostages Fame) Haplogroup M222
5. MURRAY- SUTHERLAND line from Sutherland original Earls and Sutherland of Forse. Haplogroup R-P312> ZZ_12
6. MURRAY- DOUGLAS line from Douglas Earls related to Sutherlands above. Haplogroup R-P312> ZZ_12
Not in Project as yet. Members requested to recruit any known descendants on the male line of:
1. MURRAYS OF POLMAISE & TOUCHADAM
2. MURRAYS OF CULBIN -
3. MURRAYS OF OCHTERTYRE
4. MURRAYS OF BROUGHTON -WIGTONSHIRE
5. MURRAYS OF BLACKBARONY- Original line.
The vast majority of members are NOT related to any of the above known ancient Murray lineages, and descend from ancestors who adopted their surname from the area known as Moray in Scotland, or otherwise as tenants of the above families, and also those from Ireland whose lineages grew from various Irish sources. Murrays also descend from many female Murrays whose offspring kept their mother’s surname. Others descend from males who adopted Murray as a surname for various reasons. including from the surname Macgregor. Therefore if you have undertaken a YDNA test and are not matching many / or any men named Murray, then your relatives from this line have not yet tested and arguably still reside in Europe or elsewhere. Recruiting Murrays from the area that your ancestors resided has been a very affective method of research for many members. Otherwise your ancestor may not have descended from a father-line of Murrays at all, and members who have undertaken YDNA testing at the higher levels, Y67, Y111 or BigY should have an indication of the true surname in many cases, after studying the genetic distance between your matches and yourself. It is recommended that when faced with this situation, that members can then order a Family Finder autosomal DNA upgrade (from $59) in order to trace relatives from the actual father-line.
For new members who have misplaced your WELCOME EMAIL I have pasted a copy underneath my signature . I shall update this Newsletter (Part 2) as discussed above.
Please stay safe, and see Welcome Email below.
With Warm regards,
Alexandrina Murray, Project Administrator
Murray Clan DNA Research Project FTDNA
Alexandrina Murray M.A. Macq; Modern History.
_______________________________________________________
Please note: All surname project administrators and co-administrators are have volunteered their time and expertise for the benefit of their respective projects.
Dear New Member,
WELCOME ABOARD! And thank you for joining the Murray Clan DNA Research Project: We now have approximately 1,344 members as at September 2021 representing many thousands of lineages. If you have any queries regarding any matter, please contact me at the following email address. alexandrina.murray@gmail.com
If you are a male who has recently joined our project because you have transferred your raw data results from Ancestry dot com; 23 & Me or My Heritage for free; please note that it is the YDNA test only that is the Gold Standard for males seeking their exclusive Murray Father-Line . Please order a YDNA test of at least Y37 markers at some stage in order to find your Murray Father-Line exclusively. The autosomal test that you transferred here will find Murray relatives from all lines in your tree going back only 5 generations however these Murrays may NOT be your Father-Line at all. Often these are relatives related to you on inside lines of your family tree instead. Only the YDNA test will link you to your Father-Line of Murray relatives, going back into antiquity. A case in point refers to my own Scottish father who has close cousin Murray matches with the Family Finder autosomal test, however only 2 of those Murrays is on his Father-line - all the others are Murrays in our project here who are related to him on inside Murray lines within his family tree. NOT on the father-line exclusively. Those many many Murrays on his Father-line exclusively were only found via the YDNA test alone. Please contact me via email if you would like further details of links regarding this topic.
Also, please read more about our project here on our homepage beneath the links in orange.
You are also most welcome to join our Murray Clan DNA Research Group on Facebook if you have a Facebook account.
Here is the Link:
and also our private forum for members only:
All members may also join the Murray Clan Society in Scotland for no charge: administered by the descendants of the highly respected and ancient Murray Moray family of Abercairny at Crieff in Perthshire Scotland. NOTE their instructions below:
If you wish to join up please send your contact details to Anna Moray Parker c/o Estate Office, Abercairny, Crieff, Perthshire PH7 3NQ or email us If you are wondering about which tartan to wear please note the advice from the Abercairny Moray family that:
"We wear the Murray of Atholl and Murray of Tullibardine tartans. These are available in modern and more muted 'antique' settings. Website here: and here: If you are a new FTDNA Member and have recently ordered a test Kit after joining our project, please handle the collection instrument very carefully when the Kit arrives. Try to keep it sterile at all times and do not let any other person touch the tip of the instrument that you rub on the inside of your cheek, otherwise their DNA will interfere with the result.
Return the Kit asap for best results as the lab is often quite busy and the sooner the Kit is returned the sooner you will have your results. Generally these results take at least 1 month for the first batch to arrive back if Y-DNA tests , and then approximately a further 2 weeks for the rest of the results to filter through from the laboratory located in Texas USA and previously at the University of Arizona. This wait is extended considerably over the festive season rush during December & January. Family Finder autosomal tests usually return more quickly than Y-DNA tests with the Mt-DNA tests and BigY generally taking the longest.
Here is the link to our homepage which describes our project: Note that as well as YDNA Father-line tests for males, we also encourage participation in our research project from Murray females and related male FTDNA Members who have Murray ancestors on their inside lines , and who have tested via Family Finder autosomal DNA or transferred their results from other Labs to FTDNA for free. These members are grouped under yellow banner headers on our Y-DNA results page if they are males who have also undertaken a YDNA test, along with their Family Finder autosomal test.
Here-under is the link to the Y-DNA results pages for our Murray members. Please log in firstly in order to see these results.
& here for females & males who test for the mtDNA (Maternal Line) . You will only be able to view these results when logged into your Family Tree DNA Account.
If you upload your Gedcom family tree software file if available, to your tree via your desktop login at FTDNA- please include both husbands & wives- birth marriage and death dates and especially where they lived as far back as you are aware. Death dates are especially important, so if unknown please place a date plus 'about' into that death date field otherwise the software involved will revert your entire tree to private- un-viewable- because it appears that the relative may still be living.
Next: please place your most distantly known ancestors names into the distant ancestor field to your web-space at FTDNA. In order for me to help you with this, and for me to be able to view your results for matching purposes you should adjust the Project Administrator setting under PRIVACY SETTINGS to LIMITED ACCESS or ADVANCED- FULL ACCESS if you desire help.
