Irish Berry Genealogy - Before Ireland

Before Ireland, the DNA Evidence and the Connection with the I-BY184065 Haplogroup ("Augusta/Washington Co.") Berry Family in the USA

with

a Tribute to Carol Vass

(Last changed on 18 June 2025)

Dr. Lorton Wilson investigated the origins of the name Berry in Ireland, and the following references are of interest. The earliest record of the name that he was able trace was in 1406, when Henry IV in Letters Patent granted to John Berry (aka Gilbery O’Coyng) that he and all his issue might enjoy the Laws of England. (See https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/CIRCLE-7-8-1-85).

In the Close Rolls he found an instrument of 29 Oct. 1422 by which Richard Nugent, Baron Delvin, the son of John Tuite, William Nugent and John Nugent, Chaplain, became sureties under the penalty of £100 that John Berry should not do any bodily injury to Robert Westeill.

On 26 Nov. 1473, William Berry proved in the Diocese of Dublin the will of Thomasine, his wife.

Letters Patent of 10 May 1476 show that the King, Edward IV, with the consent of William, Bishop of Meath, Deputy to George Duke of Clarence, Lieutenant of Ireland, granted to the said Bishop, to Sir Roland FitzEustace, Chancellor of Ireland, Christopher Nugent, Baron Delvin, Philip Birmingham … Walter Piers … William Berry and others that they might found a certain brotherhood or gild of the glovers’ art in the city of Dublin, to be called the Brotherhood Gild of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Lorton Wilson concluded that no one with the name Berry received a grant of Crown Lands, nor does the name appear in grants under the Acts of Settlement, Certificates of the Court of Claims, Certificates for Adventurers, Soldiers etc., adjudications in favour of Officers of 1649, Certificates of Converts nor the Convert Rolls.

The first Berry of my "Eglish family" line for whom there is unequivocal documentary evidence is Thomas Berry who is first recorded in Knockerville Townland, Westmeath in the Parish of Killucan, Ireland. His origin was unknown until recently and his d.o.b. is estimated to have been c.1675, based on the date of birth of his first son, John in c. 1702. (I now favour a slightly earlier estimate of c.1670 for reasons explained below). Thomas was still alive in 1730, but no record of him has been found after that.

Family legend asserts descent from the famous Berry family of Berrynarbor, Devon (see https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/devon-berry-tree) and the arms of two members of my Irish Berry family have incorporated the ‘or three bars gu’, of that family https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/berry-arms . However, this supposed Devon descent is not supported by my attempts to trace living male Berrys with a documented link to the Devon Berry family in order to compare their Y-chromosome DNA with mine. Bearing in mind that the Berrynarbor family apparently went extinct in the male line with the death of Thomas Berry in 1708, I have had to rely on what appear to be cadet branches of the early Berrynarbor family. The first person that I was able to trace, with the assistance of Leonard Smith of Porthcawl, lived at Swimbridge, Devon and Donald Berry, with a pedigree in the Swimbridge family that can be traced to at least c. 1560, has tested with the Berry Family DNA Project (kit #106697). However, instead of matching my I1 (I-M253) haplotype, Donald’s haplotype is R1b1b2 (R-M269). In 2013 I discovered another Berry family with an eight generation history in Holcombe Regis, Devon which also claims descent from the original Berrynarbor family via the Chittlehampton branch. David John Berry of this line has now joined the Berry Family DNA Project ( kit #251688), but his haplotype is I2b1 (I-M223), which matches no others tested in the Berry DNA Project thus far. In 2019 I was contacted by Ronald G. Berry who's haplogroup is I-FTB80197 and has a family tree that is linked to the early Devon Berry family, but no recent history in Devon. His and my STR and SNP results show that our families are unrelated. Similarly, John Berry (kit #203553) who lives in the UK and has a Scottish ancestry, is also unrelated to me, despite being haplogroup I-M253. At this stage there are at least two genetically unrelated Berry families with a long, well-documented, history in Devon, as well as other families, including mine, Ronald's, a family from Gartross, N. Ireland and two other FTDNA Berry Project participants (kit #251688 and #IN47769) who claim descent from the ancient Berry family from Berrynarbor, Devon. The Gartross family descendant (kit#572288) is haplogroup E-M35. Which, if any, of these families are actually descended from it remains unresolved, but it seems most likely that the arrival in England of the progenitor of the famous Berry family (originally de Berry in the 12th C.) was associated with the Norman conquest of 1066 as in 1886 the Domesday Book records two men named Berry as having been granted land in Devon. I am now convinced that the legend of descent of my family from the famous Berry family of Devon is a fiction that originated when James Middleton Berry applied for a confirmation of Arms in 1848.

Most American researchers have concluded that our Berry family has Scots-Irish origins in view of the extensive migration of lowland Scots to Ireland in the 17thC. There is indisputable genetic evidence (Y-DNA) of a close relationship of my Irish “Eglish Berry” family with the “Augusta/Washington Co.” Berry family of the USA, for which there is good documentary evidence that some early members were Presbyterians. However, to my knowledge, no primary documentary evidence has ever been found (despite efforts of many competent investigators such as Carol Vass) that proves that the “Founder” American ancestors, James and John Berry, or my Irish ancestor, Thomas Berry, were of Scots-Irish decent. The surname Berry does not appear on the lists of Scottish surnames contained on Muster Rolls and Estate Maps of the eight Plantation Counties of Ulster for the period 1607 - 1633, which was the initial phase of the plantation scheme . (However, the name is recorded in the late 18th Century)4.

According to Pritchard 2 (1999) "Presbyterianism was not restricted to Scotland. Nationally, Presbyterians were the strongest non-conformist group in England in the early 18th C, with 637 congregations and some 180,000 members (3.3% of the population). Protestant non-conformist views were particularly strong in Devon where the first Presbyterian congregations date from 1662. Plymouth was also an important staging-point for non-conformists emigrating to the American colonies, who joined local congregations whilst waiting for a ship". The possibility therefore cannot be discounted that, on arrival in America from Ireland, along with thousands of Scots-Irish Presbyterians, James and John Berry may just have joined the most acceptable Protestant church available in the predominantly Scots-Irish settler community in which they found themselves. My Thomas Berry ancestor, who remained in Ireland, was certainly a member of the Church of Ireland and a parishioner and Church Warden at the Killucan Church, Westmeath. If the James Berry who was recorded as a communicant in the Vestry Minutes of this Killucan Church in 1703 was indeed Thomas' cousin (see below) and one of the two "founders' of the American branch of the family, he too was apparently originally Church of Ireland.

