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To help with understanding DNA test results, FamilyTreeDNA.com (FTDNA) has loads of documentation online - you might start with their overview and then browse the FAQ. Another terrific resource is the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (www.ISOGG.org), and its DNA-Newbies Yahoo! Group.

Y-chromosome DNA (direct male line) The first Y-DNA test results in the Toynbee Surname Project confirm R1a1 as the haplogroup for this lineage. In the Haplogroup database (accessed on the FTDNA website), out of 15,628 samples taken around the world, there were just four exact matches at the 12-marker level; the matches in Norway, Saudi Arabia (Arab) and Tibet are R1a, while the match in Ireland is R1a1. The R1a haplogroup is thought to have originated around 5,000 years ago (say, 200 generations ago) with the Kurgan horsemen of the Eurasian Steppes; these were the people who domesticated horses, and whose language was proto-Indo-European. In the British Isles, R1a is called Viking DNA. About one quarter of Norwegian men are R1a, although the haplogroup is most common in Eastern Europe (Slavs), Western and Central Asia, and India. Perhaps DNA testing can tell us whether we are descended from a Roman legionnaire, or from a later "Danish" settler. The initial member's Y-DNA test results, extended to 67 markers, have been uploaded to ysearch.org and to the National Geographic Society's Genographic Project. So far, there are no matches at the 25-marker level or higher. For details of the Y-DNA testing results, go to the project's Y Results page.

Mitochondrial DNA (direct female line) The first mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tested was found to be in the T1 Haplogroup, for a member whose known matrilineal ancestry is from the Lake District of England. The member uploaded the results to mitosearch.org and to the National Geographic Society's Genographic Project, joined the ISOGG's DNA-Newbies mailing list, and also joined the T1 Haplogroup project for further research. The T1 haplogroup is a European lineage thought to have originated about 6,000 years ago. Because there were a great many low resolution matches from many countries, the member also ordered the HVR2 test — results showed no exact matches at FTDNA or Mitosearch. There was one exact match in the database of Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, but no known common pedigree. For details of the mtDNA testing results, go to the project's mt Results page.

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The contact information below is for FamilyTreeDNA, the company that organizes our DNA testing and hosts this website. For information specifically on the Toynbee Surname Project, please contact the Group Administrator.