The project was started by Thomas Roderick (1930-2013) in 2003. Tom died in Bar Harbor, Maine, on September 4, 2013. Tom had his DNA tested at FTDNA in 2003. Tom was a research geneticist and one of the original members of the international Human Genome Organization in 1988. He was on the Emeritus Staff at The Jackson Laboratory. He had a PhD in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley. Tom was a member of the National Genealogical Society and had traced his family back to Rhydderch Evan who was born circa 1700 in Llantrisant, Glamorgan, Wales. Tom eventually discovered that he had Clan Colla DNA and was asked by the administrators of the Clan Colla project to join them as an administrator.

With a fun sense of humor and enjoyment of good conversation, he welcomed family and friends from near and far to his home. He was a talented musician, composing songs and playing the piano. He was an avid family historian and genealogist, especially interested in New England families. He participated in community activities and loved to travel. After retiring, he and his wife drove across the country and traveled to Europe many times to see relatives, attend reunions, and visit cemeteries to research family history.

At Tom's request, Allan Roderick became a an administrator in 2013. At Allan's request, Peter Biggins, an administrator of the Clan Colla project, became an administrator of the Roderick project in February 2014.

This project was begun by Tom Roderick to determine the relationships among Welsh Roderick and Rhydderch families. Roderick and Prydderch (and their variants were derived from Rhydderch, and today there are very few Rhydderch families living in Wales. These are rare Welsh names, and we suspect there may be as few as 15 different families who assumed the surname.