I think I beg to differ with the conclusions of the writer below. Forensic DNA and the Y-DNA used for genealogical purposes are two entirely different animals. The purpose of forensic DNA is to show by astronomically high probabilities that a certain person committed a crime. Y-DNA, on the other hand, that DNA contained on the Y Chromosome and thus necessarily limited to males, is the same for ALL related males. My Y-DNA is exactly the same (barring mutations) as that of my father, my brother, my male Berry cousins, My Berry uncles, grandfathers, etc. With a common surname and a 25 or 37 marker Y-DNA match you most certainly are related. FWIW. jim berry On Jul 22, 2005, at 12:00 AM, SCOTT-D-request@rootsweb.com wrote: > Please be careful when using DNA as a genealogical research tool. > Such methods generally can only give you probabilities and are not > considered primary sources of information. If you happen to have DNA > material from a long deceased person you think might be a relative, > that might be more conclusive in proving a relationship. Otherwise, > the results only give you probabilities of being related to a group of > people, often in the same geographic region. While this might be > useful to narrowing your search or ruling out individuals, it isn't > sound proof of your relation to an individual. > > At least, that's how I understand DNA both in genealogical terms and > how the lawyers in a murder trial I was juror for explained it. -- Searching BERRY HESSE WALL GEORGE KING STACY VOSSICK FORSTER SCOTT KIRKLAND et al http://www.langolier.net Graveyards & Gravestones http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~langolier/cemeteries.html Berry Bibles Project http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~langolier/Berry_Bibles.html Berry Family DNA Project http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~langolier/BerryDNA/ dna_home.html