Origins of
"Adam" - Progenitor of Group 1 from John Beatty [[email protected]] Last spring I promised I would do some genealogical research in medieval Scottish records in an attempt to determine the identity of "Adam," the progenitor of Haplo-group 1. I didn't think I would be able to conclusively name the person, but I thought that an examination of Scottish sources from that time - such as they are - might yield some important clues about the general whereabouts of the Beatty name in Scotland before 1600. My theory at the outset was that the name was heavily concentrated in Dumfriesshire, and my research bears that out. However, I also found the name in Edinburgh, Berwick, Forfarshire and Fifeshire - a somewhat wider distribution than I had surmised. It suggests the possibility that the name may have more than one origin in Scotland, but we can't be sure. The written record at this time is very spotty and it is nearly impossible to construct family groups or relationships from the records. The best we can do is find clusters of name associated with a particular place and time. I continue to believe, based on the conclusions of Perceval-Maxwell and other historians, that a large portion of the Beattys who settled in Ireland came from the Borders area. The 1630 muster roll of County Fermanagh lists a numbe of Beatties in different family groups, settled on various estates. Invariably the name appears with other surnames of Border families. It is conjectured that many of these Beatties dispersed to other counties (likely Cavan, Leitrim, and Monaghan and perhaps also Tyrone). I am attaching a Word file, where I have set forth my research, such as it is. You are welcome to make use of the data as you see fit, or post it to our website, if you like. Origins of "Adam"...
Added note from Earl Beaty: Perhaps I should offer a little explanation of the reference
to "Adam". That label as applied to Beatty came from our genetic testing
program. When we first organized a discussion group to examine the
desirability of a Beatty DNA testing program, we assigned the name "Adam
Beatty" to the first man to use the surname Beatty. Since then the genetic
testing has revealed that a very large fraction of men named Beatty are
descendants of a common ancestor who lived before 1600, possibly much
before. The fraction of all Beattys in this group (I call it Group A) now
appears to be about 3 out of 4. Adam is now the playful name of the common
ancestor of that group. Genealogies of the members of this group point to
the conclusion that Adam lived in Scotland. We don't know much else about
Adam. John is working to see what can be learned from the historical
records.
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