The initial purpose of this project is to use Y-chromosome testing to link descendants of Colonial American Nichols families.  Most of our participants trace their Nichols ancestry back to late 1700s of Colonial America, and many as far back as the 1600s. However, documentation of most Nichols ancestry in Colonial America is very sketchy and we are hoping that the Y-chromosome tests might clarify these early documents.  We are also interested in the origin(s) and diversification of the Nichols surname and therefore all males born with this surname or close spelling variants are welcome to participate. Relevant to that goal, we've recruited many participants who trace their ancestry back to specific areas of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.    For more details on the patrilineages and YDNA results of our participants, please also see the following website:   http://www.brian-hamman.com/ResultsForNicholsSurnameProject.htm