11. If you are not already a member of the DENNEY/DENNY SURNAME LIST at Rootsweb, we encourage you to join by performing one of the following steps, using your email program:

A WORD OF CAUTION BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE DENNY DNA SURNAME TEST GROUP

There is always a possibility that you could get disappointing DNA test results. Samples that vary by three or more markers from the main group may do so for a number of reasons. One possibility is that they represent distinct lines that are either older or younger than the currently observed most frequent DENNY line. Another is that there has been a "non-paternal event" at an unknown past time. There are several possible types of non-paternal events (in addition to a pregnancy that occurred outside of normal marriage). For example, a child may be adopted and given the DENNY name; a man may take the DENNY surname when he marries a DENNY daughter; a DENNY man may marry a pregnant woman whose husband has died; a couple where the wife or grandmother is the DENNY may choose to give their children the DENNY surname for various reasons; a clerical error in recording administrative data may assign a DENNY name to the wrong person; babies could have been switched at birth; etc.

It should be stressed that adoptions were quite common in every era (i.e., parents died by disease or war and a relative took the children and raised them with their name; or young daughters had a child out of wedlock and the parents raised it as their own).

Some may not want to see a result indicating a "non-paternal event" but we are all legal DENNY's, and a small sample size could be misleading. One may get a DNA sequence which suggests a "non-paternal event" but they could be out of the original blood DENNY line. Let me explain: Twenty people are tested and 19 are very similar but the last is clearly different. It could turn out that the 19 descend from the same person 300 years ago and this person was an adopted DENNY, while the other is of the original blood line going back 800 years.

CONFIDENTIALITY

GENERAL INFO

DNA HERITAGE LINKS

FAMILY TREE DNA LINKS

REQUIRED FORMS TO JOIN

EXTRAS FOR MEMBERS

IF YOU STILL WISH TO PROCEED WITH DNA TESTING, YOU ARE A DENNY MALE OR HAVE A TEST VOLUNTEER, AND YOU ARE ABLE TO PAY FOR THE TEST (SEE THE DNA FAQ BUTTON) IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

1. Click on the "JOIN DENNY FTDNA PROJECT" button. At the bottom of the Family Tree DNA webpage, fill in the name, phone, and email address, etc. for the person being tested. For the Payment Type, select “Invoice” if the person taking the test is not the one paying for it. Select the Type of Test (either Y-DNA25, Y-DNA37 or Y-DNA 59) and click on the button “Continue.”

2. Review the summary information shown on the web page and if it is correct; select the “ Confirm ” button. (Note that if the DNA test is being paid for by another person, that billing or invoice information should be entered here.)

3. Select the "Submit" button and within a few days, you will receive a DNA test kit from Family Tree DNA via regular postal mail.

4. While you are waiting for your DNA test kit, please take time to do the following:

a . At the left side of the STEPS TO JOIN THE DENNY DNA PROJECT page, click on the "WAIVER FORM" button. You will have choices to electronically fill out on the form and you can then submit it. Or, if you have problems with this, print out, read, complete and sign the form and mail the completed form to Bill Denney. The form must be signed by the person taking the DNA test.

b . For experienced computer-literate genealogists, we would also like a GEDCOM file of your Denny ancestry from yourself to your eldest known Denny male ancestor, so that we can add your test data to our website as soon as it is ready at Family Tree DNA. If you cannot produce a GEDCOM file, simply click on the button titled "ANCESTOR REPORT FORM" and fill in the blanks for your Denny ancestors. Or, if you have problems with this, print out, complete and mail the Ancestor Report Form to Bill Denney. (If you are having another Denny male tested, the Ancestor Report should be for him, and he must sign both

the Waiver Form and Information Release Form.) If you don't have a pedigree chart or GEDCOM file, you can still participate in the Denny DNA Surname Project, but others may not be able to see how they might connect to your family tree. We also will probably not be able to analyze your DNA results.

c . In addition, select the "INFORMATION RELEASE FORM" button. You will have choices to electronically fill out on the form and you can then submit it. Or, if you have problems with this, print out, read, complete and sign the form and mail the completed form to Bill Denney. The form must be signed by the person taking the DNA test.

5. You will soon receive a DNA test kit in the mail. (Click "HERE" to see what the kit will look like.) Take your first DNA sample (see the Home page button titled FTDNA TEST PROCEDURE for pictures illustrating the entire test procedure). Then, wait at least 8 hours and take your second DNA sample. Finally, mail both samples back to Family Tree DNA (along with the enclosed Release Form).

6. Family Tree DNA's lab at the University of Arizona will analyze your DNA and send your test results to you, plus a copy will be sent to Bill Denney, the Denny DNA project administrator. FTDNA will also notify you directly if someone else in their database matches your results fairly closely.

7. You can check your DNA results directly on the Family Tree DNA Website (about halfway down on the right side, type in the codes that Family Tree DNA sent with your test results and select the Submit button). You will also receive a copy of your DNA test results via postal mail. (Click "HERE" to see a demo version of a Test Certificate and Reports.)

8. The test results by themselves won't mean much (kind of like one hand clapping). You'll need to compare them with other results posted on the Denny DNA website at the DNA TEST RESULTS button to see how/if you connect with other Denny lines.

9. Once you have received your Y-DNA results, we recommend that you visit ybase.org and ysearch.org and post your test results so that others DNA test participants whose results match your DNA markers can contact you.

10. Your DNA TEST RESULTS will be posted to the Denny Surname Project website (select the button DNA TEST RESULTS to view them) and IF you have

signed the release and waiver forms, your contact information will also be there so that others who find Denny DNA matches can contact you directly.

This page last modified on Monday, March 27, 2006

To answer this question you need to know who the participants are, so that you can collaborate with them on your Denny line(s). All participants are encouraged (but not required) to provide contact information so that they and others can share genealogical information on their Denny line. After your DNA test information is received from Family Tree DNA, it will be posted to our website and you will have the opportunity to review your Denny DNA test results, as compared to others. If you have provided a RELEASE and WAIVER form, the information you have allowed us to use will be posted along with your DNA test data. No contact information will be provided without a WRITTEN RELEASE and WAIVER form from you.