Farr DNA Test Results

FARR DNA TEST RESULTS

Results will be posted to this page as they are received. Please check back every few weeks.

Updated 1/9/2009

DYS Markers

Click on Participant # to see Ancestry Chart	Click on underlined Group name to see vital records file	* H a p l o	3 9 3	3 9 0	1 9	3 9 1	3 8 5 a	3 8 5 b	4 2 6	3 8 8	4 3 9	3 8 9 \| 1	3 9 2	3 8 9 \| 2	4 5 8	4 5 9 a	4 5 9 b	4 5 5	4 5 4	4 4 7	4 3 7	4 4 8	4 4 9	4 6 4 a	4 6 4 b	4 6 4 c	4 6 4 d	4 6 0	G A T A H 4	Y C A I I a	Y C A I I b	4 5 6	6 0 7	5 7 6	5 7 0	C D Y a	C D Y b	4 4 2	4 3 8
15272	Stephen Farr, MA w/fem. Descent. Reference only	I1	13	22	14	10	13	14	11	14	11	12	11	29
14704	Thomas Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	17	9	10	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	17	15	17	17	36	38	12	12
59149	Thomas Farr Jr., MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30
20588	Aaron Farr	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30
20589	Aaron Farr	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30
83175	Thomas Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30
23559	Moses Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30
26155	Samuel Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30
36078	Samuel Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30
51092	Samuel Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	18	9	10	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	17	15	17	17	36	38	12	12
46956	Stephen Farr Jr., MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	18	9	9	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	17	15	17	17	36	38	12	12
120235	Samuel Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	18	9	10	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	17	16	17	17	36	38	12	12
14723	Thomas Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	18	9	10	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	17	15	17	17	36	38	12	12
15338	Stephen Farr Jr,, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	18	9	10	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	17	15	17	17	36	38	12	12
133892	Jonathan Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	18	9	10	11	11	24	15	18	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	17	15	17	17	36	39	12	12
33301	Samuel Farr, MA	R1b1b2	13	23	14	10	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	18	9	10	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	17
15659	Thomas Farr, Bedford, England	R1b1b2	13	23	14	11	11	12	12	12	12	14	13	30	18	9	10	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	17	15	17	17	36	38	13	12
137528	Ferrer	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	17	9	10	11	11	25	14	18	29	15	15	16	17	10	12	19	23	16	15	18	17	36	37	12	12
00001	Ferrer, Catalunia	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	18	9	10	11	11	25	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	10	19	23	15	15	17	17	34	35	12	12
137723	Ferreri,	E1b1b1	13	24	14	9	13	14	11	12	10	14	11	30	18	9	9	11	12	22	14	20	33	14	16	16	17	12	11	19	22	15	14	17	22	36	39	12	10
75418	Thomas Farr, Surrey/Hampshire	R1a1	13	25	16	11	11	14	12	12	10	13	11	30	15	9	10	11	11	26	14	21	30	12	15	15	15	11	11	19	23	15	15	18	17	35	38	14	9
106767	Farr, Indiana	R1b1b2	13	23	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	17	9	10	11	11	25	15	19	30	15	15	17	19	10	11	19	23	16	14	17	17	37	38	12	12
27562	John Farr, Lincolnshire	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	11	13	13	29	17	9	10	11	11	24	14	18	29	15	15	17	17
33626	William Farr, MO	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	17	9	10	11	11	24	15	18	29	15	15	17	17
93746	Richard Farr, MS	R1b1b2	13	23	14	11	11	14	12	12	11	13	13	29	19	9	10	11	11	24	15	19	29	15	16	17	18	11	10	19	22	17	15	17	17	36	39	13	12
89842	Farr	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	17	9	10	11	11	25	15	19	29	15	15	17	18	11	11	19	23	17	15	16	18	37	39	12	12
107241	Farr, Kansas	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	13	13	13	29	17	9	10	11	11	25	15	20	29	15	15	17	17
96193	Archibald Farr, NY	R1b1b2e	13	25	14	11	11	15	12	12	12	13	15	29	18	9	10	11	11	25	15	18	30	15	16	16	17
91298	Farr	R1b1b2	14	24	14	11	11	15	12	12	12	13	13	29	17	9	10	11	11	23	15	18	29	15	15	17	17
12345	Farr, Ancestry.com	R1b	13	25		11	11	14	12	12	13	13	13	31	20			11	11	25	0	19	31	15	15	17	18	11		19	23								12
