Conducted by David F Whitt DFWhitt7727@aol.com 7727 Gromwell Ct, Springfield, VA  22152 (From Witt's End Vol 5 #3 issue)

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Family researchers and genealogists have determined that the surnames Witt and Whitt in America have three early origins; one family line that today spells their surname as both Witt and Whitt begins with German immigrants in both South Carolina and Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. A second family line in Massachusetts that today spells their surname as Witt and DeWitt began in New England around 1640 with an English immigrant by the name of John Witt. The third family line that today spells their surname as Witt and Whitt began with an individual named John Witt-Whitt who first appears in early records around 1670 in colonial Virginia. It was from John Witt-Whitt that the Witt-Whitt Family of Old Virginia began. 

John Witt-Whitt lived in Charles City County, Virginia between 1670 and 1695. Researchers estimate John was born circa 1645 and died after 1695. The last known record for John Witt-Whitt is a 1695 document found in Henrico County Order Book 3. Many surviving Charles City County original records spell John's surname as Whitt. On the other hand, in the book "Minutes of the Council and General Court," which is based on the 1842 to 1844 transcribed notes of Mr. Conway Robinson, John's surname is spelled as Witt. It is believed the difference in the spelling of John's surname in early Virginia records is attributable to the spelling technique and educational background of the scribes who recorded the records. These records clearly refer to the same person.

Surviving Virginia records do not identify John's father. One researcher, Jane Chapman Whitt, has speculated John may have been born in Virginia. If John were born in Virginia then the most probable candidate for his father appears to be the early Jamestown colonist Jereme Whitt. However, other records indicate Jereme Whitt was a White and not a Whitt. In addition, later records identify John Witt-Whitt as a "headright" who was imported to the colonies from England possibly as early as 1662.

Many of Virginia's early historical records between the years of 1623 and 1776 are fragmented and incomplete; they were devastated during the War of 1812 by the British Army and again during the Civil War. It is a disappointing fact that many important historical records in Virginia simply do not exist, for example early marriage bonds, Wills, probate, and parish records. As a consequence, researchers cannot completely identify John Witt-Whitt's early family line and are left with theories as to who his descendants and ancestors were. It appears from early Virginia records that John Witt-Whitt was the father of at least four sons, John Witt II, William Witt, Edward Whitt, and Richard Whitt. Regrettably, there are no records that identify any possible daughters of John Witt-Whitt.

With breakthroughs in science and technology in the field of DNA research, during the winter and spring of 2002, a Witt-Whitt family reconstruction DNA study was conducted by Family Tree DNA using the molecular lab at the University of Arizona under the direction of Dr. Michael Hammer, Ph.D., Geneticist. Bennett Greenspan, President of Family Tree DNA, served as a consultant for this family reconstruction project. The participants in this study are documented descendants of John Witt II, William Witt, Edward Whitt, and Richard Whitt. The Witt-Whitt DNA study has determined the participants in this project are related and descend from a common ancestor.

The Witt-Whitt family study used Family Tree DNA's 25-marker Y-chromosome test, which decreases the number of generations between the test participants and their Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) to 7 generations or less 50% of the time. The Witt-Whitt family study had at least two participants from each of the four probable Witt-Whitt family lines. The actual scientific DNA allele values for most of the participants in this study matched exactly for all 25 markers. Several participants had one mutation for the 25-marker test. This indicates the participants in this study have a 99.9% probability that they share a common ancestor 7 generations ago or less 50% of the time.
When combined with surviving colonial Virginia records for the surnames Witt and Whitt, the Witt-Whitt DNA study determined John Witt II, William Witt, Edward Whitt, and Richard Whitt were brothers and their father was the immigrant John Witt-Whitt of Charles City County, Virginia. There simply are no other records that identify any other possible candidate for the father of these four men, and no historical record indicates any of the four men immigrated to Virginia. The Witt-Whitt DNA study also identified the common ancestor of these four men was from England, and possibly Scotland.

A DNA baseline for the Witt-Whitt family of Old Virginia has been established with Family Tree DNA. Researchers who have incomplete records, or where records no longer exist and preclude the determination of a family's origin, can contact Family Tree DNA and schedule a separate DNA test. Their DNA test can be compared with the Witt-Whitt family of Old Virginia DNA baseline. If their DNA is a match Family Tree DNA will help the researcher contact one of the participants in the baseline study to share the Witt-Whitt family of Old Virginia ancestral history for their family line. It also will be the goal of future Witt-Whitt family DNA studies to determine the point of origin in England for the immigrant John Witt-Whitt, to identify the county in England or Scotland from which he emigrated.