Searching for famous I2 carriers

sparkey

Great Adventurer
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Location
California
Ethnic group
3/4 Colonial American, 1/8 Cornish, 1/8 Welsh
Y-DNA haplogroup
I2c1 PF3892+ (Swiss)
mtDNA haplogroup
U4a (Cornish)
Haplogroups R1b, I1, R1a, and even E1b and G2a have a plethora of interesting famous figures associated with them, proven through YDNA tests, YDNA tests of relatives, or ancient DNA tests. Maciamo has kept small lists on his individual haplogroup pages, and there's even a Wikipedia page on the subject. But until I started this, Haplogroup I2 had been notoriously absent. So, following Vadim Verenich's lead somewhat, I've been looking for famous members of Haplogroup I2, especially via the YDNA testing of cousins, and updating the following post whenever I've come across a new one.

As always, I'm looking for more to add, so please make suggestions if you have any.
 
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Here is my current tally of famous I2 carriers:


Famous Politicians & Historical Figures

Name___________SubcladeMore info
Ethan AllenI2-M223 Y6098+ Y6099+A Vermont militia general, politician, and writer famous for helping to found the state of Vermont, and for capturing Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War. His brother Ira Allen, founder of the University of Vermont, also presumably carried I2. A direct descendant of his brother Hemen and other descendants of his immigrant ancestor have tested as the I2-M223 outlier clade I2-Y6099 at the Allan/Allen/Allin Project.
Nicholas BiddleI2-L38The President of the Second Bank of the United States. Coming from the prominent Biddle family, some of his relatives also likely to have carried I2 include millionaire Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, General John Biddle, and cinematographer John Biddle. His family has tested at BiddleEtc.
Davy CrockettI2-M223-Cont2a Z76+ CTS6433+An American frontiersman, folk hero, and congressman from Tennessee. The Crockett Families DNA Project has tested his family, including a direct descendant of his father John Crockett.
Miklós HorthyI2a-Din-N L147.2+Regent of Hungary through most of World War II. A cousin of his has tested, per Vadim Verenich and others at MolGen (in Russian).
Andrew JohnsonI2-M223-Cont Z76+ L1317+The 17th President of the United Sates, who had been Abraham Lincoln's 2nd Vice President until Lincoln's assassination. The Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone DNA Surname Project has him listed as I2, and the I-M223 Project has his family's haplogroup categorized.
Enda KennyI2-M223 CTS616+Taoiseach of Ireland and leader of Fine Gael. He tested personally in 2013, and Spencer Wells further clarified that his subclade is I2-M223 CTS616+ at the Genetic Genealogy Ireland 2014 Conference, although he hasn't yet been specified more.
Huey LongI2-L38A Louisiana politician famous for his left-wing populism and his motto, "Every Man a King," who was assassinated in 1935. His family has tested at the Long Surname DNA Project.
Martin LutherI2a-Din-N L147.2+The most famous Protestant reformer. Several suspected relatives, including one genealogically traceable 1st cousin 13 times removed, have tested as I2a-Din-N at the Luther Surname DNA Project and on ySearch (see especially ySearch ID: YTE6E).
Matt MeadI2a-Western L233+Governor of Wyoming. He, as well as his distant relative, Vermont Governor John A. Mead, have relatives who tested and matched at the Mead Surname DNA Project.
Živojin MišićI2a-Din-S L147.2+A Serbian vojvoda noted for his military successes in World War I and other wars. Sinisa Jerkovic at Poreklo (in Serbian) provides the haplotype of his cousins, as well as an argument in favor of his relationship to the Božović family and his descent from a 15th century Serbian warrior named Captain Gojko.
Napoleon IIII2-M223-Cont2 Z76+ CTS6433+The first President of France and its last monarch, who held the title Emperor of the French. Although legally the nephew and heir of Napoleon Bonaparte, both descendant testing and direct testing by researcher Gerard Lucotte have proven the two to be unrelated paternally. The STRs of a descendant are predicted to be I2-M223.
Myles StandishI2-L38A Mayflower passenger, signer of the Mayflower Compact, and military leader for the Plymouth Colony. The Mayflower DNA Project has tested descendants of his.
Noe ZhordaniaI2c L596+ PF3827+The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Georgia through most of its existence, as well as the head of the DRG's government in exile from 1921 to 1953. A descendant tested as I2c. This sample is available at ySearch ID: DUPCV.

