Y-DNA Testing

Why Y-DNA

A Y-DNA test analyzes the Y chromosome, which is passed down almost unchanged from father to son. The test looks exclusively at your direct father’s line (father, father’s father, etc.). It ignores your mother’s side and your other ancestral branches. Only genetic males can take this test.

Why test?

It is ideal for genealogy and surname projects, and will immediately verify if two families with the same last name share a common ancestor. It is not useful for “traits”, medical conditions or ethnicity.

What tests are there?

There are two different types of analysis:

STR Markers (Short Tandem Repeats)

These tests count repeating DNA sequences to generate a genetic signature or haplotype. Matching or close STR counts with another person suggest a shared relative in recent or historical genealogy.

SNP Markers (Single Nucleotide Mutations)

These track precise, permanent mutations passed down over thousands of years. They place your lineage into a specific deep-ancestry haplogroup, providing estimated birth dates for your ancestors and mapping out their migration paths back 200,000 years.

Why test now?

Be part of an exciting project that needs Rutherford men to play their part in building the genetic jigsaw to reveal a detailed picture of our Rutherford family pedigree.

One must not forget that if the last living male descendant of a Rutherford branch dies without a male heir and without having taken a Y-DNA test, it becomes impossible to prove genetically how that branch is related to other Rutherford branches. One can only hope that the genealogical evidence goes far enough back to a common ancestor with another branch where a male descendant has Y-DNA tested, so that future generations will be able to trace their pedigree.