The current setting of Minimum Access does not allow me to help you , or to Group you within the project properly. Limited Access allows basic access whilst Advanced Access allows me to help with trees and contact details etc as well. As these settings have various available permissions, please contact me for further in depth information regarding this process if you are unsure.
Also; all members may join the excellent Scotland or Ireland Projects. A Haplogroup defines your position on the human phylogenetic tree (tribe); if any members within your respective matching kinship genetic cousin group have undertaken advanced SNP or National Geographic Geno 2:0, BIG Y, or other deep clade test proving their Haplogroup you may join that appropriate Haplogroup project accordingly. This is the link for the . This is the link for the . If you are of English background then please join the Some members with Flemish origins have been invited to the Scotland Flemish run by Scottish Academics. If you know your historical links to be Flemish = Dutch or from Belgium and surrounds including Friesland, you can join this project. Dutch/Flemish links to Murray males have been considered so you might also like to join the as well, if you have paternal links to these areas or have been haplogroup tested and shown to belong to a probable Flemish haplogroup. Any member found to be descended from the should join their dedicated . All projects are free to join at FTDNA. Please let me know if I can help, and I shall be able to initiate this procedure on your behalf.
Also; if I have not already done so on your behalf, you should log in and enter your 'Most Distant Ancestor' (even if it is only as far back as your Murray Grandfather) information into the required field, available from the little wheel symbol on the right hand upper corner of the entry page under my profile= genealogy. I can help you with this, so if you would like me to enter this information for you, please email me the details and set the Kit to ADVANCED ACCESS until I have finished entering the data for you.
Don't forget to log in with your Kit Number & the password that you have chosen and explore your personal web-pages on FTDNA as there is a large amount of valuable information available that you can access which will educate you regarding the testing procedure & the results. Once you have uploaded your family tree as a Gedcom or created it yourself via your online desktop at FTDNA I can possibly research further for you if your ancestors were Scottish. Please see our list of Project Coordinators for USA and Canadian ancestors located at the foot of our project homepage. Your matches will all appear via your personal private profile pages.
Further in depth instructions are also available on the following web-site. . Please only enter the names of your very distant ancestor into the relative field. No recent grandparents or great grandparents etc.
LOGIN HERE: Your personal private profile pages are the point of access for you to find your various matching kinfolk, and also to learn about the testing process. For males, the dropdown box on the YDNA results page, will give you results at Y12, or Y25 or Y37 or Y67 or Y111 depending on which test you have ordered. Use the drop down box arrow to locate all the various levels of matches for your YDNA test. At the same time you can regulate the number of emails that will be sent to you from FTDNA staff regarding matches and also switch on or off inclusion in helping Law Enforcement with cold cases, unless you are a European citizen whereby inclusion in matching is switched off automatically. Please explore these pages in depth and then contact me if you have any further questions.
With regards to all,
"PRAITE"
Alexandrina Murray, Project Administrator
Murray Clan DNA Research Project FTDNA
Alexandrina Murray M.A. Macq; Modern History.
_______________________________________________________
Please note: All surname project administrators and co-administrators are have volunteered their time and expertise for the benefit of their respective projects.
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AUGUST 2020
As at 27 August 2020 this Project has a membership of more than 1260 individuals.
Please Join our MURRAY CLAN DNA RESEARCH PROJECT GROUP on Facebook for Updates and discussion threads
Your FTDNA Kit number will be required at the time of requesting membership.
All new members will receive the link to the page when joining our Project here at Family Tree DNA. If you have tested via
Ancestry ; 23&Me or My Heritage, Living DNA etc, please transfer the Raw Data over here to Family Tree DNA for FREE
https://www.familytreedna.com/autosomal-transfer
Please use the Kit number generated by FTDNA when requesting membership of our Facebook Group.
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MAY 2018
As at May 2018 the Murray Clan DNA Project has approximately 1002 members
News articles and updates are published on our Facebook page for members.
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AUGUST 2016 to FEBRUARY 2017
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As at December 2016 the Murray Clan DNA research Project has approximately 750 members.
FEBRUARY 2016 - JULY 2016
Memo from Alexandrina Murray : June 2016- St Andrews Scotland. In June I attended a Conference at St Andrews University in St Andrews Fifeshire Scotland
-along with other FTDNA Administrators. The invitation came via Dr Alexander Fleming from the highly recommended and professional Flemish in Scotland DNA Project, and Dr Alasdair MacDonald from the exceptional Scotland DNA Project at FTDNA. This invitation was in order to present Murray Clan DNA findings based upon my paper published online at University of St Andrews 'Flemish in Scotland' Research Blog, during February of 2016. At the time of publication we did not have results available for the Tullibardine- Atholl- Dunmore Murray lineage. Now we do, and I was able to present those findings at the conference in June. You can read the original paper here and at the end is a PDF for download with updated information regarding the Sutherland DNA Project results as per Mark Sutherland-Fisher Administrator for the Sutherland Clan DNA project and Sutherland Clan Genealogist and past President who was also a very informative speaker at the conference; as was Dr Alexander MacDonald whose dedication to the Scotland DNA Project is very admirable. Interested members can read the Paper can do so online here or download the PDF at the end of the Article.
10th June 2016.
WONDERFUL NEWS TODAY FROM DUNKELD SCOTLAND !
Today I visited Dunkeld Cathedral again, and yesterday also. I stood over the spot where many members of the chief line of Murray clan, namely the Dukes of Atholl are buried in the tombs below the chancery. How fitting then that this very day YDNA results returned from our Tullibardine Atholl Earls Dunmore family. And these results match a large group of Murray and Morrow men within our project. Some members of this group had a very strong oral tradition of descent from the Atholl Tullibardine line, and some others had no idea whatsoever. These men and their female relatives should therefore descend from Freskin de Moravia, the apparently Flemish progenitor of our Clan Chieftains. The many Morrow men who also descend along this line will be much more surprised by this outcome than many of their Murray cousins. Thank you so much to everyone involved.
John B Scott George H. Murray of Tasmania, The Earl of Dunmore Malcolm Murray , Mr John Dunmore MURRAY.
