The Armstrong Clan Society 

Dedicated to the Armstrongs, Crosiers, Fairbairns, Grosiers, Nixons and those interested in these surnames. 

One Hundred Thousand Welcomes!    

The Armstrong Clan Society has been organized to:

1) Seek friendship and unity among Armstrongs and associated families.

2)  Provide for the preservation of Armstrong artifacts unique to the family and to maintain a library.

 3) Serve as a genealogical and historical recorder of the membership,

 4) Provide quarterly news, Armstrong history and genealogy via The Armstrong Chronicles,

 5) Establish geographic membership representation.

Membership

All Armstrongs, Croziers, Fairbairns, Groziers and Nixons, regardless of spelling, and their descendants, are eligible for full membership in The Society. All others interested in furthering the goals of The Society may become associate members. In the United States and Canada, dues are $25 per year, including two adults and all minor children. In all other countries dues are $35 per year, payable in US funds.

 click here to download a membership application.  

DNA Surname Projects
By Milton Armstrong

From The Armstrong Chronicles April 2006

   Those of us who are amateur genealogists and family researchers have noticed a huge increase in articles on the web and in genealogical magazines about using DNA in surname research. I will attempt to provide a brief summary of this field and what I have found on the Armstrong name and specific Armstrong DNA projects. Please be aware that I am not an expert in this area and barely understand it so I would encourage members to do their own research. If you are more familiar with DNA Surname research, etc. write or send me an email for future publication. The use of DNA for genealogical research will only become a more useful tool in the future.
   All individuals carry a record of their ancestors in a complex chemical compound found inside almost every cell. Analysis of this molecule-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA can help genealogists trace male- and female line ancestors, prove and disprove relationships, reveal undocumented illegitimacies and adoptions, and identify familiar ethnic and geographic origin.DNA is packaged in threadlike structures called chromosomes. Humans receive twenty-three chromosomes from each parent and, in turn, give half of their own DNA to each of their children. Parents, therefore, funnel a molecular record of their ancestors to their descendants.
    More than 99 percent of each person's DNA is identical to that of all other people. This shared inheritance defines humans, yet the remaining 1 percent contains enough variation to make each person unique. The DNA of two closely related people has more similarities than that of distant cousins. Consequently, similarities and differences in DNA can show how closely individuals are related. (The Science of Molecular Genealogy by Ugo A. Perego and others; National Genealogical Society Quarterly 93, December 2005, 245) There is a lot more involved in DNA analysis but the details are much too lengthy for this article. The most popular DNA test for genealogists is a Y-DNA test (for males), which tests locations, called markers, on the Y chromosome. A small section of the Y chromosome is passed from father to son, typically unchanged. By testing this small section, you can determine if two men are related. (Please read more on this subject because relationships are very complex). The other DNA type is mtDNA. Testing is performed on a section of mtDNA, which is found in both males and females, but only passed on by females. These mtDNA test results apply to the direct female line; the mother, her mother, and so forth, up through the family tree.

   I found several resources available to us. There are vendors who maintain surname and other databases and charge for this service. [Links are not active - cut and paste into your web browser.] Three of these are: www.familytreeDNA.com ; www.relativegenetics.com ; and www.DNAheritage.com . On the first website I found 48 Armstrongs who had submitted their DNA. There are also links to several other DNA type websites including one on Border Reivers and Scottish Clans. They had hundreds of surnames in their databases.

Another resource is DNA Databases for Genealogy. They do not charge for collecting DNA. They mail the necessary kit for collecting and returning your DNA. Four of these are: www.ysearch.org ; www.mitosearch.org ; www.ybase.org ; www.smgf.org . All but Mitosearch are YDNA databases. Mitosearch is a mtDNA database (female). The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation ( www.smgf.org ) has an excellent DNA educational section with graphics, etc.

 I hope the above information stimulates you to research this subject more. As these databases become larger, it will be easier for Armstrongs and other surname researchers to find relatives.  

Milton Armstrong, Past President

______________________________Return to the ACS homepage_____________________________

                                                                                 Updated 18 May 2011