Whitmore Surname Project: New England Whitmore Haplotypes

Based on YDNA testing of the twelve participants above, both of these hypotheses are proven to be untrue.

The Whittamore or Whittemore family of Hitchin, based on test results of two descendants is an entirely different haplogroup (I) than the descendants of Francis Whitmore and Thomas Wetmore (R1b1), and therefore not related at all (in a direct paternal line) to the other two. (The most recent common ancestor of the two lines would have been manythousands of years ago.) The three descendants of Francis Whitmore and the two descendants of Thomas Wetmore differ by a genetic distance of at leas six on 25 markers, thus proving no close relationship (in a direct paternal line) between these two immigrants to New England.

It would be useful to test at least one more proven descendant of the Thomas Whittemore lineage before considering these results conclusive.

A proven connection to the ancient Whitmore family of Whitmore Hall, in the parish of Whitmore, near Newcastle-under-Lyme in county Staffordshire, England, is something like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for many Whitmore genealogists. None of these three Whitmore lines has yet established proof of a connection. These results don't take anyone "out of the running," but do tell us that all three of the lines cannot be connected to this ancient family. We would have to have a male descendant of this family tested to "prove" such a connection.(See the sponsorship offer on our Introduction to Genetic Genealogy page.) Sir John Whitmore, Bart., has agreed to supply us with a DNA sample which should prove useful in sorting out these English lines. The present owners of Whitmore Hall, the Cavenagh-Mainwarings, who have held and occupied the estate for 800-900 years are descended from the Whitmores, but have several interruptions through female heiresses. See Derek Whitmore's summary "Early Whitmores of Staffordshire".