I have had several emails recently from folks asking questions about DNA which leads me to believe that not everyone understands the limitations of DNA evidence. Many people seem to expect that the DNA can show that they are related to a specific individual in the study or that they are descended from a specific son of Richard of North Carolina, etc. this is not likely. Here's hat DNA evidence can do: It can show that you are related to one of the three main Pace lines (group 2, 3a, or 3b) OR that you are not related to any of these lines. If you do not match any of these lines, this means that you are likely descended from an undiscovered Pace line, OR that there is an unreported adoption or illegitimacy in your family. If you fall within one of these lines, it MIGHT be possible to get a hint of closer relationship with other individuals if you share a unique mutation with these individuals. For example, check out group 3b1 on the chart. They all have the same mutation in allele 23. This might indicate a common relationship and should be investigated. However, it might be an accident especially since this is a fast moving allele. It is also important to note that the lineages displayed are the opinion of the submitters, and may contain errors as is evident in the contradictions in the lineages in group 3a. We are fortunate that we have good hard evidence in the John of Middlesex line in most cases, but the North Carolina descendents are less fortunate. There is a great shortage of hard evidence at the precise time of the move to North Carolina. We assume descent from Richard of Jamestown, but that is not proven. Ruth Keys Clark was of the opinion that there was more than one Richard Pace in Virginia who could have moved to North Carolina. It makes sense that Richard of Jamestown may have had relatives who joined him in America and we just haven't found the records. Pace research in the past has been far too prone to accept name similarities as hard evidence. We need to be wary of this. I have also been asked about the specific meanings of mutations in certain alleles. I believe some alleles do have specific significance but I have simply not had time to study this out. There is often discussion of this on the RootsWeb DNA-L list but I had to unsubscribe; I just couldn't handle the 50-70 emails a day that it was generating. Anyone interested can go to rootsweb.com and click on the DNA-L list and check the archives to see if there has been discussion of a specific allele. In summary, there are some who are expecting too much of the DNA evidence. It has done wonders for our Pace studies but it is important to be aware of its limitations. Roy Johnson DNA coordinator '