All Australians and New Zealanders with the surname Brereton, unless adopted, originally came from Cheshire or Staffordshire, England.
There is a very good chance that the Staffordshire Breretons were originally from Cheshire.
Hopefully DNA should soon confirm that assumption.
DNA has shown that the large contingent of Irish Brereton's originally came from Cheshire.
So far there are 5 separate Brereton trees. Two more tests are pending. These are Y-DNA tests taken by men.
There is another kind of test called a family finder test that can be taken by either sex. This matches you up to 4th cousins on either side of your family tree. There are a few Brereton women and men who have taken this test.
I have two other Brereton sites:
www.cheshirebreretons.tribalpages.com
www.irishbreretons.tribalpages.com.
Several of the trees on those sites have descendants in Australia who trace back to the 1900/2000 century but cannot get any further back. I thought it may be helpful to start an Australian site.
I am only going to put the most basic trees from those that I already have onto this site to start the process. My hope is that others interested in Brereton family history will add to this site.
Once you hit a brick wall with your paper trail DNA testing is the only way to connect to other trees.
There is a Brereton DNA group at www.familytreedna.com.
If you are an antipodean Brereton who would like to have your tree on this site then ask for an invitation. This site is being set up to be collaborative.
About me:
Jeanie Atkins nee Brewerton whose father's DNA shows that we were Brereton prior to the 1760's.
I help to run the Brereton DNA project at www.familytreedna.com.
Trees on the site:
John Brereton 1596 = Anne Gardener. Bunbury/Acton/Nantwich. DNA pending.
Ancestors of Richard Brereton 1862 Victoria, Australia = Margaret Watson.
David Brereton c1742 = Miss Odlum. Ireland. DNA tested.
Ancestors of William Brereton 1840-1890 Ireland/ NZ = Ann Bridge
James Brereton c1790 = Hannah Goodman. DNA pending.
Ancestors of David Brereton 1829 Victoria, Australia = Mary Cornell.
William Brereton c1775 = Jane Unknown.Ireland
Ancestor of Robert Gordon Brereton 1816-1857 County Kerry,Ireland/NSW, Australia = Elizabeth Fitzgerald.
George Brereton c1802 = Theresa Confrey. Dublin, Ireland/Sydney, Australia. Ancestors unknown.
Michael Brereton c1815 = Bridget Doragon, Ireland.
Ancestor of Richard Brereton 1845-1911 Liverpool UK/Victoria, Australia.
Martin Brereton c1828 = Jane Healy. Tipperary/Australia. Descendants from Cygnet, Australia.
Ancestors unknown.
Thomas Andrew Brereton c1845-1897 = Margaret Jane Brownlow. Port O Spain, Trinidad/Queensland.
Ancestors uncertain.
John William Brereton 1860 = Emily Boxhall. Australia/Australia. Ancestors unknown.