Stanley
DNA
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Introduction
The Stanley Surname DNA Project officially began September 17, 2003 in an effort to establish Y-DNA profiles of the numerous Stanley family groups. These profiles may enable Stanley family researchers to find a common ancestor and thus connect.
Have you ever asked yourself if you really could be a descendant of the Earl of Derby? Or if your Stanley ancestor was a Quaker? Did Thomas Stanley, the Quaker ancestor really only have three sons? What about the "Hartford Stanley Family"? Is there a connection between any of them? Or that 6th great grandfather Stanley that you know must have been there, but you just can't find him?
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, then this project is for you.
When traditional methods of research finally hit the famous "brick wall," Y-chromosome DNA testing may help in identifying other branches of your family tree. The Stanley Surname DNA Project was created to take advantage of this new scientific approach, in an attempt to determine which Stanley family groups are related and approximately when they shared a common ancestor.
To read more about how this DNA testing works, please visit the Learning Curve.
This project may help answer these questions:
An analysis of the mutations in the Y-chromosome can also be used to estimate the "Most Recent Common Ancestor" (MRCA) in terms of number of generations since the separation occurred.
If your Stanley research has hit a “brick wall”, DNA analysis could provide the break-through you have been looking for, and push your Stanley genealogy research back generations, by finding connections to other Stanley family lines.
Who should be tested
We do not focus on any Stanley lineage in particular or ancestral country.
For the project to be meaningful and successful, we need at least two participants from each of the Stanley family lines which have been researched and documented.
If you are a male with the surname of Stanley (or variant thereof), and a descendant of a straight line of male Stanleys, we encourage you to participate in this project.
As a courtesy, we also invite you to join our project if you are a male Stanley who:
In both cases, you may wish to use this project in an attempt to establish your paternal ancestry. The testing company will inform you of any matches it finds in its database; not just of those participants with the surname Stanley. This could give you new surnames to research for a possible connection.
We ask female Stanley descendants who want to participate to do so by encouraging and/or sponsoring a male Stanley relative to participate in this project.
Who does the testing
Our project is under the management of Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), one of the most prominent research firms in this field, for our "Y" chromosome DNA project. FTDNA is a Houston, TX based company founded strictly for performing genealogical DNA testing and analysis. They work closely with Dr. Michael Hammer of the University of Arizona. Dr. Hammer is another highly respected geneticist who is actively pursuing DNA surname research. As part of the Family Tree DNA Family Reconstruction Project Program we have obtained the following special prices for our project:
A shipping and handling fee will be applied:
Once your sample has been returned to FTDNA, upgrades can be ordered without having to re-submit your sample. The prices of the upgrades are:
The Y-Chromosome DNA Test
The test is very simple, painless, and administered by the participant in the privacy of his own home. Using a cheek scraper, samples are taken from the inside of the participant's cheek.
Confidentiality
The portion of the DNA being tested is commonly referred to as "junk DNA". However, it does have an important function: It establishes the "signature" of your lineage - not you personally. Therefore, it cannot be of use to anyone for identity purposes.
When FTDNA receives your sample, they will assign you an ID number. The Project Administrators (Richard D. Stanley and Thomas R. Stanley) will be informed about this. When your results are known, FTDNA informs you as well as the Project Administrators. You will also receive a certificate with your results and a report explaining your results by mail.
At this point, your results, linked to your ID number will be published. If you leave it at this, no one will ever know the person behind the results.
Sharing Results
Your test kit comes with a Release form from FTDNA. Signing this form enables FTDNA to inform you of any matches in their database.
Publishing merely your test results and your ID number does not benefit you, nor any other participant. Which is why we strongly encourage you to register for a genealogy user account. When FTDNA receives your kit, we set up a tree with your kit number as the identifier. Once you sign up for a user account, you can import your GedCom into this tree. You can also decide whether viewers can see your contact information or keep it private. Your account allows you to upload photo's, documents, etc. as well.
Publishing your GedCom and contact information enables Stanley researchers to 'find' you. Those who connect to your line, can collaborate either by making suggestions which are sent to you, or directly, depending on the rights you assign to any particular user.
As a participant in the DNA project, you are also entitled to free membership of our private website, only accessible by participants or their representative, for which you will receive an invitation. The Member Only website allows you to interact with the other participants, benefit from research available there, or help others. What happens on the private website, is determined by its members.
A word of caution
It can happen...two cousins submitting a sample, the results come, and...they don't match!
This could be the result of what is called a non-paternal event (NPE). So what exactly is meant by that? An NPE can have several causes, some of which are:
Regardless of the causes or what the test results show, all participants are legal members of the Stanley family and as such we all have one thing in common: We all want to trace our ancestry as far back as possible.
When you're ready to join
When you have decided to join our DNA project we want you to do one more thing: Please read the Liability Waiver, then order your kit here.
As soon as FTDNA receives your sample, they will give you instructions on how to access your personal page with them, from where you can keep track of the progress, and where your results will be posted. You will also receive an invitation to join other participants on our Member Only website.
If you are willing to participate but cannot afford to, please contact the Project Administrators with information regarding your paternal lineage and we will try to find a sponsor. You can also post your request on our forum.
When you're not sure if this is for you
If after reading all this you are just not sure whether participation would be beneficial to you, feel free to contact the Project Administrators.
Project Administrators
Currently, Richard D. Stanley and Thomas R. Stanley are the Project Administrators. Both are also participants in the Stanley Surname DNA project.