I have been following the DNA chat with interest. Family Tree YDNA and MtDNA matches have produced a few successful finds for me but I am disappointed that my MtDNA link with the Irish Ancestry Project has yielded nothing. I had hoped it would help us Golders link up some of our maternal ancestors for whom we have no surnames. For the record I am Group T2e1a and trying to get beyond my known LAWSON/JONES great grannies in Drumkeeran. My sister did an Ancestry DNA test a few months ago and she has had a few hundred matches. I was sceptical at first of how the clever computers were matching surnames but none of our data is on line and yet we have found several correct links. The process has been helped by having done a lot of research and having a lengthy list of surnames on my trees. The reward has been confirmation in a few cases of data that had previously been ?possible and is now ‘very likely’ if not yet proven! The DNA connections are fascinating and frequently zigzag between male and female ancestors going back over 300-400 years. A high number of our matches are with descendants of the early settlers in the Eastern States of the USA - a number of names on my tree come up frequently, eg JONES/BARTON/WILSON/ARMSTRONG/HARRIS/REID/STEWART/WHEELER. Usually the settler dates are too early for me to make a connection but I am finding the process endlessly fascinating (albeit frustrating at times) and I now feel I am getting some benefit from my Ancestry membership. But basic, painstaking research is still needed to get the best out of the various systems plus an enthusiastic researcher on the other end of the investigatory loop!