Add Your Surname Project Data and Comments to Kerchner's
Surname Projects Y Chromosome Y-STR Haplotype Mutation Rate Study and Log
Project Started: 7 January 2005

Note: One must be able to determine the Deduced Ancestral Haplotype for the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA)
for the Panels and Haplotype Sizes for the related males in the group or cluster you are entering into this Log.
And/or we must be able to unambiguously determine the number of Unique Mutations Events being observed in the cluster or group.
Thus you most know the traditional genealogy relationships for the related males tested
back to the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) for the data being submitted to the Log.
For example: You may have deduced the Ancestral Haplotype at 37 markers, but do not have enough data to do it at 67 markers.
In that scenario you would only enter the mutation rate data for the 37 marker panels and haplotype sizes.
In the future if you get more data and can deduce the 67 marker Ancestral Haplotype you can re-enter your entry and I can delete the prior one.
If you need help with deducing the ancestral haplotype, contact me by email.

To use this log you should be a Y-DNA Surname Project Coordinator with Y-DNA test results for related males. You must know the common male ancestor from traditional genealogical research and have proven relationships for the males which are being included in the data and calculations used being submitted into this Log in order to sum up the number of unique transmissions events and the number of unique mutations. This usually requires that you have deduced the exact ancestral haplotype for the common male ancestor or have a very good estimate of what it is to use as a reference point to calculate the number of Unique Mutations Events in the descendants tested.

This is not a general purpose query page. Do not post general queries. They will be deleted. This log is intended to collect calculated data for Y-STR Haplotype Average Mutation rates from various Y-DNA surname projects in order to better estimate what the overall average Y-STR mutation rate is and to develop a histogram or scattergram to plot the diversity of haplotype average mutation rates for surname projects. The Y-STR haplotype average mutation rate appears to vary considerably from one male line surname project to another. Current thinking has been that this is all due to statistical aberrations of one single common underlying average muation rate. I have hypothesisized a new Y-STR male specific average mutation rate model to explain the variances seen in average mutation rates from project to project. See this hypothesis link for more details on that.

Thus, in addition to collecting the data in one place for the benefit of all Genetic Genealogists, I will use the data collected in this project to test my hypothesis of male line specific Y-STR haplotype average mutation rates. In addition this project will collect the surname muation rate data in one place to better document this phenomena being observed anecdotally by various genetic genealogists. Is there a male line specific Y-STR average mutation rate or is it one size fits all? We will see which model fits best. It will then be up to the micro-biologists and geneticists to figure out what the underlying causal mechanism is, if there is a male line specific Y-STR average muation rate. It is best to print out this form on paper as a worksheet, obtain and calculate the needed information to enter, and then come back to this page to enter it. We Genetic Genealogists can make a contribution to the body of knowledge about Y-STR mutation rates. Synergy at Work!

What is the Y Chromosome STR (Y-STR) Haplotype Average Mutation Rate in a Surname Project?

Descent Tree Showing Descent from Most Recent Common Ancestor and Counting Unique Transmission Events (births).

Counting Unique Transmission Events (UTEs) and Counting Unique Mutation Events (UMEs)
from the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) in a Genetic Genealogy Surname Project

Read Prior Log Book Entries for Examples
This Study and Log Provided Courtesy of Charles F. Kerchner, Jr., P.E. (Retired). Synergy at Work!

Note: The comment field provided in below form has automatic end-of-line "line-wrap" feature enabled, as is used in most word processors, so please do not press the [enter] key when you near the end of a line. Just keep typing and your word will wrap around to the next line automatically. Please only press the [enter] key at the end of a paragraph or to provide a deliberate hard return and line feed for spacing reasons. This will save me editing time and disk storage space. Thank you.

Another special request from the webmaster. I encourage your comments and remarks. But, let me point out again that this is not a query page. Please do not post "searching for" queries or commercial advertising of any type in this log. Also keep your comments relevant. I hereby give notice that I reserve the right to edit comments deemed unsuitable for this forum. Thank you for your consideration.