This does not preclude more recent generations of our American Berry family from having a Scottish heritage; autosomal DNA testing shows that many do, but it would be through relatively recent marriages. While the early generations of American Berry men tended to marry within the largely Scots/Irish settler community in which they lived; e.g marriages to Hall, MaGill, Buchanan 1 ,, this would be at the limit of detection by autosomal testing.

The Link Between the “Eglish Berry” family Line and the I-BY184065 (I-M253) Haplogroup ( “Augusta/Washington Co.”) Berry Family of the USA

The earliest known ancestors of the haplogroup I-BY184065 (Augusta/Washington Co.) Berry family in America are a James Berry, thought by American researchers1 to have been born in Ireland, (c.1690 – aft. May 1756), and a John Berry, also probably born in Ireland, (c.1695 – 1770/71). Y-DNA STR results show that James Berry had a close family relationship with John Berry. (A detailed analysis of the relationship and dates of James and John Berry is given by Jackson et al.1 ). Descendants of these two American "founders" show a typical “starburst” of dramatic expansion and can be found in Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Oregon, Arkansas, Louisiana, Indiana, Iowa and Illinois. Several 8th generation descendants of the Irish branch of the family (including myself), and descendants of both James and John, have a genetic distance (GD) = 2, tested on 111 STR markers, a remarkable degree of matching all things considered, and indisputable evidence of a relatively recent common ancestor. (See Tables 2 and 2a at the bottom of the page for a summary of STR genetic distances and time to most recent ancestor. ) This genetic relationship has been confirmed and enhanced by SNP testing. Based on 20 Big-Y tests, I- BY184065 has now been established as the "signature" SNP of our Irish Berry family. According to FTDNA's current (May 2025) Haplogroup Report, "The most recent common ancestor of all members of haplogroup I-BY184065 was born between the years 1551 and 1758 CE. With a 95% probability, the most likely estimate is 1667 CE, rounded to 1650 CE. He is the ancestor of at least 12 descendant lineages known as I-FT126869, I-FGC50473, I-FTA15544, I-FT77085 and 8 yet unnamed lineages".

The ‘window’ in time for the most recent common ancestor to have lived is fairly narrow and I think that the following are the two most plausible hypotheses for the relationship between "founders" Thomas, James and John Berry:- The first, and in my opinion the least plausible because there is no conclusive documentary evidence to support it, is that the American James Berry (c. 1690 Ireland – c. 1756 Virginia, USA) and John Berry (c. 1695 Ireland – 1770/71 Augusta Co. USA) were brothers of my “Eglish” family Thomas. (See diagram below). If so, Thomas would be the oldest brother which would fit with his ability to buy land at Knockerville Townland in Co. Westmeath – he obviously had some financial means. His younger brothers may well have gone to America to seek their fortunes. The sudden appearance in the documentary record of my Thomas Berry in Westmeath and his acquisition of land there suggests that he was a newcomer to the district. Until recently I had been unable to trace any records for Thomas or his wife Elizabeth (Dames) in Ireland prior to 1703. The only documentary evidence I am aware of for a possible familial connection is between Thomas and James Berry. There are two records of a James Berry as a communicant in May and August of 1703 at the Killucan Church, where Thomas was a parishioner and Church Warden between 1707-1710. In a third (undated, but of the same period) record in the Killucan Vestry minutes James Berry is also recorded as a donor in a collection for the Episcopal Clergy of Scotland. Perhaps James was visiting Thomas. The other Berry family that were parishioners of the Killucan Church (Berry of Wardenstown) had no member called James. Counting against the brother hypothesis is the approximate 15/20 year time span between the estimated birth dates of Thomas and the American migrants.

Summary of the "brother hypothesis" for the relationship between the "founders" Thomas, James and John Berry (with dates for the American brothers according to Jackson et al.1 )

The second, and in my opinion the more plausible hypothesis, is that the American James and John were brothers and first cousins of my Irish 6 x g. grandfather, Thomas Berry. I have recently (March 2022) come across documentary evidence that I believe supports this hypothesis in the form of the abstract of the will recorded by Lorton Wilson, of a Thomas Berry, merchant, which was probated in 1673 to his brother, Francis, and made in Castlecuffe, Queen’s Co. (Laois). Administration was granted to Francis by the Prerogative Court in 1675 (see below and Chart 7).

It seems very probable that this Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe's son, also Thomas (who would probably have been a child in 1673) is my 6 x g. grandfather (Thomas Berry c.1670 - c.1730) who was first recorded living in Knockerville Townland, Westmeath in about 1703 with a young son (John) and who had recently married Elizabeth Dames of Greenhills, King’s Co. (Offaly). The proximity of Kildare Town and Greenhills, c. 45 km by road, seems to support the likelihood of this marriage. Tullamore is the closest large town to the two residences and the likelihood of Thomas and Elizabeth meeting would have been high. Francis Bury (note the interchangeable use of Berry/Bury), Thomas’ named brother in the will is stated to have had "relations", but had he had children at the time they would likely have been mentioned in the will. I therefore believe that Francis was younger than Thomas. I suggest that this Francis was probably the father of “founders” James and John who went to America. “Founder” John had both a son (b. c.1719) and a grandson (b. c.1754) named “Francis” and “founder” James had a son named Thomas (1718-1799)). Francis is a name that also recurs in the Eglish Berry lineage and in the American "Tennessee William" Berry (?-1823) lineage (see Chart 3).

Thomas of Castlecuffe was apparently a young man (probably aged about 25-30) when he died as he had only one young child. That he made a will suggests that he anticipated his death which must have been shortly prior to the 1673 probate date. Perhaps he was a victim of the black plague epidemic that swept Ireland between about 1649 to 1670. This might explain why his wife, Mary, and young son, Thomas, had been sent to Kildare (where Berry/Bury relatives may have resided) and why it was a nuncupative will (dictated before witnesses, one of whom was Grany L'Estrange, who I believe to have been his mother-in-law). I estimate his birth date to be about 1640 and that of his brother, Francis, about 1645.

The dates in the literature cited for the three "founders" are all only estimates. In the case of James, his birth dates vary significantly (1673 -170993,95,169096,99,101,169294, and 1700.100,) 1. No birth date is known for John, but his recorded death in 1770/71 resulted in the estimated birth date of 1690.1 I suggest that, based on the date of Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe's will, and if my hypothesis that "founder" Thomas was a first cousin of American "founder" brothers James and John is correct, their more plausible birth dates are: - Thomas Berry c. 1670 (not c. 1675), James Berry c. 1680 (not c.1690) and John c. 1685 (not c.1695). There is also uncertainty about the dates when "founders" James and John Berry arrived in America. If the James Berry who is recorded in the 1703 Vestry Minutes of the Killucan Church of which Thomas was a parishioner, was “founder” James, he could not have migrated to America before this date. I estimate that in 1703 he would have been in his late 20s based on the 1645 estimated d.o.b. of Francis, his probable father.

