My experience has been that finding out the results of any kind of DNA testing is a wonderful and fun adventure. Y-DNA is different in that only males can be tested. Women do not inherit their Father's Y-dna. It is only passed down in a pattern such as this...son-> father-> father's father-> father's father's father-> etc., much like the family surname is passed down.
I am involved in three Y-DNA projects even though "I'm just girl". In my case, I talked three male cousins that carry the family surname for each line into donating their spit and cheek scrapings to the cause.
The Johnson/Johnston/Johnstone DNA Project
The first Y-DNA project I got involved in was the J/J/J surname project. Since my Father was deceased and all of his brothers were also, I ask my first cousin, John Johnson if he would be a participant.
As you might imagine, with a name like Johnson, the genealogy can become complicated because there are so many of them in the world. Then, we had Johnsons marrying Johnsons. My Johnsons helped us out quite a bit by appearing in court, and before judges and juries, for various misdeeds and crimes. While they were appearing in court, etc., they were being written about in the newspapers. They left quite a paper trail! But still, we were only able to trace back to my 4th Great Grandfather, Hartwell Johnson 1782-1873, born in Virginia, died in Missouri, and then we hit a brick wall.
Since we have participated in the Johnson Y-DNA project, we have joined a small group within the project where our DNA matches those participants more closely than other Johnsons in other groups. Each member has to submit a pedigree going back as far as they can. John, my cousin, matches someone within the group that has a pedigree going back to Richard Johnson b. abt. 1730 VA, d. 1769 Johnston Co. NC, who was the son of Silvanus Johnson b. abt. 1676-1701 Essex Co. VA. We know there is a connection, we just don't know how we are connected yet. We are working on some promising leads in probate records, etc.
If anyone would be interested in testing in the J/J/J Y-DNA project, please see the links below.
https://www.familytreedna.com/public/johnson/default.aspx
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hjohnson/
Smith Official DNA & One Name Study Project
The second Y-DNA project that I got involved in was Smith surname project.
One would think that having a name like Johnson would be enough, but NO....my Daddy had to marry my Mama, who was a Smith.
We have only been able to document back to my 2nd Great grandfather, Thomas H Smith, born 1820 in Tennessee. It has been rumored that he died ca. 1860 in Arkansas, but there is no proof.
THE
Smith One Name and DNA project for Smith, Schmidt, Smyth, Smythe, Smidt
and all variations, for all locations. - See more at:
http://www.smithsworldwide.org/#sthash.AkLkXbUB.dpuf
THE
Smith One Name and DNA project for Smith, Schmidt, Smyth, Smythe, Smidt
and all variations, for all locations. - See more at:
http://www.smithsworldwide.org/#sthash.AkLkXbUB.dpuf
THE
Smith One Name and DNA project for Smith, Schmidt, Smyth, Smythe, Smidt
and all variations, for all locations. - See more at:
http://www.smithsworldwide.org/#sthash.AkLkXbUB.dpuf
The Smith Y-DNA project is not as well organized as the Johnson Y-DNA project, in that it is not broken down into as small as groups. I asked my cousin Kenneth Smith to participate in the project. He is not my first cousin, but is the son of my Grandfather's first cousin. It doesn't really matter as long as the Smith Y-DNA was carried down from son-> father-> father's father-> father's father's father-> etc.
So far, we haven't gotten a very good result as far as finding out anymore about our Smith line. Currently, Kenneth has only tested up to 37 markers. Perhaps, we will get a better result when he tests for 67 markers.
If anyone is interested in testing for the Y-DNA Smith surname project, please check out the links below. You don't have to be related to me, but you may want to find out more about your own Smith line.
http://www.smithsworldwide.org/
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/smiths/about/background
The Meek/Meeks Y-DNA Surname Project
The third and last (so far), Y-DNA project, I have involved myself in is the Meek/Meeks surname project.
My Dad's Mother was a Meek. I was curious about the Meek line and it was kind of scrambled. There were two Meek families in Arkansas at the same time.
I asked my cousin Walter Meek who is my Father's first cousin to participate and he agreed. So far, his results have confirmed that the group we thought we belonged is correct.
We are still looking for more Meek/Meeks males to participate. If you are interested, and are curious about your Meek family, please feel free to check out the links below.
http://meekdna.com/
https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Meek/
I am very grateful to all of my male cousins that have participated in these Y-DNA projects. They are not interested in the results as much as I am, but are willing to help the cause as far as furthering the genealogical research. Thank you John, Kenneth, and Walter!
THE
Smith One Name and DNA project for Smith, Schmidt, Smyth, Smythe, Smidt
and all variations, for all locations. - See more at:
http://www.smithsworldwide.org/#sthash.AkLkXbUB.dpuf
THE
Smith One Name and DNA project for Smith, Schmidt, Smyth, Smythe, Smidt
and all variations, for all locations. - See more at:
http://www.smithsworldwide.org/#sthash.AkLkXbUB.dpuf
THE
Smith One Name and DNA project for Smith, Schmidt, Smyth, Smythe, Smidt
and all variations, for all locations. - See more at:
http://www.smithsworldwide.org/#sthash.AkLkXbUB.dpuf
Smith Official DNA & One Name Study Project
Smith Official DNA Project
Smith Official DNA & One Name Study Project
Smith Official DNA & One Name Study Project
Smith Official DNA & One Name Study Project
