In a message dated 1/4/2008 10:31:45 A.M. Mountain Standard Time, jerzygirl05@gmail.com writes: Could you explain to me how the DNA testing works? Does the male being tested have to have the Woolford surname? I guess Im asking if the Woolford line has had to come to him only thru the males of the family ... my grandmother was a Woolford - so I am wondering if my son could be tested. The line goes Theodore > MaryElla > my mother > me > my son. Just wondering so that if its possible then we could help with the testing. Lisa>>> Lisa, The easiest way to describe this is: "Only males have Y-chromosome DNA, which is passed down virtually unchanged from father to son. This means that males with a common parental ancestor will have almost identical Y-DNA. In addition to their Y-DNA, men generally inherit their surnames from their fathers. This makes Y-DNA an excellent tool for surname research." Your son is best suited for a DNA match test of his male line through his father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather, etc. To deal with your grandmother who was born a Woolford (I'm guessing she did not marry into the Woolford line), is get a genetic sample of her brother or the son of her brother. Hope this helps, Diane **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489