We encourage participation in this project from everyone with ancestors who lived in the original Orangeburgh District in South Carolina. The area includes the modern counties of Orangeburg, Lexington, Calhoun, Barnwell, Bamberg and parts of Aiken and Allendale. The old Orangeburgh District first experienced significant European settlement in the mid-1730's with the establishment of a series of inland townships. Settlers included substantial numbers of Swiss and later German immigrants as well as traders and other settlers from existing coastal towns in South Carolina and other English colonies to the north.

The study incorporates the full range of DNA tests available through Family Tree DNA. Male line (yDNA), female line (mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA), and autosomal (Family Finder) studies are included. Family Tree DNA tutorials and other website information are helpful in understanding these tests.

This study has already confirmed and added to our knowledge of Orangeburgh District families. As more people participate we expect to continue learning additional information. Possible outcomes include answering questions about unidentified female lines, adoptions, and related family groups. Participation in surname studies can be complemented by participation in this study.

This website reports results for participants while maintaining the anonymity of individual test subjects.The yDNA and mtDNA pages at this website show haplogroup results and ancestral information for project participants by surname and kit number. More complete test results can be found by using the FamilyTreeDNA link on each of these pages.

Autosomal DNA results are more sensitive, since they may reflect medical conditions and other hereditary attributes. They cannot be made generally available, although participants and project administrators can identify which chromosomal segments match to other individual participants. The Family Finder page for this project provides the ancestral data to determine the relationships between project participants. It is password protected but can be accessed by those who have taken the Family Finder test and have provided their ancestral information to this project.

For more information on this project, visit: http://www.ogsgs.org/dna/