As before, I highly recommend such books as THE SEVEN DAUGHTERS OF EVE by Spencer Wells, and TRACE YOUR ROOTS WITH DNA.by Megan Smolenyak and Ann Turner. Actually, as one who loves historical research, DNA CANNOT REPLACE HISTORICAL RESEARCH. What it can do is answer certain questions such as, do two Disbrows share a common ancestor. And , how closely are 2 Disbrows related? For example, all Europeans share a common ancestor. Our relationships are based on when that common ancestor lived. For our purposes, we are trying to determine when that common ancestor specific to Disbrows lived. DNA cannot prove that Asahel Disbrow of Connecticut is descended from John Desborough. It can prove that they do or do not share a common ancestor, and approximately when that common ancestor existed, based on the mutations of a genetic haplotype. All men with what we call "Celt" background share a certain haplogroup; all men sharing a "Viking" haplotype share a different haplogroup. What this testing enables us to do is understand some of the earlier history of our people in ways that we can determinescientifically. The National geographic Society highly recommends FamilyTreeDNA; but there are other reputable companies out there, such as Relative Genetics. Results from those companies, with documented family histories are welcome. Sincerely, Mary JO

Mary Jo, I read The Seven Daughters of Eve some time ago, which deals with mitochondrial DNA. It is an excellent, fascinating source of information. Thank you for a reference to the other book, which I have not read yet. As you state, DNA testing does not take the place of research (which I also enjoy!), or let us know lineages, but can let us know about common ancestors we may share. Perhaps reading these books would clear up concerns for some. Good luck in your endeavor. Sandy Picchi