Mormon prophet Joseph Smith Jr.,was definitely descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages, an
Irish chieftain of the fifth century, Ugo Perego, a senior DNA researcher at Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation has discovered.
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Recent DNA tests show that the Irish connection is even more certain for the founder of Mormonism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The Short Tandem Repeat (STR) profile is a key element in DNA matching a person’s Y chromosome. The closer two people’s STR values align the more likely they are connected.
“We know exactly what the Joseph Smith and Smith family Y chromosome STR profile looks like,” Perego said. “As accurate as if I had Joseph Smith next to me and I would get a swab from him. It’s not guesswork.”
The 24 values of the Smith family STR profile matched best with the STR profile of Niall of the Nine Hostages a major figure in Irish genealogy who had fourteen sons.
Read the full article in the August 9, 2010 edition of IrishCentral.com.