Other Notable Politicians & Historical Figures
  • Rollo Gillespie, a Major-General in the British army famous for the Battle of Nalapani in the Anglo-Nepalese War. According to the Gillespie DNA Project admin, relatives have tested as I2-M223-Isles-Sc L126+.
  • Henry Luce, an American magazine publisher responsible for launching Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated. His notable relatives who also carried I2 include Henry W. Luce, Moses A. Luce, and Robert Luce. The Luce Surname DNA Project has the Luce haplogroup as I2-M223-Isles-P M284+.
  • Taymuraz Mamsurov, the President of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The Ossetian DNA Project has the Mamsurov haplotype as I2c L596+ PF3827+.
  • Bernardo Miera y Pacheco, a cartographer and artist who joined the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition through New Mexico. The I2a Project has a descendant's haplogroup as I2a-M26 L672+ L160+ Z118+ Z106+.
  • Charles Polk, Jr., a 19th century Governor of Delaware. The Polk-Pollock DNA Project has his haplotype as I2-M223-Cont1 L1198+. Although once thought to be related to James K. Polk, this connection has been disproven by data from the same DNA project.
  • Henry Samson, a Mayflower passenger. The Mayflower DNA Project has his haplotype as I2-M223-Cont2a Z76+.
  • David S. Terry, Chief Justice of California famous for the Broderick–Terry duel, and his brother Benjamin Franklin Terry, a Confederate colonel famous for commanding Terry's Texas Rangers. The Terry DNA Project has a tracable relative who tested as I2a-Western L233+, and who directly matches a relative of Luther Terry and a lot of other people named Terry.
  • Luther Terry, Surgeon General of the United States appointed by John F. Kennedy, famous for associating smoking with lung cancer. The Terry DNA Project has a tracable relative who tested as I2a-Western L233+, and who directly matches a relative of David S. Terry and a lot of other people named Terry.
  • William A. A. "Bigfoot" Wallace, one of the most famous of the Texas Rangers. The I2b L415 I2c L596 Haplogroup Project has his family's haplotype as I2c L596+ PF3892+.
  • Algernon Edward West, Principal Private Secretary to British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. A famous relative of his also likely to have carried I2 is his great-grandfather, Vice-Admiral Temple West. A direct descendant tested as I2-M223, predicted to be I2-M223-Cont3 P78+, at the West Surname DNA Project.
  • Oliver Winchester, an arms manufacturer and the namesake of the Winchester rifle. The Winchester Family DNA Project has his family branch's haplogroup as I2a-Isles-B L161+, or I2a1b2 in current ISOGG nomenclature.


Famous Artists & Athletes

Name___________SubcladeMore info
Eddie IzzardI2-M223-Roots Z2054+An English comedian and actor. A BBC documentary series he starred in, Meet the Izzards, stated that he tested as I2, and has matches named Frerichs and Speer.
Stephen KingI2-M223-Cont1 L1198+The famous American author. His ancestral surname is Pollock, and descendants of his immigrant ancestor have tested at the Polk-Pollock DNA Project, where they are a fairly close match to the family of Charles Polk, Jr. (see above).
Jack NanceI2a-Isles-B1 L161+An American actor famous for his role in Eraserhead and other films. Relatives of his have tested at the Nance DNA Project.
Chuck NorrisI2-M223-Cont1 L1198+An American martial artist and actor famous for his roles in Way of the Dragon and Walker, Texas Ranger. Descendants of his immigrant ancestor have tested at the Norris DNA Project.

Other Notable Artists & Athletes
  • Alexey Buldakov, a Russian actor. Per Vadim Verenich, he tested personally as I2a-Din-N.
  • J. Gordon Coogler, a South Carolina poet famous for H. L. Mencken's ridicule of him. The I2a Project has a relative of his who tested as I2a-Din-N.
  • Andrey Makarevich, a Russian rock musician who leads Mashina Vremeni. Per Vadim Verenich, he tested personally as I2a-Din-N.
  • Rich Mullins, a contemporary Christian musician famous for the song "Awesome God." The Mullins Surname Y-DNA Project has his family's haplogroup as I2a-Isles-A L161+.
  • Cody Parkey, an American football placekicker. A close relative tested as I2c L596+ PF3892+ at Ancestry back when they performed Y-DNA tests.
  • Akim Salbiev, an ethnic Ossetian who is an honorary artist of Russia, film director, and actor. The I2b L415 I2c L596 Haplogroup Project has the Salbiev haplotype as I2c L596+ PF3827+.
  • Yegor Titov, a Russian association footballer. Per Vadim Verenich, he tested personally as I2a-Din-N.


