About us
Updated 7 March 2019.
In similar to all Surname Projects under FTDNA, this one also seeks to establish the genetic lines which make up an individual family.
But perhaps this project offers a difference in that
a) all genetic and genealogical connections - whether Y-DNA, mtDNA or atDNA - are accepted;
b) no one is turned away, whether male or female;
c) in time, as people join and save for the required upgrade, the clarity of the joins will become clearer and able to be categorised into their families.
By way of explanation, I have no problem with a male testing to only Y-12 (as an example), but if he is merely testing the waters of his connections within either this project (or the FTDNA data base), he will be badly disappointed. Testing the waters requires the highest test available. For a males this is Y-111; for mtDNA (either male or female) this is mtDNA FMS (full sequence).
Alternatively, if you are only testing because a family member requested same and if the goal of their request of you to test is only to learn if there is a match, then Y-37 or mtDNA (HVR1 & HVR2) will suffice - always provided your family members has already tested to the aforementioned levels. (By way of explanation, 10+ years ago, these lower levels were considered to be most acceptable BUT, science, the laboratories, and the knowledge has moved forward so much that such tests are now simply a waste of effort UNLESS you want to do things in stages to suit your bank account. If this is your aim, do everything you can to ensure that your sample is as pure as you can make it. Currently, there are two swabs which form part of a kit. I recommend that you take them to bed with you and first thing in the morning (before you have any liquid, any medical items, any food, any kisses etc), you choose just one and use that to firmly scrub each internal cheek for at least one minute before carefully placing back into the phial supplied. The purer that sample is, the longer it will last - the samples are stored for 25 years.
In similar to all Surname Projects under FTDNA, this one also seeks to establish the genetic lines which make up an individual family.
But perhaps this project offers a difference in that
a) all genetic and genealogical connections - whether Y-DNA, mtDNA or atDNA - are accepted;
b) no one is turned away, whether male or female;
c) in time, as people join and save for the required upgrade, the clarity of the joins will become clearer and able to be categorised into their families.
By way of explanation, I have no problem with a male testing to only Y-12 (as an example), but if he is merely testing the waters of his connections within either this project (or the FTDNA data base), he will be badly disappointed. Testing the waters requires the highest test available. For a males this is Y-111; for mtDNA (either male or female) this is mtDNA FMS (full sequence).
Alternatively, if you are only testing because a family member requested same and if the goal of their request of you to test is only to learn if there is a match, then Y-37 or mtDNA (HVR1 & HVR2) will suffice - always provided your family members has already tested to the aforementioned levels. (By way of explanation, 10+ years ago, these lower levels were considered to be most acceptable BUT, science, the laboratories, and the knowledge has moved forward so much that such tests are now simply a waste of effort UNLESS you want to do things in stages to suit your bank account. If this is your aim, do everything you can to ensure that your sample is as pure as you can make it. Currently, there are two swabs which form part of a kit. I recommend that you take them to bed with you and first thing in the morning (before you have any liquid, any medical items, any food, any kisses etc), you choose just one and use that to firmly scrub each internal cheek for at least one minute before carefully placing back into the phial supplied. The purer that sample is, the longer it will last - the samples are stored for 25 years.