Wheelock DNA Project

The global Wheelock DNA Project aims to supplement genealogical research on Wheelock families with genetic evidence in hopes of further developing the Wheelock family tree.

The surname Wheelock was used in England as early as the twelfth century (1100s) and possibly before. It was likely adopted by one or more families from the name of the location at which they lived. A village called Wheelock was already in existence when the Domesday book was compiled in 1086. At that time the spelling was recorded as "Hoiloch," but the spelling was later standardized as "Wheelock." A nearby river also shares the name.

There are other spelling variations of the surname, such as Whillock, and it is possible that similar surnames arose independently in other locations besides England. People who think they might bear any variation of this surname from any part of the world are welcome and encouraged to participate in the Wheelock DNA Project.

It is hoped that this project will tell us which family lines are related and give us a rough estimate of how many generations back they branched apart, confirming or refuting lineages with established paper trails and pointing the way for further research for other lineages. It is also hoped that eventually enough data will be collected to identify particular DNA signature variations for particular family lines, enabling us to place previously unlinked families into their respective branches of the Wheelock family tree.

Some specific goals of the project include answering the following questions:

From which ancient clan father (the haplogroup patriarch from thousands of years ago) does each branch of Wheelocks descend?
Do all major Wheelock family lines with a European origin descend from a common Wheelock ancestor? If not, what DNA signatures characterize the different lines?
Do all Native American Wheelock family lines descend from a common Wheelock ancestor? If not, what DNA signatures characterize those lines?
Are the Wheelocks who descend from John Wheelock of Virginia and Tennessee related to the Wheelocks who descend from Ralph Wheelock of Massachusetts?
By comparing DNA results for people with well-documented pedigrees, can we trace any particular DNA changes (mutations) to particular Wheelock ancestors and thus enable others to identify their ancestors even when they lack a definite paper trail allowing them to trace back that far?

To find out more about the Project and its progress, click on the link buttons along the top of each web page or on the words at the bottom:

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