DNA Study Links 1.3 Million Americans to Maryland's Founding Colonists
Researchers linked DNA from 49 colonists to family trees and identified a likely Maryland governor among previously unknown burials.
- Researchers from 23andMe Research Institute, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian Institution identified Maryland's second governor, Thomas Greene, using DNA analysis of 49 colonists from St. Mary's City buried between 1634 and 1730.
- The Chapel Field cemetery analysis revealed the founding population primarily shared genetic connections with participants from Great Britain, particularly western England and Wales, tracing ancestral origins across centuries.
- Genetic data corroborated a documented migration of Maryland Catholics to Kentucky between 1780 and 1820, driven by economic pressures; researchers also identified three additional Calvert family members buried near colonial leader Philip Calvert.
- This study represents one of the first times ancient DNA identified unknown individuals without prior research targets. "It's a discovery that simply wouldn't have been possible without genetic study," said Douglas Owsley, curator of biological anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution.
- Genetic data offers a new tool for addressing historical gaps. "While written records are extraordinarily rich, genetic data can still address gaps in that record and yield surprises," said David Reich, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.
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Historical DNA connects 1.3 million living relatives to 17th-century Maryland settlers and may have identified the colony’s second governor
Analysis of Historic St. Mary’s City highlights the power of combining ancient DNA, archaeology, and genealogy to restore lost identities and track the migrations of America's earliest English colonists and their descendants.
Historical DNA Links Colonial Graves to 1.3 Million Living Relatives and May Have Identified the Colony’s Second Governor
Learn how researchers used DNA and 23andMe to connect 17th-century Maryland colonists to more than 1.3 million living people and potentially identify the colony’s second governor.
Historical DNA connects 1.3 million living relatives to 17th-century Maryland settlers
As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, researchers from 23andMe Research Institute, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian Institution have teamed up to study one of the country's founding settlements: St. Mary's City, Maryland. Established in 1634, St. Mary's City was the first English settlement in the colony of Maryland. Despite existing written records and the ability of many present-day Americans to trace their ancestr
Historical DNA connects 1.3 million living relatives to 17th-century Maryland settlers and may have identified the colony's second governor
Analysis of Historic St. Mary’s City highlights the power of combining ancient DNA, archaeology, and genealogy to restore lost identities and track the migrations of America's earliest English colonists and their descendants
Historical DNA connects 1.3 million living relatives to 17th-century Maryland settlers and may have ident
At a Glance: DNA analysis of 49 colonists from 17th-century St. Mary's City reveals over 1.3 million living genetic relatives of Maryland's founding settlers. Researchers used DNA to trace the migration of St. Mary's colonists from Great Britain and Ireland to Maryland, and subsequent migrations of their descendants across the United States, including a wave of migration of Maryland Catholics to Kentucky following the Revolutionary War. The stu…
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