105275	Farr	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	20	9	10	10	11	24	15	19	30	15	15	16	17
15851	Richard Farr, NC	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29
64977	John Farr, GA	R1b1b2	14	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29
77544	John Farr, GA	R1b1b2	14	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	18	9	10	11	11	25	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	11	19	23	16	15	19	18	38	41	12	13
111055	John Farr, GA	R1b1b2	14	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	18	9	10	11	11	25	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	11	19	23	16	15	19	18	38	41	12	13
116249	John Farr, GA	R1b1b2	14	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	18	9	10	11	11	25	15	19	29	15	16	17	17	11	11	19	23	16	15	19	17	38	42	12	13
113685	Farr	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	15	12	12	13	15	13	31	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17	11	11	19	20	15	15	20	17	37	38	12	12
120400	Farr	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	15	12	12	13	15	13	31	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17	11	11	19	20	15	15	19	17	37	38	12	12
126405	Farr	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	15	12	12	13	15	13	31	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17	11	11	19	20	15	15	19	17	37	38	12	12
124986	Farr	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	15	12	12	13	15	13	31	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17	11	11	19	20	15	15	19	17	37	38	12	12
124755	Farr, MS	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	13	15	13	31	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17	11	11	19	20	15	15	19	17	37	38	12	12
16475	Edward Farr/Phair/Pharr Ireland	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	13	14	13	30	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17	11	11	19	20	15	15	19	17	38	38	12	12
65312	James Wilson Farr, GA	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	13	14	13	30	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17	11	11	19	20	15	15	19	17	37	38	12	12
62987	Farr, Canada/CT	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	13	14	13	30	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17	11	11	19	20	15	15	19	17	37	38	12	12
68759	Farr, Illinois	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	13	14	13	30	16	9	9	11	11	25	15	19	30	14	15	17	17
44408	James Farr Sr. b. Eng. D. abt 1829 Greenville Co, SC	R1b1b2	13	25	14	11	11	13	12	12	12	13	14	29	17	9	10	11	11	25	15	18	29	15	16	16	17	12	10	19	23	15	16	17	17	38	40	12	12
89616	Joseph Farr/Fair 1800, Burke Co., NC	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	18	9	10	11	11	25	15	18	30	15	15	17	17	12	11	19	23	16	15	19	19	39	40	11	12
136903	Farr	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	18	9	10	11	11	25	15	18	30	15	15	17	17	12	11	19	23	16	15	18	19	39	41	11	12
84298	Joseph Farr/Fair 1800, Burke Co., NC	R1b1b2	13	24	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	13	29	18	9	10	11	11	25	15	18	30	15	15	17	17	12	11	19	23	16	15	19	19	40	40	11	12
25224	Joseph Fair/Farr/Connor, 1800, Burke Co., NC	R1b1b2e	13	25	14	11	11	14	12	12	12	13	14	29	17	9	10	11	11	26	15	18	30	15	16	16	17	12	11	19	23	17	15	18	17	39	39	11	12
16687	William Farr, ME	R1b1b2	13	25	15	11	11	14	12	12	13	13	13	31	20	9	10	11	11	26	15	19	31	15	16	17	18	11	11	19	23	15	16	17	18	38	40	12	12
66392	Thomas Farr, Harpswell, ME	R1b1b2	13	25	15	11	11	14	12	12	13	13	13	31	20	9	10	11	11	25	15	19	31	15	15	17	18	11	11	19	23	16	16	17	19	38	40	12	12
18481	Fred Farr/Woodall, Il	R1a1	13	25	16	9	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31	15	9	9	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	15	15	16	11	11	19	23	17	16	17	17	36	39	12	11
19147	Fair	R1a1	13	25	16	10	11	16	12	12	11	13	11	29	17	9	9	11	11	23	14	20	32	12	15	15	16
55231	Fair	R1a1	13	24	16	10	11	16	12	12	11	13	11	29	17	9	10	11	11	23	14	20	32	12	15	15	16
130812	Fair	R1a1	13	25	16	11	11	14	12	11	10	13	11	30	15	9	10	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	15	15	16	11	11	19	23	15	16	17	19	34	39	12	11
28452	Fair	E1b1b1a2	13	24	14	10	15	18	11	12	12	13	11	30	15	9	9	11	11	24	14	20	31	9	14	16	16	9	11	19	21	18	12	18	21	30	34	12	10
16345	Farr, ?????	E1b1b1	12	24	13	10	17	19	11	12	10	12	11	29

DYS 19 is also known as DYS 394.

