Middlebrook(s) Family DNA Project

For many of us, our connection to the Middlebrookes of Connecticut, North Carolina, Virginia, or other areas of our globe is not certain. Many times we find that important genealogical records have been destroyed, conflict, or simply do not exist... leaving us a cold and possibly unreliable trail as we research our family history.

DNA testing may help to determine our relationship to our long-dead ancestors within the Middlebrook/s family tree. With the recent advances in DNA research, the use of DNA information is a very powerful genealogical tool.

Would you like to know how you are related to various Middlebrook/s lines? If you are from the Connecticut line, would you like to know your relation to the Virginia, or North Carolina group? Or even better yet, how are you related to the Middlebrookes of England?

To trace the relationship of the various Middlebrook lines, we need male Middlebrookes to join others in this project, by taking a simple DNA test.

These letters, MFA DNA, (Middlebrook/s Family Association DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) stand for an exciting new project that will assist us in attaining our goal, which is to locate, preserve, and share the history of our ancestors.

A primer on the subject of DNA: DNA is the carrier of our genetic information and is passed down from generation to generation. All of the cells in our bodies, except red blood cells, contain a copy of our DNA. A person receives DNA from both parents. The chromosome from the mother is always an X, and the one from the father, which determines gender, is either an X or a Y. An X from the father would result in an XX combination, which is a female, and a Y from the father would result in an XY combination, which is a male. Since only the Y-type is passed from father to son, it is therefore useful in helping us trace our genealogy.

Middlebrook/s Surname Project:Family Tree DNA is the company we have chosen for our project. The company can be found at
http://www.familytreedna.com/

There you will find a wealth of information about the subject of DNA and how it relates to genealogy. In fact, they have a new word, “Genetealogy,” a combination of genetics and genealogy that reflects the use of DNA to learn about one’s roots. We have registered the name Middlebrooks along with Middlebrook as a FTDNA surname project to allow us to look at the collective results of our Y-DNA tests.

The DNA Test: To find out more about the Y-DNA test, and to order yours, visit the FTDNA Order Middlebrooks Y-DNA test.

As a group, we get a substantial discount on the tests. This page explains the requirements for testing and explains why the female testing (mtDNA) does not lend itself to this surname project. Females can have a male relative who has the Middlebrooks surname order a Y-DNA test. We can also order a Y-DNA test for someone who wants to remain anonymous.

The genetic test kit consists of a cheek scraper and a collection tube. The effect of using the scraper is about the same as brushing your cheek with a soft bristle toothbrush. Blood samples are not taken. When you participate, you will also be able to subscribe to a free newsletter published by FTDNA.

The locations tested on the Y chromosome are called markers; a marker is a distinctive landmark that allows comparisons with those of other members of the project. Tests are available for 12, 25, 37 and 67 markers. If you decide to order a Y-DNA test, you can order the 12-marker test at the most economical cost, which can be upgraded to a higher level later if results stimulate your interest.

Our initial objective is to have a 25-marker Y-DNA test for each of the major Middlebrook lines, validated with another DNA test from a person of the same line.

Display DNA Results (FT-DNA):

Family Tree DNA site
World Families DNA site

Privacy: The test order form indicates that you understand that you are allowing the Middlebrooks Group Administrator to see your test results for the purposes of comparing them with the other members of this Surname Project. The FTDNA website has a tab at the top of their home page that is labeled “Privacy” and explains in some detail how the privacy of the participants is protected. The computer-generated number and your surname are the only pieces of information about you that the testing facility will see. Once your test has been completed, the results of the test will be entered into a secure database. A comparison between your specific genetic results and those of others in the database will then be performed. If a genetic match is found between you and another person in the database, and you have each signed the release form, you will be informed via email. A release form is provided with a purchased test. MFA will establish its own privacy rules to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.

It may be possible to share matching information, without identifying personal information, on a unique website provided by FTDNA at a later date. What DNA testing does not do: These tests do not show positive for a disease or provide any medical information. They only look at specific locations on the Y chromosome where a marker is located, for the purpose of helping with genealogy. In addition, the test results will not come back with a neat printout that automatically fills in your family tree for you. However, we can assist you with understanding the correlation of your results to the Middlebrook(s) family.

Bottom Line: We expect to be able to refine the Middlebrook/s family tree through matches provided by our MFA DNA project. We also expect to be able to associate our ancestors geographically with early migrations of population groups called haplogroups. The haplogroup identifies a person's major population group and provides information about the ancient origin of the male line. We hope that this exciting project will offer an opportunity to take us to another level in our quest to learn more about the history of our family name.

We encourage you to visit the Middlebrooks FTDNA website and consider ordering a Y-DNA test so that your results can add to the database we are developing. We are optimistic that we will be able to make a very informative presentation at our MFA meeting in July – just another reason to make plans to attend.

For questions, contact Bob Middlebrooks as the Middlebrooks Group Administrator.

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Update:Thursday, 03-Jul-2008 21:16:20 MDT : Middlebrooks Family Association
Copyright © 2008: Jennifer Braswell