For your information William Morrow of the Morrow DNA project
The Haplogroup is I2a3 (i) P37, L233, L1286 A8462.
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DECEMBER 2015 - JANUARY 2016.
As at Friday 1st January 2016 the Murray Clan DNA Research Project has approximately 580 members who have ordered DNA Kits of various types.
These members represent many thousands of lineages within their particular Haplogroup over time . The vast majority of members have found genetic relationships with other Family Tree DNA members, these relationships are to others descended from their shared distant ancestor and many were known by the surname of Murray; Morrow; McMurray or Moray - Morrey etc. However a number of members find that their distant ancestors used other surnames, rather than Murray, and on occasion they also find that their Murrays are genetically descended from a different surname entirely. Some members also discover that they are descended from Murrays via Murray daughters whose sons took on the surname Murray, rather than their genetic father's surname. This happens for a variety of reasons, however the result is that these breaks in the paternal line will enable the member to discover their true genetic inheritance.
The list of Murray lineages within our project who are totally unrelated to each other keeps growing. When viewing our results spreadsheet you will note that those grouped together are either closely or distantly related to each other according to the number of DYS allele mutations they share. The degree of relatedness is noted in the coloured banner at the top of each section where members are grouped via their Haplogroup sub-group designation. Please note the specific differences in marker values as you peruse the spreadsheet. The most common mutations noted by myself when grouping related individuals is the increasingly common Recloh event, whereby some double value DYS allele markers will have overwritten values, which when extrapolated over the YDNA profile of the members' results will often prevent matching within their own profile matching pages to other Murray males distantly related. This occurs even although descended from the same distant Murray ancestor. After studying members STR results in depth I will generally be able to group members with their nearest genetic Murray DNA relatives, however unless members visit our public YDNA result spreadsheet webpage, they may not realize that this extra step has been processed. Could all male members of the project please regularly check the male YDNA public results webpage to view your nearest Kin within the project.
Regarding male YDNA Public Results page: if you do NOT find your kit number listed within the public website unless you are logged in, please go to your PRIVACY settings after logging in and then adjust these to ensure that your YDNA marker values and 'Distant Ancestor Details' only, are publicly visible. No names or private information are ever visible on public pages as you will note by looking here: however other Murray distant ancestor details ARE visible which is very valuable for all participants as this visibility attracts others related- via Google-Bing etc searches- , who have the same ancestors in their paper trail, to join the project in order to prove the validity of their ancestry. Please ensure that you always also note the WIFE of your male ancestor and be brief as there is not much room within the specific field for the information.
Example: John Murray 1799-1854 & Jane Hall of Kelso .
Please send distant ancestor details to me and I shall enter for you if required.
You will also note the great variety of Haplogroups within our Murray surname cohort - those within different Haplo groupings as designated by 'Banner Colour' are NOT related to each other within our specified research time-frame. Each Haplogroup designation tells the story of your unique 'tribe' within the human phylogenetic tree and can pinpoint the historical movements of your kinsmen through time and place. In order to maximize the research outcomes within Haplogroup studies, by the relevant scientific community , all male Murray members and relatives and male Family Finder visitors within our project are requested to please join your associated Haplogroup project, whereby the Administrators there should professionally guide you regarding further future steps within your genetic DNA journey. You will also be grouped together with your nearest kinsmen within the Haplogroup project. Please contact me if you are unsure as to which Haplogroup you belong, however please visit our Results spreadsheet page first to see which Haplogroup or sub group you are allocated there.
All members are able to upload a photo to their project webpages in order to present a more personalised profile to their FTDNA matches. Please send the image to me if you would like me to upload this to your profile on your behalf. You may also write a short BIO or introduction of your family history there. Deceased member kits administered by their relatives may also be updated with the information that the member is now deceased. Could all members please update your photo and Bio/Intro over the coming holiday period if possible? As one of the larger surname projects at FTDNA we hope to express enthusiasm and to lead by example as do other Scottish/Irish clan project members , when it comes to more professional genetic genealogy outcomes for members and their matched DNA relatives. In order to achieve this:
1. Upload a Gedcom or Family Tree to your Family Tree DNA Profile Page asap.
2. Upload a Photo (any type /age/ affiliation/) to your Family Tree DNA Profile Page.
3. Enter your distant ancestor details- including his wife/partner from your Family Tree DNA Profile Page.
4. Adjust your 'Privacy Settings' so that your ancestor details and allele results will appear on our Public YDNA results page.
5. Enter your SURNAMES into the Surname field provided, as distinct from the Gedcom/Tree, along with PLACE & COUNTRY of residence.
Enter the MURRAY etc surname a number of times if your ancestors moved around from place to place and abroad. ie: MURRAY Melrose Scotland ; MURRAY Pictou Canada; etc. Enter ALL surnames & PLACES in your tree. This is very important especially if you are involved in our Family Finder autosomal DNA project. This applies to both male & female members. If you don't know how to do this, please ask me.
This past 12 months has produced drastic changes in the research outcomes pertaining to Haplogroup assignment. The emphasis has shifted from YDNA STR marker priorities to SNP designations via specific advanced SNP testing once men have been either estimated into their Haplogroup by FTDNA staff, or otherwise have undertaken a BIG Y or advanced SNP test. Such tests have in the past been within the realm of genetic genealogical enthusiasts alone, however as understanding increases by mainstream members regarding the process and outcomes involved, more members than ever before are investigating this promising area of research.
Our Clan Origins:
As discussed previously: our Murray DNA Project is involved with the Flemish in Scotland project research. This research is currently facilitated via the University of St Andrews in Scotland and includes researchers Dr's Alexander Fleming & Alasdair MacDonald (University of Strathclyde,) who seek to identify medieval Flemish immigration to Scotland and integrate in depth and rigorous YDNA studies into their research methodology. Documentary and conveyancing land record evidence held within Scottish archives points to a familial relationship during the medieval period between the Murray; Sutherland & Douglas clans, however this evidence requires further rigorous investigation. Heraldic evidence alone is definitely not sufficient in order to establish a basis for shared paternal DNA relationships between clans using same/similar heraldic ordinaries. Historically, such relationships were sometimes evidenced to have been inherited within non lineal descending landowning families. In May 2013 I had specifically investigated the genetic link between the Douglas & Sutherland Project members within their respective YDNA surname projects. In order to facilitate this investigation I gathered their respective various YDNA Allele STR marker values into distinct spreadsheets then sorted these according to similarity of said values within apparently similar haplotype groupings. At that stage not many of these men had undertaken advanced SNP nor Big Y testing. (Some have now done so ). These results I then further sorted into modal values then compared these modal values to each other.
