The primary purpose of this project is to find Keach ancestors through DNA testing. 

I realize that many with the Keach surname are private people. I would rather have only a few DNA samples and assure the confidential nature of living persons privacy than jeopardize a Project member's personal information by allowing someone I did not know to share administrative access. This is why there are two DNA Projects that look the same. I have identified mine as "the original" because I started mine first. Also, I am a Keach by blood (and DNA) while the other Project has been started by someone's Keach/Keech spouse. The underlying hope here is trust. Trust is very important to me. With perhaps the exception of one's DNA, ones trust -- character, if you will -- is all one really has in this lifetime that one leaves behind to mark who they were in this world. You can trust me as Keach DNA Administrator because I am one (a Keach) and I did not allow someone I did not know (Allen Prosser) access to member's personal information by making them co-administrator when presented with a offer to bring in more DNA to my project at the cost of sharing the administrative position.


FTDNA has determined 111 markers on the Y-chromosome that would be beneficial to genealogist in tracing specific surname lines.  These particular markers were selected for their relatively low mutation rates. 

There are four different test that can be done: The Y-DNA 12-marker, the Y-DNA 37-marker, the Y-DNA 67-marker, and the Y-DNA 111-marker test. 

The Y-DNA test works best with males who have the same surname.  The Y-chromosome is passed from father to son, father to son, etc. In a family where there is either a known or suspected adoption and thus the surname has been changed ought to consider a higher marker Y-DNA test. A woman may participate in this project either by having her father, brother, uncle or male cousin, who carry the Keach surname (or its variant spellings), contribute a sample of their Y-DNA or take the mtdna test. A woman taking the mtdna test will NOT match the direct male connections, but it will match the female direct line -- provided there are enough DNA samples in the overall general pool. With a full mtDNA sequence test done, a woman can trace where her mother's mother's mother's mother's (and so on backwards) migrated from. In an uncommon family this can be seen as yet another resource for clues. Sometimes there is a document out there, but where to look can be quite a challenge.