I agree. The first person to start using a surname becomes a new founder for that name. Diana > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] On Behalf Of Marleen Van Horne > Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 9:51 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Y-DNA-projects] out of wedlock births, adoptions, etc. > > David, > > From my perspective, it is not who you descend from, but what your > present day surname is. Surnames were arbitrarily chosen or > adopted at > some time in the past, and it still happens today. Whoever > was / is the > first person of a line, to use the name, is the founder of that line, > with that surname. Five hundred years from now, who cares, > it is just > important to document the name shift, if the original surname > is known, > or eventually found. > > Marleen Van Horne > >