There is evidence of a Catholic Berry family living in Kildare in the mid 1600s. A Thomas Huetson, in a deposition made in 1641, accuses Bonaventure Berry, reputed son of William Berry, a "Popish" Priest", a near kinsman of the priest, Thomas Berry, and several other Irish rebels of being involved in disinterring the bodies of his brother and grandmother from the Kildare Cathedral and relocating them outside the grounds (see https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Remonstrance_of_Divers_Remarkeable_Pas/lSdBAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Berry+Kildare&pg=PA66&printsec=frontcover ). If Thomas of Castlecuffe did indeed die young and was born about 1640 he could not have been the Catholic priest's relative, Thomas. However, the latter could have been his father. There is also a record of a John Burye (or Bury) of KiIdare in the 1659 Census of Ireland who could also have been the father of Thomas of Castlecuffe. John Burye, of Turnings Townland, was one of the nominated Commissioners for executing the Poll-Money Ordinances of 1660 and 1661 in Co. Kildare 5 . To have held this position he would have been a Protestant. Thomas of Castlecuffe's wife's Malone relatives, originally from Ballynahown, Westmeath were Irish Catholics initially, but Anthony Malone (1652-c.1744) and his son, Richard Malone (1674-1744), both prominent lawyers and politicians, converted to Protestantism and it seems probable that John Burye and indeed Thomas of Castlecuffe may have converted around the same time in response to the 1652 Act of Settlement. (This Act confiscated existing lands held by Catholics and excluded Catholics from land ownership or official office).

That in his will Thomas of Castlecuffe directs that his son is to be brought up a Protestant suggests that he was concerned that he might be brought up Catholic. If Thomas was a recent Protestant convert, perhaps members of his immediate family were still Catholic. My 6 x g. grandfather, Thomas Berry of Knockerville, Westmeath, was certainly a Protestant and apparently well-educated and literate as he became the agent (estate manager) to Lieut. Colonel William Berry of Wardenstown and later his son Richard Berry, High Sheriff of Westmeath. I believe that his Protestantism and his grandparents' familial links to the Malone family of Ballynahown , Westmeath and the L'Estrange family of Moystown, King's Co. probably account for his move from Co. Kildare, to settle in Knockerville, Co. Westmeath and being accepted into the Protestant Ascendancy class.

William L'Estrange's forebears were from Norfolk England, and already Protestant when they first settlement in Ireland in the 16th Century. His will, made in1676 (https://search.findmypast.ie/record?id=IRE%2FDIOC%2F007246545%2F00341&parentid=IRE%2FDIOC%2FWILL%2F00182344 )9 mentions that he had daughters, plural ("...daughters and their heirs...") which is the basis of my thesis that these were “Sibie L’Estrange” and “Mary Bury”– both being named in Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe’s 1673 will (above), the latter as his wife. William L’Estrange’s will also names an Edmond Malone of Ballynahown, Co. Westmeath as one of several men appointed to aid and assist his wife and Executrix, Grany. This connects Grany to the Malone family of Ballynahown, the distinguished Irish family of lawyers and politicians to which Anthony Malone (1652-c.1744) and his son, Richard Malone (1674-1744) ( both of whom converted to Protestantism) belonged . In view of the dates, this Edmond Malone seems most likely to have been Grany’s brother. Burke 9a does not identify Grany’s father beyond that he was a Malone, but it seems probable that he was Edmond Malone of Ballynahown (m. Rose Byrne in 1617).9b Burke9a mentions only one daughter, Mary, who is recorded as having married “Thomas Moony” of Turin. There seem to be two possible explanations for this statement which does not accord with my thesis: (i) Mary remarried Moony after Thomas Berry died and went to live in Turin, (which is very close to Killucan in Westmeath) taking her orphaned son, Thomas, with her and he would have grown up in Westmeath. However, I have been unable to find any record of a Moony/Mooney family living in this area, nor is it mentioned in the Killucan Vestry Minutes a few decades later. (ii) there was a transcription error in Burke from the original handwritten record and Thomas Moony of Turin should have been Thomas Berry of Turnings. This would be consistent with the hypothesis that John Burye of Turnings was Thomas of Castlecuffe’s father. The marriage of Mary L'Estrange to the young merchant, Thomas Berry, would account for his going to live in Castlecuffe, where the titulado was William L’Estrange (see Chart 7). This association with the influential L’Estrange and Malone families would have been key to his orphaned son, Thomas, moving to Knockerville, Co. Westmeath and being accepted into the Protestant Ascendancy Class.

Additional documentary evidence that supports the close familial association between Thomas Berry of Knockerville and members of the Malone family of Ballynahown, Co. Westmeath is contained in the following two deeds, summarized by Lorton Wilson.

Richard Malone was a second cousin of Thomas Berry of Knockerville, and Anthony Malone, Richard's father, was a first cousin once removed, based on Burke9b.. Thomas had a history of not being concerned to be recorded as a Discoverer - see the bottom of this webpage https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/john-berry-i : "The ownership of Broadwood". I suspect that this is another example, and that Richard Malone, respected lawyer and politician, probably did not want to be seen as a Discoverer so used his trusted relative, Thomas Berry, as a proxy in the 1725 deed. The 1726 deed seems to reveal what the real objective may have been. Anthony Malone was the grandfather of Richard Malone Jr.

So far I have only been able to find one likely record for Francis Berry/Bury, brother of Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe, in Ireland post 1675 (the date on which he was granted administration of Thomas' will). It is a probate for a Francis Berry registered in Kildare, dated 1714 (his estimated age at death would have been c. 69 if this is the same Francis)10. Conclusive documentary evidence that Francis Bury was the father of American "founders" James and John may never be found. However, what is certain is that on the basis of Y-DNA , Thomas Berry of Westmeath was closely related to James and John, and on the basis of strong documentary evidence, Thomas Berry of Westmeath was very likely the son of Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe, brother of Francis Bury.

Summary of the "cousin hypothesis" for the relationship between the "founders" Thomas, James and John Berry based on the abstract of the will of Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe shown above, with revised estimated birth dates for the American "founders".

Until recently, I thought that our Irish Berry family was most likely to have been Anglo-Irish, and to have been associated with the 17th C. Cromwellian settlement of Ireland by English Protestant soldiers and Merchant Adventurers (see http://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/history.html) 6. However, no primary documentary or genetic evidence has been found to support this and SNP (Big-Y) testing suggests that the progenitor of our Berry family could have arrived in Ireland many centuries earlier.