(Click here to see Genetic Distance Chart of Participants.)

(Click here to see TMRCA Chart of Participants.)

Participants 14704, 14723, 51092, 20588, 20589, 23559, 26155, 33301, 36078, 46956, 59149 and 15338 have an exact match on all 12 markers and all have a verified line back to Stephen Farr of Concord and Billerica, MA, who is also their most recent common ancestor (MRCA). These results also show without a doubt that Stephen Farr Jr.(proven in vital records of Concord), Samuel Farr and Thomas Farr were brothers and sons of Stephen Farr of Concord. Samuel mentions his brother John Farr in his will and since Samuel matches, John his brother is proven by the will. Participants 14704’s and 14723’s most recent common ancestor (MRCA) is Lorin Farr. All participants in this group would like to know what area of Great Britain they come from. They have suspected Bedfordshire for along time but have not been able to prove it. Some have suspected that they came from Epworth, Lincolnshire but with the results from participant 27562, that appears to be unlikely. Participant 15659 has 24 matches and 1 mismatch with participants 14723, 15338, 51092 and 33301) (Click here to see explanation of relatedness with 25 markers.) Participant 15659 has 35 matches and 2 mismatches with participants 15338 and 14723, and has 34 matches and 3 mismatches with participant 46956. (Click here to see explanation of relatedness with 37 markers.) Participant 15659 has a verified line back to William Farr (our MRCA) of Haynes, Bedfordshire, England who has a son named Stephen Farr born 1640 in Lidlington, Bedfordshire and a son Thomas Farr (mentioned in his will.) Stephen Farr b. 1640, disappears from English records and is not mentioned in William’s will, only in the parish records. This indicates that all participants in this group have a close relation. The Time To Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA) from our research, we know would not be possible until the 1600s or earlier. (See Table 1.) FTDNA has just come out with a new time calculator called FTDNATiP™, click here to see new estimates between participants 15659 and 14723. With only 12 markers compared the probability of William Farr being the MRCA is 37%, with 25 markers the probability is 81%, and with 37 markers the probability rises to 94%.

Since receiving the earlier results above, we have been looking closely at the parish records and wills in Bedfordshire. The Winslow Farr Sr. Family Organization hired Dean J. Hunter (who acquires British records for the FHL in SLC) to make a CD of all the Farr wills in England from about 1550 to 1750. Since acquiring this CD, my sister and I have been extracting all of the Farrs in the parish records from the early 1500s to the late 1700s in Bedfordshire. I have put these into an excel file by parish and have linked them to the wills. We have entered all of the Christenings, Marriages and Burials. I have found six new Farr wills in Bedfordshire that were not on the CD and they proved to be very useful in making connections within the parish records. One of these wills was of a Stephen Farr of Aspley Guise and he mentions a son Stephen but we have accounted for them both in England. Stephen Farr of Aspley Guise also has a son named William who has a son named Stephen b. 1640. This Stephen Farr of Lidlington b. 1640 and mentioned in the previous paragraph is the only Stephen not accounted for in the English records after birth. I have a research report from Robert Charles Anderson, FASG (author of “The Great Migration Project”), dated 1996, on our Farr line. The report is very interesting in view of our new DNA findings.

I have read in several publications, that our Farr name possibly came from the Fair name in Scotland. This might be true for some families of Farrs, but not very likely ours. Two of the Fair participants in our project are from the haplogroup R1a, one from E3b, and one from R1b1.

Participant 66392 Descends from Thomas Farr of Harpswell, Maine and matches participant 16687 perfectly on 12 markers. Participant 16687 descends from William Farr (abt 1799) of the Poland, Poland Spring, Maine area. He is not connected to any of the Farr groups listed above. In the Rev. Charles N. Sinnett’s book “The Farr Genealogy” FHL Film #0015506, he states that Thomas Farr of Harpswell Maine was possibly a son of Stephen Farr Sr’s son, John. John has an unnamed son in Maine according to Sinnett. I checked the records in SLC and found that John Farr names in his will all children except one. John’s son, John, writes in 1748 on a court record that he has listed all of the heirs of his father, except the one that lives in Falmouth, Casco Bay, York, Maine. John Farr died in 1723. Thomas Farr of Harpswell Maine died about 1830 and was age 98. That puts his birth in 1732 and doesn’t appear to be a son of John. With the DNA results from participant 66392, we now know that Thomas Farr of Harpswell, Maine did not descend from Stephen Farr of Concord, Massachusetts.

