HAPLOGROUPS:

The information provided in the is section is based on the haplogroup test results of our Thorpe volunteers.  Additionally, Family Tree DNA has also provided a comparison of  each volunteer's haplotype with various other populations of the world who belong to the same identified haplogroups as the volunteers (called an "Ethnic Origins" test).  Thus, we have able to obtain information about various world populations that have exact or close genetic matches with our haplotypes.  Again, caution should be used when using this information to infer place of origin for your surname, since European populations have moved around a tremendous amount over the centuries.

THUS FAR, ALL OUR THORPE VOLUNTEERS EXCEPT ONE BELONG TO HAPLOGROUP H1b.  This group is the most common haplogroup in Western European populations.  The current thinking is that the origins of the R1b haplogroup date back toUpper Palaeolithic time (literally, the "Old Stone Age," approximately 40,000 years ago) in Europe. One of the main reasons geneticist postulate a Palaeolithic origin for this group is because its high frequency in the Basques, who still speak a pre-Indo-European language.   When the Ice Age hit Europe and large sheets of ice spread across the continent, making it essentially uninhabitable (approximately 18,000 years ago), the early European populations found refuge by retreating back to Southwestern France, Spain and Portugal.  Around 12,000 years ago, when the ice finally retreated, this populated migrated back to Europe, now carrying the Rlb mutation which defined them as a group. 

Members of the H1b haplogroup eventually migrated across the European continent to the British Isles and Ireland.  Today, this group is sometimes referred to as the "Celtic/Basque" haplogroup, since it includes most male Basques, as well as a majority of Irish males with Gaelic surnames.  However, it must be emphasized that this group is comprised of many European populations, not simply the Celtics or the Basques.  It is particularly common in Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Denmark, Holland and the British Isles.   It is also found in Scandinavian populations, though it cannot be used as a diagnostic tool to determine Viking ancestry due to its very broad dispersal thoughout European countries.

Keep in mind that our understanding of haplogroups is constantly being revised and refined as more studies are performed.  These results are based on what is the current thinking about the H1b haplogroup.  In ten years, as more studies are completed,  the picture could look very different.

A good rule of thumb for determining haplogroups is the following:

1. If DYS #426 is 12 and DYS#392 is 11, then the haplogroup is R1a1 (formerly known as group HG3 or Eu19).

2. If DYS#426 is 12 and DYS#392 is NOT 11, then the group is R1b (formerly known as group HG1 or Eu18).

3. If DYS#426 is 11, then the group is I (formerly known as HG2).

Members of haplogroups R1a1 and I are believed at this time to be descendants of two later waves of population migrations into Europe.  It should be noted that R1a1 is prevelant in modern Scandinavian populations (and other populations in Eastern and Central European) and is used as an indicator for possibly Viking heritage, particularly in the British Isles.  It is much rarer in other European populations.   Interestingly, it is also found in about 9% of the population of Turkey, as well as over 50% of the Ashkenazi Levite Jews.  Clearly, this haplogroup is seen more frequently on the eastern side of Europe, as well as parts of India.   The "founding father" of this haplogroup probably originated in the Ukraine during the last Ice Age.

Haplogroup I is also found in modern Scandinavian populations, as well as some Eastern European groups.  However, this Haplogroup cannot be used as a diagnostic tool for determining Viking ancestry.  Haplogroup I entered Europe in successive waves, the last wave occuring approximately 10,000-8,000 years ago.  This group is credited with introducing agriculture from the Middle East into Europe.  This haplotype is also very common in Southern and Central Europe.

Each of our three Thorpe haplotypes were compared by Family Tree DNA with a world-wide database of other similar haplotypes that are also R1b.  Below, I have listed a number of  Thorpe haplotypes and the county where the identical or near-identical haplotypes originated.  An exact match is 12/12 or 25/25.  A one step match is 11/12 or 24/25 and the magnitude of the mistmatch is 1 (meaning there is a single mutation difference between the markers).  A two step match is 10/12 or 23/25 and the magnitude of both mistmatches is 1, or it is 11/12 or 24/25 and the magnitude of the mismatch is 2.  Near matches display where those distantly related to our Thorpe lineages have migrated over time.  I have not listed every county with  a match or near-match to our Thorpe volunteers, just the ones that show significant and numerous matches.  I also have not listed any matches that exceed a 3 step mutation, with the exception of Haplotype #5, which falls into the rather unusual Haplogroup "I.".  If you would like additional information regarding matches beyond the 3 step mutations, please contact me.  Finally, although I have listed a number of Thorpe Haplotypes, due to space and time restrictions, I cannot list the results of  every DNA participant.  If there is a result missing that you would like further information on, please contact me.



Note that there are no exact matches with this haplotype.  Clearly, the strongest connection for this haplotype is the British Isles and Iceland.

There has been a recent genetic study of the Icelandic population (see www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJHG/journal/issues/v67n3/001900/001900.text.html, for a study entitled "Estimating Scandinavian and Gaelic Ancestry in the Male Settlers of Iceland," by Agnar Helgason et al.,  published July 14, 2000 in Am. J. Hum. Genet, 67:697-717), which found that approximately 20-25% of the founding male Icelandic population had Gaelic ancestry, and that the majority of females (mtDNA evidence) had Gaelic ancestry as well.  Researchers believe that when the Norse people (mainly males) settled in the Shetlands, Hebrides, Isle of Man, and the coastal regions of Ireland, Scotland and northern England, they intermarried heavily with the existing Gaelic population.  Later, when the colonization of Iceland commenced  (approximately 900 A.D.) many of these families subsequently left the British Isles for a new life in the uncharted territory of Iceland.

