By Richard Saul
This article was published in the August 2023 edition of Soul Search, the Journal of The Sole Society
It is a year since we started the Saul DNA and project and we have made some progress although we have only received a small number of DNA results. The understanding of DNA and the development of more detailed analysis is helping us to build more complete charts and identify links between them. The table overleaf shows the DNA results received to date.
My own yDNA haplogroup has recently been refined to be R-CTS241, a subclade of R-L21.
This confirms my early ancestry as being Bronze Age Settler (c2200 BC) in Ireland and matching DNA has been found in the human remains found on Rathlin Island between Northern Ireland and Scotland. Similar yDNA is also found in some US Presidents such as George Washington and JF Kennedy, and in the paternal ancestor of the Stuart monarchs. The yDNA of William Saul of Michigan (see table overleaf) is consistent with a similar Irish Celtic ancestry.
John Saul (SGA chart) has a yDNA haplogroup of J-L25 which indicates a much older and differing ancestry – originating around 6600BC in the Middle East. Even though the SGA chart is native to Southern Scotland which is adjacent to the Cumbrian Sauls there is clearly no common ancestry.
A number of Saul descendants have contributed their DNA results to the study and are available on matching sites such as GEDmatch, Ancestry.com and Livingdna. These sites help us to verify our charts and in some cases to provide links which merge charts (John Slaughter has referred to this in his Co-ordinator’s report). In the case of my NQA chart Megan Warthold Fraser of Australia is my fifth cousin once removed and matches DNA on both livingdna and GEDmatch sites but we have no mutual matches! This shows that there are no other male Saul results on these sites.
The table of results shows where we might be able to develop the charts by use of the matching sites and by persuading any male Sauls (and Soles, Sewells etc.) to have a yDNA test (not available via Ancestry.com). If you are on a matching site and find any Saul etc. or if you match with any of the entries in the table please send details to your Research Co-ordinator or myself to identify their chart.
| AREA OF ORIGIN | NAME | ANCESTOR | CHART | HAPLOGROUP | SUB CLADE | SITE | GEDMATCH |
| CUMBRIA NQA/NRL | Richard Saul* | John Saull c 1640 | NQA609 | RL-21>R-DF13 | R-CTS241 | Livingdna | GP4728385 |
| Megan Warthold Fraser | Nancy Saul | NQA448 | Livingdna | RA7182071 | |||
| Anne Downey | Marjorie Saul | NQA200 | Anc DNA | ||||
| Helen Dorice Saul | NRL118 | Anc DNA | |||||
| Sarah Kearns | Margaret C Irene Saul | NRL056 | |||||
| Janet H Saul | NQA493 | Anc DNA | |||||
| DURHAM FEC | Gavin Saul* | John Saul 1752 | FEC001 | ||||
| Steph Saul* | John Saul 1752 | FEC001 | |||||
| Barbara Sault | Henry Charles Saul | FEC118 | |||||
| HORLEY GRR | Steph Saul* | James Saul | GRR001 | Anc DNA | |||
| Rosemary Bailey | Livingdna | ||||||
| Marcus Saul | GRR448 | ||||||
| Amanda Saul | GRR447 | ||||||
| Martin Saul | GRR401 | ||||||
| FISHLAKE OGR | Robert A Saul | Richard Saul c 1700 | OGR001 | ||||
| John Saul | Richard Saul c 1700 | OGR00o1 | |||||
| LANCASHIRE | Steve Saul | Christopher Saul | NJR001 | NJR156 | |||
| NORTHAMPTON | John Westerdale | William Tomkins Saul | BKG039 | Anc DNA | QA7767148 | ||
| NORFOLK | John Slaughter | Anc DNA | AE1735383 | ||||
| Christopher Saul | Robert Saul 1779 | FEH001 | |||||
| IRELAND | USA Saul | George Saul | R-M269 | Ftdna | |||
| William Saul* | George Joseph Saul | R-L21 |