The success of our Project will depend on the number of male participants who join our testing group, as well the documentation of the research connected with each line regarding dates and locations of birth, death, marriage, etc. Please contact and encourage males of the above surnames to participate in our Project to help to ensure its success.

The testing for our tracking project will be for the male Y-chromosome, although the female mtDNA test is available. Therefore, the testing requires a male with one of the above mentioned surnames or possible other variant. If you are a female with one of the surnames (etc.) or a female researcher, you may have a husband, uncle, brother, male cousin, etc. willing to volunteer in your place or perhaps you may sponsor that individual. The male line is much easier to track via a paper trail as the surname remained the same from father to son through the generations except in cases of adoption, illegitimacy, alias, etc. Our grandmothers' maiden names changed when they married, so tracking them back in time is most difficult.

We have chosen Family Tree DNA of Houston, TX as our testing company. The testing laboratory will be analyzing either the 12, 25, 37 or 67 markers on the Y-chromosome. If the markers of two or more male individuals match, it will indicate they descend from a common male or variant surnamed ancestor. It will not identify the specific ancestor, but through the sharing of family information with other participants, that ancestor could be found. It is our opinion that the 25, 37 or 67 marker tests are much better at reporting the kind of data that we need to determine that we are related, as the 12 marker test can find many matches that are not close in generations to most research. You can upgrade from at a later date, if desired.

As a member of the surname project, it is expected that you will share what you know of your family history and its earliest known ancestor. This is to help to identify each line.

The project organizer has no commercial affiliation with any profit making organization and receives no compensation for services or expenses involved with the project. At present, the webpages involved with this project are for information, lineages, and posting DNA results of participants.

While a match between two participants may indicate that they share a common male ancestor, it will not identify the specific ancestor and there is no guarantee that every participant will match another participant.

By participation in the project, the participant agrees to all conditions of the Project.