This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/3AB.2ACI/6970 Message Board Post: At long last, a project that may help us break down some of those brick walls that have plagued us for so very long. I have launched the Cumberland Gap DNA Surname project. It can be viewed at www.familytreedna.com/public/CumberlandGap. I'd like to share with you the goals for the Cumberland Gap project. The focus of this project is to connect the various families whose ancestors settled in or passed through the counties surrounding the Cumberland Gap using DNA results. Male lines are relatively easy to track as the last names don't change. However, we lose so many females lines due to marriages and last name changes, so they are much more difficult to identify, especially when combined with the lack of traditional genealogical records. Therefore, the special focus of this project is to connect our female ancestors through their mitochondrial DNA. As an aside, we can often tell whether folks have Native American ancestry in their maternal or paternal lines from their DNA results, and your results represent results for many other people who are also wondering. We welcome you if either your male or female ancestral lines are associated with Claiborne, Hancock and Hawkins Counties, in Tn., Lee, Russell or Scott Counties in Virginia, or Bell or Harlan Counties in Kentucky, or nearby. Here is an example of how we track the female lines, using one of my own lines that has been problematic. Mitochondrial DNA (mtdna) is passed from mother to both male and female children, but only female children pass it on to their offspring. So to track the female lines, you would test and then your mtdna would represent the mtdna of the following people (in my line), plus all of their sisters and their female children: 1. Ollie Bolton (b 1874 Hancock Co d 1955) my grandmother, then her mother 2. Margaret Claxton (Clarkson) b 1851 Hancock Co d 1920, her mother 3. Elizabeth Speaks b 1832 Lee Co d 1903, her mother 4. Ann McKee b about 1805 ? d ? in Lee Co Va her mother is unknown Other people who match this DNA will know they too descend from this line, and that knowledge will provide us with the ability to work towards finding that common ancestor or the link to those families. Y-line DNA for men is easier, except when there are undocumented adoptions or people are raised by other than their biological family and take their foster family name. We have so many cases of that, and having the Cumberland Gap DNA together in one place will allow people to connect to their biological family. If you have already tested with Family Tree DNA or the Genographic Project, please follow these instructions to join. Go to your personal page at Family Tree DNA and click the blue join button at the top of your page. The next page shows you groups. In the Search By Surname box, type Cumberland. On the page returned, click on the blue Cumberland Gap. The next page shows the family names associated with this area. Scroll way down to the bottom of the page and click the Join button. That's it. If you're a surname administrator of a Cumberland Gap area surname project, please encourage at least one of your people to join or contact me. Together we'll reassemble the Cumberland Gap area families. Roberta Estes

For those who aren't aware there is Brock DNA project underway. Several participants are descendants of Jesse Brock of Harlan County. For more information contact me. Avery