This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: RonaldDale100 Surnames: Dale Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.dale/968.3.1.2.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi John, It is not the female DNA that is used but the male DNA--your mother's DNA or mtDNA will show the deep ancestry, eg from which branch of Europeans she is descended. Fathers pass on Y DNA markers to their sons and these markers change only slightly with each generation so the male DNA is useful for finding whether or not you share a common ancestor with other Dales who have been tested. The two main companies, with searchable databases of others who have had the test done are Family Tree DNA and Ancestry DNA. Ron 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.