This outcome means that our study's match rate now stands just shy of 56% -- as compared to a rate just under 54% at the beginning of 2006, and a rate last year at this time that was still below 50%. So our "success percentage" has continued to rise, just as we've long thought it would.

The matched men now fall into 44 separate groups that appear to share common ancestries within the last 600 years or so. Therefore, when combined with our 116 participants who lack matches, it seems we've now identified 160 unrelated, genealogically distinct Brown lines.

We've always known that our Brown surname had diverse origins. But I don't think anybody could have predicted four years ago, when Byron Brown began our project, that we would have discovered so much diversity after having tested only about .01 per cent of the estimated two to three million Brown-surnamed men in the English-speaking world.

In any event, for our website's latest compilation of the project's overall results, see here:

http://brownsociety.org/browndna/dna-brown.htm

(Note that results are presented separately for those members who fall into a "group," as opposed to those with "unique" DNA signatures. So if you don't find yourself on the page for group results, just check the page for unique results. And if you find a mistake or omission in your results as posted, please contact me ASAP off-list. Please also be aware that if you've received new results since June 1st, they may not yet have been posted.)

Finally, special thanks to all those who've helped spread the word not only about our study but also about DNA genealogy in general. Every bit of positive publicity will surely help our drive to recruit new members. And even though we're not yet the largest surname project (the Wells, Rose and Walker projects all surpass us for the time being), we'll surely get there one day soon -- but only with your help!

Best regards,

Jim Brown (James Armistead Brown, Jr.)
Project Co-Administrator
Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study
DNAforBrowns@aol.com

June 1, 2005

Hello to all Brown researchers and descendants!

Our Study now has yDNA signatures for 143 men, of whom
70 -- or about 49% -- have so far found genealogically significant
matches with other project members.

This "success rate" has been rising steadily over the life of the

project, and we can expect continued increases over the next

few years as more and more people learn about the new field

of DNA genealogy.

FYI, our rate of matches was only about 30% at this time last year.

And two years ago, it was about 10%.

Moral of the story: If we all pull together and work to recruit new

members, then by this time next year, I'm sure we'll be able

to say that a healthy majority of our members have found

matches with other Brown families!

Best regards,

Jim Brown (James Armistead Brown, Jr.)
Project Co-Administrator
Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study

PS: Go to our project website's "results" section, and you'll see

that we now have twenty-six (!) groups of matching members:

http://brownsociety.org/browndna/results.htm

If my arithmetic is correct, then these 26 matched groups plus our

73 members without matches mean that we've so far discovered

a grand total of 99 separate, unrelated Brown lines. So if anybody

doubted the extremely diverse "multiple origins" of the Brown

surname, we now have overwhelming proof!

March 14, 2003

We now have 78 members on our Brown DNA Project mail list. There are 37 member who have sent tests to FTDNA, with a total of 42 who have signed up to be members of the Brown study at FTDNA.

September 1, 2002

Byron has served the group well since it began in January 2002. He told some of us that he turned 75 in June and would like to have someone else take over the Administration of the Brown Surname DNA Study. I have volunteered to serve, at least for the rest of this year.

January 2002

The Brown Study began the first of the year 2002 and at this time we have seven tests returned with 12 registered. We are moving quickly now so contact me to order your Kit as soon as possible. I will add you to list of members and others who are interested in the Study and sign you up for the mail list. Even if you can not qualify to participate in the study send us a note and let us know that you are interested. We would like to encourage everyone to do what they can to help.

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This page was last updated on 06/23/06.