To date, no measurable genetic link has been found between groups of Murray project DNA member YDNA profiles and the Sutherland -Douglas matching Haplotype sub group SNP = DF27 >R-FGC23066. In juxtaposition though, I did find a good indication within group modal values for a probable genetic relationship between one Sutherland & one Douglas cohort. After reporting my findings to their Group Admins -Mark Sutherland-Fisher of Ross Shire & his Douglas colleagues, the general consensus was that these Douglas Sutherland members 'may' represent the YDNA profile of Ollech and his son Freskyn de Moray (de Moravia) our Clan progenitors. Arguably these three families may have been related through intermarriage. Research into this possibility is ongoing. To date one Murray member has also tested as DF27 positive and has a similar YDNA profile to the above Douglas-Sutherland men. Deeper advanced SNP testing and YDNA allele expansion testing is currently under way due to the very generous donations by Mr John Sutherland . Please see the links here-under if you are interested in following this line of research.
Sutherland Douglas YDNA comparison related to researching the Flemish in Scotland.
Mark Sutherland-Fisher is now Coordinator for the 'Ancient Sutherland; Douglas; Murray group.
We now have approximately 570 members as at November 2015 who have tested via Family Tree DNA for genealogical purposes, representing many thousands of lineages. If you have any queries regarding any matter, please contact me at the following email address. alexandrina@inbox.com
You are also most welcome to join our Murray Clan DNA Research Group on Facebook if you have a Facebook account.
Here is the Link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Murray.Clan.DNA/
and also our private forum for members only at murraydna.boards.net
All members may also join the Murray Clan Society in Scotland for no charge; and administered by the descendants of the highly respected and ancient Murray Moray family of Abercairney at Crieff in Perthshire Scotland. NOTE their instructions below:
If you wish to join up please send your contact details to Anna Moray Parker c/o Estate Office, Abercairny, Crieff, Perthshire PH7 3NQ or email us atmurrayclansociety@abercairny.com
If you are wondering about which tartan to wear please note the advice from the Abercairny Moray family that:
"We wear the Murray of Atholl and Murray of Tullibardine tartans. These are available in modern and more muted 'antique' settings. Website here: http://www.abercairny.com/murrayclan.html and here: http://www.abercairny.com/history.html
http://www.abercairny.com/index.html
-
Membership has grown even stronger this year due to the numbers of FTDNA members joining our project who have Murray mothers and various Murrays / McMurrays / Morreys/ & Morrows in their family tree on inside lines and have tested with Family Finder autosomal DNA test kit. Our family finder project supporting our YDNA project will grow even further and become even more productive once our new supporting website for this project is up and running. At that time I shall be able to group members from the same progenitor together in an innovative way. The release of the supporting website will be announced here in due course.
Group 4 is currently a group of men whose ancestors were believed to be Scottish /English and were very early immigrants to Baltimore Maryland in USA. No match to any other Murray men from Europe was previously evident, until recently. We now know that James Moray (Morray) who held large estates in Maryland with one named Atholl,and who has descendants related to a large historical English family traditionally using the surname Morrey from London? and Cheshire in England 1630 circa. This family appear to possibly be related to Humphrey Morrey / Murray who travelled from Britain to New Amsterdam New York 1680 circa with his family. This Humphrey Murray was Governor/Mayor of Philadelphia and involved in the Masonic Society. This research outcome was achieved when a male from the Morrey family matched the majority of the men in Group 4- including Hawkins descendants , also an English family. Research is continuing regarding this outcome and we would welcome any further evidence to be submitted to our private forum, or to the Administrator or North American Group Coordinators.
In memoriam : Clan Murray Ambassadors.
Earl Mansfield - William Murray 1930-2015
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE HERE
The Earl of Mansfield William David Mungo James Murray, a leading figure within Clan Murray passed away last week age 85 after a long illness. Earl Mansfield was the owner of Scone Palace in Perthshire- site of the crowning of Scottish Kings through the ages. Please leave a message of sympathy if you have time, on our Project Facebook page or on the Scone Palace Facebook Page. Further information regarding Earl Mansfield William Murray will be provided here in due course.
Countess Dunmore: Joy Murray 1951-2015
It is with deep regret and overwhelming sadness that the Earl of Dunmore Lord Malcolm Murray of Tasmania Australia has advised of the passing of his beloved wife Countess Joy Anne Partridge. Lady Joy Murray suffered from a short illness over 7 weeks . She passed away on Tuesday 4th of August 2015 age 64 years. Members who would like to leave a memorial message below here please do so. I shall transfer these to a memorial page on our new website in the near future.
The Earl and Countess of Dunmore have been devoted and tireless ambassadors here in Australia and New Zealand as well as overseas for the Clan Murray especially, and Scottish culture generally . The Earl of Dunmore was appointed as High Commissioner for Clan Murray by the late Duke of Atholl John Murray in 2006 father of the current Duke.
MURRAY (nee Partridge), Joy Anne - Countess of Dunmore March 19, 1951 - August 4, 2015 Passed away after a short illness. Cherished and loving wife of Malcolm - Earl of Dunmore. Loved and loving mother and mother in law of Leigh and Chantel, and Elisa and David. Adored nan of Izabel, Hamish; Lucas, and Eva. Loved daughter of the late Arthur and Marie Partridge. Loving sister of Chris.
AUGUST 2014
Dear Members,
The Sale we have been awaiting has finally arrived so I urge any Murray (and relatives ) members who would like to upgrade their YDNA markers to do so now if you can. This special is a very good one with a considerable discount. Upgrade from the little cart within your Profile Page after logging in . Top of Page. For Americans & Canadians you have until midnight on 3rd of September to order. Members in the Southern Hemisphere IE: Australia & New Zealand etc, will have an extra day as the expiry date is based upon Texas USA Time. If you are in the UK or Europe don't forget to do a search on your time differences to Sth USA in order to calculate the time difference, the same applies for South Africa and Asia.
