MERRELL.NET

The above group is for all Merrill, Merrell and Murrell families. If you have a similarly-spelled variation, please stop by and take a look at what we've got to offer. Best of all - - - it's FREE.

DNA and Genealogy

Sometime between the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), about 18,000 years ago, and 1500 A.D., my paternal and maternal lines made the jump from mainland Europe across to what is now Great Britain.

Who were these people? Where did they come from? Where had they been? What hardships had they endured?

Like many others, I have always had more questions than answers concerning my family's history and origins. In the near-term (the last 400 years), I've been luckier than most, as I have a paper trail documenting most of my ancestors to that time. Some of my ancestral lines go much farther back.

But what about 1,000 or 10,000 or even 40,000 years ago? Is it possible to determine the specific genetic pools and clans our ancestors belonged to?

Within the last ten years many advances have been made in a new field of science termed Genetic Genealogy, which now makes it possible for everyone to delve much deeper into their families' genealogy. A world leader in this new and exciting field is Family Tree DNA, a company located in Houston, Texas, which also maintains the largest database of Y-DNA test results in the world.

Please take your time and browse through the following pages. There is much you might wish to consider. Links will be provided for those wanting to know more about their own families and as an aid in beginning their own explorations. Also included will be answers to the most frequently asked questions (FAQ's). To all on their own quest, I tip my hat and wish you luck along your journey.

This site is dedicated to my ancestors. Their struggles and triumphs made this possible.

May God forever bless them and keep them.

Celtic Warriors

Belonging to an ancient Indo-European people, my ancestors once lived in Central and Western Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM).

Celtic Europe About 400 BC

Most of my ancestors originated on the plains of Eastern Europe, a large area of country now known as the Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Russia and Turkey.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

A nucleic acid molecule in the form of a twisted double strand (double helix) that is a major component of chromosomes and carries genetic information. DNA is found in all living organisms, excepting some viruses, is self-replicating and is responsible for passing on specific hereditary characteristics from one generation to the next.