Interestingly, our Thorpe haplotype seems to have the strongest matches with areas where these Viking invaders intermarried with local Celtic populations, indicating this haplotype may be a mixture of these two populations as well.  For a further discussion of this, please refer to the "Ethnic Origins" section below.

The 3 step mutation match with Native Siberian Russians probably represents the eastern-most reach of this haplotype within the  R1b haplogroup, with an occasional rare stray into East Asia/Mongolia.  This is particularly fascinating since we do not generally think of  people from Southeast Asia as descendants of early European hunter-gatherer tribes.  (It should be noted that there have been straying of genes in both directions, and studies are being conducted to track the Hun and Gengis Khan invaders genetic legacy within the populations of Europe).



Similar to haplotype #1, this haplotype shows a strong correlation with the British Isles and areas where Viking populations intermixed with local Gaelic populations.  Like the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland, parts of Ireland were settled heavily by the Vikings, who intermarried with local women of Gaelic ancestry.  Again, there is strong correlation with Haplotype #2 and R1b groups of mixed ancestry in Iceland as well.   Furthermore, there are strong showings of  R1b haplotype #2 throughout the European continent, stretching east from Russia and Poland to Western Europe..

I threw in a couple of strange matches at the end to again emphasize the broad reach of haplotypes falling within the R1b group, which experienced admixture in this case with both Arab and Russian Jewish populations. This doesn't mean that descendants of Thomas Tharp of Maryland have Arab or Jewish histories, merely that some individual's that had a three-step mutation from the Thorpe Haplotype #2 (a 9/12 match)  and also belonging to the R1b haplogroup intermarried at some point in time with women from these far-flung populations of Europe and the Middle East.



The matches and near matches with the Thorpe Haplotype #3  (and R1b haplogroup) within European populations are the most extensive of our group of volunteers so far.  The reach of this haplotype is extremely broad, reaching from Russia to the British Isles, and as far flung as Syria and parts of Greece, making it difficult to analyze.  Clearly, there is a very strong correlations between this haplotype and Norse/Celtic populations in Iceland, the Shetlands, and other parts of the British Isles, including four 12/12 matches with Icelandic groups!

Clearly, broad haplogroup classifications provide a fascinating piece of history for our all of our Project  volunteers.  These groups provide Thorpe descendants with the opportunity to recognize themselves as members of a far-flung population, related to men whom they have never met, but who nevertheless share a common ancestor in the very distant past.




ETHNIC ORIGINS:


Each Thorpe haplotype that participated in the project showed a strong ethnic connection with groups tested in the British Isles, as well as parts of mainland Europe.  The main difference between the matches documented above and those analyzed here is that these ethnic matches don't necessarily belong to the R1b haplogroup of our Thorpe volunteers.  Also, since information regarding ethnic origins is provided by the DNA volunteers, this information is only as accurate as the volunteer's knowledge. 

Many of the Project volunteers expressed their belief that their Thorpe lineage originated in the British Isles.  Presently, a number of Y-chromosome DNA studies are being conducted to better understand the genetic background of the British Isles.   Some previous studies have focused on the controversial debate over whether present-day groups in British Isles are descended from the Celts or the later Anglo-Saxon and Viking invaders of the 5th century.  One such study, entitled "A Y Chromosome Census of the British Isles," by C. Capelli et al., published May 27, 2003 in Current Biology, vol. 13, 979-984, basically showed that in different parts of England, there is varying degrees of German/Danish ancestry (as a result of the invasion of England by Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians), but limited Viking imput.  In other words, different parts of the British Isles  have sharply different paternal (Y-chromosome) histories.  For instance, areas in the North and East of England (particularly around York and the Eastern coast), showed the highest "invader input," particularly from the Danes.  However, Capelli also concluded that the Anglo-Saxon and Danish source populations were genetically indistinguishable.  Thus, whatever level of replacement of the local Celtic population took place could be due to Anglo-Saxons, Danes, or a combination of both.  Finally,  the researchers found the Southern part of England displayed the least amount of "invader input," and instead showed a high degree of  indigenous Celtic ancestry (despite the fact that the Anglo-Saxons reputedly settled in large numbers there).

Additionally, Capelli's findings also supported earlier studies showing that the Irish and Welsh samples were genetically most similar to the Basque samples, pointing to the Celtic/Basque shared ancestry reaching back to the Palaeolithic. The author also demonstrated that certain areas of the British Isles - Orkneys, Shetland, Isle of Man, and Cumbria - display a strong Viking ancestry.  Sites tested on the Scottish mainland were found to be intermediate between the English results and the Irish/Welsh ones. (Another excellent study on this topic: "Y Chromosome Evidence for Anglo-Saxon Mass Migration," by M.E. Weale et al., published 2002 in Mol. Biol. Evol., vol. 19, 1008-1021.)

An important conclusion of the study what that although the population of England  (and most of mainland Scotland) displayed admixture with groups that invaded and settled in the British Isles, "there is a clear indication of a continuing indigenous component in the English paternal genetic makeup."
 
With the above study in mind, let's examine each  Thorpe haplotype individually.  The numbers appearing next to the countries in parenthesis represent the number of DNA entries from that county.