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From: "Frank Browett" <>
Subject: [DNA] What's in a name
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 18:41:56 -0000


Hi,
I find the research into DNA very interesting, but when a test is carried out to find which people with a specific surname are related and how closely, how is it determined what the subjects surname is?
Browsing through the Bishop's transcripts for any area from the 1600s shows how the same surname varies through time. Children sometimes have different surnames from their parents. Sometimes the surname varies within the same generation.
The mother's DNA is more reliable, with the father's input being a random/chance change.
However, I could be wrong....
Frank

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