I would also like to remind everyone about our FORUM at this time and shall send another email to all members regarding how to join if you are not already aware of how to do so. We also have a very active Facebook group with members from all over the world; many from Scotland. Here are the links: http://murraydna.boards.net/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/Murray.Clan.DNA/
The Forum has been in a testing phase this year for members only , so you can now join in on the discussion relating to our respective genetic cousin group. This Forum is entirely Private and requires a 2 step procedure in the sign up process. You are asked for a birth date so please choose something that you will remember . Always set up the forum to send you a notification when some-one else replies to your Postings. I shall send a further email to all group members about the Forum and other news in the forthcoming email shortly. Please contact me if you have any queries whatsoever. I have recently returned from Scotland after a 7 week trip to visit relatives and am still catching up on email from the time I was away so if you have sent me email lately and I am yet to reply could you please re-send again and I apologize for the delay. Here are the details of the new Sale.
Please feel free to pass this message along to your project members through the Family Tree DNA bulk email system.
| Standard Tests | Regular Price | Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
| Y-37 | $129 | |
| Y-67 | $199 | |
| Y-111 | $279 | |
| Big Y | $495 |
| Upgrades | Regular Price | Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
| Y-12 -> Y-37 | $70 | |
| Y-12 -> Y-67 | $148 | |
| Y-12 -> Y-111 | $239 | |
| Y-25 -> Y-37 | $35 | |
| Y-25 -> Y-67 | $114 | |
| Y-25 -> Y-111 | $209 | |
| Y-37 -> Y-67 | $79 | |
| Y-37 -> Y-111 | $179 | |
| Y-67 -> Y-111 | $109 |
Project Administrator
December 2013- January 2014
TOUT PRET
Dear Members,
It is that time of the year again to update members regarding the latest happenings within our Murray Clan DNA Research Project. The following topics will be discussed in this newsletter.
=) Murray Project Coordinators & Admins.
1. New Forum for ALL members to discuss results for their group in a private environment.
2. Facebook Page for project is growing
3. Sale for Christmas-New Year - New Members & Upgrades for existing-Finishing shortly (see your profile page for UPGRADE BUTTON &Costs-) also below. Order prior to 31 December .
4.Family Finder Project growing rapidly.
5.Your Family Tree Gedcom- Upload & receive $10 voucher.
6.y12 Results- Thousands of matches...or NONE!
7. Haplogroup Projects
8. Atholl Tullibardine line Research.
9. General Fund Contributions
10.Ancient Murray Moray lineages now established in project.
11.Next step- New Webpage to support our FTDNA Pages.
For the convenience of all members, a new Forum has been established for you to discuss results in a secure environment.
The Forum asks for a birth-date however please just enter some date you will remember if you do not wish to provide this (write it down along with your Log-in name & password). The method to join is secure so you will be sent various emails for
verification which is usual in all such secure environments. Please do not feel the need to re-type all of your family information. Just cut and copy-paste from any forums or boards that you have contributed to in the past. The introductions page is open for all, so please make use of that. Also , there is a chat function enabled if you are used to that method.
All member results are listed in Groups according to their yDNA profile results showing Kit Number on our results page. You should look for your Kit number there first, then make comments on the forum within your specific group. There is a section for Family Finder members as well as mtDNA (maternal line) kit members. Members awaiting genetic Cousins Group have their own thread also. Any comments posted therein will be moved into a specific group once any matches to any other Murrays -McMurrays-Morrows- Morays etc is evident.
Any member with a Murray ancestor who is in our project via Family Finder or other maternal line, please post in Family Finder group and also the YDNA Group attached to your Paternal Murray ancestor (if known), in order to correspond with Murray- Morrow McMurray & related members who are your kinfolk.
There is a facility to ensure that you are notified when anyone replies to your topic. Shall send further details to all Forum members.
Here is the Link for the Forum. Please join us:
Here is the Link to our results page so that you can check the number for your specific Group.
Don't forget that we have a vibrant and busy Facebook page for our Murray Clan DNA Research Project where members post photos and discuss lineages and lost relatives with other members and their extended families. This group is suitable for any of our members & their kinfolk with a Facebook account, however confidential information should not be discussed there. Please use the dedicated forum instead for private information. Also, the information rapidly descends off page in a Facebook environment so the Forum will keep the information more tightly organized and easily accessible. The Link is above- to our Facebook Page.
The Christmas Holiday Sale will end within the next day or so on 31 December Texas USA time at midnight, so if you are a female Murray looking to establish your male Murray (Paternal) line via a male Murray cousin, brother, uncle, grandfather or father etc, now is a good time to order a Kit in his name as his sponsor and to have the kit sent to his address with your name also entered as the contact person with his permission. You will be able to log in and manage his Profile and see all matches.
All new kits & upgrades to old Kits are reduced in price- see bottom of page for details. All members should consider the Family Finder test as many of our members are ordering these and finding many Murray matches between themselves and FTDNA members with different surnames, also descended from Murrays -usually along the female line, and these Murray daughters often kept the family tree intact. If you have had a y12- y37 test and were awaiting upgrade sales to y67 or y111, now is also a very good time to do that as the sale price is well discounted. All upgrades are available from your 'Profile' login page from the UPGRADE link- and a list of tests & prices is available there. All existing members upgrade from their own profile pages and do NOT need to order a new Kit as the original samples are kept at the Lab for many years; your original DNA is used for all new upgrades until it runs out. If you are concerned that you will need more DNA vials for future tests, please contact the help-desk accordingly.
New Members you are inviting should Join the Project here and order from within our project.
All Family Finder Members should consider joining the FORUM too and discuss your matches there to a wider audience of men from the yDNA Groups in general. Your specific Group will have further in formation to help you in your quest for details regarding your ancestors. The Family Finder project for our Group is growing rapidly, and now we need to discuss how to join all FF matches to their kinsmen in their DNA Groups. We can start this conversation within the Forum.
