Joining the Project
Bring your branch to the search.
Joining the DNA Project
Your DNA. Your ancestry. Our shared discoveries.
Guthrie descendants of every surname are welcome. Your first step depends on whether you already have DNA results or are choosing a test. Follow your route below, then share the family behind the kit.
Step 1 · Begin where you are
Have you already taken a DNA test?
Open the option that fits your situation.
I still need to choose a test.
Start with our Choosing a DNA Test guide. For the project’s Y-DNA research, order through FamilyTreeDNA. Autosomal testing offers choices at FTDNA and other companies.
If you choose another company, check whether its results can be shared with Ann by invitation, transferred to FTDNA, or both. These are separate options, and availability depends on the company and test version.
Help me choose a test →I already have an FTDNA kit.
Use the tester’s existing kit account. If a test has been ordered or eligible results uploaded, continue to the join request. Tell Ann if results are still pending.
Go to the join request →I tested at AncestryDNA, MyHeritage or another company.
Check transfer eligibility first. FTDNA accepts some autosomal files from other companies, but newer test formats may be incompatible.
If your file is accepted, follow Step 2. If it cannot be transferred, you can still contribute to our research through supported sharing invitations or organized findings sent to Ann.
An invitation provides access at the original company. Membership in the FTDNA group requires an FTDNA kit.
Step 2 · For FTDNA participation
Get the kit in place.
Your FTDNA test or transfer needs a kit account. New customers receive a kit number through the ordering or transfer process. Keep that number and your sign-in details.
Ordering a test
Choose your test and complete the FTDNA order. If the tester already has a kit, sign in to that kit to add an appropriate test.
Visit FamilyTreeDNA →Transferring results
Follow FTDNA’s instructions for uploading an eligible DNA data file. Use the correct new-customer or existing-kit route for the tester.
Follow the transfer instructions →Please order the test or upload eligible results before requesting to join. This gives us a kit to connect to the project. Each tester needs their own kit; a relative’s results belong with that relative’s kit.
Step 3 · Link your kit to the project
Send a Guthrie join request.
- Sign in to the tester’s FTDNA kit.
- Choose Group Projects → Join a Project.
- Search for Guthrie, open the Guthrie project and select Join.
- Complete the Group Project Join Request. Include the test taken or ordered, your Guthrie connection, and whether you are the tester or helping a relative.
You may include your full ancestral line in the request, or wait for Ann’s reply. Ann will send her contact information so you can share the details directly.
Once accepted, check that Guthrie appears among the kit’s projects. The kit must be linked to the project, with the appropriate permissions, for Ann to use its results in project research.
Step 4 · An essential part of participation
Help Ann follow your Guthrie line.
Begin with the person whose DNA was tested and work backward, generation by generation, to their earliest proven Guthrie ancestor. Include the connecting generations even when their surnames are different.
For each generation, please include:
- The ancestor’s full name and relationship to the next generation.
- Birth and death dates, with places when known. Approximate dates are helpful if identified as estimates.
- The spouse’s name, including a maiden surname when known.
- Supporting records or a tree link, with uncertain connections clearly marked.
This information helps Ann verify the lineage and add it to the Guthrie Research Tree for further study. Identifying both Y-DNA and autosomal participants helps show which branches are represented.
Open a simple format you can copy.
Tester: [Full name]
Submitted by: [Your name and relationship to tester]
Test/company and kit number: [Details]
My main question: [What you hope to learn]
1. Tester: [Name; birth date/place; spouse]
2. Parent on the Guthrie line: [Name; birth/death dates and places; spouse]
3. Grandparent on that line: [Same details]
Continue through each generation to the earliest proven Guthrie ancestor.
Sources or tree link: [Details]
Uncertain links or other helpful context: [Details]
Send living people’s details directly to Ann rather than posting them in public comments.
Only know a little? Start with that.
Share what you know and where the trail stops. If your Guthrie connection is still a possibility, explain the clues. Mention any relevant adoption, unknown parentage, name change or uncertainty privately so Ann can understand the tree and results in context.
Step 5 · Make the relevant results accessible
Connect your results with the research.
FTDNA members: set project administrator access.
After joining, open Account Settings → Project Preferences. Edit the Guthrie project’s administrator access and select Limited for Ann Guthrie, then save.
This allows Ann to view the relevant kit pages and matches for project research. Advanced access is not normally needed. Public results sharing is a separate setting.
FTDNA’s project preferences guide →AncestryDNA testers: invite Ann as a Viewer.
Once Ann has provided her contact information, open your Ancestry DNA settings, select the correct test, then choose DNA test sharing → Invite. Enter her email or username and select Viewer.
This shares access to DNA results and matches at Ancestry. It is separate from transferring a file or joining FTDNA. Sharing a family tree also requires its own invitation if the tree is private.
Ancestry’s DNA sharing instructions →My company does not offer suitable access or a compatible transfer.
Contact Ann about sharing a focused summary of your Guthrie matches, their ancestral lines and your questions. Sharing options vary between companies, and your collected findings can still contribute to the research.
Use the company’s invitation tools where available. Keep your account password to yourself.
Discuss how to share my findings →For an explanation of project access and public sharing, visit Privacy & Your Choices.
Is there a fee to join?
There is no fee to join the Guthrie DNA Project. Testing companies charge for tests, upgrades and some features. Check their current prices before ordering.
If cost is a barrier to a useful Y-DNA test, ask Ann about possible family sponsorship or project funding before purchasing.