A New Study of some of America's Earliest Colonists powered by 23andMe Research
Hey r/23andme!
We are thrilled to announce that our 23andMe Population Genetics R&D team just published an exciting new study in Current Biology! In this study, we used the exact same identity-by-descent (IBD) approach that powers our Historical Matches feature to link historical individuals to present-day research participants.
Here are a few key findings from the study:
- We analyzed the genomes of 49 individuals from 17th-century St. Mary's City, which was founded in 1634 as the first permanent English settlement in the colony of Maryland.
- We identified over 1.3 million living genetic relatives of these St. Mary’s individuals among 23andMe research participants.
- We found high rates of genetic sharing with participants from western England and Wales, which points to a likely place of origin for many of these early inhabitants.
- We also observed strong genetic connections with participants from Kentucky, corroborating a documented post-Revolutionary War migration of Maryland Catholics to that region.
- Most exciting of all, by integrating genealogical information from present-day research participants who shared the closest genetic connections to the St. Mary’s individuals, we were able to propose possible identities for three historical residents, including Thomas Greene, the second governor of the colony of Maryland.
And for those of you eager to explore your own connections to the past: stay tuned! We are planning to add the St. Mary's individuals to the Historical Matches feature for 23andMe+ Premium subscribers in the coming months. Because this study was a major joint effort with our academic and museum partners, our research agreement includes a standard waiting period following publication before we can bring this data directly into our product. We appreciate your patience, and if all goes according to plan, you may soon be able to see if your DNA connects you directly to this historic colonial settlement.
You can dive into the full story and learn more about how we made these discoveries over on the 23andMe blog.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the study in the comments!