yDNA is rapidly becoming a vital tool for genealogical research.  What is yDNA?  Simply put, this is DNA that is passed only from father to son on the y chromosome.  By comparing the markers in a yDNA sample to a base sample it is possible to tell if the two samples have a common male ancestor.  The more markers alike, the more recent the ancestor.

The Whiteside Family Association has already analyzed samples from several Whitsett/Whitsitt families and have found some that show a common ancestor with claimants as descendants of William Whiteside who came to Virginia from Ireland and then to Tyrone (Rutherford), North Carolina.  The yDNA results indicate that our Whitsett family descends from this line. The results have also show a discrepancy among the descendants of Samuel Whitsitt of Montgomery County, Kentucky.  This motivated me to launch a research effort to discover the reason for the apparent mismatch with various descendants of Samuel, and I believe I have found it.  You can see some of those results on my "Descendants of Samuel Whitsitt of Kentucky" page.  I am still working on this project and I post the information as soon as possible after I discover it.  We still need more Whitsett/Whitsitt samples, that is why I strongly urge any males with the surname Whitsett or any of its variations (Whitsitt, Whitesite, Whitesitt, etc.) to consider participating in the Whiteside Family Association project.

I am not an expert on DNA.  I understand the basics of this research but for a more in depth explanation, please visit the Whiteside Family web site.  There is a $10 yearly dues for joining the association (the web site is free), but if you participate in the project your membership is included in the fee for the DNA analysis.  At the same time I am making an effort to learn as much as I can so I can better understand these result and be better equipped to explain them on this web site.