BUTLER DNA PROJECT
If you are interested in adding another dimension to your genealogy researches, you may wish to participate in a Butler DNA Project. Descendants from a common ancestor share the same genetic code, even if the various branches of the family have dispersed around the world. This Project originally focussed on the male DNA, that is the Y-DNA, because the surname of Butler usually passes down the male line. As well as connecting men through their inherited Y-DNA, the test provides an insight in to the genetic origins of each family.
Then the Project was extended to include female DNA – the mtDNA. Quite a few people, both men and women, trace their Butler genealogy through a female, and while they do not have the Butler surname, are still interested to know the details of their genetic inheritance from that branch of the family. And testing through mtDNA may assist with finding a connection to a previously unknown descendant through a female line, eg from a great-grandmother or great-aunt.
The Butler Group Project has been set up with an American firm called “Family Tree DNA” (FTDNA). A number of firms throughout the world undertake DNA tests, and we are not saying you must use this one particular firm for your test. However, there is obviously an advantage in concentrating as many test results as possible in one location, as this will provide more chances of your results finding a match with another participant. If you are interested, open up the website www.familytreedna.com, then click on “Projects”, then “Surname Projects”, and open up “The Butler Group Project” under the initial “B”. Note that any prices quoted are in American dollars.
If you have already had a test done with another firm, your results can be transferred to this Project, without you having to undergo another test.
Included in the Butler Group Project is an in-house forum, entitled “Activity Feed”, where people who have done the test can share information and ask questions.
