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The remarkable results of the "Marcus" DNA project [conducted beginning in 2002] have encouraged us to continue with this type of research, which can only be applied to males. Females do not carry the Y-chromosome, which is passed from father to son down through the generations.
We are now involved in the early stages of planning a more ambitious project involving the testing of a much larger group of male Kays, with ancestral connections from around the UK and overseas. We have a target figure in mind of 50 Kays. We are not sure yet whether we are aiming within our capability or being overly optimistic -- time will tell, but we feel we must make the effort. It is important to find out if there is just one line of Kays with the Y-Line signature we have found or if there are several lines with different signatures, and how/where they are distributed.
Although the application period closed at the end of January 2003, all male KAYs (any spelling variant), living anywhere in the world, were eligible to apply, irrespective of the stage of their family history research. No family trees were required. The only detail we would like to know is the geographical location of the earliest ancestor you have found. This will enable us to identify which areas we are covering.
Candidates should be aware that participation implies permission to publish the results. This type of DNA test is capable of revealing the possibility of illegitimacy, adoption, surname change and the like. The likelihood of this is very low, but where it occurs it might cause distress. In such cases, publication will be treated with discretion.
We hope that all our male Kay members (all spelling variants) will volunteer to be tested. This is your chance to partake in a genealogical research project and help to widen our knowledge of the origin of Kays.
I wonder what surprises are in store for us this time?
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