Once you decide to become a participant - you have a couple options. You can order a test kit via the link on the DavenportDNA home page. Or you can contact the project administrator, if you have questions, and he can send you the link when you are ready. It is important to use one of these links. If you order directly through the Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) website - you will not get the Davenport group discount rate or be placed in the Davenport group.

When filling in the order form - you can choose one of four tests. The "Y male 67 marker", the "Y male 37 marker",  the "Y male 25 marker", or the "Y male 12 marker" test.  Any of these four will be fine but the 12 marker is the least useful. We recommend the 37 marker test.

After the order is placed, in a few days you will receive a small package from FTDNA.  It will contain two scrappers ( like mini toothbrushes), two small vials, instructions, a release form, and return address labels.  Just follow the instructions and swab the inside of your cheek with a scrapper and place it in the vial. This is done twice to make sure there is a good sample. Please sign and return the release form. It makes it easier to access your results. (If you are concerned with privacy - there are other ways to handle it.) You then place the samples and release form in the envelope and drop it in the mail.

Once FTDNA receives your sample - they will do the necessary paperwork and forward it onto the University of Arizona lab.  You will be given a "personal" page at FTDNA where you can track the progress of your test and view your results later.  In the meantime the project administrator will ask if he can use your name and email address on the DavenportDNA website.  He will also ask for a brief genealogy so we know which  Davenport line you believe you belong too. This site is used to report to other Davenports the progress of this study - explanations, results, analysis, and conclusions.

After FTDNA receives your test kit, it usually takes about 4-6 weeks for your results to come back. This is just an estimate, since many things can affect how soon you see your results - quality of the cheek scrape, extraction and amplification of the DNA, etc...  Sometimes if they can't get a good "reading", they start over again, which adds to the time. When the time does comes, you, (and the project administrator), will get an email saying your results are ready. You will be given a link to your personal page where you can see your results and explanations. If you signed the release form, you may also get an email that your results match someone else in FTDNA's database. It will most likely be another Davenport.  About this time the project administrator will enter your results on the results page of the DavenportDNA website. He will also contact you and discuss what the results mean.

It would be wise to check back on the DavenportDNA website periodically.  As more results come in - they will be posted and may be of interest to you.