PROJECT OVERVIEW: The McNeely Family Tree DNA Project was launched in May 2004 and has gained nearly 90 project members. While the geographic base of this surname and its variants once spanned a single region, the McNeely diaspora today literally spans the globe. This is primarily a y-DNA project, meaning the bulk of the results are from male DNA tests. However, the advent of Family Finder testing has allowed for meaningful insight into non-paternal relatedness (non-y-DNA, e.g., both male and female testing) to one or more of the y-DNA lines for those who have ordered this type of test. PROJECT BACKGROUND: In order to try to untangle and identify the major McNeely descent lines, we have started the McNeely Project with the goal of setting up subgroups and placing all participants whose DNA is a match into the same subgroup (with a skeletal descent chart for each participant, where provided) so that it will be easy for the future McNeely researcher who has the results of a DNA test for a male McNeely from his/her line to identify which line is his/hers. These subgroups aspire to identify recent genetic descent and kinship (10’s to 100’s of years), historical and genetic associations of current surnames to their original Gaelic surnames and septs (More distant past) and to SNP assignment (1000+ years). PROJECT HISTORY: The McNeely Family Tree DNA Project was created in the course of looking for the family of origin for a single McNeely paternal lineage, who fathered nine sons who lived to adulthood and a number of McNeely lines that may or may not be related were located. Often, McNeelys who appeared to be related were living in the same places in the same time periods, but despite the geographic overlap, there is no apparent connection between the groups. IMPORTANT NOTES: There is no close genetic relationship between the different McNeely or Neely member subgroups. This clearly demonstrates that despite the same or similar surname spellings, the different subgroups represent completely different families. Please be sure to review the information at the "Results" tab and the "News" tab (both above) as well as the information at the "Y-Results" tab (also above). PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NOW A SEPARATE NEELY PROJECT. It has become quite clear that the Neely and McNeely surnames have no overall genetic relation. However, as of October 2009, an established DNA link between a McNeely and a single Neely line was determined, and any Neely who would like to join the McNeely Project as well as the Neely Project is welcome to do so.