About us
While the specific goals and objectives for each of our participants may vary, we are all interested in gaining answers to genealogical questions that cannot be answered through conventional research. DNA is a very powerful tool and, when used in conjunction with paper trail evidence, it can provide us with answers to some very important questions. DNA can tell us whether or not two or more poorly documented Phy families living in the same area at the same time are related. It can also bring surprising results, such as connecting two Phy lines that were before believed to be unrelated!! A number of our participants have hit a brick wall in the mid-1800’s. For those participants, matching DNA with someone who can trace his lineage back to the 1700s or even 1600s is an incredible experience.
We are fortunate to have this new tool at our disposal. DNA can fill in some of the gaps in our paper trail research. Events in American history have had a negative impact on records availability and our ability to follow some of the early Phy lines. The French and Indian War (1756-1763) drove many settlers out of Virginia and on to North and South Carolina. After 1763, some settlers returned but many remained in the Carolinas and continued migrating southward and westward. Other Phy branches spread throughout New England and Pennsylvania and later migrated westward as Government land grants were made after the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and the War of 1812 (1812-1815). Records moving forward from this period become increasingly more available for genealogical researchers but the early migrations of the various Phy lines in America present a challenge for many. The Civil War had a devastating impact on the records in the South. Many courthouses were burned to the ground and this information has been lost forever. It is our hope that through the use of DNA analysis, the relationships among and origins of the many documented Phy lines may be more clearly defined.
We encourage all participants in the Phy Project to join the public website Y-Search (www.ysearch.org). Y-Search allows us to post our pedigree charts and communicate with others outside of our group and those who were tested by other companies. This is particularly useful as our genealogical journey takes us back to our European roots. To join Y-Search, just go to your personal page where you find your DNA results; click on the orange tab called Y-DNA Matches. Above the list of matches is a box outlined in blue that says Click here to upload to Y-Search.org. It is that easy!
We are fortunate to have this new tool at our disposal. DNA can fill in some of the gaps in our paper trail research. Events in American history have had a negative impact on records availability and our ability to follow some of the early Phy lines. The French and Indian War (1756-1763) drove many settlers out of Virginia and on to North and South Carolina. After 1763, some settlers returned but many remained in the Carolinas and continued migrating southward and westward. Other Phy branches spread throughout New England and Pennsylvania and later migrated westward as Government land grants were made after the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and the War of 1812 (1812-1815). Records moving forward from this period become increasingly more available for genealogical researchers but the early migrations of the various Phy lines in America present a challenge for many. The Civil War had a devastating impact on the records in the South. Many courthouses were burned to the ground and this information has been lost forever. It is our hope that through the use of DNA analysis, the relationships among and origins of the many documented Phy lines may be more clearly defined.
We encourage all participants in the Phy Project to join the public website Y-Search (www.ysearch.org). Y-Search allows us to post our pedigree charts and communicate with others outside of our group and those who were tested by other companies. This is particularly useful as our genealogical journey takes us back to our European roots. To join Y-Search, just go to your personal page where you find your DNA results; click on the orange tab called Y-DNA Matches. Above the list of matches is a box outlined in blue that says Click here to upload to Y-Search.org. It is that easy!