If you are a male with the Rutledge surname and are interested in joining the Rutledge DNA Project, please fill in the Rutledge Project Join Request Form. The Join Request Form is the Family Tree DNA test kit order form used by Family Tree DNA (FTDNA).

The Family Tree DNA test kit will be sent to participants directly from FTDNA. This kit will enable you to collect and return your cheek cells for testing. The sensation of using the scraper is like brushing your inside cheek with your toothbrush.  

The standard test is the "Y-DNA - Male 12 marker paternal" test for $99 plus shipping. Many of our members have later chosen to upgraded to the "Y-DNA Refine - test (adding the addition 13 markers)" for an additional $100. It is a little cheaper to initially order the "Y-DNA Plus- Male 25 marker paternal test" for $169 plus shipping rather than upgrading latter. All payment are made directly to FTDNA when the kit is returned.

Family Tree DNA has an on-line video called "The Genealogy by Genetics - through the eyes of our customers" which is a series of interviews with several Family Tree DNA customers. It gives an overview about what can be discovered by using DNA testing for Genealogy.

DNA Heritage is a DNA testing company similar to FTDNA with its headquarters located in the UK. All of the current members of the Rutledge Surname DNA Project have chosen to use FTDNA, but DNA Heritage looks like a good alternative. You can join the Rutledge DNA project on DNA Heritage by filling in the DNA Heritage Rutledge Project Form.

DNA Heritage costs $137.77 for a 23 marker test and $5.99 for each addition marker up to $199 for the 43 marker test. The test kit should be similar to the one provided by Family Tree DNA and the results should be returned within 3 1/2 weeks.

DNA Heritage has a very nice tutorial on DNA testing that I recommend reading regardless of which company you use.

• For a good tutorial on DNA testing, read the DNA Heritage Tutorial.
• For a good introductory article about the science of DNA testing, read The Y Chromosome In The Study Of Human Evolution, Migration And Prehistory by Neil Bradman and Mark Thomas
• Their is another good web site called DNA 101: Y-Chromosome Testing at the BLAIR DNA Project.

• Ysearch is a free public database that allows you to compare side-by-side different Y-DNA results.
• Y-DNA Comparison Utility
• The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation.
• Family Tree DNA is a DNA testing company.
• DNA Heritage is a DNA testing company.
• DNA Fingerprint is a DNA testing company.
• Ethno Ancestry is a DNA testing company.
• Ybase is part of DNA Heritage but is run as a separate entity. It is a database searchable on 49 Y-chromosome markers.
• The YSTR.org database maintained by the Humboldt University of Berlin.

• You can search a listing of earliest known ancestor on the Most Wanted Rutledge web site.
• The Rutledge Family Association Web Page has several family lineages.
• You can visit my family home page at Michael Rutledge's Geneology Web Site.