Haplogroup I-BY184065 has been established as the "signature" SNP of our Irish Berry family based on 20 Big-Y tests. It branched off its recently identified (Sept. 2024) parent haplogroup, I-FT91417 and the rest of humankind, in about 700 C.E. The man who is the most recent common ancestor of our I-BY184065 lineage and its subclades is estimated to have been born around 370 years ago, plus or minus 100 years i.e. in about 1650. He is the ancestor of at least 12 descendant lineages known as I-FT126869, I-FGC50473, I-FTA15544, I-FT77085 and 8 yet unnamed lineages. (Use https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/I-BY184065/tree to explore these SNPs). Nineteen of his 20 descendants tested thus far have the Berry surname and one (surname Mabe) is a NPE. There are currently no branches off the I-BY184065 lineage between the earliest known and most recent ancestor. Eleven testers report Ireland as the origin of their eka, one England, one United States and six report an unknown origin. The sister subclade of I-BY184065 is I-FTC2828 which has three non-Berry surnames (Stephens, Joyner and Bomar), but their reported earliest known ancestors (ekas) are uninformative in terms of European origins, being currently given as "United States" and "Unknown". The sole tester with the newly created parent haplogroup I-FT91417 has reported "England" as the origin of his eka. His surname is Rogers. The haplogroup above I-FT91417 and I-FTC2828 is I-FT91420 which has a tMRCA of about 250 CE - a thousand years before modern surnames came into general use and before the Viking Age (~750 - 1100). This is shown in the summary diagram below, produced using Robin Spencer's SNP Tree Explorer tool in "Tracking Back" :- http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/treeExplorer.html?snp=FGC69702&tab=subtree . According to Robin Spencer, a lineage such as ours shown below - unbranched from feudal times, probably in England (c. 9th -15th century) to the 17th century, followed by a burst of branching from the descendants of emigrants to its colonies, is common. The main reasons for this are the high rate that Y lineage extinctions naturally occur (a 70-75% likelihood of extinction within about 5 generations) and differential child to adult survival rates of emigrants to the British colonies from the 17th century. This was because the colonists escaped diseases associated with crowding and unsanitary conditions in their homeland. He cites as example an imagined Englishman (could be an Irishman) who has two sons. In 1650, one decides to venture to the new colonies and the other stays home. By 1880, the emigrant will have had 800 descendants, while the Englishman will have had only four!

The SNP above I-FT91420 is I-FGC69702 which arose just a little earlier, in about 200 C.E. It has reported descendant lineages that do include reported European origins such as England, France, Scotland and Poland (see Chart 5a). However, these lineages clearly split off before our I-BY184065 Berry lineage arose. However, because of the approximately 950-year time span between formation of I-BY184065 and the birth of our most recent common ancestor (in ~1650 C.E.), with only one branch in this lineage in ~700 C.E. discovered to date, it is not possible to be certain about which country our founding ancestor departed from for Ireland, or his date of arrival. Our I-BY184065 SNP track indicates a continental European migration route from the Baltic region to Ireland via England rather than a direct one from present day Scandinavia ((see http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/snpTracker.html ; enter I-BY184065 and use zoom to Europe). This is also supported by the ancient DNA evidence (see Chart 5a and Chart 6 and https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/I-FT75939/ancient ). The aDNA report lists 31 burial sites ancestral to I-BY184065 (England 10, Denmark 8, Germany 3, Sweden 2, Hungary 2,Ukraine 2, Poland 2 , Estonia 1 and Russia 1), the most recent being burials of four men with haplogroup I-FGC69701 at Oakington, Cambridgeshire, England between 400 - 600 CE. This is an Anglo-Saxon burial site, so the arrival of these men in England predated the earliest Viking raids on Ireland which started in the late 8th C. and were mainly by Vikings who had sailed direct from Norway. 7. 8. 8a. These Oakington men may have been raiders or traders who were killed or died in England. They may also have been settlers, as the Oakington and other English sites include women and there is evidence that as much as 76 percent of the population in eastern medieval England between 400-700 C.E. originated from what is now northern Germany and Scandinavia and this was due to continuous migration and assimilation rather than by armed conquest. 8d. 8e. It seems probable that the move of our Norse ancestor to Ireland was via England and somewhat later in the Viking Age. This could have been by English Oakington descendants or by descendants of Oakington ancestors who had remained behind in Denmark or Northern Continental Europe. Ancient DNA from a burial dated at 800-1050 C.E. at Galgedil in Denmark (the same site listed as a burial ancestral to I-BY184065) was shown to have a second degree relative (that is, either a half-brother, nephew/uncle, or grandson/grandfather) buried at a site in England. There is no evidence that he was also a I-BY184065 ancestor, but it demonstrates the mobility of people between Denmark and England around 800-1050 C.E. (see https://the-past.com/news/a-viking-age-family-reunion/ ). A study in 2020 8c found that while genes similar to those of today’s Norwegians are widespread in Iceland, Greenland, Ireland and the Isle of Man, “Danish-like” DNA is more common in England. However, it was not possible to distinguish the genes of Danish Vikings from those of the Angles and Jutes who migrated to Britain from today’s Denmark and Northern Germany in the 5th and 6th centuries. A more recent aDNA study8f has confirmed that these migrations appear to have been part of a continuous movement of people from Denmark and Northern Germany extending from the later Roman period into the eleventh century CE. and include the later Viking invasion and settlement. The chart below shows Viking migrations based on a new (2025) DNA analysis tool (Twigstats) described in an article published in the journal "Nature" by Speidel et al. 11 and summarized in https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyx9nv4mleo

