This project is a study of the descendants of the Forefathers who are listed on the Swedish Colonial Society website: https://colonialswedes.net/list-of-qualifying-forefathers-static/ We will need direct male descendants who are a proven (paper trail) descendant of one of the SCS Forefathers to take the Y-DNA test. Please take the Big Y test or the 111 Marker Y-STR test. The Y-STR test establishes the Y-DNA Signature for each Forefather. The Big Y test defines the SNP mutations that each tester has in his particular ancestry back to his Forefather. You may or may not carry the Forefather's surname due to the Patronymic naming system. We will need all other direct descendants, male and female to take the Family Finder (autosomal DNA) test. This will tell us which Chromosomes are unique to the Forefathers and Foremothers, their wives. If you are a direct maternal descendant of the wife of a Forefather (a Foremother), then your mtDNA test will tell us which mtDNA Haplogroup we can attribute to each SCS Foremother. When you request to join the project, please tell us which Forefather your descend from so we can place you in the correct group. PLEASE NOTE: The Swedish Colonial Society makes no express or implied warranties or representations as to the quality and accuracy of the DNA testing, accepts no responsibility for any use of or reliance upon it, and does not guarantee results, for example the eventual granting of SCS Forefather status. The SCS is not at present in the position to accept a member into forefather status based solely on a DNA test; lineage must still be proven via the current method of a lineage sheet with the appropriate vital, church and other legal documents proving blood lineage to an accepted SCS ancestor. When you fill in your project join request form, please list your lineage from YOU back to your SCS FOREFATHER ANCESTOR. If you are not sure of your connection to an SCS Forefather yet, please list your lineage from YOU back to your OLDEST KNOWN ANCESTOR whom you suspect is a descendant of an SCS Forefather. Thank you!