DNA Study

What is DNA testing?

A man's paternal ancestry can be traced using the DNA on his Y chromosome. This is useful because the Y chromosome contains sequences of repeating “nucleotides” that pass from father to son usually unchanged, although the occasional mutation does occur. Y-DNA testing involves looking at these repeating segments of DNA on the Y chromosome (short tandem repeats or STRs), which are referred to as genetic “markers”. The number of repetitions for each marker varies from one surname to another and for any individual tested the specific number of repetitions is known as the “allele” of each marker. A more detailed discussion of yDNA test interpretation can be viewed at Wikipedia.

Project DNA Study

In addition to the gathering of genealogical data on Ball families with New England origins, the Project has undertaken a DNA study to identify 37-marker sequences for the early Ball surname immigrants to New England in order to assist researchers with “brick walls” in their Ball ancestry to be able to focus on connection to a specific Ball immigrant. The Project uses the testing firm of FamilyTreeDNA and is part of a larger worldwide Ball surname study (see FamilyTreeDNA Ball Study and their privacy statement at FamilyTreeDNA Privacy).

Funding for New Tests

Full funding is available to test any Ball surname descendant of a pre-1800 New England immigrant, provided his line is from a great-grandson of that immigrant not yet represented in the DNA study. Click on the name at the bottom of this page to send an email to the Project; please put “Project DNA Testing” in the subject line of the email. The Project will not publically display the names of our DNA project participants. The exception to this is between test individuals that match at least 33 of 37 markers, who will be put in contact with each other.

Results Grid

The following tables present the raw test results grouped by Ball immigrants to New England. "Brick wall" (unattached branches) tests are grouped with the mostly likely Ball immigrant.  Each Kit number is followed by either the names of the early lineage starting with that group's immigrant OR the name, time frame, and key residence location(s) of the "brick wall" branch head.  When a group has three or more tests to compare, the markers highlighted in bright yellow are the only ones different from the "modal" or norm for those markers.

All right, title, and interest in and to original content included in the New England Ball Project is owned by David G. Ball unless a publisher or copyright owner is specified as the source of data.