Participant 15851 with a line back to Richard Farr of Virginia was wondering if his Farr line (the southern Farrs) were connected to the Massachusetts Farrs or not. With a 5-marker mismatch, he is not related to the Stephen Farr line of Massachusetts. 15851 and 33626 match exactly and are definitely related.15851 and 33626 are related to participant 27562 with a genetic distance of 2 on a 25 marker test, which means that their ancestors came or descend from Lincolnshire Farrs. With an R1b haplotype, these participants are descendants of Western European ancestry. Participants 15851 and 16475 have a genectic distance of two. If they were to upgade to 25 markers, and still mismatched by only 2 markers, then they would be considered probably related.

Participants 64977 and 77544 match exactly and both have ancestry back to a John Farr in Georgia. It is not sure at this time if they go back to the same John Farr. It has been said that John Farr came on the good ship ‘Anne’ in 1733 with General Oglethorpe and settled with other Highlanders in the Darien Colony. General James Edward Oglethorpe and the 120 travelers of the good ship “Anne” landed on a bluff high along the Savannah River in February 1733, Oglethorpe named the Thirteenth and final American colony Georgia, after England’s King George II and Savannah became its first city. I can’t find a Farr or Pharr on the 1732/3 ship list but General Oglethorpe did go back to England and recruited Scots to go back to Georgia with him as soldiers and they went in 1736/7.

Participants 68759, 16475 and 62987 match exact on 25 markers. Participants 68759, 65312 and 62987 spells their surname Farr and 16475 spells his surname Pharr and has a verified line back to Edward Phair son of ‘? Fair’ believed to have been born in Antrim County, Ireland. Edward Phair had a brother, George, who changed the spelling to Farr and it stayed with his descendants, the Indiana Farrs. 16475 and 15851 have a genetic distance of two. They could have a MCRA 61 generations back at a 50% probability but a refinement test would be needed to see if this would hold or prove that they definitely are not related. This family’s legend has it that these Pharrs came from Scotland and took their name from a geographical location there before moving to Ireland. The spelling of the geographical location was Farr. Several locations in Scotland have the name Farr and all seem to be overlooks or places from which you can see a great distance. According to Rev. David MacKenzie of the parish of Farr in Sutherland Scotland, Farr came from the Gaelic word Faire, which meant a watch or centinel. Rev. MacKenzie says (in 1845) that “the parish has been named Farr for over 400 years. About half a mile north of the parish church is the ruin of a circular tower, or Dunn, the nearest to the sea-coast of a chain of these ancient buildings, extending for more than twenty-four miles into the interior. Not far from this Dunn, is the promontory called Farr Head, from which, in clear weather, there is a distinct view of that part of the northern ocean, which lies betwixt Orkney and Cape Wrath. From this promontory, a centinel or watch could easily discover vessels approaching the coast, and, during the period of invasions from Denmark and Orkney, could speedily communicate the necessary intelligence to the inhabitants of the interior, by means of the chain of towers, and such signals as were then in use.” The Rev.James Dingwall in his “Statistical Account of the Parish of Far – 1791-9”, states that the signals were made by raising lights. Rev. Mackenzie states that the above is only conjecture as to the name of the parish. No families by the name of Farr have ever lived in the parish of Farr. Henry Newton Pharr in his book (1955) “Pharrs And Farrs”, refers to a letter which he received from a Mr. Frederick Orr Mulligan. In the letter Mulligan says:

“My cousin and I visited two graveyards when at Crumlin Village and looked up the records for over a hundred years, but found no Farrs in the books there. I hope to visit some more of the graveyards near Antrim. I spent an hour in the Belfast Library, looking over the families who settled in Northern Ireland over two hundred years ago and amongst those settled, ‘Hannah the Historian,’ in his book of the Scotch-Irish, says that there were then five families named Farr, settled in County Antrim and that they came from Scotland. He mentioned that there is a Parish and Townland named Farr in Scotland and doubtless the Farrs took their name from or gave their name to this district.”

