Working individually, Patterson family researchers have produced many excellent studies of different family groups, but connecting these groups has sometimes seemed impossible, especially where the paper trails are thin or non-existent. Because the Y-Chromosome is passed from father to son with almost no change for generation after generation, DNA analysis of the Y-Chromosome allows genealogy researchers to establish (or disprove) a paternal link between individuals with a common surname. By identifying where these paternal links exist, we can begin to tie our isolated family trees together and produce a much clearer picture of how families with the Patterson surname are related to each other.      

Additionally,genetic genealogy researchers have correlated various SNP subclades with geographic locations.  Some examples: L1065 is associated with the central highlands of Scotland and in Scotland M222 is associated with the Southwest and U152 with the Southeast and East Coast.  The Patterson Project STR page has been structured with projected SNP groups to give project members an idea of where their genetic group may have originated.