If you are matching any person in Family Finder with Murray as an Ancestral name , (descended from Murrays -McMurrays- Morrows- Moray etc- Waldrons -Nairns Hawkins etc) please ask them to join our Murray Clan Project and the Forum accordingly. Our Family Finder Autosomal DNA test Group has very rapidly expanded, so in order to best help you to understand how to get the most from your results, and to receive help from other members our Forum will help you to gain the most benefit. The Family Finder is NOT a yDNA test. It finds matches to relatives going back 5-6 & sometimes 7 generations in your family tree from the majority of lines in your descent -if relatives are in the database. This test is currently only $99 until further notice- we hope permanently and discounted from $299.
Before ordering ANY new test or Upgrade, if you have a Gedcom (from Ancestry) or any where else online, or available from your own genealogy program, please upload that first to your profile and you shall receive a $10 gift voucher for discount on future orders. The details will be on the voucher which will be sent as soon as you upload the family tree Gedcom to your profile page. If you do not know how to do this please let me know and I shall to it for you as long as you have the Gedcom available, before 31st December 2013.
Members have varying success at the y12 level of testing. Many men order Family Finder with a y12 test so please always ensure that you check your y12 results on a regular basis. Otherwise you could miss some matches that you were not aware of. Some men receive thousands of matches at y12- and others NONE ! That might seem impossible, however it does happen. Generally this no match situation is due to unusual mutations of a lineage within the y12 panel, sometime excess mutation prevents matches at y37 & y67 and even y111. Scientists do not agree as to why certain yDNA mutations occur, however it is occasionally possible to ascertain the line that is closest to the members profile, even although matches will not be evident within the YDNA match pages at y12 etc. Significant matches will also have your surname - Murray-Moray-Morrow-McMurray etc, yet others matching may also be related closely to you even although they have a different surname-for various reasons.
As previously discussed members within our Family Finder Projects are finding many links to our yDNA member results.These links need to be discussed, reported and attached to their paternal lineages so that descendants of Murray families can easily contact their genetic cousins within the yDNA paternal surname project. I shall advise members as soon as this is online and up & running.
; those members opting for advanced SNP testing may join their specific Haplogroup Project, along with their group kinsmen. If you do not want to remain a member of any Haplogroup project for any reason, please withdraw from that project from your profile page accordingly.
Very senior Clan representatives as descendants of Murrays involved at the highest levels in the Jacobite rebellions have joined our project. Other new members include member descendants from Scotland from the senior lines of the Drummond- Moray of Abercairney branch - (Home-Hume), as well as Drummond-Murray of Mastrick. These member Kits will be upgraded as soon as funds become available via donations to our general fund, which have already made it possible for our Project to recruit these members during the past year. If any members wish to contribute to the General Fund please do so from the link below.
You can see the progress of contributions to date by scrolling to the very bottom of our home-page here:
A BIG thank-you to all members who have donated to date ensuring that our Clan Project grows from strength to strength, which it has done over the past 12 months as we now approach a membership of 340 representing thousands of Murray lineages. Finally I hope to have a new website up online shortly supporting our Family Tree DNA website, as well as our Facebook site and our new Forum. As we are now moving forward with our Family Finder Project at such a fast pace, we need more web-spam to help members with your queries.
___________________________
a) Myself - Administering the project -the Facebook site and the Forum.Answering queries pertaining to new and current membership internationally, and queries regarding all DNA results. Maintaining the spreadsheets, researching Clan links- Douglas- Sutherland etc and our various Chief lineages. Sorting members into Groups and sub groups when results are issued. Promoting our project internationally. Researching genealogy for members trees in Scotland particularly-Australia- New Zealand- Canada & USA (Also England & Ireland- Sth Africa however looking for helpers in these areas including Canada.)
Email Alexandrina Murray
alexandrina.murray@gmail.com
Colonial American Murray research has been taken on now by :
b) Robert Burns (J.D.) Esq; Project Researcher-Colonial American Murray -Morrow
Email: Robert Burns
Specific Research for Group 5 -Murray Pioneers James Murray -Jemima Morgan 1660 circa now coordinated by Mr Keith Murray
c) KEITH MURRAY
Coordinator Founding Fathers' USA Group 4.
Email: keithsmurray@sbcglobal.net
McMurray research and liaison along with Niall of the Nine Hostages Group is now coordinated by Mike McMurray.
d) MICHAEL MCMURRAY, (McMurray/ MacMurray Researcher USA) Niall of the Nine Hostages Group Coordinator
Email:
HOLIDAY SALE: American members will receive a $100 gift card
If you wish to transfer Autosomal results from ANCESTRY or 23&ME etc,there is a special price offered until 31 December
Alexandrina Murray,
Project Administrator
April - May 2013
December 2012 to February 1st 2013
There are now approximately 240 members in our Murray Clan DNA Research Project as at 1 February 2013, with 15 new members joining over the past month and ordering new DNA Kits. A variety of present members have ordered upgrades including the very impressive Family Finder autosomal test, which is very good news for everyone.
Links have been found via a Family Finder member who has ancestral Murrays in their Tree, to Group 5 Ancestors back to late 1600 circa when a James Murray emigrated from Scotland possibly via Ulster to the Colonies.
I am still awaiting the finalisation of your names for distant ancestor details and family trees in email or Gedcom prior to launching the new Forum website. To date there are approximately 37 Members of 240 who have NOT provided details of your most DISTANT ANCESTOR. This s a prerequisite for membership to ALL FTDNA Surname Projects and I have been requesting the outstanding details over the past 3 years. Would any member who has NOT updated these details, otherwise sent to me previously please do so now ASAP! We cannot move forward in helping you to research your family , or discover how it is that you are genetically linked to your kinsmen members, without access to these VITAL basic details.
Also, we desperately need ALL members to supply your Family Tree as far back you understand it, even if only as far as your own Father of Grandfather on yDNA lines. Please email this to me asap if you are unsure as to how to make a GEDCOM and I will process this for you.
Good News for all members is that our surname research project is growing very quickly, so much so that the majority of new members from around the world are matching current members and are able to be placed into their respective Groups with their Kinsmen. For those who do not have any Murray matches to date, your Kit is constantly being monitored for matches and when new members join we often find matches to members who did not have a match previously.
Other News to date in February regarding a Scottish born Murray line in Group 1 is that a Philiphaugh Murray Group 1 member has joined the Sutherland Clan Project in order to determine if the DNA was similar to their Sutherland descendants who are said to be descended from Freskyn de Moravia 1150 circa as are some of our Murrays. A component of our Research Project is to attempt to discover the Freskyn Line. Please see further details on our Results NEWS Tab above.
