Hello Everyone. This is an interim report, written in some haste in mid-summer. There are two sets of results which have been added to the DNA Results page. The first involves an upgrade from 12 markers to 25 markers re Kit #6256. The upgraded results are most interesting. First, it should be noted that the 12 marker results indicated that Kit #6256, representing a Strong lineage originating in County Down, Northern Ireland was likely related to Kit #6386, a lineage originating in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and which represents the South Carolina Strong lineage. The absence of full results for the two kits has been tantalizing... and now we see that the upgraded results for Kit #6256 show a match with the "Tynan Abbey" lineages for the remaining 13 markers! There has previously been discussion suggesting that the Tynan Abbey lineages were NOT closely related to Strange of Balcaskie... and indeed the present result tends to confirm that speculation. Further, it has been speculated that the County Down & Antrim, and South Carolina lineages are Scottish in origin, likely originating in the Border areas of Scotland. The present result would tend to indicate that the the Tynan Abbey and Down-Antrim and South Carolina lineages have a common root... probably within a genealogically significant time frame. For additional discussion, see the following webpage, which developed out of a discussion prior to the present DNA study: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegalstrongs/tulliniskey.htm The second result involves Kit #9937. This kit involves a line of Strongs hailing from County Longford, Ireland, who emigrated to Australia. The results show a one step difference from Kit #8915. The latter kit is from a lineage also originating in County Longford which emigrated to the Eastern US. The results support the hypothesis that the two lineages have a common ancestor. The common descendancy chart is found at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegalstrongs/granard.htm The single step difference is at DYS #391, with Kit #8915 having a marker value of 11, and Kit #9937 having a marker value of 12. According to Dennis Garvey's data, 11 is the more common value. That, taken together with the similarity of Kit #8915's DYS 391=11 value to those values shown in the kits grouped in the New England and SW England groups tends to support the conclusion that first, Kit #9937's value of 12 represents a single step mutation; and second, that both kits are related to the South West England Strong lineages. The results in these two kits are also close to Kit #5825, and there is some on-going discussion off-list which is exploring the possibility that each of the three kits have a common ancestry originating in Southwest England. This fall, when my various summer projects and travels have been completed, I will attempt a more comprehensive summary of our findings to this point, and to chart some possible avenues of further DNA exploration and testing. In the meantime, please enjoy the summer! Kind Regards Dave Strong ... DNA Study Coordinator & webmaster: Book I: RESEARCHING STRONG(E) AND STRANG(E) IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegalstrongs/contents.htm Database and manuscript. See especially Chap. 13, entitled "Lineages"; and Chapt. 15, "DNA Study" http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegalstrongs/dnastudy.htm & Book II: THE DONEGAL STRONG PUZZLE: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegalstrongs/indxdrft.htm Research and study of Counties Donegal and Fermanagh Strongs and related families. ==============================================================