DNA Testing
Your Research Problem
A few years ago I met a gentleman that shares my surname. Can you tell me if we're related?
Thanks! B. Pratt, Potomac, Maryland
Our Proposal
Thanks to a scientific breakthrough in genetics, it is now easy to answer your question. We will need to obtain DNA samples from both you and your friend and have them analyzed. We use Family Tree DNA, a company that employs the renowned Genetics Department at the University of Arizona to process it's samples. Once the results come back (the genetics lab remits the results within three months), we will know once and for all whether or not you two share a common Pratt ancestor.
Our Results
The two samples did not match, so you share no biological relationship to your Pratt friend; however, Family Tree DNA compared your samples to others who have been tested and pinpointed Pratt men alive today to whom you're related. We contacted them and succeeded in identifying the exact ancestor you share in common, Jonathan Pratt, a resident of Orange County, Virginia in the mid 1700s. We hope you enjoy meeting your new-found cousins!