Welcome! This site presents results and tutorials for participants in the Gossett YDNA Genealogical Research Project, through FamilyTreeDNA.
Objectives
Our genealogical research has two objectives: (1) to determine the European origins of the Gossett families in America; and (2) to determine the interrelationships among them. In particular, genetic genealogical methods (based on YDNA-marker analysis) are capable of assisting with both objectives. YDNA-marker analysis has become popularly available only recently. Much of this site is devoted to presenting results from such analyses, and explaining what they mean in the context of our two objectives.Directory (click on a link) Comments or Questions?
Results
YDNA-based analysis divides our project participants into four categories (Groups I, II, III, and IV).
- Group I comprises the majority of Gossetts in America -- closely related, probably descended from a single immigrant, with a most recent common ancestor (MRCA) who was born ca. 1640 (± 65 years).
Group I: YDNA-based lineage trees
- Group II consists of closely related individuals who share a MRCA less than 300 years ago. However, Groups I and II are not closely related to each other. Group II likely descends from a different Gossett immigrant.
21 Jan 2022
- Group III individuals are not closely related to Groups I or II (nor, generally, to one another). Since these individuals have the Gossett (or phonetically similar) surname and R-M269 haplogroup (or one of its subgroups), they are undoubtedly related to one another and to Groups I and II, but the MRCA is quite distant in time (at least 500-1200 years). Group III individuals are generally as far from one another as they are from anyone in Groups I or II.
- Group IV consists of individuals very distant from Groups I, II, or III, and who do not even share the R-M269 haplogroup. No two individuals in Group IV are closely related to each other, nor to any individuals in the other groups. The time to MRCA (between individuals within the Group or between individuals in any other Group) is measured in the thousands of years.
YDNA evidence strongly suggests no descent of any of the American Gossetts from Jean Gosset of Jersey Isle.
Recent evidence -- from both traditional genealogical research and from YDNA analyses -- casts strong doubt on the myth that the Gossetts in America descend from Jean the Huguenot of Jersey Isle. The story of our supposed noble, Norman-French origins, and the emigration of two Gosset brothers -- grandsons of Jean -- from Jersey Isle to America, has been repeated many times in many places. Here, however, we subject it to close scrutiny in light of new evidence. The evidence from conventional genealogy strongly suggests that Group-I American Gossetts descend from John Gossett and Jane Williamson living in New Castle County (now part of Delaware) before 1709.
Resource Files
Tutorials
Supplementary Material
While recent evidence debunks the myth of American Gossetts' descent from Jean of Jersey, it remains likely that we all share a common, Norman-French origin -- but much further back in time than previously thought. Here we present some background on the Gossets of Carantilly.
Château de Vaudrimesnil -- Home of Gossets in Vaudrimesnil (Manche/Normandy/France).
The central portion was originally constructed as a manor house at the beginning of the 17th century; it became a château with the addition of two wings in the 19th century. It entered into the heritage of the Gossets in the first half of the 18th century, was lived in by Gossets up to 1916, and remained with descendants of other surnames up to 1960. Photograph ca. 1922, kindly supplied by a Gosset cousin, Jean Paul Gires.