Pharrs can be found in an old Presbyterian churchyard, near Carrickfergus in Antrim County, Ireland with the spellings of Phars, Phears, Phairs, Fairs and Farr next to each other and were from the same family.

Click here to go to links about the Farr Parish in Sutherland, Scotland. (Read all of Rev. David Mackenzie’s statistical account of the “Parish of Farr” – 1845 and the Rev. James Dingwall’s Statistical Account of the “Parish of Far” – 1791/9)

Participants 19147 and 55231 are from the haplogroup R1a and spell their surname Fair. They have a genetic distance of one. If number 55231 were to expand to 25 markers, then we could decide if the relationship is positive or not. A lot of people from this haplogroup have ancestors in Hungary, Germany, Russia and India

Participants 89616 and 84298 have an identical known common ancestor, Joseph Farr/Farr, who first appears in the 1800 Burke County, NC Census. He is believed to be the son of Joseph and Mary Farr/Fair first discovered in Lunenburg County in 1752. Participant 89616 is descended from William Farr, son of the former; participant 84298 is descended from Elijah Fair, both of whom are brothers and known sons of Joseph Farr/Fair and Nancy Choate. William was the only son (of 4) whose descendants took the Farr surname. Participant 25224 has ties to this same family but has a substantial DNA mismatch.

Participant 25224 is from the confirmed haplogroup R1b1b2e (Northern Ireland) and spells his name Fair. He derives his surname from the Joseph Farr/Fair family of 1800 Burke County, NC as do participants 89616 and 84298 whose markers match each other 36/37. However the markers for 25224 vary substantially from participants 89616 and 84298 but his markers match 36/37 with a Buckner surname that lived next door to the Joseph Farr/Fair family in the 1810 Burke census which strongly indicates an act of paternity with a family member. 25224 also has a perfect match at 25 markers and a 35/37 match with a participant in another company’s DNA project with the surname Connor. There is a Conor family also enumerated in Burke County during that same period. Connor Surname Project.

Participant 44408 who descends from a James Farr Sr. b. England d. abt 1829 SC. Haplogroup is R1b1.

Participant 28452 is from the haplogroup E1b1b1a2 and spells his name Fair.

Participant 16345 is from a different haplogroup than the others, E1b1b1. I have not communicated with this participant so I don’t know of his linage. His DYS markers indicate a genetic distance from other participants by 21 to 25. This means no relation to the other participants.

Participant 18481 is from the haplogroup R1a and has discovered that he has perfect matches and close matches with the Woodall Surname project. With a little paper work he has made some amazing discoveries about his direct line.

	Family 4
31343	Woodall	R1a	13	25	16	08	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31	15	09	09	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	15	15	16	12	11	19	23	17	16	17	17	36	38	12	11
29614	Woodall	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	11	12	12	10	14	11	31	15	09	09	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	15	15	16	11	11	19	23	17	16	17	18	36	38	12	11
33105	Woodall	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31	15	09	09	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	12	15	15
32983	Woodall	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31
33925	Woodall	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31
36335	Woodell	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31	15	09	09	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	15	15	16
37829	Woodall	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31
40732	Woodell	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31	15	09	09	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	15	15	16
18481	Farr	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31	15	09	09	11	11	24	14	20	31	12	15	15	16	11	11	19	23	17	16	17	17	36	39	12	11
38915	Woodall	R1a	13	25	16	09	11	14	12	12	10	14	11	31

(Click here to see Genetic Distance Chart of Participants.)

(Click here to see TMRCA Chart of Participants.)

It is obvious from our observation (FTDNA) of 1000’s of samples that some markers change or mutate at a faster rate than others. While that actual ‘faster rate’ has not yet been definitively calculated, not all markers should be treated the same for evaluation purposes.

The markers in red have shown a faster mutation rate then the average, and therefore these markers are very helpful at splitting lineages into sub sets, or branches, within your family tree.

Explained another way, if you match exactly on all of the markers except for one or a few of the markers we have determined mutate more quickly, then despite the mutation this mismatch only slightly decreases the probability of two people in your surname group who match 11/12 or even 23/25 of not sharing a recent common ancestor.

