join-project

                                     Joining Our Happy Little Group

                                       Written by C Calder Garrason, Webmaster
                               Edited by Jack, Harold & John Garrison, Co-administrators

                          (Garr*son is the Webmaster’s generic for all the various spellings)

Who should join the Project?
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Any male regardless of surname who is a descendant of Garr*son blood in the direct male line. Female
genealogists, whether of Garr*son descent or not, may enroll a male who is of the line. The most common tests are
based on the Y-chromosome which is limited to a father-to-son transfer. Sorry, girls! However, there are other DNA
tests which can show females something about their ancestry.
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Only Garr*sons?
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No. Some males of the direct line do not bear the name Garr*son because there have been:
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[1] surname adoptions in the distant past (Segers and its varieties among Gerrit Segers’ descendants, Wagoner and
its varieties among Gerrit Gerritsen van Wagenin’s descendants, for examples);
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[2] legal name changes (Davies for example) and
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[3] illegitimate male children (having a Garr*son father) who used their mother’s maiden name, her married name or
some other choice. (Sorry, no examples here!)
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What might the results show?
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Results can extend your Garr*son blooded ancestors back more generations. Example: One of our
members descends from William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879), the famous Abolitionist. William’s grandfather, his
most remote known ancestor until this DNA project, was Joseph Garrison (1734-1783), a Loyalist who moved his
family to Canada rather than fight the British in the American Revolution. Joseph’s son Abijah (b 1773) returned to
Massachusetts and there became father of William. DNA results proves that Joseph was a descendant of Gerrit
Jansen van Oldenburg (c1600) as are many others in this Project. It is believed but not proven by paperwork that
Joseph’s father was Abraham Garrison (1684-1766) of Cumberland Co, NJ.
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Results can support claims of relationship that cannot be proved by paperwork. Example: In the Duplin Co,
NC Group of this Project it was thought for decades that some relationship must have existed between one family's
most remote Jedediah Garrison (c1752-1830) and another’s family’s most remote Ebenezer Garrason (c1750-
1801), both of Duplin Co. DNA results for four of their male descendants show that there was a close connection,
close enough that we feel comfortable in calling them brothers.
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Results can disprove claims of relationship. In the ordinary world it is difficult to prove a negative but DNA can
prove something didn’t happen.
Example 1: Some descendants of Jedediah Garrison (above) had insisted for generations that he was a son of the
Staten Island, NY native Christopher Garrison (chr 1730). DNA results for Jedediah’s male descendants when
compared to that of a member of the Staten Island family prove such a relationship was not possible.
Example 2: Descendants of Isaac Garrison 1732 of Surry Co, NC and Christian Co, MO had thought for many years
that their line was the most likely to have descended from a long line of men named Isaac de Garrisson of
Montauban, France. Now we have DNA results for a descendant of Gerrit Segers (b c1620) of New Amsterdam. His
results match those for Isaac's descendants close enough to make it obvious that Isaac 1732 was part of the Gerrit
Segers family. Results from more of the family should help identify Isaac's line of descent from Gerrit.
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How do I join?
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Before you invest any money, contact one of the three co-administrators of this Project and follow his instructions.
Links for their email are given below. Perhaps you may want to talk to them on the phone. In the meantime visit
these sites linked below and look around.
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For Family Tree DNA (FTDNA for short) home page Click here.   Note the links to their tutorials which give
additional information. They are the "middle man" between our Project and the lab that does the tests.
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For FTDNA's Public Pages for GsC Click Here. The website you are currently viewing replaces most of the text
on the Public Pages. However, be sure to take the links there at the top of the page for Y-Results (Y-Chromosome
DNA Results) and Mitochondrial (mt) DNA. Under “Results” there are some DNA analyses which have not been
transferred to this website.
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For the FTDNA Application Form Click Here. However, do not sign up before contacting a co-administrator. Tests
ordered through our site are less expensive than if you strike out on your own.
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                               Click any of the names below to email a Project Co-ordinator:
               Jack Warren Garrison        Harold Dean Garrison        John Wesley Garrison, Jr
