Description and
Overview of the Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study
The
Brown/Browne/Braun DNA Study is a volunteer
genealogical activity, whose main aim is to use DNA
analysis for tracing the histories of various Brown families, including
those with variants of the Brown surname like Browne, Broun,
Braun, Brun, Browning and Brownlee. The
project is coordinated by non-paid, amateur genealogists, and
about 95% of the lab
work for our tests has been done at the University of Arizona
under a contract with Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) of Houston,
Texas.
The Brown
project is now eight 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. Randall stepped down in
2008, and Jim then became the Administrator.
The Brown project now has results for more than 600 tested members, who belong to some
320 unrelated, biologically separate Brown/Browne/Braun family lines. A
number of participants have reported significant breakthroughs in their
own genealogical research, thanks to the project. What's more,
we've had good success not only with DNA matching, but even
with people who have used genealogical info at our website to connect with other
Brown lines in cases where their own Brown families have not yet
had DNA
tests.
We're confident that successes like these will grow in number
as "the word gets out" concerning the
power of DNA analysis for genealogical research.
Our study and all other DNA surname projects 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.
In other words, direct participants in our project, that is,
the men
who are actually tested, must either (1) carry the
Brown surname or a "Brown like" surname; or at least (2)
be thought to descend
in an unbroken
male-to-male line from a Brown-surnamed male ancestor.
Please note however that if you are not yourself a test candidate, you're still welcome to sponsor
Brown-surnamed male relatives as test participants, to join our
project's mailing list, and to help us 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-surnamed 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 less
trouble than 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 $103.00
for the basic test (12 markers), while the recommended
test for new participants (37 markers) is $153.00.
Results
may be kept anonymous if a participant wishes, although
virtually all participants have opted to list their full, real names
alongside their results
in an open database.
No project member receives any money from the study. The
only fees involved are the
charges paid to FTDNA for test kits and lab work, and FTDNA
gives project members a significant discount from the list
prices.
Even if you aren't interested in joining the study at this
time, but would still like to follow our progress, you'e
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 who 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 or a variant like "Braun." But please be assured that adoptees and other "biological Browns" are
just as welcome.
This 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. The result comes
about not only because women don't carry 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?
Family Tree DNA, a firm in Houston TX, has been the contractor for about 95%
of our tests.
They make all arrangements for actual lab work, which is normally performed at the
world-class DNA lab of the University of Arizona. We do accept test results
from other labs and other firms, but we strongly advise testing via FTDNA,
due not only to their unparalleled variety of tests and their excellent
customer service, but also because they have by far the largest customer
database in the genealogy-DNA business. The large size of this database
greatly increases the probability that you'll find matches if you test via
FTDNA rather than via the other outfits.
(We aren't aware that other
firms have released info on the sizes of their customer
databases. But FTDNA now has a database of more than 170,000
tests of the sort used by the Brown DNA Study.)
Another reason for testing via FTDNA is this:
Even though some of the competing labs are entirely reliable
in a scientific sense, they all test slightly different
"menus" of DNA markers, meaning that it's difficult for our
project to compare and incorporate some of their results. On
the other hand, when you test via FTDNA, your results will
quickly and easily compared, marker by marker, with the 600+
other Brown-surnamed men in the Brown DNA Study.
The following link will take you to the FTDNA home page:
http://www.familytreedna.com
This site has detailed information on the uses of DNA for 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 won't get our special
discount prices 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 only if you
first post your results at the Y-Search website:
http://www.ysearch.org
I
What does it cost to be tested?
Currently
the lowest cost "basic test" for project members is the 12-Marker Y-chromosome
test at $103.00. But we strongly recommend that most
participants order the 37-marker test, which costs $153.00.
Please be sure to keep in mind that these prices are discounted 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. Also, kits sent
outside the USA will incur an additional mailing charge of
USD 2.00.
What is in the test Kit?
FTDNA
will send a kit with contains 3 swabs, 3 vials, instructions, and a release
form to be signed.
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:
Please note that to implement an
order,
we need the participant's full name including middle name,
shipping address, billing name and address (if different from
shipping
name and shipping address) and E-mail address. A contact
phone number is optional.
We'd also very much like to have a bit of your basic genealogical information in the
male-to-male line, most importantly the birth and death residences/dates of
your earliest known Brown male ancestor. But if you don't have some of this information, please just
send what you can. And you may send information on additional generations if you wish.
What if I have already tested
with a company other than FTDNA? May I still join the
project?
We'll be happy for you join to
us if you've ALREADY tested with some lab or company other
than our regular contractor, Family Tree DNA. Among our
600+
members, about two dozen men fall into that category. But if
you haven't yet had a DNA test, we recommend most strongly that you test
only with FTDNA, simply in order to have results fully
compatible with the overwhelming majority of Brown-surnamed
men who have taken genealogical DNA tests.
Whom should I contact about the Brown DNA Study?
Volunteer
Administrator:
Jim Brown |