The Scott surname is the 36th most common surname in America according to the 2010 Census.  In the 1980s when I began my journey to identify my ancestors I immediately ran into an obstacle researching my paternal side.  My father knew very little about his father which included his father's name and that he was from Sumter SC, but nothing else.  I quickly discovered there were too many Scotts in South Carolina and no way to distinguish any relationships.  It was a genealogical brick wall I could not see myself overcoming.  Two decades later genetic DNA became available and I took my first test with a company, 23andme.  All DNA testing companies require individuals to purchase their kits in order to be tested, and the driving impetus for many people who tested was a desire to know their ethnicity and where their ancestors were from.  Some of us were also searching for a biological connection.  

Today, modern genealogy combines genetic genealogy with traditional genealogy to create biological relationships between or among individuals.  By using genealogical DNA testing, genetic genealogy can determine the levels and types of biological relationships between and among individuals.  This Scott Family tree is based upon that concept, plus traditional genealogical research (e.g. census records, probate records, newspaper obituaries, etc.).   

This family tree would not be possible if not for Dorothy Davis who had tested her DNA with 23andme and contacted me to determine how we were related.  She also provided the name and telephone number of the family historian, Bernell Bell.   I'm deeply indebted to Bernell for the 2014 reunion book which provided information about the family of Robert and Sally Antley Scott, and the newspaper article about the passing of Rev. James Scott.  Additionally, other sources of information were the books;  "Finding Family from Lower Richland County, S.C. An African-American Perspective" by Elton Vrede, and "Almost Forgotten: The Real America: A Historical and Genealogical Study for Future Generations" by Brenda Clarkson Turpeau.

I've tested with three DNA testing companies, AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA,  and 23andme, which has provided many Scott DNA relatives of which some have trees on Ancestry, or I was able to build family trees for them.  

Many thanks go out to the many relatives who have tested their DNA.  Without them, this tree would not be possible.  The DNA relatives I have identified so far, are identified with DNA images, descend from three individuals who are the children of Robert and Charlotte Tena Scott.  They are James, Stephney, and Washington Scott.  The earliest census they appear in is the 1870 federal census, which is the first census after the Civil War and the first census identifying the former enslaved people by name.  James, Stephney, and Washington were living in Lower, Richland County, South Carolina.