For decades now among researchers of the Tankersley/Tanksley surname in United States, the origins of the families are debated. The information regarding the origins of the surname and U.S. families is hotly challenged with published works like that of Charles W. Tankersley in his book "The Tankersley Family in the United States" printed in 1895, re-issued by Rachel Peoples Rogers in 1950. 

Earliest references to the name occur in a few records of early Britain, including the Domesday Book of 1086 where the place named Tankersley located in what is known today as South Yorkshire, England is listed. According to Charles W. Tankersley,  “The earliest known record of the family, found in the British museum, begins with Dolphyn De TANKERSLEY, (About A.D. 1200) and ends with Henry, Johanna and Alice TANKERSLEY, born in the sixteenth century, children of Sir Richard TANKERSLEY and his wife, Sarah Thornhill,who was the daughter of Sir John Thornhill”.  Many family trees, in their earliest branches, include this line back to Dolphyn de Tankersley. The accuracy of this information on descended family trees continues to be contested to this day.   

There are quite a number of researchers who have been on the subject for many years using traditional genealogical methods that follow paper trails that continue to be wrought with errors, and have resulted in many brick walls.  Some researchers have gone further than others, and their work is highly regarded by Tankersley families everywhere. Genetic genealogy provides a new path to breakthrough some of the previous barriers encountered in the body of work built up with traditional methods over the decades. Already, the Y-DNA reveals the Haplogroup M-253 and locations that some men among American Tankersley families have descended from in Europe.  The Tankersley/Tanksley DNA Project has a goal of further proving the origins of Tankersleys/Tanksleys worldwide, including families in United States, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, and Scotland to name a few. This is the only known Tankersley/Tanksley DNA project in existence today, and participation among descendants is highly encouraged.