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This was page was designed to answer a questions concerning the project. You will find answers about: Why the Project was started (Introduction)The Elliott Clan and Border Reiver DNA Project was started about almost two years ago by Mr. James V. Elliott who is a computer software consultant from Boston. Mr. David B. Strong is the project's co-administrator. According to Mr. Elliott, the Group Administrator of the Elliott (And Border Reivers) DNA Project, the project's purpose is to study the Y-DNA profiles of certain Anglo-Scottish families known to history as the "Border Reivers". The intent is to identify and classify the overall population of this region. Initially their research was confined to surnames that belong to, and or had interaction with, the "Border Reivers" or the "Riding Surnames". The goals are of the project are two-fold. They wish to demonstrate the affinity between members of different border families, as well as the genetic diversity among individuals with the same surname. They also wish to quantitatively assess the haplogroup composition of our data group in a fashion similar to that undertaken in "A Y Chromosome Census of the British Isles".  The goals of the Border Reiver DNA Project are as follows:
Who my join (Requirements)The Elliott (And Border Reivers) DNA Project is open to any male with a "Border Reiver" surname. Since this is a "Surname Project" it therefore traces members of a family that share a common surname.. Females (a) don't carry their father's Y-DNA. In order to be relevant the tested individual must be a male or a paternal line (father's father's father's...) Therefore, the Y chromosome DNA test can only be done on one ancestral line - the direct paternal ancestral line, which runs from father to son. Each man has only one direct paternal ancestral line, while he may have inherited many other ancestral lines from both his father and his mother, according to Mr. James Elliott, group administrator of this project. Females can look for a brother or cousin with that surname to be tested. There are 3 types of inheritance pattern categories that markers follow; the Autosomal DNA line, the paternal DNA line or the maternal DNA line. The Autosomal DNA line makes up the majority of who we are. It is composed of all the DNA in the cell except the X-chromosome, the Y-chromosome and the mtDNA. You inherit 50% of your autosomal DNA from your mother and 50% from your father. What can DNA testing do? Why take the test?Not only can the results from this test help distinguish between one Scottish family and another, it can also be used to show how two different families may be related. This DNA test cannot tell you exactly how many generations back the common paternal ancestor may be, nor can it tell you who that ancestor was, but the results of this Y chromosome DNA test can be very helpful genealogically. According to Mr. Elliott, the more similar the markers are, and the more markers that match, the more closely the relationship between those two is likely to be. Two men with the same surname whose markers match exactly are very likely to be related. Even two men with the same markers, but different surnames, may be related - especially if their markers are rare and their paternal ancestors had a similar origin. The Y-DNA test will also allow one to identify their ethnic and geographic origin, thus giving a unique perspective in regards to definition to both recent and far distant relatives of your direct male descending line. It is important to realize, that the results gained from genetic DNA testing should only be viewed as another piece of evidence in documentation of ones genealogical relationship. Results from individual tests must be deciphered and examined - The researcher then makes comparative analysis with other profiles obtained. When frequent similarities are discovered, this then precipitates to logical conclusion that the particular subject has very probable links with other similar profiles. It then signals that they perhaps had same progenitors. How the project is fundedSince this project is a privately run study, they have no government or university funding. Hence, anyone who wishes to join the Elliott (And Border Reivers) DNA Project must order a Y chromosome DNA marker test from Family Tree DNA, which is hosting the project. You will not have to pay any dues, or any other recurring costs, either to the Project's Administrator or to Family Tree DNA.The actual testing procedureAs soon as you order your test, Family Tree DNA will send you a test kit that contains two swabs. You use these swabs to collect cells from the insides of your cheeks. The kit consists of a cheek scraper(swabs) and a collection tube. The entire process should take less ten minutes. The effect of using the swab is very similar as brushing your cheek with a soft bristle toothbrush. The instructions for taking test are very simple. Once you send your sample back for testing, Family Tree will sequence your DNA and post the results on your own personal, password-protected web page within about 5 to 8 weeks.There are many people that hesitate to take the test because they believe that blood has to be drawn, or perhaps that the test will hurt them somehow. Others are apprehensive that the genetic data may alert them or other family members to presence of some disease or predisposition they have (or think they have). The test is both brief and painless. Privacy and other concernsThe DNA markers that Family Tree will test are a great help in determining paternal ancestry, but they have no medical value - so don't worry about insurance companies getting hold of them, or even being able to do anything with them. Family Tree DNA identifies only the values of markers that have no medical significance.Where when and how results will be postedOnce you send your sample back for testing, FTDNA will sequence your DNA and post the results on your own personal, password-protected web page within about 5 to 8 weeks. You will also be sent a certificate in the mail informing you of your DNA marker values. On your web page, Family Tree DNA will provide a list of exact matches with other Family Tree customers, along with their e-mail addresses (if those have been released). It will estimate your Y chromosome Haplogroup (which is a general genetic grouping of which your markers will be an example), and show you the matches and near matches you scored with persons in other parts of the world. Family Tree will keep your DNA on file for twenty years, and any other test you choose to order from them will be available to you at a discount.Your markers will be available to the Group Administrator of the DNA Project (Mr. James Elliott), as well as to you. He will integrate your markers and your estimated Haplogroup into the tables on his "Border Reiver DNA By Surname" and "Border Reiver DNA By Haplogroup" web pages. Within his pages you will find links that automatically display your closest matches by surname to other persons in Family Tree's Ysearch database. Also provided are links which display the geographical origins of your matches in the worldwide Y Chromosome Reference Database. Your markers will be identified on within his web pages only by your surname and an ID number. The cost of the testThe group rate is $99.00 (USD) for a 12 marker test, and $169.00 (USD) for a 25 marker test. The 25 marker test provides more refinement according to James Elliott, but the 12 marker test is sufficient to determine "deep ancestry". It will also provide data conclusive enough to determine whether or not you are distantly related to any of the other participants of the study.To date they have compiled more than 600 likely "Border Reiver" DNA profiles. They have also gathered information from various publicly available database sources like Ybase, Ysearch and Sorenson. You may order a Y chromosome DNA testing kit directly from Family Tree DNA at: http://www.familytreedna.com/surname_join.asp?code=K58255 Official participants thus farThe project currently has 165 official participants (with 59 DNA results posted for Elliot/Elliott)which include Border Reiver families such as Armstrong, Hall, Carruthers, Hunter, Taylor, Tweedie, Simpson, Kerr, Little, Kilpatrick, Rutherford, Davison, Ogle, Witherington, Heron, Musgrave, Hedley, Watson. They have received numerous informal haplotype contributions from members of other border families, such as Kerr, Graham, Maxwell, Johnston and Taggart. For inforamtion about current status of this project make sure to visit the Elliott Clan and Border Reiver Project page or FTDNA's site.Family Tree DNA (hosting the project) Links of interestElliott Clan and Border Reivers DNA Project PageIf you would like more information just contact James V. Elliott, Group Administrator of the Elliott (And Border Reivers) DNA Project. Mr. Elliott has a most excellent website. This site examines the historical and genetic origins of the Elliotts (or Elliots) and other Anglo-Scottish families known collectively as the Border Reivers. Included within are numerous links to other pages on the web that provide genetic, genealogical and historical background of the Border Reivers. His address is: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gallgaedhil/elliott_border_reivers_dna.htm  |
| Dee Elliott-Wakefield, © Site Copyright 2005 - all rights resevered |
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