Currently we have a number of new members who are descended from a well known emigrant Murray Family who finally settled in New York prior to the American Revolution at Murrays Hill, and we hope to have their results back in March. This is very good news for these Colonial Murray immigrants from Scotland who have been seeking their family history over the past 250 years!
October 2012 to December 2012
There are now approx 225 members in our Murray Clan DNA Research Project. There are also 132 Morrow members in the Morrow DNA surname project totaling approx 350 families named Murray and Morrow within the Family Tree DNA database. This represents many tens of thousands of individual Murray families over time, vastly increasing your chances of finding Murray yDNA matches within our Murray Clan DNA Research Project & the database. Note: Not all Murrays are related to men named Morrow, however a certain percentage are related and should join both projects accordingly!
New website will be launched as soon as a majority of members supply their family trees. One final email will be forwarded to members requesting family trees via email or if possible in Gedcom format. All distant ancestors should now be supplied asap in order to launch our website with definite family links to our Murray yDNA kit holders so that your family tree research can proceed successfully. We also need a discussion board and this will be also launched within the website and attached to your family tree page if you decide to participate.
April 16 2012
Dear Members & prospective members,
Please note that there is a special on for 48 hours for new Kits & UPGRADES!!!
http://www.familytreedna.com/products.aspx
If you have been thinking about tests for other family members or other Murrays & Morrows
or their relatives then this special is great value. The maternal mtDNA test is only $59 USD.
Also the family finder test has been very heavily discounted.
The y67 is the most economically comprehensive test for males .
Here is the latest notification : if you have been waiting for a DNA Kit sale- don't hesitate as the time-frame is strictly 48 hours. Please see notification below herewith. New members , please don't forget to join the Murray surname project if you did not do so prior to ordering your kit. This can be facilitated from your own personal FTDNA webpages that you are allocated once you order the Kit. Please email me again and let me know if you do order a Kit andI guide you through the joining process. Membership is free and all members receive discounts on the usual Kit prices.
Alexandrina Murray, Project Administrator Murray Clan DNA Research Project FTDNA March 27th 2012
March 27th 2012
Dear Members,
Since the last Group email our Murray Clan DNA Research Project has grown considerably. We now have over 200 Murray kin within the FTDNA database, of which 186 are active members of our Group. Combined with the Morrow Project we have approx 320 lineages representing many thousands of families over time represented within our groups.
Firstly- Many of you have received excellent results and found many genetic cousins ; hopefully you have taken advantage of these matches within the database and contacted your various Kin folk in order to further your family history research. On a daily basis it seems, family tree dna staff contact our members advising them of the matches that have been found; sometimes the email address of a member is out of date and these matches unfortunately are missed by the member concerned. It is disconcerting for a member who has paid considerable funds to undertake a DNA test only to find that perhaps the one and only person that they match in the database is a Murray; McMurray or Morrow member who has changed their email address, or somehow simply missed opening the contact advice. If you are in this situation and have a match to a member who has not returned your contact request, please contact me and I shall investigate further.
If possible , all members who have not already done so, and this is a majority; please send a family tree or Gedcom to myself or otherwise upload it to the FTDNA website in your name. Members who match you would very much like to see the lineage of those that they are matching, and without a lineage attached to your profile it becomes very difficult for all concerned to place you & your line within the Results charts and also for me to help you in any way to research your line further. My email address is alexandrina@inbox.com All that is required is the lineage of your male Murray- or Morrow ancestor (or other name if related to Murray) in the format below, and I shall place this into a gedcom for you and upload it on your behalf. Please only include ONE direct Lineage over time (No brothers or sisters- NO Mothers parents etc- Male Murrays only, and wife's name!
EXAMPLE=
1. -Yourself- will not be visible unless you authorize
2=William MacDougall Murray b.1905 Glasgow Scotland d. Auckland New Zealand 2001 + Elizabeth Buchanan b 1903 Inverness Scotland d. 1951 Dunedin NZ
3=George Lowrie Murray b 1875 Blairgowrie Scotland d. 1954 Vancouver Canada + Margaret MacDougall b1876 Sleet Isle of Skye Scotland d. 1960 Auckland NZ
4=John Simpson Murray b 1850 Blairgowrie Perthshire Scotland d. 1876 Blairgowrie + Margaret Lowrie b 1852 Braemar Angus Scotland d. 1941 Vancouver Canada
etc- etc (You can provide up to 12 generations.
- Secondly- Could each member please log in to your account and provide your earliest known ancestor. If you are unsure as to how this should be done then just send me an email with your ancestors name, place of birth or death etc, and I shall do that for you.
If both of the above mentioned details are attended to I can finally publish an in depth analysis of each Group and known relationships to each line. Currently we are trailing way behind many other groups in this regard, and I would like to rectify this asap. I cannot move forward with the necessary research until I have an in depth understanding of each members family tree.
To those many members who regularly keep in touch with me via email, thank you for providing the necessary information whereby your tree can be analysed and compared with any matches within our Group. We regularly have success this way and it is not unusual for me to be corresponding with up to 10 - 12 members within any given week. If any member has any questions please send your query via email and I will help you as best I can.
If you are not understanding the nature of any matches, I can refer you to the best source in order to answer your technical queries if I am unable to answer you myself.
To date, the majority of our members fall within the Haplogroup R1b1a2 ( and subgroups downstream) The second prominent Haplogroup is I1- which is Viking- Nordic
Regarding Haplogroup (Subgroup R1b1a2 & downstream) =It has been widely reported as being the very same Haplogroup as the Egyptian Royal Family 18th Dynasty Armarna Period Pharaoh Tutenkhamun and his father Akhenaten . Whether this reporting (Discovery Channel) has been verified by the Egyptian authorities though is a mute point; currently Professor Zahi Hawass of Egyptian Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs has not confirmed nor denied this rather incredible news. This Haplogroup is typical of the majority of Western European men, all descended from a common ancient ancestor, and this news has thrown a proverbial spanner in the works accordingly. It may not be very long however, before we have verification as to whether this yDNA result on the Amarna Egyptian Royal Pharaoh family is valid or otherwise.
