Announcing the Saddington DNA Project!

Proving whether your Saddingtons are connected to my Saddingtons!

One of the most frequent questions that I am asked by the people who contact me about the Saddington family is whether their Saddingtons are connected to my Saddingtons. Sometimes I can tell them that, yes, they are connected and that our common ancestor is X. More often, I have to say that, at the moment, I do not have sufficient evidence to prove a connection.

As one way of providing a more informative answer to this question, I have established the Saddington DNA Project at Family Tree DNA, and it is ready for participants to join and order a test kit.

Ideally, the goal is to have two distant line males test for each family tree. Being female and only a quarter Saddington, my family tree will need to be represented by other descendants of my great grandfather.

The Y DNA test tells you about your direct male line, which would be your father, his father, and so on back in time. You must be male to take this test and you should be a Saddington. If you believe that there is a Saddington in your direct male line, although you have a different surname, you are also welcome to participate. If you are female like me, you will need to find a direct line male to participate (father, brother, uncle, cousin etc) to represent your family tree.

If possible, it is recommended that you order a Y DNA test with 37 markers. If you order fewer markers, it is possible to upgrade later, though this will cost a little more. Ordering your test through the Saddington DNA Project means that you will get a discounted rate from the normal retail price.

Participating is an opportunity to uncover information not provided in the paper records, which will help with your research of your family tree. Together, we will also discover which family trees are related. As the project progresses, the results for the various family trees will provide information about the origin and distribution of the Saddington surname.

The goals of the Saddington DNA Project are:

* To discover information to help with our family history research
* To discover which family trees are related
* To discover information to help with brick walls
* To confirm any surname variants
* To validate family history research
* To get on file a DNA sample for trees at risk of extinction of the male line
* To discover information about our distant origins

The Saddington DNA Project also includes a General Fund, which will accept donations in any currency via credit card. These funds will be held at the testing company and will be used to help sponsor test kits for key males who are unable financially to participate. Should you wish to make a donation, click on the link to the Project and then click "Contribute to the Project General Fund" on the left to make a donation. Please specify "Saddington Project General Fund" in the top box of the Donation Form.

If you have any queries about DNA testing, Family Tree DNA has a Frequently Asked Questions section, which should be able to provide the answers.

I look forward to sharing this new method of family history research with you, and look forward to hearing from you all.