shetlandislandsYdataNtoR2

Surnames N to S - Page 2: 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 Signature; Meaning and Early Occurrences of
Name - Shetland (Beattie), Orkney (Lamb), Scotland (Black); Traditions; Earliest Known
Ancestor; DNA Matches; Comments

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POLE 15 24 15 10 15 16 11 13 11 14 12 30 16 08 09 11 11 26 15 21 28 11 11 14 15
(20509)
I1c; Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; According to Black, in Shetland the following spelling
variations with dates are as follows - Pollsoun 1678, Polsone 1641, Polsoun and Polsun 1456, Poylson
1506, and Polysoun 1499. Lamb notes occurrences in Orkney including Magnus Paulson 1502, and
also written as Polson in Orkney, but a rare surname there. Beattie notes that the surname Pole is
found in England, and that he is unsure whether the name originated there or a patronymic (from
Scotland or local unknown). He notes one Patrick Pole in Rerwick, Dunrossness, 1624. Beattie also
notes that Polson is found in Shetland, for example, Thomas Polson in Grunnafirth, Nesting, 1715;
Research by Sandison indicates that the participant's ancestor, William POLE (born 1707)
fought in the Battle of Culloden - and was the first of this branch of the family in Shetland;
William POLE, born before 1752, Lunnasting, son of William POLE, born about 1707 and Elizabeth
IRVINE, both of Lunnasting; Two 12/12 matches in the FTDNA customer database to Ferguson and
Carpenter. A 24/25 match to the latter (but it disappears at the 37 marker level). There is a 33/37
match with a Quinn. This appears to be a fairly rare signature, and there are no exact or one step
mutations in the Haplogroup Database. At the two mutation level there are matches in England (1)
and Sweden (2). However in the Recent Ethnic Origins database the matches cluster strongly in
Ireland and Scotland. At this point it seems that this participant fits the profile (including the
surnames he matches) of a member of the "Border Reivers". It is believed that this group descends
from an ancient British group that, along with R1b, was found in the United Kingdom since
prehistoric times. Some recent investigations indicate that one way to parse the origins of the
various I1c individuals is to look at the structure seen at markers DYS459a,b. If the values are 8,9 it
reflects the presence of the Y-SNP marker M284 on the Y-chromosome, and this offers support of a
native British variety suggesting that the Y chromosome is not the result of more recent migration
from the Continent. This participant has the 8,9 pattern. It would seem that the name POLE , with
that spelling without patronymics back to at least 1707, is not indigenous to Shetland, but it is a
Celtic / Pictish signature from the Scottish Mainland or the Border region.

ROBERTSON 13 25 15 11 11 14 12 12 10 14 11 31 15 09 10 11 11 23 14 20 32 12 15 15
16
(22714)
R1a; Aboriginal Shetland - Norse: Asian; Patronymic; The genealogy of this family was identified
by oral tradition and recorded in the late 19th Century. The same document (by teacher
Andrew Dishington Mathewson) that portrays descendants of Thomas MATHEWSON of
"Kupister" South Yell also shows the descendants of Magnus ROBERTSON of Fetlar, and
later Basta North Yell. It is to this man that this particpant traces descent. Apparently the
surnames, as was typical, switched to JOHNSON etcetera until the surname became fixed with
the participant's ancestor, Andrew ROBERTSON, born 1796, Bouster, The Herra, Mid Yell;
John MANSON, born about 1650, Helyrsness, Fetlar, son of Magnus ROBERTSON; 16 matches at the
12/12 level in the FTDNA customer database, and 11/12 with SUTHERLAND (21887) and JAMIESON
(9828). At the 25 marker level there are 24/25 matches with JAMIESON above, as well as a BLAKE
and a KALBAC. At the 37 marker level, there is only two matches - 33/37 with the above JAMIESON
and MATTHEWSON (27809) (indicating a relationship close enough to be worth pursuing through
record sources). An exact 12/12 match with JAMIESON (21824), which considering geographical
proximity in Yell, likely means a common ancestor. Two exact matches with Iceland and Norway in
the Haplogroup Database. At the 11/12 level matches with China, Greenland Inuit, India,
Kazakhastan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Iceland, Hungary, Altai (largest number), Shetland, and
Uzbekistan. In addition the participant has the YCAIIa,b = 19,21 configuration which is not found in
Eastern European R1a. Clearly an Asian match profile; This participant continues the pattern that is
suggesting that a group of closely related R1a Vikings settled Shetland, but apparently did not settle
in nearby Orkney. This particular signature is that identified with Somerled, a well known figure in
Scottish history. There is, however, a problem. Two JOHNSON participants also claim Magnus
ROBERTSON as their ancestor via the above Jon MANSON's brother Andrew MANSON. Their
signatures do not match that of the present participant. The two JOHNSONS have an ancestor in
common in one John JEROMSON, the great - grandson of Magnus ROBERTSON. Thus we know that
the genealogy is clear (accurate) back to this point. Until there are more participants from both sons
of Magnus ROBERTSON little more can be said with any authority.