In order to see the latest groupings within our Results webpage, and your results within these groupings, please follow the link here-under. All those grouped together are generally related to each other unless otherwise stated. (Grey coded groups not related). If you have any queries whatsoever pertaining to your position within these groups please contact me immediately and I will look into any problems:
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/murray/default.aspx?section=yresults
Please don't forget to provide me with your family tree, even if you only have one or two generations that you know of, then log in to your account and provide the earliest ancestors name & details, otherwise send that info to me via email as well. Also, if any members are aware of Murrays or Morrows that you match however they are not yet in our group, please pass on a request from us to please join our Murray Clan project. Family Tree DNA staff notify each member when you have a match to some-one else within the database, so there is no need for me to also contact members once again with that very same information. However if you would like help at any time interpreting your results please do not hesitate to contact me. The only way I can do this in depth of course is if I have a family tree for your particular line.
Next email I shall send an analysis of each group within the project and individually assess each matched members profile. Also I hope to further discuss the need for some members to obtain an in depth ( Haplogroup) test - Deep Clade Test- which should help to further define your position within your matched group. Some members may need to upgrade their test to 67 markers- called (refine to 67) or even y37 in order to further advance their knowledge of their exact family line within a branch. This is particularly pertinent for those groups with a fairly homogeneous profile.
With regards to all-
January 2012 to October 2012
Still awaiting further gedcoms from members to be uploaded to your personal webpages on FTDNA
Also awaiting family trees from members who would like me to do this for you.
Also awaiting members to update their most distant ancestor details.
Research progressing on Scottish Murray lineages. To date there are quite a number of distinct lineages not related to each other. See results spreadsheet here.
Research also progressing on links between MacGregors & Murrays. The MacGregor surname was banned (proscribed) early 1600 circa by the King and thousands of MacGregors changed their names against their will, many took the name Murray, hence are not genetically Murray, but rather MacGregor. Some of these members are in our project.
Research also progressing on Irish Murrays related to Lord Ui Neil of the Nine Hostages fame. A large number of our project members are within this group. Could all members please provide your family tree so that we can further refine your respective family groupings on the spreadsheet.
Research also progressing on various American lines- Tullibardine Athol lineage possibly located via Scottish Murray family emigrated to Nova Scotia Canada. Also related to them are a large number of families named MORROW who were early colonists to the Carolina colony 1770 circa related to David Murray -Advocate (Barrister) Edinburgh & Agnes White (Whyte.) Further detailed information will be provided at a later date. (This line is now thought to be possibly Toucadam or Polmais Murray- further research needed)
American Members are still involved in actively researching the lineages of two families; Murray emigrants to Maryland and Pennsylvania one of these is of the James Murray - Jemima Morgan family. Neither of these families are related to each other and members related to each of them are in completely different haplogroups.
January 2011 to December 2011
More Murray Clan members are matching with other men named Morrow on all y DNA test results. Members have been asked to also join the Morrow surname project accordingly.
The Family Finder test has become more popular this year and members have taken advantage of reduced prices for auto-somal Family Finder kits especially when these are available at a special price of $199. Male members should note that if they have not already tested for y12 ; y25; y37 or y67 yDNA tests they should also do this in conjunction with the family finder (finds relatives within 5 to possibly 7 generations) as the yDNA results are specifically for your Murray surname on the paternal line - right back in time - and may also find matches to relatives on that line prior to the adoption of surnames.
Have asked all members to provide Gedcoms or family trees in email and I shall upload as gedcoms to your personal pages on FTDNA'
Have asked all male members to provide most distant ancestor details for the yresults pages.
June 2010 to January 2011
Kits and tests returned will be updated here shortly.
Results pages updated with new Kit results.
Kits requested and returned during December 2010 have now been returned to the Lab.
Results will be notified to participants via email as they are returned.
As at 17 May 2010.
Updated Kits dates due for return,with results.
172159 Y-DNA12+mtDNA(mtHaplo) 350 04/28/2010 due 28 April
172819 Y-DNA67(Y-DNA38-47 Markers) Morrow 351 05/14/2010 due 14 May
178240 Y-DNA37(Y-DNA13-25 Markers, Y-DNA26-37 Markers, Y-DNA1-12 Markers) ...... Murray 358 06/25/2010 due 25 June
34476 mtHVR2toMega(FGS) Murray 345 05/14/2010 due 14 May
83459 Chip01, Family Finder McMurray 354 05/17/2010 due 17 May
N84397 mtFullSequence(FGS, HVR2) Murray 353 05/28/2010 due 28 May 15 May 2010 Matches Notified- 2 participants [Family Finder] Various Matches have been identified 2004- 2010
To be updated here in this Results Page shortly.
These matches include EXACT Matches 67/67 yDNA alleles.
16th May 2010- Sunday
Irving James Murray is now Project Co- Administrator
Kits due for return with results-dates posted on project results page.
________________________________________________
15th May 2010- Saturday
1. Alexandrina Murray is now Project Administrator.
2. Potential Co-Administrators to be contacted.
2. Project Webpages are now updated
3. mtDNA matches for 2 MURRAY Project participants have been received.
4. Y-DNA & mtDNA results updated and grouped by haplotype.
_________________________________________________________________
Note: 14 May 2010 - Friday
Mrs Pat Murray retired as project administrator due to ongoing illness.
_______________________________________________________________
Various Matches have been identified 2004- 2010
To be updated here in this News Page shortly.
These matches include EXACT Matches 67/67 yDNA alleles.
________________________________________________________________
This page is currently in update shortly mode! Please return shortly.
____________________________________________________________________
18 Dec 2004 - as of this date, one MURRAY has joined the project and a MURRAY relative has purchased a kit and is on the prowl for a likely test subject... as per Pat Murray- Dec 2004
________________________________________________________________
6 Oct 2004 - the MURRAY Surname Project was announced.
4 march 2005 - As of this date, we have 11 People signed up for the project and have received the results for 2. It's very interesting to note that these two do not appear to be related, with a .01% chance of a common ancestor appearing 1,125 years ago.
Our theory is that there are four or five distinct lines of Murray's in the United States Lines: As per Pat Murray of United States: 2004.
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