DNA Open Letter
Hemingway DNA Genealogical Project
5 Rectory Leys
Offord Darcy
Cambs
PE19 5SQ
UK
5 June 2004
As part of the ongoing research into the Hemingway family name, a DNA study is being carried out to help support (or disprove) the current paper genealogies and to help connect with others of the same surname world-wide.
Only DNA from the Y-chromosome will be tested and as such, only males who are directly descended (or believed to be descended) from the Hemingway family name are eligible. This also includes spelling variants of the surname such as Hemmingway, Hemenway, Hemingfield, Hemingbrough etc. If you are a female researcher, you can participate indirectly if you have a brother, father, paternal uncle, or male cousin with the Hemingway or variant surname who is willing to submit a DNA sample. Others may also be able to participate by sharing the cost of the Hemingway surname DNA testing. Because we are acting as a Surname Project, we will benefit from a single point of contact with the testing company and be able to easily share results.
If you want to learn more about Y-chromosomes and genealogy, the testing laboratory has an illustrated tutorial at DNA Heritage, which has been written especially for non-scientists. The details of the Hemingway Surname DNA Project can also be found on the DNA Heritage website. There are also details about the project on my Hemingway website at www.hemingway.uk.com
The testing laboratory provides a small sampling kit for each participant. This contains three small swabs, which are rubbed on the inside of the cheek and then placed in a sterile envelope. This is quick, easy and totally pain-free and enables the DNA to be safely transported back to the laboratory via the postal service. Each participant receives their own ‘customer code’ and each sample kit is coded so that, by logging onto the secure web-page set up for each Surname Project, participants can check the progress of their sample.
The laboratory will carry out testing on 23 (or more, up to 43) Y-chromosome STR markers. This is a high-resolution test as it has been found that low-resolution tests (ie that use fewer markers) can often only exclude a link between two people, rather than show a link. Also, the DNA markers tested are only in the ‘junk’ region of DNA and do not contain medical information. The test will not identify you as an individual as you will likely share the same results with many thousands of other individuals. This is in contrast to police forensic profiling. It is therefore necessary to compare your results with others that have the same surname, as the probability of a match of both surname and Y-chromosome results are very low.
When two people with similar surnames match on all markers, a connection to a recent common paternal ancestor can be confirmed. Less exact matches indicate more distant connections or may exclude a connection altogether.
Often, surname studies reveal separate and distinct groups of males, which demonstrate that they do not share the same ancestor. This happens most frequently with variant surnames. Whilst this may be unexpected, this can be extremely helpful (and cost effective) when deciding avenues of further standard genealogical research.
None of the markers used by DNA Heritage are ‘in-house’ - all have been proved credible and published in recent scientific journals.
The price for each 23 marker test through the Hemingway Surname Project study is only £79. Higher resolution tests (more markers) are available. The costs rise pro-rata, that is approximately £3.30 for each additional marker. However, if you opt of the full 43 marker test at the beginning, this will be undertaken for approximately £108 giving a substantial discount of £20. The reason that the costs are approximate, is that they are actually priced in US$.
What happens next?
If you would like to participate in this on-going project, using this link go straight to the Hemingway Surname Project ‘join’ page on DNA Heritage’s website. The testing laboratory will then send a testing kit direct to you. You then will need to take samples of your DNA, read and sign the Consent Form, and send the samples back to the testing laboratory. Only when the samples are received will the testing laboratory invoice for the test. The results are usually be ready within three weeks.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions concerning the Hemingway Surname Project. If you would like to help with the project in any way, please let me know.
Yours faithfully,
Maurice Hemingway - Surname Project Administrator
Hemingway@one-name.org
Updated 28 June 2004
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DNA Heritage is a DNA testing firm with headquarters in the UK. Their laboratory only uses fully-validated testing protocols and marker ladders that have been used to test thousands of individuals world-wide. All markers have been published and deemed suitable for population studies. Full marker calibration and overlapping multiplex strategies ensure consistently accurate results.