ROBERTSON 13 24 14 11 11 14 12 12 13 13 13 30
(21827)
R1b; Aboriginal Shetland - (Western Norway); Patronymic; None reported; Laurence ROBERTSON,
born about 1775, married to Margaret LAURENSON in Lunnasting, and son of Alexander
ROBERTSON; There are 112 matches in the YHRD, and as is typical for R1b at the level (9 markers),
scattered from Portugal east - but with a significant number of matches in Scandanavia. This
participant's haplotype is the most frequently seen R1b signature in Western Norway. There are 12
matches at 12/12 in the FTDNA customer database with indivuduals whose surnames appear to be
British. In the Haplogroup Database the matches cluster around Scandanavia, without any matches in
Spain or Portugal; The match profile is consistent with an R1b Scandanavian haplotype buut
eventually should be tested for the Germanic markers S21 and S28.

ROBERTSON 13 26 15 11 11 14 12 12 10 14 11 32 15 09 10 11 11 23 14 20 32 12 15 15
16
(N2605)
R1a; Aboriginal Shetland - Norse: Asian; Patronymic; None reported; Peter ROBERTSON, born
1811, Hestinsetter, Walls, son of Lawrence ROBERTSON and Jane HUGHSON; Two 12/12 match in
FTDNA database with McDONALDs. At higher resolution levels the participant's kinship with
others in Shetland becomes clear. He matches 23/25 ROBERTSON 22714, three of the BLANCEs,
and WILLIAMSON 7968. At the highest level the participant matches one BLANCE 34/37 and
another BLANCE 33/37. Perhaps an indication of a very ancient connection is the 23/25 match with a
NORBERG of West Bothnia, Sweden. In the Haplogroup Database two exact matches in Iceland. At
the one mutation match level matches to Iceland, India, and Norway. Even at the two mutational
level most of the matches are from Central Asia, particularly noteworthy being 21 Altai. This is
another example of the apparent universal tendency of R1a Shetlanders with Aboriginal surnames to
resemble each other, and Central Asians but not Central or Western Europeans.

ROBERTSON 13 24 14 11 11 14 12 12 13 13 13 29 16 09 10 11 11 25 15 19 20 15 15
16 18
(11573)
R1b(1c); Aboriginal Shetland - (Norse); Patronymic; The family believe that the parents of the
earliest known ancestor were from the Scottish Mainland, but the participant believes they
were Norse; Jerome ROBERTSON, born 1771 at Unifirth, Aithsting, son of Thomas ROBERTSON
who married Catherine BROWN in 1766 at Aithsting; At the 37 marker level the participant
matches three other Shetlanders with Aboriginal surnames, namely HENDERSON and
WALTERSON at 34/37, JOHNSON at 33/37, and one other individual named HARDIN. For further
information on this lineage see the biographies of the above men; The data would clearly indicate
that the participant's ancestors were among those who used patronymics (some Robertsons are from
the Mainland and adopted a fixed surname long before), and therefore this would appear to confirm
his hypothesis that the family is originally from Norway, likely in Viking times. Since
WALTERSON has been tested for S21/U106 (R1b1c9) as well as S28/U152 (R1b1c10) it is apparent
that the present participant is also R1b1c*, a haplogroup found in Norway and seen in this project in
others with patronymic surnames.

RORERTSON 13 24 14 11 11 14 12 12 12 13 13 30 17 09 10 11 12 25 15 19 29 15 15 17
18
(119240)
R1b1b2; Scottish Mainland - Celtic / Pictish; Patronymic; N/A; Robert ROBERTSON lived Nesting,
father of David RORERTSON, born 1802 Nesting; 421, 12 marker matches. 36, 25 marker matches
but none Shetland. A 33/37 match to a MOORE of Scotland. Generally, in all, more matches in
Scotland than other locations; Based on the above profile it would appear that a Celtic / Pictish
background would be consistent with the evidence, but a deep clade SNP test would add more evidence.