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What happens after I purchase my test?
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You will be assigned a Kit Number by FTDNA (the middle man) and they will mail you a package for the tests. In it
you will find two plastic paddles about the size of a plastic knife you use at a picnic. Detailed instructions are
included, but basically you gently scrape one paddle on the inside of your jaw for 60 seconds and save that paddle in
a plastic tube supplied. Eight hours later you repeat the process with the second paddle. The kit contains a mailing
bag that is addressed and has prepaid postage on it. You place the two tubes in it and mail it off. [No sample of
flesh, blood or urine is required.] Remember it must be a direct-line male Garr*son who completes the sample.
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Be sure to check the block on the paperwork giving permission for your results to be compared with others. That
will allow you to see the names and email addresses of other men whose results are very close to yours. This writer
does not consider this a cause for concern when it comes to privacy because these personal accounts can only be
viewed be entering a Kit Number and Password.
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FTDNA will forward your paddles to the lab. Depending on their workload it may take six weeks or longer for
results. The lab will return the results to FTDNA who will notify you and a co-administrator of the results, that is, the
values of the markers, not an interpretation of their relationship to that of other members. Analysis comes later and
is handled by a co-administrator.
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Your results will be posted in the DNA Matrix (the Y-Results page) on FTDNA’s Public Pages for this Project. If you
forget how to find that page there is a link on this site on the Home Page and on the Site Map.
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Considerations
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The basic test is for 12 markers out of 67. FTDNA recommends starting with 12 but your webmaster suggests you
opt for the full 67 marker test if you can afford it. There is a link for prices on FTDNA’s home site. Overall, it’s a little
cheaper in the long run to get all 67 at one shot. And, 12 really won’t tell you anything. When I got my 12 results I
matched with so many men not named Garr*son I asked about it. It was suggested I order more tests to narrow down
the results. I would rather have had the tests done all at once. If you go for a small test and later order more they
will use your original sample.
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Privacy and Security
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The lab (presently at the University of Arizona) will not know your name. All they have to identify your sample is the
Kit Number assigned when you order the test. Of course, FTDNA knows your name and address because they must
have that to handle your order and payment. The Co-administrators and I as Webmaster know your details but we
are committed not to display your name on the website you are now viewing without your permission. [Note on
various pages the phrases “Living, Name Withheld” or “Name Withheld on Request” or “Name shown with full
permission of the member” or “Maiden Name Withheld for Security Purposes”.]
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As Co-administrators and Webmaster we will not give anyone your email address without your permission.
However, if you allow comparison with other members (see above in What happens...) you will share addresses with
men who closely match you. That is no problem because a person needs the correct Kit Number and Password to
view them.
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Forget Law and Order. The DNA tests made for us are not forensic tests. They cannot be used to determine
paternity. They cannot prove you were ever at a crime scene. They cannot prove you were a horse thief in your
early years. And no tests are made to see if you are genetically disposed to any hereditary disease. The FTNDA
database is not accessible to law-enforcement agencies. Forensic DNA tests are designed to identify one unique
person out of billions. Genealogy DNA tests are designed to identity persons who have the same or similar results.
When your doctor draws blood for tests, he must instruct the lab which tests to perform. If your doctor uses the same
form mine does, you must have seen there are a hundred or more tests listed. Likewise, with DNA the lab is told
which tests to make and if they make the wrong ones they are useless to our purpose.
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Compensation
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      No one at Garrisons’ Compass receives any remuneration from FTDNA for new members and no compensation for
continuing work. The cost of this website is met voluntarily by members because this is strictly a volunteer
organization. We do it because we love genealogy and are curious about all the relationships our tests will prove or
disprove. Fortunately a number of us are retired and have more time to donate than those still working.
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                               Soon we hope to see the Markers of your DNA Test in our Results Matrix.
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                                                               Jack, Harold, John & Calder
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