Phelps DNA Project

Return home Prices, Considerations, and Privacy

This project has no contractual or financial arrangement with any DNA testing company and is strictly voluntary.

Revised 05/01/2010

Membership: The testee must be a male whose surname is *Phelps (or an acceptable spelling variant) and who considers himself to be a Phelps descendant. Membership is open to anyone and is indicated by the two email addresses associated with the FTDNA test. . (Membership in related Google discussion groups is open to any legitimate researcher.) * Those not meeting the requirements may be given a temporary membership to allow access to FTDNA analysis and contact with matched Phelps..
The test will be conducted by Family Tree DNA, of Houston TX, the World's leading testing company for Surname DNA Projects. The cost depends on the number of markers tested, but all tests include an estimate of the Haplogroup (an indication of deep ancestral origins). A 12-marker test will tell you if you do NOT match with someone but you will want to upgrade to a 25-marker test to tell you if you do. Matching at 12 markers is like have the same first three digits of a zip code. If you do not match at 12 markers you won't match at 25 any better.

Standard prices are discounted as shown if you join the free Phelps Project. Shipping is extra. (These prices are unofficial and should be confirmed at the time of ordering. Specials may reduce the listed charges.))

12 marker test $99

25 marker test $124

37 marker test $149

67 marker test $248

The test is a simple cheek swab. The kit will arrive and leave your house by mail. You simply rub the inside of your cheek a number of times with a special scraper, put the kit back into the envelope, and put it in the mail.
If you have concerns about privacy, see What About Privacy
If you are ordering for another person who is named on the order, make certain they are aware of the information/disclaimer seen on our "Join" page.

Other considerations

The DNA information is to be used in conjunction with historical and traditional research. DNA testing will prove a common ancestor and can be extremely helpful in guiding research. On the other hand, if a y-DNA profile does not match as expected with researched genealogy, a hypothesized relationship may be incorrect. At other times DNA results may point to an unknown adoption in the family, or some other so-called non-paternity event. Please understand that the y-dna results may not confirm even the most meticulous researched family genealogy. We urge you to NOT test the DNA of a close relative which would point to a living common ancestor. There is no point in doing so since your dna should match almost perfectly and you have proved nothing. On the other hand, if your dna does not match as expected you have unnerving information. added 2/2007 You may want to read the article "What Are The Rewards And Risks of DNA Testing"? found at http://www.kerchner.com/anonftp/pub/introg&g.htm (Scroll down the page to that section)

After your ydna results are in we will ask for and display a simple male lineage only if your ydna results match a previously tested line or yours is a new line. We will display your kit number and male lineage as you have provided - attempting to merge it into previously submitted and tested lineages. We will not list anyone born after 1910 for privacy reasons. In a few cases the tested person will not be actively involved via email but will have another person, with an email, who will act as his proxy (one authorized to act for another).

Members are indicated by the two email address provided when you join. As a member you will have access to a private "forum" at a Google discussion group just for your family line.

Since a Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common surname, and females (a) don't carry their father's Y-DNA, and (b) acquire a new surname by the way of marriage, in order to be relevant to the Surname Project, the tested individual must be a male that wants to check his paternal line (father's father's father's...). The test to be ordered is either the Y-DNA 59, Y-DNA37, Y-DNA25 or Y-DNA12, and females should look for a brother or cousin with that surname to be tested.

What about privacy

Remember that Y-DNA testing is strictly for the male inherited chromosomes. It has nothing to do with physical characteristics. A test submitted has no affidavit proving who took the test. However, if you want to completely isolate yourself, have the kit mailed to anyone at your home address. Of course, it must be deliverable. The scraping would be done by the tested person but the release signature would name the person to whom the kit was addressed. . For example, it could be sent to a fictitious Eunice Phelps named as the one taking the test, in care of you or your wife at your address. The usual release-of-information signature would have the signature of Eunice Phelps. FTDNA does not care. Only those of us who are doing genealogy would know that it is of your male line – at least we hope so - but have no proof of it. We don’t really have to know if it was from you or your close male Phelps relative.

We strongly recommend to not test more than one member of the same family lineage (son, father, uncle, grandfather for example). There is no point in doing this since the Y-DNA is the same for all.

If you have further concerns about privacy at the testing company, give FTDNA a call at (713) 868-1438. Or you may want to review their statement here

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