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INTRODUCTION:
This project is for all males with surname LUCE, LUSE, or other variations. Most persons of this surname, tracing back to the 17th century in America, find they are descended from HENRY LUCE and wife REMEMBER LITCHFIELD of Martha’s Vineyard, Dukes Co., Massachusetts.

TESTING LAB
Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), affiliated with Dr. Michael Hammer and the University of Arizona, will be testing the Y chromosome of males who share the same surname. By comparing your test results to others with your surname, you can determine if you are related. The results do not tell you exactly how you are related but will indicate if you share a common ancestor with another participant. This test is not associated with health matters or paternity. In addition to testing, we need information (e.g., pedigree chart) on the line of descent from the oldest known male ancestor for each participant. This helps to identify the various unconnected links. For more details see “DNA Project Notes” at the below "links".

The first record we have of HENRY is on November 13, 1666, when he was a juror in Scituate, where he may have resided, and in 1668 he was admitted as a proprietor of purchased lands in Rehoboth. The similarity of the name to LEWIS, together with the varieties of spelling both names in early records, renders identification difficult. LEWIS was written LUIS, LUICE, LEWES; and LUCE appears as LEWS, LEWSE, LUICE and LUSE. When he came to the Vineyard, or through what connection, is not known, but he had acquired before Feb. 1, 1671, a home lot on the west side of Old Mill river about forty rods north of Scotchman's Bridge road.

Many LUCE family researchers have collectively conducted thousands of hours of genealogical research in America and abroad, in an effort to find proof of HENRY LUCE'S origins. Several theories exist, but none have apparently been proven. This project will hopefully allow participants to compare their Y-DNA with HENRY’S, and to discover further clues leading to HENRY’S ancestry. Several descendants of the Luce family from the Channel Islands and Canada are currently active in American genealogy, and have not proven a relationship to our Henry Luce. One goal of this project is to compare Henry’s DNA to Luce’s not known to be connected by genealogy!

All participants of the National Geographic Genographic DNA Project who are descended in a direct paternal line from the Luce family are welcome to join the LUCE/LUSE Surname DNA Project! Joining Family Tree DNA after you received your results from the Genographic Project is simple. At the bottom of your results page you will see a link "Learn More", which takes you to Family Tree DNA. You will also be offered to join a Surname Project during the process of transferring your data, and obtain additional information related to genealogy at no extra cost.
All members of the Luce Luse Surname DNA Project may join the National Geographic Genographic DNA Project by logging into your personal page at Family Tree DNA where you will see a new tab "Genographic Project". You will be able to upload from that link. There is a nominal cost of $15.00 to join.