Famous Noble Families

Family___________SubcladeMore info
ClintonI2-M223-Isles-P M284+This Clinton line includes the Earls of Lincoln and most of the Dukes of Newcastle, along with Sir Henry Clinton, the British Commander-in-Chief in America during much of the American Revolutionary War. Other notable Clintons include Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, Henry Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle, and Henry Pelham-Clinton, 4th Duke of Newcastle. A direct descendant of Sir Henry Clinton tested as I2-M223, and clusters with the uncommon "Isles-P" group alongside the Luce family. This sample is available at ySearch ID: C9X5J.
Douglas-HamiltonI2-M223-Isles-E L1193+This line includes the Dukes of Hamilton and Earls of Selkirk. Their most famous representative is perhaps Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton, a Scottish nobleman famous for becoming the chief pilot of the first flight over Mount Everest, as well as for his later involvement with Rudolf Hess. Some other famous Douglas-Hamiltons include mummification and art enthusiast Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton and the politically influential James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton. Furthermore, the family claims descent from the Earls of Angus, although some competing claimants have tested differently. A relative of this family tested at the Hamilton Surname DNA Project.
Hasan-JalalyanI2c L596+ PF3827+An Armenian melik dynasty, founded by Hasan-Jalal Dawla, whose members ruled the Principality of Khachen beginning in 1214, and who provided the patronage for the building of the Gandzasar monastery. Four autosomally distant descendants tested as I2c L596+ PF3827+ at the I2b L415 I2c L596 Haplogroup Project.

Other Notable Noble Families


Famous Scientists & Academics

Name___________SubcladeMore info
Nikola TeslaI2a-Din-S L147.2+A Serbian-American scientist most famous for his work on alternating current, the induction motor, the Tesla coil, etc. The Serbian DNA Project at Poreklo (in Serbian) has tested a Tesla from the same village as Nikola's father, who is very likely from the same Tesla line.

Other Notable Scientists & Academics


Here is a subclade tree of the famous and notable people I've found (note that Enda Kenny is not included due to a lack of precision):

f2fVKmZ.gif


And here's a collage of some of the above:

PNcCpsZ.jpg


My research has also found several other interesting possibilities, which have not yet been proven entirely, but are worth exploring, including:

  • According to Armenian historian Hovann Simonian (see 58:00 onward here), the rulers of the Armenian and Georgian Bagratid dynasties carried I2c L596+ PF3827+.
  • A Hamlin family member whose ancestors are recorded in some family trees to be related to Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln's first Vice President, has tested as I2-M223-Cont2a at the I-M223 Project. However, other, possibly more likely suspected relatives have tested Haplogroup R.
  • In his 2012 book Old World Roots of the Cherokee, author Donald N. Yates revealed that scientists have directly tested blood believed to be from Elvis Presley. He further revealed that it tested as Haplogroup I, and matches with other men named Wallace in Y-DNA databases, which helps confirm the sample because Wallace is believed to be Elvis' ancestral surname. Although the subclade was not published, it's reasonable to guess that Elvis carried I2c L596+ PF3892+, which is the most common Haplogroup I subclade carried by American men named Wallace.
  • Suspected, but not 100% proven, relatives of Fausto Veranzio have tested as I2a-Din.
  • The family of Algernon Edward West and Temple West, above, claim descent from the early Barons West, and hence claim a relationship to Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. However, they have conflicted with other claimants.
 
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Me!

But no, I don't. I have wondered about this, too. I found it odd that there should be no known famous people carrying I2, especially as I2 is common enough that one would imagine something would be there.

I2 associations with historical people might also give clues to the ethnic importance of the I2 haplogroup.

Considering I2's prevalence in Saxony, it might be interesting to see whether any royalty from that area carries I2.
 
Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln's first Vice President, and an influential Maine politician. The I-M223 Project has the Hamlin haplogroup as I2-Cont2a Z76+, or I2a2a3a in current ISOGG nomenclature.

Oliver Winchester, arms manufacturer and the namesake of the Winchester rifle. The Winchester Family DNA Project has his family branch's haplogroup as I2a-Isles L161+, or I2a1b2 in current ISOGG nomenclature.

Good initiative, sparkey. (y) Those are not super famous, but that's a start. It's funny that they look a bit alike (nose and mouth especially) and also a bit like a great-grand-father of mine who was also I2 (based on my second cousin's test).
 