The Roman occupation of Britain (75 B.C.E – 410 C.E.) never extended into Ireland, but trade developed with early pagan Roman Britain, particularly in supply of Irish farm produce and cattle. The decline in Roman military and civic control of Britain towards the end of the 5th C. led to increased Irish slave raiding and even establishment of Irish settlements in Britain. By the 7th C. Ireland had become a centre of the European cultural and Christian religious world because it had not been as adversely affected by the disruption caused by the disintegration of the Roman Empire in Europe.8a Consequently, monastic Ireland attracted scholars, clergy and others from Britain and continental Europe, and trade thrived. The maritime expansion of Scandinavian populations during the Viking Age (about 750–1100 C.E.) resulted in establishment of Viking settlements at Dublin (Dubhlinn), Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick and included Danish Vikings from England. In the 10th C. Dublin became one of the most important towns in the Norse world as a trading and slaving centre. By the 10th C. a whole new hybrid Irish/Scandinavian (Hiberno-Norse) culture was emerging in Dublin and in 952 CE. Dublin split from the Danelaw and Norse influence from England, and from then on had its own dynasty of Viking Kings. By the end of the 11th C. these Vikings had been there for over a century and a half. They had inter-married with Gaelic Irish women, become Christian and formed local political alliances. In 1014 , Brian Boru, Irish King of Leinster, set out to take control Dublin and defeated the Hiberno-Irish at the battle of Clontarf. The armies of both sides had recruited Viking mercenaries from Britain and elsewhere. Despite Brian Boru’s victory, Ireland remained unstable and in the middle of 12th C. Dermott MacMurrough (a descendant of Brian Boru) High King of Ireland and also King of Leinster, fled Ireland for England and France where he made an alliance with the Anglo-Norman King, Henry II (g. grandson of William the Conqueror). He obtained an army from Henry in exchange for land in Ireland. The army was led by Richard de Clare, an Anglo-Norman baron known as “Strongbow”, who attacked and took the city of Waterford. This marked the beginning of control of Ireland by Anglo-Norman barons. In 1171 Henry II himself landed in Ireland and made an alliance with the Irish Kings (the Charter of Waterford). Over the next 50 years Anglo-Normans established power bases and built fortifications in the main population centres and Ireland became dominated by England, which imposed its language, parliamentary, legal and land tenure systems which persist to this day.

In conclusion, on the basis of present evidence our Norse ancestor could have moved from England to Ireland at any time between the 7th C. to the 12th C. possibly as a soldier/mercenary, trader or (towards the end) an employee (lessee farmer) of an Anglo-Norman land-owning baron. Hopefully Big-Y testing will lead to discovery of intermediate subclades off our currently unbranched ~950 year I-BY184065 lineage (~700 C.E. - 1650 C.E.) that will help resolve this puzzle.

For a really excellent history of Ireland, which places the above account of our Irish Berry Family in context, I strongly recommend the BBC 2x DVD set "The Story of Ireland" presented by Fergal Keane. It is available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-EsP3V1tp8 .

I also recommend viewing "The Viking Invasions of Ireland 795-1014: the Complete History" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLV_wxs7ut4 .

By about 1670 our family had certainly adopted Berry/Bury as a surname (the spelling apparently having been interchangeable at the time). However, early Medieval Ireland was one of the first cultures to adopt patrilineal surnames as early as the 10th C 8 . This means that if our ancestor was of Norman (European Viking) descent and arrived in Ireland in the early 12 Century, he may have already have used the name Berry because the County of Berry in France was in existence then (https://www.worldstatesmen.org/France_prov.html#Berry . He would also have been a Catholic. Alternatively, if he was not a European Viking and a pagan, our Hiberno-Norse ancestor may have adopted the Gaelic name of his wife’s family, because many of these early Viking traders/settlers in Ireland, being men, married Gaelic, Roman Catholic women. Over generations Norse paganism was abandoned and integrated Catholic, Hiberno-Norse communities were formed and eventually assimilated into the Irish population. 7. 8. If this was the case, “O’Beara” may have been the original version of our Berry/Bury surname2. (see https://www.libraryireland.com/names/ob/o-beara.php ). Another possibility is the place name "Carbury", also formerly spelt "Carbery" according to Wikipedia and is a rural community and a village in north-west County Kildare where Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe's family is known to have lived in the 17th C and probably earlier. The name may also have been adopted for apparently obscure reasons - see the case of Gilbery O’Coyng who became John Berry (see the first paragraph at the top of this page).

Irrespective of details of his undoubted Norse origin, some time in the 17th Century, one of our ancestors (probably a man with the Berry/Bury surname living in Co.Kildare) must have converted to Protestantism from Roman Catholicism, probably in order to avoid one of a succession of English Parliamentary enactments that penalized Catholics. These culminated in the Cromwellian 1652 Act of Settlement which confiscated existing lands held by Catholics and excluded Catholics from land ownership or official office. (By the end of the 1650's only 16% of Ireland was in Catholic ownership). Apparently it was through this expedient conversion that our family gained acceptance into the Protestant Ascendancy Class.

In conclusion, we are unlikely ever to find the primary documentary evidence that conclusively proves where my 6x g. grandfather Thomas Berry (c.1670-c.1730) was born, or that he was the son of Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe. However, the documentary and circumstantial evidence for a familial connection with the Malone and L'Estrange families is strong. Similarly, when exactly some or all of the family converted from Catholicism to Protestantism remains uncertain, although in the mid-1640 Cromwellian era there would certainly have been very strong incentive to do so. I believe that the genetic evidence for a presence of our Berry forebears in Ireland going back at least to the period of Viking settlement, together with the documentary evidence stemming from the will of Thomas Berry of Castlecuffe, provides a credible hypothesis for the deep origin of our family in Ireland. It seems likely to be closer to the truth than the discredited family legend invoking an origin in Wales and Devon, or an Ulster-Scots origin for which there is no documentary or genetic evidence.

The FTDNA Berry Family DNA Project

Y-DNA testing has advanced significantly since inception of the original Berry Family DNA Project in 2003, hosted on the now defunct 'rootsweb' site. Unfortunately, most of the I-M253 members of the original Family Tree DNA Berry Project have not kept up with these advances, both in terms of numbers of STR markers tested and the more recently available SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) testing. Some participants whose STR results were posted on the ‘rootsweb’ site have not joined the current FTDNA Project (some have died) so their results are no longer readily available for comparison. Of those members of our Berry family who have joined, as of May 2025, 11 have tested for 37 markers, 7 for 67markers, 2 for 111 markers (see STR Genetic Distance Tables 2, 2a and dendrograms in Charts 4, 4a and 4b below) and 20 have done the Big-Y-700 Test (see (https://blog.familytreedna.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/big-y-700-white-paper_compressed.pdf ). The Big-Y testing has resulted in establishment of terminal SNP I-BY184065 as the "signature" haplogroup of our Irish Berry family. Chart 3 summarizes lineages based on the documented and genetic genealogy of the twenty-two men who have tested at 111 markers or more and/or done a Big-Y test, together with their current terminal SNPs.

