My name is Tom Oberst and I am one of the current Group Administrators for the Oberst Family - Worldwide DNA Project. The Group Administrators are unpaid volunteers.

The Oberst Family - Worldwide DNA Project welcomes all participants. We are open to all families with this surname, of all spelling variations and from all locations around the world. We encourage you to join today.
The surnames in this DNA project include: Oberst, Obrist, Oberist, Zoberist, Zobrist, Zuberist, Zoberst and any variations thereof.

The name is Swiss-German. Research in Switzerland in all Canton archives has found first mention of this name and its origins in Therwil, Basel, Switzerland in 1310 and the city of Zurich, Switzerland in the 1380's and Canton Aargau, Switzerland in the 1480's. Some family lines have been very well researched. Much of this research can already be found on the major genealogy websites:
http://home.ancestry.com/
https://familysearch.org/
Some background for one family line can be found at:
https://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/o/b/e/Thomas-P-Oberst/index.html

Participating in this Surname DNA project provides a great many benefits. This includes the participants "deep" ancestry (Haplogroup) which identifies the paternal ancestors prehistoric origins.
Participation is an opportunity to uncover information not provided in the paper records and an opportunity to possible connect family lines. Surname DNA information can be every powerful when combined with paper trails.
Our project is just getting started but we have already made some very exciting discoveries !!!! We have been able to connect Oberst family groups within the USA with each other and Obersts from Germany and Switzerland. We have been able to identify migration patterns showing our ancestors migrated from northwest Europe and Scandinavia.

A Y-DNA Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common surname. Since surnames are passed down from father to son like the Y-chromosome, this test is for males taking the Y-DNA test. Females do not carry their fathers Y-DNA and acquire a new surname by way of marriage, so the tested individual must be a male that wants to check his direct paternal line  (his fathers, his father's father, etc. with a Y-DNA 12, Y-DNA 37, Y-DNA 67or Y-DNA 111 marker test). Females who would like to check their direct paternal line can have a male relative with this surname order a Y-DNA test. Both males and females may also be interested in learning about their direct female line, which would be their mother, their mothers mother, etc.. For this you could order a mtDNA test. Females can also order a mtDNA test for themselves such as the mtDNA or the mtDNAPlus test and participate in a myDNA project.

There are 5 types of tests we are using for this project:
The 12-marker test (Y-12)
The 25-marker test (Y-25)
The 37 marker test (Y-37)
The 67 marker test (Y-67)
The 111 marker test (Y-111)

After you place your order, the kit is mailed to your home. It is a cheek-swab kit. I am encouraging testing on (at minimum) the 37-marker test as our families may have common DNA pattern that does not enable us to see the distinctions between families when using the 12-marker test. However, the tests with a greater number of markers are much more expensive. If cost is an issue please remember that a 12-marker test is better than no test at all and it may provide immediate confirmation of lineage at the lowest possible cost.

A genealogical DNA test looks at a person's genome at specific locations. Results give information about genealogy or personal ancestry. In general, these tests compare the results of an individual to others from the same lineage or to current and historic ethnic groups. The test results are not meant for medical use, where different types of genetic testing are needed. They do not determine specific genetic diseases or disorders. They are intended only to give genealogical information.

Taking a genealogical DNA test requires the submission of a DNA sample. This is a painless process. The most common way to collect a DNA sample is by a cheek-scraping (also known as a buccal swab).
There are three types of genealogical DNA tests, autosomal (atDNA), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and Y-Chromosome (Y-DNA). Autosomal tests for all ancestry. Y-DNA tests a male along his direct paternal line. mtDNA tests a man or woman along their direct maternal line. For this project, we are interested in the Y-DNA tests.
Y chromosome (Y-DNA) testing

A man's patrilineal ancestry, or male-line ancestry, can be traced using the DNA on his Y chromosome (Y-DNA) through Y-STR testing. This is useful because the Y chromosome passes down almost unchanged from father to son, i.e., the non-recombining and sex-determining regions of the Y chromosome do not change. A man's test results are compared to another man's results to determine the time frame in which the two individuals shared a most recent common ancestor, or MRCA, in their direct patrilineal lines. If their test results are a perfect, or nearly perfect match, they are related within genealogy's time frame.
Women who wish to determine their direct paternal DNA ancestry can ask their father, brother, paternal uncle, paternal grandfather, or a male cousin who shares a common patrilineal ancestry (the same Y-DNA) to take a test for them.

Genealogical DNA tests have become popular due to the ease of testing at home and their usefulness in supplementing genealogical research. Genealogical DNA tests allow for an individual to determine with high accuracy whether he or she is related to another person within a certain time frame, or with certainty that he or she is not related. DNA tests are perceived as more scientific, conclusive and expeditious than searching the civil records. The civil records are always only as accurate as the individuals having provided or written the information.

Y-DNA testing results are normally stated as probabilities: For example, with the same surname a perfect 37/37 marker test match gives a 95% likelihood of the most recent common ancestor being within 8 generations, while a 111 of 111 marker match gives the same 95% likelihood of the being within only 5 generations back.