Good initiative, sparkey. (y) Those are not super famous, but that's a start. It's funny that they look a bit alike (nose and mouth especially) and also a bit like a great-grand-father of mine who was also I2 (based on my second cousin's test).

Yeah, they're the best I could find. I don't know if proving Fausto Veranzio would be an improvement, either. Maybe if we got some tests on relatives of famous South Slavic folks, we'd start getting more interesting results. Maybe some already have, even... I'm just not good at recognizing a famous South Slavic name when I see it.

Hamlin and Winchester probably look alike because they were both New Englanders, so they come from the same largely East Anglian origin gene pool. Interesting about the similarity with your great grandfather, though. I suppose East Anglians have the closest genetic connection to the continent among British people.
 
15th century medic prince Zaza Phanaskertel-Tsitsishvili

http://www.biusante.parisdescartes.fr/ishm/vesalius/VESx2000x06x01x064x067.pdf


Two old royal/princely houses from I2c-B cluster which had many important representatives for the Caucasus region :)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Hasan-Jalalyan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donauri



Thanks! I already knew about Hasan-Jalal Dawla (got a blurb in my original post), but haven't researched the other two. I know we have 2/3 claimants of descent from Hasan-Jalal Dawla getting a matching I2c haplotype, which is good evidence that the 2 I2c samples are actual descendants of Hasan-Jalal Dawla, while the 3rd is mistaken.

Zaza Phanaskertel-Tsitsishvili is a cool one that seems basically proven. How famous is that name amongst Georgians?

Also, is there anyone famous on the Donauri line after Gabriel of Kakheti? Because that's so far back that I'd be uncomfortable saying that anything has been proven, unless we have a vast array of otherwise unrelated claimants testing I2c.
 
Tsitsishvilis are well-known and respected family/house in Georgia. They've had many locally famous representatives.

There is also one important but notorious figure: Pavel Tsitsianov (surname in Russian manner in his case)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Tsitsianov

As for Vachnadze/Donauris after they lost eastern Georgia to Bagrationis they kept low profile, had few locally important people but nothing exceptional. From modern times I can think of prince Jean Vatchnadze, active member of French Resistance movement during WW2, who later became one of the commanders of the French Foreign legion.

Interestingly I appear quite closely related to Jalal-Dawlas, and our TMRCA supposedly live 800-1100 years ago. I've ordered 67 to 111 upgrade to get a more precise picture.
 
There is also one important but notorious figure: Pavel Tsitsianov (surname in Russian manner in his case)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Tsitsianov

Very interesting, thanks. This guy is more what I'm looking for when I'm talking about famous people. So we don't get Stalin or Hitler, but we do get a bloodthirsty governor-general.

How certain would you say we are that Pavel Tsitsianov is related to the I2c Tsitsishvilis? If we're certain beyond a reasonable doubt, I'll add him to the original post, and he'll be one of 3 Official Famous I2 Carriers. (y)

Interestingly I appear quite closely related to Jalal-Dawlas, and our TMRCA supposedly live 800-1100 years ago. I've ordered 67 to 111 upgrade to get a more precise picture.

Yeah, it's interesting that they're closer than the TMRCA of the Caucasian branch of I2c-B as a whole. I'm pretty convinced that the apparent "nobility expansion" of I2c in the Caucasus is real. It's funny that a haplogroup as European as I2 is finding no noble connections to Europe, but plenty in the Caucasus.
 
Pavel Tsitsianov without any doubt belongs to Tsitsishvili house.
Unlike many other noble surnames in Georgia all Tsitsisvhilis belong to the same princely house and so it was historically. There were no peasant or lower nobility Tsitsisvilis.

Yes, it seems that the story of I2c-B in the Caucasus was similar to of the Norman barons in England :)
 
Pavel Tsitsianov without any doubt belongs to Tsitsishvili house.
Unlike many other noble surnames in Georgia all Tsitsisvhilis belong to the same princely house and so it was historically. There were no peasant or lower nobility Tsitsisvilis.

Great, I went ahead and added him, and also Zaza Phanaskertel-Tsitsishvili, after reading more about him and deciding that he is famous enough to include as well. (I guess that judgment is arbitrary for now--while we're still looking for any famous I2, I'll be lenient. Let's say "Has a Wikipedia article" is good enough for now.)
 
