Surnames H to I - Page 3:  Shetland Y-DNA Surname Project
Surname             DYS Markers and Allele Values:  For 26 to 37 See Spreadsheet                        
 
and (Kit#)             3  3  1  3  3  3  4  3  4  3  3  3  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4
                           9  9  9  9  8  8  2  8  3  8  9  8  5  5  5  5  5  4  3  4  4  6  6  6  6
                           3  0      1  5  5  6  8  9  9  2  9  8  9  9  5  4  7  7  8  9  4  4  4  4
                                          a  b             +      +     a  b                         a  b  c  d
                                                             1      2
Haplogroup; Proposed Origin: Surname - Y-DNA; Meaning and Early Occurrences of Name - Shetland
(Beattie), Orkney (Lamb), Scotland (Black); Traditions; Earliest Kown Paternal Ancestor; DNA
Matches; Comments
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HUGHSON        13 24 14 11 11 15 12 12 13 13 13 29 16 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 14 15 17 17
(14,305)
R1b1c; Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; Uncertain; By tradition the early ancestor of this branch
of the Hughsons was one Hugh NOBLE who came to the Skerries at the time of the Dutch East
Indiaman Kennermerland wreck in 1665 to seek treasure.  A second tradition relates to the
name Claus, which appears as a forename and a surname in this family, with likely connections
to the participant.  For example Claus HUGHSON aka Claus JOHNSON, born about 1670,
likely in Lunnasting, noted in a court record of 1726.  Hearsay has it that the latter's father was
John HUGHSON born in the Skerries about 1645, whose father in turn was Hugh CLAUSON, a
Norse seaman wrecked on West Linga; Claus HUGHSON, born 1744, Whalsay, son of Thomas
HUGHSON, born about 1720, probably in Nesting (but moved to the Skerries in 1752); YSTR Database:
931 / 20,000 matches - scattered very widely throughout Europe.  This participant has 20 exact 12/12
matches in the FTDNA customer database and most appear to have British surnames.  The signature
has matches by country in the Haplogroup Database primarily in Celtic countries (e.g., Ireland, Wales
- with a few matches, as here, with samples in Portugal being a common Celtic profile). Matches
include HUGHSON (16704) at 25/25.  At the 37 marker level, this participant matches HUGHSON
(19750) at 35/37 and HUGHSON (15651) and (18057) at 34/37 ; This line is particularly well documented,
however there are a few uncertainties that need to be addressed.  More evidence needs to surface to
clarify the early HUGHSON ancestral connection.  The earliest documented Hughson is from the Poll
Tax Arrears Records where Jacob Hughson of Gletness in Nesting was listed in these documents from
1696.  Later there are records from 1715 and include Malcolm Hughson of Ska, Whalsay, Hynd
Hughson of Clett, Whalsay, and Laurence Hughson of Laxfirth, Nesting.  The above Laurence may be
ancestor to 4 other Hughsons who appear in documents of 1725-28 and residing in Nesting.  It is
possible that, in contrast to the more typical Shetland scenario of patronymics, this surname may be an
exception. Considering the NOBLE connection hypothesis, the first NOBLE of record was an Andro
NOBLE of the Skerries circa 1670 who may have come from Fraserburgh, north of Aberdeen on the
Scottish Mainland. Also a report of 1774 notes that the 75 year old Theodore NOBLE (born circa 1699
Skerries) of Hamnavoe, Lunnasting had returned to fish at the Skerries, and intermittently had
resided there.  Here is a case where one oral tradition and the name suggest Norse, which is possible,
but the DNA also suggests Celtic or possibly Teutonic.  Certainly following up by seeking any DNA
matches with those with the surname NOBLE  may prove productive.  The above Jacob Hughson is
interesting in that tradition has it that Hugh Noble had a son Jacob.  Another interesting lead, is that
the Hugh Noble was supposedly a Parlimentarian during the Cromwell era who had to leave upon the
restoration of Charles II - there was a John HUGHSON aka HEWSON of London who fit this profile
and was required to flee to Amesterdam where he died in 1662.  This along with the use of the name
Claus, gives some credence to this possibility - especially considering that the man's name was
HUGHSON.  A name that may give some credence to the Hugh Manson hypothesis is Magnus Hughson
a merchant in West Sandwick who appeared in a court record of 1769.  None the less, considering that
Hugh is a Scottish name, that Hughson is not a surname recorded in Orkney, that that Hughson is a
Scottish surname, it seems most straightforward to assign the name to Mainland Scotland unless some
confilicting evidence surfaces.  Specialized DNA Y-SNP testing for R1b markers, particularly the
Germanic S21 and Germanic - La Tene Celt S28.  This profile is consistent with the evidence for the
British Celtic / Pictish profile seen with the Y-STR motif.  The S21 minus and S28 minus findings apply
also to the related Hughsons (it is only necessary to test one in group descended from the same
ancestor if the genealogy and match profile dovetail as we see here).