How Many Markers?

The question comes up as to whether it’s better to get the 12-marker kit or the 25-marker kit. There are some reasons for choosing 12 or 25 initially. One reason is, from a practical standpoint, the cost of the test, others are considering what results one would like to get. The 25-marker test is going to provide a shorter TMRCA (Time To Most Recent Common Ancestor); in other words your probabilities of matching another will occur within a shorter number of generations. (That is, you will know that there’s a 50 percent chance you match someone within 7.5 generations as opposed to 14, for example). A 37-marker test is now available and gives a TMRCA of about 4.7 generations. We recommend starting with the 37 marker test. Some of our participants are matching many people from other surname projects until they upgrade to 25 or more markers. The upgrades have always proved that the matches with other surnames are not real matches and from then on they have only matched participants in our surname project.

12 Markers- $99.00 for 12 marker test (plus S&H) (The cost of the kit for non-group members is $149)
25 Markers - $148.00 for 25 marker test (plus S&H) (The cost of the kit for non-group members is $229)
37 Markers - $189.00 for 37 marker test (plus S&H) (The cost of the kit for non-group members is $259)
67 Markers - $269.00 for 67 marker test (plus S&H) (The cost of the kit for non-group members is $349)
12-25 Marker Upgrade - If you get the 12-marker test and decide to upgrade, the cost for project participants is $49.
12-37 Marker Upgrade - If you get the 12-marker test and decide to upgrade, the cost for project participants is $99.
12-67 Marker Upgrade – If you get the 12-marker test and decide to upgrade, the cost for project participants is $189
25-37 Marker Upgrade – If you get the 25-marker test and decide to upgrade, the cost for project participants is $59.

After the cost is considered, the next considerations, I believe, are these.

The number of people in the main family groups that have taken the test to compare against. As a new project progresses, there will be more people to compare test results against. You might opt to take the 25-marker test and upgrade later if there are some other participants you wish to compare against in greater detail. Why would you want to check for greater detail? Because either you would find that more markers continue to show matches or more markers show mutational differences that were not obvious with only 25.
If you take a 25 marker test and match on all markers but two, you will need to upgrade to 37 or 67 markers to be certain there is a relationship or not.
The amount of paper trail that exists for some baseline ancestors. Some participants will not necessarily be interested in more than 25 markers, but more of a test to see if they match the baselines that are being established.
How many generations back do you want to compare exact matches AND/OR if there were an exact match or close match on 25 markers, what differences or similarities would 37 markers show? A 37-marker test brings closer the TMRCA (Time to Most Recent Common Ancestry) to a shorter number of generations where there is a match (See Table 1.)

So, let’s use some examples:

25 marker test-exact match. To find out if the matches are within a shorter number of generations, 2 of the participants could take the 37-marker test.
12 marker test-one mutation, no other exact matches. Seeking another distant cousin of that 11/12 match to test against to see if the same mutation occurs. 25-marker test against 12/12 with 25 markers could also show additional mutational distinctions disproving a match that might look apparent with 12/12.
25 marker test-two mutations, no other exact matches. Seeking a distant cousin of that 23/25 match to test against as well as upgrading when that occurs for finer results to 37 markers would be beneficial.

Therefore, we’re going to recommend this. Starting with the 25 marker test or if you want to, initially get the 37-marker test, but if there are no other 37-marker participants, you will not have a base to test against. There is some very good information on the front page, right hand side, of the Family Tree DNA site which is must reading, including this http://www.familytreedna.com/markerschart.html

Table 1. Probability for Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA)

Number of matching markers	50% probability that the MRCA was no longer than this number of generations	90% probability that the MRCA was no longer than this number of generations	95% probability that the MRCA was no longer than this number of generations
10 of 10	16.5	56	72
11 of 12	17	39	47
12 of 12	7	23	29
23 of 25	11	23	27
24 of 25	7	16	20
25 of 25	3	10	13
35 of 37	6	12	14
36 of 37	4	8	10
37 of 37	2	5	7

Note: A generation is considered to be 25 years.

HAPLOGROUP ASSIGNMENTS: Haplo numbers in the table identify the haplogroups to which Family Tree DNA has assigned the haplotypes. The initial assignments are made on the basis of probability. Most of the time these are *suggested* results and require a haplogroup test to know for certain.

