In a message dated 7/26/2005 12:33:53 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: I am glad that you clarified that for me (speaking of my non-WEBB cousin). However, if I wanted to trace his mother's mother's line it would give me some information that I could use as well. Correct? If I need anymore help I will let you know. I appreciate it. Carol Carol, I may not be understanding this correctly, so forgive me if I'm not, but if you are speaking of your cousin, his mother would have been William Ernest Webb's sister, correct? So his mtDNA would give you William Ernest Webb's MOTHER's mtDNA as well (and her mother's and her mother's and HER mother's and so on). And yes, it will give you information you don't already have about your WEBB family. By testing various relatives like this, I know of one man who has the haplogroup/mitogroup for all 8 of his great-grandparents and is working on getting it for his 16 greatgreat-grandparents. I am hoping to do much the same -- although I have a couple of "hopeless cases" -- a greatgrandfather who left no sons for example. So far I have gotten three DNA samples from my tree, and am working on getting the other possible ones. FTDNA's handy inheritance chart (see link on their home page, lower right) can be used in two ways. 1. The most traditional way, i.e., you are the person at the bottom and the people above you are your direct ancestors. 2. Place a person of interest at the top of the chart on either side. For example, for me, Jane Oliver (Day?) Washington Maynor could be on the top right. She had only one known daughter, Mary Ann "Nancy" Maynor who married Elias Webb (next woman down in the line). However, Mary Ann had several daughters. Originally, we got a descendant of her daughter Lucinda Jane through Lucinda's daughter Carrie Celeste and Carrie's daughter Janie to Janie's son (the donor -- represented by the man at the bottom of the chart) to test. We have also now tested a descendant of Mary Ann's daughter Mary. Perfect match with one rather unusual HVR-2 difference from CRS. There was some questioning (by a heritage society) of the parents of Mary (no primary sources for this family, but limited candidate parentage, and a terrific circumstantial case that Mary was Elias and Mary Ann's daughter -- multiple secondary sources, land transactions from Elias to Mary's husband similar to one to Lucinda's husband at below market price, physical proximity of Mary's family to the other children of Elias and Mary Ann, etc.) While the mtDNA match cannot PROVE Mary is Elias & Mary Ann "Nancy" Maynor's child, it does strengthen the case. If we ever get the other wives of the other candidate couples tested to eliminate them, the case will be just about rock solid. If you print out a number of copies of this chart you can write in the name of the person you want DNA for and trace down each candidate child. For instance, I want mtDNA for Cordelia Brandon Worsham, wife of William Henry Webb, and my gggrandmother. She had several daughters, but few lived to adulthood. I have the descendants of those who did in my WEBB tree, and I tracked down a living woman (and her sister) and now am working on getting the money together to buy the mtDNA kit for this lineage. I also have charts with Cordelia's father at the top left, and each chart is for one of his sons. I'm working on what looks the most likely son to have living descendants I can find right now. I actually have several charts for this son -- one for each of HIS sons! If that comes up bust, I'll take the chart for the next son and go from there. But these charts help me organize my thoughts. Anne