John Endecott Family Association DNA Project

Endecott yDNA Project Goals

1. Identify the father of Governor John Endecott (1588-1665)
  • Is it Thomas Endecott (1566-1621) of Chagford, England?
  • Maybe one of Thomas Endecott's (b.1566) siblings?
  • Maybe a distant relative of Thomas Endecott (b.1566)?
  • Could it be a man with an Unknown surname?
  • Could Gov. John Endecott be a descendant of the Yorkshire Endeacott's ('ae' spelling variation)?
  • Many have claimed Gov John's parents were from Dorchester, England. Maybe another possibility?
2. Identify the family lines of various Endecott families from around the world
  • Variant Spellings - Endecott, Endicott, Endacott, Indicott, Endeacott, ....
  • Large groups of Endecott's reside in USA, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, ...
5. Rule our whether certain families only took on the Endecott surname when surnames were required
6. Compare all Endecott family lines and determine where they fit into the haplogroup tree
7. Determine places of origin associated with submitted DNA samples
8. Determine the specific branch the tester belongs to
9. Determine if other surnames are associated with the Endecott surname
10. Determine if the tester is genetically related to others who share the Endecott (& variations) surname

Helpful Info

yDNA Haplogroups
Videos
Big Y-700
Facebook Group
Following link is for those who have already tested.
FTDNA Project Page

Who we need to test

1. Male descendants of Gov John Endecott
2. Male Siblings and descendants of Thomas Endacott (b.1566 in Chagford - married to Unknown)
3. Male Siblings and descendants of John Endecott born 1541 (married Johhana Unknown)
4. Male Siblings and descendants of Henry Endecott 1515 (married Marjory Halse)
5. Male Endecott spelling variations (Endicott, Endacott, Indicott, Endeacott, and many others.)
6. Males who believe they're a male Endacott descendant with a different surname due to adoption, divorce, non parental event, ...
Some financial assistance might be available for those who fall under the following conditions. These are on a case by case basis.

1. Thomas Endecott's (b.1566 Chagford) siblings and their male descendants

2. yDNA matches that don't meet any of the above criteria. These are matches in the FTDNA database who are Unknowns to us as to how they're related to the Endecotts. These individuals will need additional SNP testing.

Male descendants are crucial in determining the ancestors of Gov. John Endecott. Males pass on yDNA to their son with small mutations that occur over time. These small mutations passed through numerous generations of sons enables us to determine which haplogroup and subgroup each male belongs to.

If you're a male Endecott (& variations) descendant please consider participating in our project.
Tested Already?

Please request to join the Family Tree DNA project. https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/endecott/activity-feed After logging in, click MyProjects then the Join button.

Haven't Tested?

Males need to test their yDNA at Family Tree DNA to participate.

Please take the highest yDNA marker test you can afford. The Big Y test will give the best results.

If you can't afford one of the higher marker tests take a lower marker test.

You might be asked to test a specific SNP (marker) test at a later date.

3 tests available at FTDNA - normal pricing

FTDNA has various sales throughout the year.

  • 1. Y-37 $111 - test 37 markers
  • 2. Y-111 $249 - test 111 markers
  • 3. Big Y-700 $459 - tests 700 markers (Most beneficial to our project) More BigY info

If you aren't sure about which kit to purchase contact our Project Admin Michelle Hartley

yDNA Information

YDNA is the male sex chromosome “Y”, biologically, what makes a man, a man.

YDNA can help you trace a direct male line on your family tree.

Only males can take a YDNA test. So if you’re not a man, but you want to use YDNA to explore a specific part of your lineage, you’ll have to use your powers of persuasion to get the right man on your family tree to take this test.

This test works because the YDNA is directly paternally inherited. That means that living men today have the same, or very similar, YDNA as their father, grandfather, great grandfather, and so on.

Distinct mutations over many generations create your haplogroup which is your deep ancestral group. And when we say deep, we mean deep. Your haplogroup tells you where your ancestor was up to 10,000 years ago!

More in depth haplogroup info

Why test yDNA?

Missing father on your family tree.

Now, all of us should be able to identify with this genealogical problem. Every line in your family history has this problem at some point. Any ancestor whose father is currently unknown falls in this category.

Surname mixup
One of the best applications of YDNA testing comes when trying to disentangle the relationships of various men living in close proximity with other men of the same or similar surname. Having descendants of these men test their YDNA is like traveling back in time and conducting personal interviews of each of these men. It’s like saying, “Excuse me, Mr. Endecott? Is this neighbor of yours, Mr. Endecott, your uncle?”

Since the advent of surnames, our last names have become the flagships of our genealogical research.

Although they are an obvious way to conduct and organize our genealogical research, surnames can also be misleading. Illiteracy, language barriers, and just plain carelessness in the past led to misspellings and alterations, not to mention those ancestors who flat-out changed their names.

In many cultures, surnames carry over from father to son over the generations. So does YDNA. Two kinds of evidence to support someone’s paternal lineage.

The genealogical chain can get broken. At some point, perhaps your Endecott ancestor was actually fathered by an unknown Johannsen.

Or maybe you are in the situation where “team Endecott” may have had so many potential players in town, that you’re not sure which of the many brothers (or cousins or unrelated men) is really your next generation back. For these and other reasons joining a YDNA surname project can be beneficial.