Matthew Grant's ancestry
I have noticed a lot of mis-information being spread on here and have reluctantly decided to chime in ever so breifly.My family also descends from Matthew Grant and had an assumed tradition of Scottish ancestry - until I saw Geoff's DNA notes from his family's test.While nothing can be certain 100%, the evidence overwhelmingly points at an Anglo-Saxon source and a family that remained in the Mid-lansd area of England for its duration.
The DNA signature is very different than that of the known Clan Grant signature.The seperation, according to Family Tree DNA and other DNA professionals, appears to be about 5,000 years old.There is no chance that Matthew Grant is related to the Chiefly line of Clan Grant.It is also worth noting that the Matthew Grant DNA signature is R1b1b2a1a1a4a* also known as L-47* (the Clan's is R1b1a2a1a1b4* aka L-21).L-47* is extremelly rare in Highland Scotland and is most associated with the Frisians that lived just north of the Rhine River during the Roman Times.A very unlikely candidate for a Highland Clan family.While there is a remote chance that Matthew Grant is related to Scottish peasantry that assumed the Grant name sometime before the 1500's, again the DNA strongly suggests otherwise.In Geoff's research he shares with everyone the numerous DNA matches to the Grant family and less than 3% of them have Scottish ancestry.Most of the names reflect Anglo-Saxon surnames and families with strong ties to the Warwick & Chester areas.
While it would be more romantic to suggest a connection to a fine Scottih clan, we have accepted our English & Anglo-Saxson heritage.
John Grant
Matthew Grant descendant through his oldest son Samuel
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Re: Matthew Grant's ancestry
geoff grant 1/11/12