Sparkey:

Besides Saxony for I2a2a, I would suggest looking for people from Umea to Lulea Sweden. It is one of the dark spots on the map for I2a2a concentration.

Naturally, for some -Isles folks, you gotta go for Britain. I am not a direct relation to Nicholas Rowe, the English playwright and poet laureate, but it would be interesting if he was I2a2a like myself. I have no idea how to check that, though. I don't know any Rowes who are actually related to him.

Hey. Maybe I can get in touch with Mike "Dirty Jobs" Rowe. See if he is an I2a2a guy, too.
 
Great, I went ahead and added him, and also Zaza Phanaskertel-Tsitsishvili, after reading more about him and deciding that he is famous enough to include as well. (I guess that judgment is arbitrary for now--while we're still looking for any famous I2, I'll be lenient. Let's say "Has a Wikipedia article" is good enough for now.)

Thanks! :)

And in case you are interested I have a saint from Vachandze/Donauri house. English source doesn't mention the surname but it's written in French one. Saint Ilraion/Hilarion Georgian is very venerable saint in Orthodox world.

http://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/November/19-08.htm

http://home.scarlet.be/amdg/oldies/sankt/nov19.html
 
I've read somewhere that the Ulaid, the Irish clan that gave their name to Ulster, were I2a1b2 carriers. I wouldn't know how to verify that, however.
 
Thanks! :)

And in case you are interested I have a saint from Vachandze/Donauri house. English source doesn't mention the surname but it's written in French one. Saint Ilraion/Hilarion Georgian is very venerable saint in Orthodox world.

http://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/November/19-08.htm

http://home.scarlet.be/amdg/oldies/sankt/nov19.html

Interesting stuff. I went ahead and added the Donauris to the "maybes." I'm keeping them there just because extrapolating back over 1000 years is too far to be certain that the earliest Donauris had the same haplogroup. But maybe we'll become more certain if more Donauris test, and all are I2c.
 
I've read somewhere that the Ulaid, the Irish clan that gave their name to Ulster, were I2a1b2 carriers. I wouldn't know how to verify that, however.

I think it's a good assumption that they had some I2a1b2, since a lot of the I2a1b2 from Ireland is associated with families historically from the Ulaid area. It would be much more difficult to trace the I2a1b2 haplogroup to any particular famous Ulaid, though... as interesting as it would be if Rudraige mac Sithrigi and Conall Cernach were I2!
 
Interesting stuff. I went ahead and added the Donauris to the "maybes." I'm keeping them there just because extrapolating back over 1000 years is too far to be certain that the earliest Donauris had the same haplogroup. But maybe we'll become more certain if more Donauris test, and all are I2c.
Thanks, Sparkey.
The person tested is the head of Vachnadze house. By the end of the year hopefully we'll manage to test some representatives of side branches of the family.
 
I think it's a good assumption that they had some I2a1b2, since a lot of the I2a1b2 from Ireland is associated with families historically from the Ulaid area. It would be much more difficult to trace the I2a1b2 haplogroup to any particular famous Ulaid, though... as interesting as it would be if Rudraige mac Sithrigi and Conall Cernach were I2!

There was a study that claimed to link M284 with the cruithin, another group in Ulster with Scottish links. I never heard of the Ulaidh claim.
I'm almost certain that I read of the surname Neeson turning up in M223 or M284, so I wonder if Liam Neeson would be any of the M223+ groups.
 
There was a study that claimed to link M284 with the cruithin, another group in Ulster with Scottish links. I never heard of the Ulaidh claim.
I'm almost certain that I read of the surname Neeson turning up in M223 or M284, so I wonder if Liam Neeson would be any of the M223+ groups.

Thanks for the info. Any famous Cruithin then? It still seems too long ago to prove to me.

I tried to dig up the Neeson sample you mentioned, as well as a pedigree of Liam Neeson to match it to, but couldn't find either thing. I might put it in the worth-exploring list if I can find something more intriguing there, though.
 
Thanks for the info. Any famous Cruithin then? It still seems too long ago to prove to me.

I tried to dig up the Neeson sample you mentioned, as well as a pedigree of Liam Neeson to match it to, but couldn't find either thing. I might put it in the worth-exploring list if I can find something more intriguing there, though.

I am unable to post a link for the Neeson reference, search for "neeson m223" in yahoo and the link should be the first result.
Regarding the cruithin, surnames said to have a strong link are mainly McCartan and McGuiness.
 

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