Unless there are very unusual circumstances (becoming more remote all the time) a Big-Y test (currently 700 markers) is the best Y-DNA test on offer. The reason for this is that Big-Y (unlike other Y-DNA tests) is exploratory and "searches" your sample for all STR markers and SNP mutations - both those known to science and those currently unknown. This means that when your sample is analyzed you will end up with a list of previously unknown and unnamed SNPs (termed "Private Variants" by FTDNA) - how many will depend on how rare they are and how well your particular line has been tested. It is these SNPs that are the key to unlocking both downstream and upstream lineages within our Berry family tree because, unlike STR markers which can mutate back and forth, SNPs generally remain unchanged. SNP testing is progressing so rapidly that SNP mutations occurring in the recent, documented genealogical time frame are now being placed onto the human Y-DNA haplotree . Our I-BY184065 Berry family requires further SNP testing if we are all to benefit from the advances being made using this technology and to better understand our recent genetic history. Typically, FTDNA needs to identify at least two matching private variant SNPs to be able define a new sub-branch of the human Haplo-Tree (HT) (Charts 1, 1a). Recent Big-Y results of Brett Berry, Donald Berry, Cameron Berry, Timothy Berry, Jeffrey Mabe, Brian Berry and Paddy Berry have done just this, and resulted in identification of six new sub-clades - I-FT126869, I-FGC50473, I-FT77085, I-FT75939, I-FTA15544 and FTA17005 under I-BY184065 (see Chart 2 & Table 1 below). In addition, a tester in September 2024 (surname Rogers) matched SNP I-FT91417 in our I-BY184065 block of named SNPs resulting in it being assigned as a new parent haplogroup for I-BY184065 and bringing forward the estimated date that I-BY184065 formed by ~450 years. Chart 2 shows the placements of the current 20 Big-Y testers on the latest Block Tree version. At the top of the screenshot is a large block below I-FT91417, now containing 18 SNPs with names like BY184084, FT58966 etc. (The SNPs beginning with the letters BY were discovered with earlier Big Y tests, and the ones beginning with the letters FT were discovered with the more recent Big Y-700 test). They are grouped together because the order in which these occurred is not yet known. When a new Big-Y tester has some of these SNPs, but not others, the ones that are shared by the new tester will then be known to have occurred in earlier generations than the SNPs that are not shared. As more people test, it is possible for many of these SNPs to be placed in generational order on the tree and it will break up into sub-clades. Currently our I-BY184065 block of 18 named SNPS represents a time span of approximately 1500 years (using 1 SNP = 83 years on average) and we need other new testers (not necessarily with the Berry surname) to match one or more of these SNPs to further break up this block. As more I-M253 Berry Project participants do Big-Y tests our "Private Variant" SNPs will become better defined, hopefully to the point of identifying other sub-clades and, in particular, ones that that bridge the gap to the documented genealogical time period.

Big-Y and the "Pennsylvanian John" and "Tennessee William" Puzzles

The Big-Y test of Brett Berry resulted in identification of a new sub-clade (I-FT126869) in which he, Charles Milton Berry and most recently Brian Berry, have been placed under I-BY184065 (see Chart 3). Conventional genealogy shows that Brett, Charles and Brian were descended from a John Berry, born c. 1748, who arrived in Pennsylvania from England one year prior to the Revolutionary War, served throughout its duration, married Elizabeth Merritt of New Jersey and died in 1830, leaving a will i.e. he was not the "founder'"John Berry (c.1695-1770/71). I shall call him "Pennsylvanian John". The sharing of a private variant SNP by Brett, Charles, and Brian that is not shared by the other Big-Y testers, is interpreted to show that this mutation appeared at earliest in Pennsylvanian John or (given his dates) possibly his father or grandfather.

Three other subclades of I-BY184065 have also been identified, namely I-FGC50473, I-FT77085 and I-FTA15544. The latter, was split (in August 2024) into subclade I-FTA17005 to which John Edward Berry and Jeffrey Mabe belong. Timothy Berry remains in I-FTA15544 which represents a line that appears to have separated earlier than all the others based on both STR and SNP results (see Charts 3, 4a, 4b, 5 and 6). Their e.k.a. named William Berry (c.1738 -1823) who married Sueanne ? Lane lived in Lee Valley, Hawkins Co. Tennessee. This William Berry, who I shall identify as "Tennessee William", is clearly important in understanding the origins of our I-BY184065 family. He was thought by Jackson et al 1 to be one of the three orphans of James Berry ( c.1716 - 1749), but cannot be, based on current DNA evidence. His birth date is frequently cited as c.1758 in most of the online literature, but this appears to be an error. It first appeared in the defunct rootsweb Berry DNA Project in 2005, but unfortunately has now become established in the online literature. I believe that it originated as a lapsus calami by Carol Vass in an email to Jim Berry in October 2005 and should have read 1738. March 1758 was the date of the guardianship record of the James Berry orphans (see https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~berry/genealogy/newupload/pages/B1a.htm ). It should now be recognized that William the orphan and "Tennessee William" were different people. Jackson et al1 were aware of the close genetic relationship between the Hawkins Co. and the Augusta/Washington Berry families on the basis of low level STR marker testing, but were frustrated that they were unable to find "....a single shred of primary or secondary source documentation to connect the Hawkins BERRYs to the Augusta BERRYs". Carol Vass in her notes on William Berry (d.1823 and who she thought was one of the orphans) also queried whether the slight differences between the STR DNA of the Lee Valley Berry family descendants compared to Bulls Gap family descendants might indicate that "...Wm. Berry (d. 1823) was related to the Aug/Wash BERRYs, but was a later immigrant to America." The distinction between the two William Berrys also seems to be supported by the fact that Thomas Berry, a son of "Tennessee William" of Lee Valley was a Baptist and his son - Jesse was a Baptist minister, whereas the Berry family of Bulls Gap, Hawkins Co. and the Augusta/Washington Co. descendants of "founder" John appear to have been Presbyterians. The Big-Y results of three descendants of "Tennessee William" are evidence that this is in fact the case. "Tennessee William's" I-FTA15544 lineage and its subclade I-FTA17005 must descend from our most recent I-BY184065 common ancestor (c. 1600, see Chart 3), because if this lineage had split off above it, all the other Big-Y results below I-BY184065 would have I-FTA15544 and it’s not there. i.e. I-FTA15544 is a separate subclade of I-BY184065.

Lee Valley and Bulls Gap are only about 12 miles apart as the crow flies. The genetic evidence indicates that Carol Vass was correct and Tennessee William’s Irish ancestor probably migrated to America later than the Bulls Gap family, but settled close to his Berry relatives.

Thus all the American I-BY184065 haplogroup Berrys are descended either from “founders” James and John Berry who migrated well before the Revolutionary War, or from a William Berry ("Tennessee William") whose I-FTA15544 lineage and its subclade I-FTA17005 must descend from our most recent I-BY184065 common ancestor (c. 1600, see Chart 3). "Pennsylvanian John" who, according to a secondary documentary source, arrived in 1775 from "England" may be a descendant of George Berry (?-1803/04), the second son of American "founder " James (see Chart 3). However, as no descendants of George have done a Big-Y test, this has yet to be confirmed.

Descendants of my ancestor, "founder" Thomas Berry, who remained in Ireland only migrated to Canada and the USA in the late 19th C. or early 20th C.

