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Brown DNA Study Overview

                                      04/29/08

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Description and Overview of the Brown DNA Study 

The Brown Surname Y-chromosome DNA Study is a volunteer genealogical activity, whose ultimate aim is to use DNA patterns for tracing Brown families worldwide and for discovering relationships among these families. The project is coordinated by non-paid, amateur genealogists, and actual lab work is done by professionals at the University of Arizona through a contractor, Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) of Houston TX.

Our project is just over six years old and is still growing. Rufus B. "Byron" Brown was our founder, and he served as Project Administrator until late 2002. Randall Colston took up the post of Co-Administrator and Webmaster in 2002. Jim Brown became Co-Administrator in late 2002, upon Byron's retirement.

We now have just over 450 tested members, who belong to some 230 unrelated, biologically separate Brown family lines. A number of participants have reported real breakthroughs in their own genealogical research, thanks to the project. What's more, we've had good success not only with DNA matching, but also with people who've used our website to connect with other Brown lines even in cases where they have not yet found a DNA match. 

We are confident successes like these will increase significantly as "the word gets out" concerning the power of DNA analysis in genealogical work.  And as our study's database grows, we anticipate many more breakthroughs.

Our study and other DNA surname studies are based on Y-chromosome DNA, which is possessed only by males. It is passed from fathers to sons virtually unchanged over hundreds of years. Therefore, direct participants in DNA surname studies necessarily must be males.

Direct participants in our study, that is, people who are actually tested, must be males who either (1) carry the Brown surname, or (2) are thought to be descended directly in an unbroken male-to-male line from a Brown-surnamed male.


Please note, however, that if you are not a test candidate yourself, you are still welcome to sponsor test participants, join our project's mailing list and help recruit new candidates for testing. In this regard, we hope you can pass this message along to others who might be interested -- or even persuade one of your Brown-surnamed male relatives to submit a DNA sample for our project. 

So if you have a Brown brother, father, cousin, nephew, or uncle who has at least a slight interest in genealogy, maybe you can help enlist them in our research. In fact, many female Browns and non-Brown cousins have already become project members by sponsoring their Brown-surnamed male relatives.

DNA samples for the study are furnished by means of a gentle "swab" inside the mouth. The test is about as much trouble as brushing your teeth and is completely painless. It does not involve drawing blood or other intrusive methods, and it is done at home with a small kit mailed directly to participants.  The cost is modest, starting at $101.00 for the most basic test (12 markers), while the recommended test for new participants (25 markers) costs $150.00.


Results may be kept anonymous, if a participant wishes, although virtually all participants have opted to list their names alongside their results in an open database.

No project member receives any money from the study. Others donate their talents and resources in additional ways. The only fees involved are the charges paid to FTDNA for test kits and lab work, and they give project members a significant discount below the normal charges.

Even if you aren't interested in joining the study at this time, but would still like to follow our progress, you are invited to sign up for our project's mailing list. There is no cost for this service, and all Brown researchers are welcome. Please let us know or use the link below if you would like to be added to the mailing list.


To Join Brown DNA Project Mail List Send an email to
Brown-dna-study-request@brownsociety.org. Put the word "subscribe" in the title and in the body of the email.

To post a message to all other members of the project, you may send it to the following address -
Brown-dna-study@brownsociety.org

To view the archives of our mailing list, or to see a list of members, you may using the following link:

        
http://brownsociety.org/mailman/listinfo/brown-dna-study_brownsociety.org

Questions and Answers:

Who can be tested in the Brown Project?

You must be a male who descends (or is thought to descend) from a Brown-surnamed male ancestor in an unbroken male-to-male line.  This qualification means that in most cases you will carry the "Brown" surname. But adoptees and other "biological Browns" are welcome as well. The limitation to Brown males is necessary because the Y Chromosome DNA test is the only known way to track a surname that passes down from father to son. This result comes not only because women do not possess the Y chromosome, but also because the Y chromosome is passed from father to son with very little change over hundreds -- even thousands -- of years.

Who does the Actual Testing?

A company named Family Tree DNA, located in Houston TX, is our contractor. They make all arrangements for actual lab work, which is performed in the world-class DNA lab at the University of Arizona.

The following link will take you to the FTDNA home page:

      http://www.familytreedna.com

This site has a lot of detailed information on the uses of DNA in genealogy. In particular, you will find the title "Tutorial" on the right side of the page, below the search blocks. This link will lead you to explanations of the testing process, test kit contents and instructions, charts, and a host of other information. This FTDNA information link it is an outstanding resource, and we recommend it to you. Please note, however, that if you want to be part of the Brown DNA Study, you should NOT order your kit directly from FTDNA. We say this because you will not get our special discount price unless you order through the project.

The Brown project has a few members who have tested via other labs. If you've tested somewhere other than FTDNA, you may join our project if you first post your results at the Y-Search website:

http://www.ysearch.org

If you haven't yet tested, however, we strongly urge that you test only via FTDNA. The reason is that even though most of the other labs are very reliable in a scientific sense, they test slightly different "menus" of DNA markers, meaning that it's sometimes difficult for our project to compare and incorporate their results.


What does it cost to be tested?

Currently the lowest cost "basic test" for project members is $99.00 (12-Marker Y-chromosome test) plus $2.00 for shipping and handling. Please be sure to keep in mind that this is a discounted price for the Brown DNA Study.  The kit must be ordered through our project to get the discount. (Individuals who order directly from FTDNA will pay much higher prices.)

What is in the test Kit?

FTDNA will send a kit with contains 2 swabs, 2 vials, instructions, and a release.  The following link has a picture of the kit contents and instructions:

         http://www.familytreedna.com/kit.html

How do I Order a Test Kit?

To order a test kit just send a simple email with the following information to:

Full Name including middle name, Shipping Address, Billing Name and Address (if different from Shipping Name and Shipping Address), E-mail Address, and Phone Number.

We also would very much like to have your basic Family Tree information in the male-to-male line. Specifically, we request at least three generations of Brown male lineage information, that is, yourself, your father, and your Brown-surnamed grandfather -- if available.

We would also like to have the county and state of residence of the earliest man in this line. But if you don't have some of this information, please just send what you can. And you may send information on additional generations, all the way back to your earliest proven Brown male ancestor, if you wish.



Whom should I contact about the Brown DNA Study?


Group Administrator:

James Armistead Brown, Jr. - .
Contact Jim to order a test kit, for any questions about the Brown DNA Study, or about Brown genealogy.  
 

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This page was last updated on 04/29/08.

 
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