The haplogroup designations are those established by the Y Chromosome Consortium (YCC) in 2008. The YCC system permits greater precision in defining haplogroups than previous systems. One familiar predecessor system used the categories HG1, HG2 and HG3 to classify most individuals of European origin. HG1 identified the haplogroup that is now called R1b in the YCC system; HG2 identified a haplogroup that is now largely classified as “I” (upper case “i”, the alphabetic character, and not the numeral “1”), but which also includes haplogroups that are now differentiated in the YCC system; and HG3 identified the haplogroup now called R1a.

The old HG classification system has the potential to be misleading.

HAPLOGROUP DEFINITIONS: Family Tree DNA provided the following thumbnail summaries of the different haplogroups

E1b1b1	This haplogroup probably originated in eastern Africa and is about 25,000 years old. It expanded into the Mediterranean during the Pleistocene Neolithic expansion. It is currently distributed around the Mediterranean, southern Europe, and in north and east Africa. Lineages that do not belong to any of this haplogroup’s branches are found mainly in eastern and southern Africa
E1b1b1a2	E1b1b1a2 This lineage is found in high frequencies in Europe, and can also be found in northeastern Africa. It is most frequent in the Balkans, but is rare in the Near East outside of Turkey. Estimates of its age vary from 11,000 to 17,000 years ago. It likely originated in western Asia, reached the Balkans shortly afterwards, and from there spread into Europe within the last 5,000 years.
I	The I, I1, and I1a lineages are nearly completely restricted to northwestern Europe. These would most likely have been common within Viking populations. One lineage of this group extends down into central Europe.
I1a	The I1a lineage likely has its roots in northern France. Today it is found most frequently within Viking / Scandinavian populations in northwest Europe and has since spread down into Central and Eastern Europe, where it is found at low frequencies.
I1b	This line was derived within Viking / Scandinavian populations in northwest Europe and has since spread down into southern Europe where it is present at low frequencies.
R1	The undifferentiated R1 lineage is quite rare. It is found only at very low frequencies in Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia. This lineage possibly originated in Europe and then migrated east into Asia.
R1a	The R1a lineage is believed to have originated in the Eurasian Steppes north of the Black and Caspian Seas. This lineage is believed to have originated in a population of the Kurgan culture, known for the domestication of the horse (approximately 3000 B.C.E.). These people were also believed to be the first speakers of the Indo-European language group. This lineage is currently found in central and western Asia, India, and in Slavic populations of Eastern Europe.
R1b1	Haplogroup R1b is the most common haplogroup in European populations. It is believed to have expanded throughout Europe as humans re-colonized after the last glacial maximum 10-12 thousand years ago. This lineage is also the haplogroup containing the Atlantic modal haplotype.
R1b1c	Haplogroup R1b is the most common haplogroup in European populations. It is believed to have expanded throughout Europe as humans re-colonized after the last glacial maximum 10-12 thousand years ago. This lineage is also the haplogroup containing the Atlantic modal haplotype.
R1b1b2	Haplogroup R1b is the most common haplogroup in European populations. It is believed to have expanded throughout Europe as humans re-colonized after the last glacial maximum 10-12 thousand years ago. This lineage is also the haplogroup containing the Atlantic modal haplotype.
R1b1b2e	Haplogroup R1b is the most common haplogroup in European populations. It is believed to have expanded throughout Europe as humans re-colonized after the last glacial maximum 10-12 thousand years ago. Its branch R1b1c7 is primarily found in Northern Ireland, and contains the Niall Modal Haplotype.

In almost all cases, any two members of a haplogroup or subclade—even those with different surnames—will share a more recent common ancestor than either one of them will share with a member of a predecessor haplogroup from which their haplogroup ultimately derives. Thus any R individual will be share a more recent common ancestor with another R than with a Q. Similarly, an R and a Q will share a more recent common ancestor than either will share with either an I or a J. Similarly, an I and a J will share a common ancestor more recent than the one either of them shares with an R or a Q.

These relationships can be seen here in the table of haplogroup relationships established by the Y-Chromosome Consortium. This is a large file that will be slow to load over dial-up connections. It is recommended that interested individuals download and save the PDF version (over five megs) in order to have it available for ready reference on their own computers. The full report from which this table is taken can be accessed here.