When considering the origins of our I-BY184065 haplogroup Berry family it is important to remember the realities of inheritance and DNA testing. As far as is known, the Y-DNA STR markers and SNPs used for genealogical testing don’t code for anything functional. They’re just passive labels on the Y chromosome (which only determines sex) and get passed down the paternal lineage only. All of the coding DNA that accounts for everything else about us resides on the autosomal chromosomes, of which there are 22. Those of us who have done autosomal testing (e.g. Ancestry etc.) should remember that from each of our parents we got approximately half of our DNA, from each grandparent, a quarter, each g. grandparent an eighth and so on. At 7 generations that’s less than 1%, and at 10 generations it’s under 0.1% — zero, for all practical purposes. We will therefore have no DNA at all from our Irish Norse founder ancestor, other than the passive Y-DNA labels. If our autosomal tests show Scandinavian ancestry (mine show 3-4%) it will have been inherited from a fairly recent, probably 4x - 6x g. grandparent.

I look on the Big-Y test as an investment and a legacy for future generations, because the information about our lineage continues to accumulate over time as more men test (they may not necessarily even have the Berry surname) and new matches are found. In June 2025 FTDNA announced that its Y-DNA haplotree of Humankind, which is the world's largest, has 91,277 branches and 761,091 variants. So come on guys, I know that it’s expensive, but wait for a FTDNA sale or, at the very least, please consider upgrading your STR markers to 111. Alternatively, I recently (2025) discovered that it is possible to determine what your terminal haplogroup is using the latest SNP technology, but without the cost of doing a FTDNA YDNA test at all, or an upgrade to a Big-Y test. This is by testing for our Berry "signature" SNP I-BY184065 and one or all of its currently known four downstream SNPs (I-FT126869, I-FGC50473, I-FT75939, I-FTA15544). FTDNA discontinued doing single SNP testing several years ago, but there is a company based in Germany (Berlin) called YSEQ that does it ("Wish a SNP”). See http://www.yseq.net/ . The cost per test is $19, plus $1 per SNP, plus sample kit $3, plus postage ~$6; so about $30. The only downside to this alternative that I can see is that a “Wish a SNP” test only shows if you are positive or negative for a specified SNP. Also, if you want to get access to the full set of tools that come with a Big-Y, you will still need to do a Big-Y test. In addition, your YSEQ determined terminal SNP will not be shown in the FTDNA Berry Project results. If you are interested in doing a YSEQ test, please email me.

Here is FTDNA's current (May 2025) Haplogroup Report for I-BY184065 which is the"signature" haplogroup for our Berry family:- "I-BY184065's paternal line was formed when it branched off from the ancestor I-FT91417 and the rest of mankind around 700 CE. This date is an estimate based on genetic information only. With a 95% probability, the ancestor I-FT91417 was born between the years 372 CE and 991 CE. The most likely estimate is 714 CE, rounded to700 CE. This estimate will likely change in the future as more people test and we improve the method.

The man who is the most recent common ancestor of this line is estimated to have been born around 1650 CE. This date is an estimate based on genetic information only. With a 95% probability, the most recent common ancestor of all members of haplogroup I-BY184065 was born between the years 1551 and 1758 CE. The most likely estimate is 1667 CE, rounded to 1650 CE. He is the ancestor of at least 12 descendant lineages known as I-FT126869, I-FGC50473, I-FTA15544, I-FT77085 and 8 yet unnamed lineages. This estimate will likely change in the future as more people test and we improve the method.

There are 20 DNA tested descendants, and they specified that their earliest known origins are from: Ireland, England and United States. 5 from unknown countries."

I recommend that readers take a look at FTDNA's new interactive tools - Time Tree in "Discover" (https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/I-BY184065/tree ) see Chart 5a, Match Time Tree and "Group Time Tree" ( https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/I-FT75939/matches) and ( https://discover.familytreedna.com/groups/berry/tree?subgroups=200683,249535,274251,284643,301746,307291 ) on your Berry Group Project page. I would encourage you to follow FTDNA's last paragraph: "You can help improve the estimates by specifying birth years on your Big Y kits, documenting your patrilineal genealogy in your Family Tree with accurate names and birth years, and linking Y-DNA matches with whom you share a known most recent common ancestor."

I also recommend that readers try Robin Spencer's interactive SNP tracker which gives a simplified pathway and a timeline for these Berry SNPs http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/snpTracker.html ). Enter I-BY184065 first and try using some of the map options (three horizontal bars on the top right) as well as child SNPs of I-BY184065 .

For some of us it’s been a long time since we did our original DNA tests. Here are some things I suggest you consider doing in order to keep your DNA sample, your FTDNA account and your results current and available for future generations:-

Join the current FTDNA Berry Project if you have not already done so. This allows the Project Administrators to access your 'rootsweb' results and transfer them to the current Project. The original website hosted by ‘rootsweb’ is defunct, although currently still accessible. https://www.familytreedna.com/my/group-join
Make sure that the email and postal addresses on your FTDNA account are your current ones. https://www.familytreedna.com/my/account-information
Please update the place of origin of your eka. I suggest that "Ireland" is the most appropriate for the descendants of "founders" Thomas Berry (b. c. 1670), James Berry (b. c. 1680) and John Berry (b. c. 1685).
Consider nominating a Beneficiary to manage your account, including your kit and any remaining DNA sample, after you pass away. This can be done from "Account Settings" on the FTDNA Homepage. https://www.familytreedna.com/my/account-information
If your sample is older than 10 years, order a new kit from FTDNA (it's free) and submit it to them for storage. This is important if your sample is needed for a Big-Y test in the future.
Please consider upgrading your test for the reasons explained above.

References

1Jackson J., Vass C., Laughlin M. and Fischer D. 2002. Genealogy of the Berry and Associated Families. Unpublished Report pp 1 - 345. See the following link:-

# http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~berry/genealogy/newupload/pages/report.htm

2 Pritchard John, 1999. The Presbyterian Church in Devon. https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/DEV/ChurchHistory/Presbyterians

3 History of Clinton County Indiana. Chicago Inter-State Publishing Co. 1886. page 633.

4 https://www.ancestryireland.com/scotsinulster/index.phb

5 Seamus Pender (ed.) 1939. A Census of Ireland, circa 1659 with Supplementary Material from the Poll Money Ordinances (1660-1661).

htthttp://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/history.htmlps://www.irishmanuscripts.ie/digital/censusofireland1659/Census%20Of%20Ireland%201659.pdf

6 The Down Survey: http://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/history.html

7 https://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/pre_norman_history/vikings.html

8. McEvoy B. and Bradley D.G. 2006. Y-chromosomes and the extent of patrilineal ancestry in Irish surnames. Hum Genet 119: 212-219.

