On the Manary list, several male surname holders did the swab test and sent it back. From those returned tests they can tell how many unrelated strains they have and how many are actually related to one another. They can look for certain markers in the DNA that have origins in a pretty precise spots on the globe. For instance, my own Manary family branch is not related to most of the other Manarys on their email list. There is myself, Pamella Manary Tippett, a cousin of mine through Jonas Manary, and I believe Linda Crockett York's relative that gave the swab was related to us because they were descendants of Jonas Manary's father's siblings. So, their DNA all matched, but we were a strain off by our selves. The scientist said that our strain originated in Asia and Native Americans. The other families on the Manary Surname list came, and I am sorry because I'm paraphrasing without having the page infront of me and only going from memory, but their strains came from the Ireland area. I know they used another name. I will have to go to their site and print out that page to give you a better idea of what they say about the areas the strains came from. I believe their were four different strains and areas their families originated from. So, what value is all of this? Well, when you realize you are related through DNA to a particular family, instead of your research being done just by you, you are able to corroborate with the family that you know is related to you. You may not see the connection right now, but when you work with another person who has more info on one part of the family and you have more info on another branch and you begin to look for the connection, it isn't long before you will find it. This is what happened for me. I knew I had a Manary gr. gr. grandmother, but couldn't find out who the father was. I read about Pamella Manary Tippett's ancestors on the various websites. Finally, I sent away for my gr. gr. grandmother's death certificate, and lo and behold, Pamella's family was my family, too. When her father did the DNA test, we found out that our family was a completely separate strain from the folks in Canada or those in New Zealand or Australia or Ireland. So, while it is fun knowing about these other Manary's, we know our own strain is not related to them. We won't waste our time trying to find a connection from our family branch to their tree, because it will never turn up. We now know from the DNA, to search out our own strain by what the elders told their children. Her elders always said they were from France, not Ireland. And as I mentioned, the scientists say their is an Asian/Native American connection. The DNA test will help you to pin point your own family DNA and others that are related to you so you can do more precise research and not waste precious time. It is such a time consuming project as it is. I hope that explains it a little better. I know I have Tennessee Powells related to me, but, alas, I have no Powell connection to get a swab from. My next best hope is in purchasing Bible pages from Powell and Ellis families and hope they mention my gr. gr. grandmother's mother, Rebecca Powell's marriage to an Ellis. If I know which Ellis she married, I can look for more of their elders and hopefully peice it all together as to who her family was. Sincerely, Linda Lyon