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 two tests. The "Y male 111 marker" and  the "Y male 37 marker". Which one to select is depended on what you hope to accoumplish. If you are just trying to determine which of the already tested Davenport lines you belong to, then the 37 marker will usually work for you, with a few exceptions. Since the Y-DNA of the four American lines - Rev. John, Thomas of Dorcehster, Captain Richard, and Albemarle, along with the English Cheshire line - are very simalar, then the 111 marker test is recomended. The 111 marker test may be helpful in distinguishing between branches in other lines too.  But generally, we recommend you start with 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 two times to make sure there is a good sample. Please sign and return the release form. It makes it possible for the administrator to view and interpret your results and for you to find matches.  (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 begin to process your sample. 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, email address, and results on the DavenportDNA website.  He will also ask for a brief genealogy so we know which Davenport line you believe you belong too. If you don't know, don't worry, hopefully your results will help with that. This site is used to report to other Davenports the progress of this study - explanations, results, analysis, and conclusions.Remember, it is by comparing your results to others that helps you and us to move forward. Otherwise, it is just a bunch of random numbers.

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 receive 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 in the appropriate place on 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.