The New England Phelps Project is a regional DNA project that focuses on Phelps families who originated in New England - (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont).  Between the years 1630 to about 1850, Phelps ancestors migrated from New England to New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Delaware, and southeastern Canada.  Today, the Phelps descendants are scattered all over in USA, Canada, and even Australia.  

The Phelps yDNA serves as our basis for building up the Phelps trees.  While paper trail is always helpful and is a must, but in some instances, yDNA testing is necessary to put that lingering question to rest.  The yDNA test has been instrumental in proving or disproving the genetic Phelps connection to our potential Phelps immigrant ancestors.  

The other two DNA tests, mtDNA and atDNA tests, provide another ways to help validate the familial connections.  Anyone who has taken or plan to take any of these DNA tests through FTDNA are invited to join this New England Phelps DNA Project through FTDNA.  

In addition, everyone is invited to join us on Facebook Descendants of New England Phelps to share and discuss genealogy with each other and to find new cousins.  

There may be other venues in the works but they are not yet ready for prime time.

Membership requirements: 

This project accepts testees who are descendants of Phelps progenitors who first immigrated and settled in New England:  

• male Phelps testees (or their proxies) who took the y37 DNA test or higher.  The paternal line must be unbroken starting with the progenitor (all males, no females in in the line).  Pedigrees are necessary to help serve as the basis for the Phelps trees. If you tested y12, y25, y37, and y67, please consider upgrading to a higher yDNA test and add the family finder test. 
  
• males and females who took the mtDNA test and is a direct descendant from a female Phelps ancestor from one of the Phelps lines.  Their maternal line must be unbroken (no males in the line).  Pedigrees are a must to build up the Phelps trees because the ladies changed their names through marriages.
• anyone (does not have to be born Phelps but are descendants of a Phelps ancestor) who took the autosomal DNA test (aka atDNA) using the Family Finder test through FTDNA (or from AncestryDNA transfers to FTDNA).  In order to help with this, we require pedigrees to help with this research project. The Phelps pedigrees tied to autosomal matches can provide important clues to possibly solve lineage "brick walls".  We have set up a separate website for this purpose (this is still in works).  All members are encouraged to upload their atDNA results to GedMatch.com (this is a free service) and share their GedMatch numbers with other members.  This will exponentially increase our database. (This project is very new, so please give us time to develop this project as we become more familiar with this).  Remember, GedMatch is only for autosomal test results).
• All submitted pedigrees will be verified to ensure accuracy. 
  

Which DNA tests to order?  

yDNA – males who were born Phelps or are from a known Phelps line (such as adoption or guardianship), please join the main Phelps yDNA project first (this is a yDNA ONLY project).  After the test results have been processed, you'll be matched with other current Phelps testees if you match them.  It is recommended that you start with the y111 DNA test or higher.  For those with monetary restraints or are not sure if yours is indeed a Phelps, y37 markers is the absolute minimum. There have been too many false positives at y12 and y25 markers, and increasingly y37.  The test y67 is no longer being offered, because it has been found that y111 is a much better test.).  You can always upgrade later (watch for sales).  After you are matched with one of the New England Phelps lines, you can then join the New England Phelps DNA Project. The yDNA test is the ONLY way to verify your Phelps line.  

mtDNA - descendants with a matrilineal line (i.e.,. maternal line with no males in between) leading to a female Phelps ancestor, the mtDNA Full Sequence test is offered.  (If you have taken the mtDNA Plus in the past, you can upgrade to Full Sequence).  

atDNA - anyone can take the Family Finder test through FTDNA.  It is' highly recommended that each person takes a Family Finder test in addition to AncestryDNA and then transfer it to MyHeritage and Gedcom. FTDNA does currently accept autosomal DNA transfers from Ancestry, MyHeritage, LivingDNA, and some older versions of 23andMe autosomal results (but be aware that doing Ancestry .  Anyone with Phelps ancestors are encouraged to upload their autosomal results to GedMmatch and join us on Facebook Descendants of New England Phelps and go from there.  Some members have TWO FTDNA accounts - one for the FTDNA tests and one with a transferred test from another DNA testing company. 

We encourage that members provide their pedigrees because it will help everyone in the project collaborate with each other and compile their Phelps trees that originated in New England.

NOTE:  If you have an elderly male relative that you'd like to test and you intend to do minimum of two or even all three FTDNA DNA tests, it is advised that you do at least one full DNA test right from the start (yDNA 111 markers or Big Y) and either add Family Finder OR mtDNA Full Sequence test or do both at the same time at another time.  And ask for extra vials (4 would be great, for future testing).  This is because yDNA and mtDNA use up a lot of sample.  One very early member started with her father's y12 marker test and then upgraded the yDNA test each time from 12 to 25, and then 37 markers.  Then she ordered the Family Finder test.  A few months later, she decided to order the an upgrade to 67 markers and mtDNA test but unfortunately there wasn't enough saliva and her father is now deceased.  We now advise not to upgrade so many times, but one or two times and combine two tests in one order next time.  Also, it is wise to ask for extra vials for the elderly relative when you order the kit test the first time.  If your relative is still living and has a FTDNA account, by all means, do ask for extra vials to be sent out as soon as possible so you can ensure enough sample for possible future tests.  Please do contact the project administrator if you need advice regarding DNA testing before ordering the tests.