Similar studies tracking lineage certainly have been conducted in the past. One of the most renowned is the link between President Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings. The following is from the University of Virginia, regarding the same: An article in the November 5, 1998, edition of Nature provides DNA evidence that Thomas Jefferson or some other male Jefferson such as Randolph, the brother of Thomas, could have been the father of one of the sons of Sally Hemings, who was a slave at Jefferson's Monticello. The technique relies on the fact that the human Y-chromosome is handed down directly from father to son and that all paternally related males will have the same Y-chromosome. Although Thomas Jefferson did not have any sons who survived to produce children, his father's brother, Field Jefferson, did have sons and it has been possible to locate 5 descendants of Field Jefferson who are in a direct male-line of descent. Thus, these individuals (descendants of Field Jefferson) should have the same Y-chromosome DNA as the Y-chromosome DNA of Thomas Jefferson and any male-line descendant of his. The male-line descendants of two of Sally Hemmings sons were located and their Y-chromosome DNA was examined for comparison to the Y-chromosome DNA of Field Jefferson's descendants. The DNA from the five male-line descendants of Thomas Woodson, oldest son of Sally Hemings, did not match the Jefferson DNA. In fact, one of Woodson's descendants did not match well with the other four. However, the DNA from the one descendant of Eston Hemings, youngest son of Sally Hemings, did match the Jefferson DNA. This lends credence to the supposition that Thomas Jefferson may have been the father of Eston Hemings. However, historian Williard S. Randall, notes, "There were 25 men within 20 miles of Monticello who were all Jeffersons and had the same Y chromosome. And 23 of them were younger than Jefferson, who was 65 years old when Eston was conceived." Randall, wrote a 1993 biography of Jefferson, titled, Thomas Jefferson: A Life. More detailed information is available. Three different authors provide some perspective on Jefferson and Hemings in The Nation. Finally, the The Jefferson-Hemings Scholars Commission concluded that Randolph Jefferson, Thomas' brother, was more likely to have fathered Eston Hemings. Just FYI with best regards to all, Susann Disbro Gilbert 1482 Barbara St. Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 Phone/Fax: 843.856.5072 Read my latest article: http://www.pictureshowman.com/articles_personalities_calhoun.cfm Visit my web site: http://www.alicecalhoun.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Jo Neyer" <maryjo@neyersoftware.com> To: <DISBROW-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 10:13 PM Subject: [DISBROW] Y DNA Disbrow study >I would like to explain that the Y chromosome is carried only by men. > Women carry the XX, men carry YX. Therefore women who are descended > from Disbrows can help recruit male Disbrow participants and help share > the fees of testing, but only men can actually take this test analysis. > Thanks, Mary Jo