Paisley Family Association

PFA point of contact is Diane Langston, dlangsto@yahoo.com. Please contact Diane for more information.

Paisley Family Y-DNA Project

The Paisley Family Y-DNA Project started in 2010 at FamilyTreeDNA. There are over 50 participants. This includes 40+ men with the surname of Paisley (many variations of spelling) and additional men with close matches, but do not carry the Paisley surname.

Data from the participants has proven two distinct and separate genetic families:

1. Paisley families from Scotland (Haplogroup R-M269). Most of the testers within this group are in the United States. Within this group is a sub-group that is tentatively identified as descendants of an early 1600s immigrant to the English colony in Virginia. Then there is another group that is proven to have descended from 18^th and 19^th century immigrants from Ulster Ireland and self-identified as Scots-Irish. These two immigrant groups have coalesced with Y-DNA testing. Several men recently upgraded to the Big Y test. The Big Y takes one beyond the simple Y-DNA STR tests, which predict commonalities and connections. The Big Y tests includes SNP tests which confirm connections, moves testers to a more detailed Haplogroup, and gives one a better timeframe to a common ancestor with a match. The Big Y suggests a common Paisley ancestor for the Colonial Virginia immigrant and the Scots-Irish to be from the mid-1400s to early 1700s.
2. Peasley families from Gloucester England (Haplogroup I-M253). Joseph Peasley (c.1598 Gloucester Eng-1660), arrived in the New England area of the new American colonies in the early 17th century, and has thousands of descendants spread throughout the USA. Takoda Peasley is a descendant of Joseph Peasley and Takoda’s Y-DNA became the basis of a separate Haplogroup (ancient family) within the Paisley DNA Project. When other men matched the I-M253 Haplogroup, the need was seen for a separate Administrator with an interest and contacts within the Gloucester family tree. Therefore, Takoda has been named as a Paisley Family Y-DNA Co-Administrator. He has upgraded to the Big Y and has a confirmed Halogroup of I-FTA7465. The other three I-M253 participants have only tested using the111-marker or 37-marker STR tests, plus there are four more Paisley (Peasley, Peaslee, Pezley) men who have only done minimum testing and have not joined the Paisley Y-DNA Project. Only Takoda and Glen Peasley have made a connection on the family tree.  Takoda is descendant from immigrant Joseph Peasley’s son John and grandson Moses. Glen is descended from Joseph’s son John and grandson Joseph. The Peasley’s in the I-M253 Haplogroup also have multiple matches with the surname Taylor and Winchester, with probable lines originating in England.

There are additional small groupings of participants:

1. Ninian Paisley/Netherlands –   A group of four men with the surname of Olivier have joined the Paisley Project. Some of the Olivier participants live in the Netherlands. Early on, their Y-DNA was a close match through the first 25 markers to a descendant of Ninian Paisley. Since there is no Olivier surname project, they requested membership with the Paisley group. Further testing has moved them farther away from any genetic connection within the past 1000 years.
2. Sabine-Pasley, – Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1^st Baronet (b1734 to James Pasley of Craig) only had a daughter Maria, so through special provisions his baronetcy and estates went to his grandson Thomas Sabine, thereafter named Pasley-Sabine.
3. Paisley connection through a maternal line – men who may or may not have the Paisley name, but the genetic connection to Paisley is from a female line.
4. Miscellaneous – Eight men from the U.K., Canada and the USA who have the Paisley name, but currently match no one else with the Paisley name.

All Paisley men worldwide are encouraged to join the Paisley Family Y-DNA Project or upgrade to Big Y

• Ordering information: https://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?Group=Paisley. Start with at least the Y-37 marker test.
• Paisley DNA Project page provided by FamilyTreeDNA: https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/paisley/about/background

If you have any questions please contact Diane Langston, Paisley Family DNA Administrator, dlangsto@yahoo.com

Paisley Family Autosomal DNA

Many Paisley family descendants have tested at all the major genealogy DNA testing companies: FamilyTreeDNA, Ancestry, 23&Me, MyHeritage, and LivingDNA. Many have also uploaded to the free third-party website Gedmatch. If you would like to be listed so that others can look for a connection, send your information to Diane dlangsto@yahoo.com. Use this format:

Diane Jones Langston, Ancestry, MyHeritage, 23&Me, FamilyTreeDNA (Kit# 494677), Gedmatch (T563220). Ancestral line: Rovena Llewellyn, James William Llewellyn, Hattie Rovena Paisley, James Robert Paisley, William Anderson Paisley, Preston Paisley, William Paisley Jr, William Paisley.