8a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-EsP3V1tp8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znv4rNEVFpw

8b https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLV_wxs7ut4

8c. Margaryan, A., Lawson, D.J., Sikora, M et. al. Population genomics of the Viking world. Nature 585, 390-396 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2688-

8d. Schiffels, S. Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon genomes from East England reveal British migratory history. Nat commun 7 10408 (2016) https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10408

8e. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/archaeologists-uncover-real-story-england-became-england-180984911/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

8f. https://reich.hms.harvard.edu/sites/reich.hms.harvard.edu/files/inline-files/s41586-022-05247-2%20%281%29.pdf

9.(https://search.findmypast.ie/record?id=IRE%2FDIOC%2F007246545%2F00341&parentid=IRE%2FDIOC%2FWILL%2F00182344 )

9a. Burke, Sir Bernard, 1912. Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland: 400.

9b. Burke, Sir Bernard, 1912. Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland: 453-454.

10. "Ireland, Landed Estate Court Files, 1850-1885", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KCFN-XYW : Wed Aug 21 17:21:37 UTC 2024), Entry for Francis Berry, 1714.

11. Speidel, L., Silva, M., Booth, T. et al. High-resolution genomic history of early medieval Europe. Nature 637, 118–126 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08275-2

Link to results for the current Berry Family DNA Project

https://www.familytreedna.com/public/berry?iframe=ydna-results-overview

Link to the old USA I-M253 (Augusta/ Washington Co.) Berry family project

* http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~langolier/genealogy/BerryDNA/family_dna_results.html

Charts and Tables

Chart 1. Comparison of FTDNA public haplotree placement of I-BY184065 with subclades (left, screenshot May 2025) with placement of I-FT75939 under new subclade I-FT77085 and right, screenshot Dec. 2024.

Chart 1a. FTDNA's new Classic Haplotree (https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/I-FT75939/classic)

Chart 2. Current version of my FTDNA Block tree for haplogroup I-BY184065 with its sub-clades I-FT126869, I-FGC50473, I-FT77085, I-FT75939, I-FTA15544 and I-FTA17005. In May 2025, a new parent haplogroup named I-FT77085 was created between I-BY184065 and I-FT75939.

Chart 2a. Previous version of my FTDNA Block tree for haplogroup I-BY184065 with its sub-clades I-FT126869, I-FGC50473, I-FT75939, I-FTA15544 and I-FTA17005. On 10 Sept. 2024, a new parent haplogroup named I-FT91417 was created between I-FT91420 and I-BY184065.

Chart 3. Summary of lineages based on conventional documented genealogy reported by the twenty two men who have tested at 111 markers or more and/or done a Big-Y test. (Screenshot May 2025.).

Chart 4. Section of dendrogram from the FTDNA Berry DNA Project showing I-M253 testers at 37 markers and above, with surnames and kit numbers . (Screenshot in June 2025).

Chart 4a. Section of dendrogram from the FTDNA Berry DNA Project showing I-M253 STR testers at 111 markers with surnames and kit numbers . (Screenshot in June 2025).

Chart 4b. Section of dendrogram from the FTDNA Berry Project showing I-M253 STR testers at 111 markers with surnames and haplogroups . (Screenshot in June 2025).

Chart 5. FTDNA's new "Match Time Tree" showing haplogroup I-FT91417 as the recently named earliest common ancestor of I-BY184065 and the most recent addition - haplogroup I-FT 77085. (Screenshot on 30 May 2025).

Chart 5.a FTDNA's new "Time Tree" - Haplotype I-FGC69702 Time Tree See https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/I-FGC69701/tree screenshot on 30 May 2025. For I-BY184065 tree see https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/I-BY184065/tree .

Chart 6. FTDNA "Discover/Ancient Connections" tool showing, as an example, one of the four reports for Oakington, Cambridgeshire, England from my Big-Y results. (The other burial sites are listed by increasing age of the shared ancestral SNP e.g. for Galgedil LS it is I-Z2040 and for Beremiany 643 it is I-Z59).

Chart 7. Castlecuffe information provided by the Down Survey of 1656-1658. (Note that the entire population of 24 are recorded as English (Protestants). (https://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/landowners.php#l1=Coote,+Charles+Earl+of+Mountrath&l2=Coote,+Charles+Earl+of+Mountrath&mc=53.187913,-7.57789&z=11

Table 1. Private Variants of the current twenty Berry Big-Y testers showing the basis for splitting I-FGC50473, I-FT12869, I-FT75939, I-FT77085, I-FTA15544 and I-FTA17005 from I-BY184065. (Screenshot in May 2025).

Table 2. Genetic Distance on 111 Markers.

NB. I have a novel STR mutation at slow mutating marker DYS389-II. My result is 31 instead of 30 that my brother, my uncle (and so presumably my dad had). I have therefore calculated my results above (#56996) at 30 instead of 31.

Table 2a. Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor on 111 Markers

- Probability is 75% that the TMRCA is no longer than indicated

- Average generaton: 30 years

DYS389-II value at 30 for #56996

A Tribute to Carol Vass

Carol passed away on 28 Nov. 2018. Her remains were interred with those of her husband, Sam Frank Vass (1938-2015) at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, King County, Washington. She spent the last few years of her life struggling with diminishing physical abilities which eventually drove her from her other love – family history research.

Throughout her life, Carol was very active in genealogy and was particularly focused on discovering the origins of what she believed were her Scotch-Irish Berry family roots. She was a driving force in the study of the “Augusta/Washington Co.” Berry family in the USA # and was a founder co-administrator of the Berry Family DNA Project* with Jim Berry. Her connection with this Berry family was through Barbara Berry (c.1740-1811/18), daughter of Thomas Berry (1718-1799) and grand-daughter of founding father, James Berry (c.1695 - after May 1756).

Her friend and collaborator, Jim Jackson, remembers her thus: “Carol was an exhaustive and thorough researcher, known for her strict adherence to objective analysis, and was always willing to change her theory if that was what the data demanded. Family stories were interesting but mostly just a starting point for extensive record research to either support or disprove the stories. Her insistence upon researching the entire family group, rather than merely her own personal lineage; her requirement to use primary source material to support her analysis and her method of acquiring all of possible data before making critical assessments, resulted in the widespread understanding within the genealogical community that her work was accurate and reliable. Between the information stored in her head and her extensive personal research files, she possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of Berry family information, and was a critical driving force in the study of that group.

Carol’s charming character, professional research style and intelligent analysis will be missed. As family history researchers, we have always stood on the shoulders of those who preceded us, and now hers are some of those shoulders”.

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