Hi, YOUR "Oh, thank you! Now we're getting somewhere. So if I'm interpreting correctly, you're saying that two (or more) parties must have autosomal tests and that there's no possibility for matching my autosomal or mtDNA test with existing yDNA results to find a common ancestor who is neither direct paternal nor direct maternal. Further, I'm understanding that the more generations between test candidates and the common ancestor, the slimmer the chances of a match from autosomal testing. And that with autosomal testing a non-match is not necessarily proof of no common ancestor. Is all of that correct?" ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! Nelda Nelda L. Percival, Administrator of Y-DNA surname projects Gilpin, Cupp, Bonstein and Gillock My Genealogy - http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bonsteinandgilpin/index.htm GeneticGenealogy - http://www.geneticsand.us Blog - http://aircastles-lets-talk.blogspot.com/ GilpinGenetics: http://www.gilpingenetics.us/ Web Mistress for LCRG - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~molcgdrg