Miller Family History

 

Lancaster & Berks Miller Family DNA Project FAQ

1. What does it cost to participate?

Participating is totally free. There is no cost now or anytime in the future. The project is privately funded by Gary Miller as part of an effort to memorialize the various Miller families with early roots in Lancaster and Berks Counties.

2. Who is eligible to participate?

Because the test is of the YDNA it requires any living male Miller. Only males carry the YDNA. It is passed essentially unchanged from father to son. So the requirements are:

  1. Be a male with the last name Miller

  2. Have a Miller family history going back 3 or more generations in Lancaster or Berks County

3. What does the test involve?

FamilyTreeDNA sends you a kit by mail that includes 2 or 3 cotton swabs. They provide instructions that ask you to rub each swab inside your cheek and return the swab in the envelope that they provide you. Once you put your swabs in the mail it generally takes about 10 weeks to receive results.

4. Does the test reveal any personal or medical information?

No. This is a very simple test that only tests for 12 markers (out of billions possible). All it does is connect you to your paternal ancestors. There is no other information within those 12 markers. To participate, you are asked to provide your paternal ancestry as far back as you know it. That information is then shared with others who match you so that you may connect with your distant cousins by email or letter.

5. What are the goals of the Lancaster and Berks Miller Family DNA Project?

There were 200+ Miller families in Berks and Lancaster Counties in 1790. Many of them were related to each other. So there were, perhaps, 10 - 50 distinct Miller families at the time. DNA testing has helped identify several of those Miller families but most are still unaccounted for. The hope is that new participants in the project will provide DNA results that identify the remaining Miller lines. Ultimately, it will help paint a picture of the people and migration patterns of the counties in the 1700's.

6. How does my DNA say anything about my ancestors?

In this project we are working with YDNA. YDNA is passed from father to son essentially unchanged. It is a history book written inside every man's cells. Like a surname, the YDNA is specific to a paternal line. Your results will be 12 numbers. The combination of those 12 numbers would be the same in your father and his father. In fact, odds are that they would be the same in your 6th great grandfather and further back. By seeing your 12 YDNA markers, you are also viewing the 12 markers that your paternal ancestor from the 1600's or 1700's had.

Most of the rest of your DNA is shuffled each generation. But the YDNA is not, it passes directly from father to son.

7. So how exactly do I get started with this DNA testing?

Just email gary@millerfamilyhistory.com and say "I'd like to participate in the DNA project!". I will reply with a few questions and your DNA kit will then be on it's way to you.

 

 

 


       Gary Miller can be reached
by e-mail at: gary@millerfamilyhistory.com