Human gender is genetically determined by a pair of chromosomes that are, by convention, designated XX (for females) and XY (for males).  Only males have the Y-chromosome, and because the male Y-chromosome is handed down intact from father to son through the generations (except for infrequent mutations), just as surnames are handed down from father to son, Y-DNA testing can identify common ancestors on the direct male line, that is, the patrilineal line.  Y-DNA testing is an extremely powerful tool for supporting pedigrees and for breaking past brick walls where paper genealogy has failed to go.

The project is based at FamilyTreeDNA, but people tested elsewhere are welcome to join by sharing results and lineages, either unofficially or by officially transferring results to FTDNA.

If you are researching surname ELY or any of its variations, please consider having a male family member submit a sample to the project.  This invitation extends especially to African-Americans who are uncertain whether their patrilineal line ancestor is African or European — this testing will tell you which.  Actually, I consider it the duty of every male to be Y-DNA tested.  Your descendants will bless you for it!

Join the ELY Y-Chromosome DNA Surname Project

Family Tree DNA FAQs
Answers to an exhaustive list of questions relating to DNA testing.

If you want to increase the probability of making a match and speed up the progress of this project, offer to fully or partially subsidize a test.  Donations can easily be made through the project's General Fund, and I recommend that avenue rather than exchanging funds personally (see below).

The following subsidies are currently being offered:

1.  Your project admin is offering to fund the full price of a 67-marker Y-DNA test for a male surnamed ELY who is a patrilineal descendant of John ELY (1775-1850) of Centre Co., PA, Coshocton Co., OH, Knox Co., OH, and Green Co., WI.

In recognition of the fact that some individuals may find the cost of DNA testing prohibitive and that these individuals may be the only representatives of key lines in our genealogical research, Family Tree DNA has instituted "General Funds" to allow researchers to subsidize the testing of these key individuals.  The fund can also be used as a simple way to give someone a gift of DNA testing.  Please see this link at Family Tree DNA for more details.  And please consider a donation to the project as a way of bringing more lines into the project, especially to help some of our elder kin be tested who may not otherwise be able to afford it.  There is also a field on the donation form allowing you to make a donation in honor of a specific person.  The funds will be entirely collected and held by Family Tree DNA, but their dispursement is implemented by your project administrator.  You can inform your project adminstrator whose test you want subsidized with your donation or, if you wish, you can leave it up to the project administrator to decide where the funds can best be applied.  Please note that anonymous donations are not just anonymous to the public; they are also anonymous to the project admin.  If you want the admin to know you made the donation and/or have a special request for how it is to be spent, please notify the admin by email at the time you make the donation.

There has been an instance in one of my projects where a donor sent a prospective member a check, then the person never followed through by joining the project.  This situation can be avoided if the researcher has, instead, donated the money to the project's General Fund, because the money simply won't be spent if the person fails to join and return their sample. There has also been an instance in one of my projects where a donor agreed to fund a test based on the promise of a secure line to their progenitor, only for me to discover there was an adoption in the line.  In this case, the researcher had donated their money to the General Fund, and I caught the NPE in time to deny the subsidy to the test subject.  This situation is also a reminder to examine someone's line, yourself, before agreeing to subsidize their test — not that there was any intentional deception here, just flawed paper genealogy.

Bottom line:  before sending a check or money order to a stranger, do consider making a donation to the project's General Fund, instead.  And, please, in no case send money to me; I do not want the responsibility of handling it.

ELY Surname Mailing List and ELEY Surname Mailing List (online at RootsWeb.com)

If you seek general information about genetic genealogy, I recommend subscribing to
RootsWeb's DNA-NEWBIE and/or ISOGG's DNA-NEWBIE

And for the gateway to genealogy web links, specifically DNA links, see Cyndi's List - DNA.