* Discover information to help with our family history research
* Discover which family trees are related
* Discover information which may solve research problems, and/or resolve brick walls
* Sort out multiple families found in the same location
* Confirm or get clues regarding migrations
* Confirm suspected events, such as illegitimacy and adoption
* Find any mistaken connections in family trees
* Validate family history research
* Bridge gaps in the paper records
* Confirm surname variants or find previously unknown variants
* Discover information to define the major branches of the tree going back to the origin of the surname
* Discover information about the evolution of the surname
* Discover clues regarding the origin of the surname
* Combine results with research in early records to determine the number of points of origin for the surname
* Preserve DNA results for future research, to protect against any male line becoming extinct
* Discover information about our distant origins