Maxwell Surname DNA Project

FAQs

1. How are you, the Maxwell Study administrators, going to protect my privacy?

Your name and your assigned FamilyTreeDNA reference code number will never be shown on the webpage. Your Y-12 data numbers will be shown, along with a new coded number, and your ancestors' names will be listed (but no living persons).

2. If I find a similar Y-12 code on the webpage, how do I contact this DNA donor?

Send us an email with the Code and Clan numbers that you have found. We will forward YOUR email address to the donor of the above mentioned code. This DONOR then has an option of replying to your request or ignoring your email request. Ideally, everyone will reply, but it is possible that the donor may want to maintain confidentiality. In other words, you and other donors like you will actually be the ones to make the final decision about sharing further information with each other.

3. I have relatives who may want to take part in this project, what should I do?

Send your name and the relative's name (and email address if possible) to the administrator's email address. We will take it from there. However, remember that the potential donor must be an living male Maxwell descendant (LMMD). Or you may sign up for a collection kit to be sent directly from Family Tree DNA. Go to: FamilyTreeDNA.com

4. Is there more information about DNA on the Internet?

Yes, quite a bit. Just Google "genealogy dna".

5. Why is it that you insist on male members of the Maxwell clans?

The short answer is "cost." To check male Y chromosome markers, the cost is now $99 (group discount). To check DNA through a female clan member requires mitochondrial DNA and is generally an anthropology type test to help identify what region in the world your maternal ancestry came from. Costs for this testing could go beyond $1000. The Y chromosome test is a paternal "family type" test used to study specific families.

6. Do the Y-12 markers contain personal information related to a person's health or inheritance of disease-related genes?

No, they do not really do anything except pass from one male to the next. In other words, they do not identify hair color, IQ, health related issues, intellectual ability, etc. The very small sample of 12 markers (loci) reported in the Y chromosome DNA analysis represents a tiny part of the complete DNA "fingerprint," therefore, no one could identify you specifically from the Y chromosome sample even if they wanted to.

7. If my DNA DonorPage has an error or omission regarding my ancestors' names, dates, or migration pattern, can it be corrected?

We know that there may be some errors in reporting these generations, so your help will be appreciated. If you send an email to one of the administrators with the proposed changes please try to give a primary source for the proposed change. Our current format allows space for just four lines of ancestors and/or information.

8. If donors from the same genealogical lineage have entirely different Y-12 patterns, what could be the cause?

It could be that a Maxwell ancestor adopted a boy from outside the clan. Other causes would involve "non-paternity issues" (infidelity, step-children, etc.) And lastly, the subject donors may not actually belong in the same line because of errors in family traditions or family records.

9. Your Donor Pages show space for 25 markers or loci. Why?

A 25/25 match gives you a 50% probability of having an MCRA (most common recent ancestor) within 7 generations (some say 3.5 generations). If two donors have a 12/12 match, their MCRA would 50% of the time be within fourteen generations back. The additional loci narrows the search. See also http://www.familytreedna.com/faq2.html