HUGHSON          13 24 14 11 11 15 12 12 13 13 13 29 16 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 14 15 17 17
(15651)
R1b1c; Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; Uncertain; None reported; Laurence HUGHSON, born
about 1750 in West Sandwick, Yell, son of Hugh MANSON; YSTR Database: See 14,305 above;
FTDNA HUGHSON (14,305) on the 25/25 markers; At present there is a mini - project to locate as
many HUGHSONs as possible to determine whether there is only one DNA signature for all of that
surname. Concerning the present and above HUGHSON, a link via two sons of one Claus HUGHSON
born about 1670 whose ancestry may extend back to a Hugh CLAUSEN, born about 1610 who was a
Norse seaman "wrecked on West Linga" and married a girl from the Skerries is being explored.  
There is some controversy as to whether Hugh Manson existed (the evidence is thin on the ground)
and that instead the ancestor was Laurence HUGHSON, son of the above Thomas HUGHSON who
went to the Skerries in 1752.  Stay tuned.
HUGHSON           13 24 14 11 11 15 12 12 13 13 13 29 16 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 14 15 17 17
(16704)
R1b1c;  Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; Uncertain; None reported; Claus HUGHSON, born 1744,
Whalsay, son of Thomas HUGHSON of Out Skerries; YSTR Database: See above for various matches.
 With a clear genealogical trail to a common acestor born 1744, this participant and 14305 match
34/37; To date all of the HUGHSONS, from apparently diverse lines, have the same signature and
suggest that all are descended from the same male.  Further testing with other HUGHSONS should
support or disconfirm this hypothesis.
HUGHSON           13 24 14 11 11 15 12 12 13 13 13 29 16 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 31 14 15 17 18
(18057)
R1b1c;  Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; Uncertain; The tradition relating to this family, and
recorded in the Shetland Family History Society, is that Claus HUGHSON, born about 1720,
was the son of Hugh CLAUSON, son of Claus HUGHSON aka JOHNSON, son of John
HUGHSON, son of Hugh CLAUSEN.  The latter was supposedly born about 1610; and was a
Norse seaman who was "wrecked on West Linga", and "married a girl from the Skerries";
Claus HUGHSON, born about 1720, farmer in Sweening, married to Margaret SMITH; This
participant matches 23 / 25 with the other Hughsons above, suggesting that the link may have been
earlier; See above.
HUGHSON           13 24 14 11 11 15 12 12 13 13 13 29 16 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 30 14 15 16 17
(19750)
R1b1c;  Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; Uncertain; None reported; Laurence HUGHSON, born
about 1750 in West Sandwick, Yell, son of Hugh MANSON; The participant matches the first 3
HUGHSONs above 24 / 25, and 18057 immediately above 23 / 25; and 15651 at 34 / 37; See above re
critique of the existance of a Hugh MANSON.