Project Plan

After reading and hearing so many success stories about matching DNA for genealogical purposes, we thought it was as good a time as any for us to jump into the gene pool.  In cases where there is no documentation to prove our ancestry, we may discover our heritage, or we may confirm what we have found in our paper trail.

The success of this Project depends on the number of participants who join our testing group and on the documentation about each line giving names, dates and locations of birth, death, marriage, etc.

Please contact as many Reeves researchers as you can and encourage their participation in our Project to help ensure its success.

The testing will be for the Male Y-chromosome that is passed only from father to son.  Therefore, the testing requires a male with the surname of Reeves or one of its spelling variations.  If your name is not one of the variations of the Reeves surname or if you are a female researcher,  then you can ask your closest Reeves male relative to participate.

We have chosen Family Tree DNA of Houston, Texas as our testing company.  They are leaders in the field and are associated with Dr. Michael Hammer, Ph.D., Geneticist, Associate Research Scientist in the Division of Biotechnology at the University of Arizona.

The testing laboratory will be analyzing either the 12 or 25 markers on the Y-chromosome.  If the markers of two or more male individuals match, that will indicate they descend from a common male Reeves ancestor.  It will not identify the specific ancestor.

It is our opinion that the 25 marker test, Y-DNAplus (Male 25 marker paternal test - $169 Group Price) is much better at reporting the kind of data we need to determine if we are related.

The 12 marker test, Y-DNA (Male 12 marker paternal test - $99 Group Price) can find matches that may not be close enough to be of value.  However, which test to order is a personal decision.

You can upgrade from the 12 marker to the 25 marker test at a later date, if desired, although the total cost would be a bit more and cause several weeks delay in obtaining the final results.

To join our Group and to help answer your questions, the links at the left will take you to FamilyTreeDNA.com. You must download the Application and Consent form that will be required before the results of your test can be posted to this site.

We also require a chart of your Reeves family from the earliest known Reeves to you, the participant.  This is to identify each line and assign an ID#.

Please email your comments and suggestions to:

Barry L. Reeves
Reeves DNA Project Coordinator