Considerable migration from England occurred over the centuries and family groups took root in America. Is it possible the five Denslow Families, identified by McKenzie, are from a common progenitor in England? Do they have a common beginning? Genealogy previously has been based on documentary evidence and oral tradition. During the past few years, the science of genetics offers a new and additional tool – Y-DNA testing. Y-DNA is a tool that can be used to either support or disprove that these five families have a common ancestor.

A human’s DNA is composed of a number of chromosomes. The Y chromosome is contained only by a male and passes from father to son. Therefore, when males of the same name share the same DNA signature, there is a degree of probability they also share a common ancestor.