This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: CarolVass Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.alexander/6192.2.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Mark: Here is the website for the Clan Donald yDNA project: http://dna-project.clan-donald-usa.org/ Somerled's Haplogroup has been determined to be "R1a". All of the descendants of the New Munster Seven Brothers who have participated in the ALEXANDER yDNA project are in Haplogroup "R1b". A simplified explanation of Haplogroup is that it is the 'name' of the 'branch' of the family tree of the "Y" chromosome. Different 'branches' means that there is NO genetic relationship for thousands upon thousands of years - in the case of R1a and R1b, it's almost literally 10,000 years ago. You can read through the Clan Donald sections on the history of the project. If you click on the RESULTS link at the top of the page, you can find the R1a Table to see those McDonalds/McAllisters & a few Alexanders who are in Haplogroup R1a. [These Alexanders in R1a group are also in the ALEXANDER yDNA project and have no relationship to the New Munster Seven Brothers.] If you click on the Clan Donald R1b Table, you will see the names of quite a few Alexanders who are descended from the New Munster Seven Brothers and are also on the ALEXANDER yDNA project. There are numerous men with the McDonald surname who are also in Haplogroup R1b meaning they are also not 'direct' descendants of Somerled. I don't believe these yDNA results mean that the New Munster Alexanders were not part of the Clan Donald at one time, but I am not a part of the Clan Donald and would have to bow to their expertise. On the ALEXANDER surname yDNA project, there are 15 men with 'paper trails' to one of the New Munster Seven Brothers who are excellent yDNA matches to each other. [There are an additional five men who match the 15, but who have not been able to connect themselves -- in a 'paper trail' way -- to the New Munster Seven, but who can use their DNA results to focus on the New Munster Seven.] Quite a few of these 15 men are also on the Clan Donald project and show up in that projects R1b Haplogroup Tables. If you'd like, I can identify their Clan Donald 'code' numbers. On the ALEXANDER surname yDNA project, there are currently 87 participants with 14 matching 'sets' of two or more people. By far, the New Munster Seven group has the most participants. Roger Alexander is working hard to find other participants so that many more people are able to use yDNA as a supplemental tool for their genealogical research. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.