Our next step of the project is to set our project objectives. I'm sure we'd all come up with, "identify others who are related" or "solve brick walls in our research". Other possibilities are to prove or disprove theories regarding ancestors; determine a location for further research; and validate existing research. As Mr. Greenspan pointed out, these may change over time and as our results start accumulating. Personally, my own objective is to find a possible match to my line so that we both might be directed to a good location to look for that next generation back. I descend from George Thomas, b. 1781 in Tennessee (before statehood). Barb descends from Jacob Thomas in Blount Co. and she's been trying to identify several George's in her family. A common dna between her males and mine MIGHT help us both to pool our research and focus on an area to look for George & Jacob's parents. But understand that we may never know who that common ancestor is or how far back. I guess at this point, I'd be happy just to know which of these lines are connected to each other. Each of us has lots of research on our own line... that creates a great new resource once we know a link exists. There is no digging up our ancestors bones. If our research is well established and well proven, that is our history for comparison.