Contact Me If You Need Assistance Completing the Log Form

Enter the surname being studied by your surname project.
If you will be making more than one entry to this log for the same or similar surnames,
enter a group number/identifier for this entry in parenthesis such as Jones (Group 1) or Jones (I1a group).
Enter most correct or dominant spelling first and then any other common variatons you have in your project separated by spaces or commas:

Your Name: (Example: John Doe)
Full names are totally optional, but helpful.
If desired, use only your first name, only the last name, or simply initials if you wish to keep full name private.

Your Email: (Example: johndoe@aol.com)
Please type in your latest EMAIL address accurately and please double check it!
The email address you enter must be a valid email address!
Invalid email addresses can result in a server error message.

Your surname project website home page URL address (if you have one) which shows the data used for this entry:
This is an optional field. Do not enter your email address here.
But this is highly recommended to document and support the group data entry you are sharing in this log.
If you don't have a web page which shows your project data which includes the Deduced Ancestral Haplotype, you should consider possibly making one before posting to the Log. See my example page URLs below for a suggested simple format. If you need help deducing the ancestral haplotype, send me an simple Excel table for the related males only with the table rows sorted by birth order the same as the descent tree order, and I'll help you. You can get such a table by downloading an Excel table from the surname project with FamilyTreeDNA and then deleting all the rows for males not used for this submission and then sorting the remaining male rows into birth order.
Please type your latest URL address accurately and please double check it!
(37 Marker Example: http://www.kerchner.com/kerchner37mkrs.htm)
(67 Marker Example: http://www.kerchner.com/kerchner67mkrs.htm)
Very Important: Don't forget to include the "http://" prefix with your URL.

Special note: Do not enter words such as none. Leave this field totally blank if you do not have a website.
Enter the name of the YSTR YDNA markers testing company(s) you used:
(Examples: FamilyTreeDNA, DNAHeritage, Relative Genetics or whichever lab you used.)

Enter date your surname project was started:: (e.g. 3 March 2003)
If exact date is not known just estimate the month and year.

Enter the name and birth year (exact or circa) of the male Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) for all males included in this data:
If you don't know the exact year of birth enter an estimated year of birth, i.e., "born about YYYY", etc.
You must know the common male ancestor from traditional research and have deduced his ancestral haplotype precisely enough to deduce the precise number of Unique Mutation Events (UMEs) in the descendants tested to enter your data into this log.
Do not use a simple modal haplotype for determining the UMEs. Using a simple modal haplotype can give one the wrong answer.
Again, if you need help determining the ancestral haplotype for this log entry for your Most Recent Common Ancestory (MRCA), email me.
See this webpage for more information about Ancestral vs Modal Haplotype.
Enter the name and birth year (exact or circa) of the male Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) for all males included in this data:

Enter the surmised haplogroup for the males in this line:
Indicate whether a male in your group has been SNP tested or was the haplogroup for your male line estimated from the haplotype.
Example: R1b1 SNP tested P25+ ... or I1a predicted.
If you do not know the haplogroup, you can use this Haplogroup Predictor by Whit Athey to get a prediction.

Enter the Y-DNA test panel sizes and the composite (combined panels) haplotype size(s) (HS):
Enter the Y-DNA YSTR marker panel sizes and haplotype sizes for the males tested for the group data you are submitting.
Here is an example for the FTDNA YDNA Y-STR panels and composite haplotype sizes:
For a group with some or all members tested up to 37 markers there are 3 panels and 2 composite haplotype sizes.
Thus for the 37 marker haplotype and panels 12(1-12), 13(13-25), 12(26-37), 25(1-25), 37(1-37)
enter the respective HS panel and haplotype size data by typing or cutting & pasting the following:
12, 13, 12, 25, 37
For a group with some or all members tested at 67 markers there are 4 panels and 3 composite haplotype sizes.
Thus for the 67 marker haplotype and panels 12(1-12), 13(13-25), 12(26-37), 30(38-67), 25(1-25), 37(1-37), 67(1-67)
enter the respective HS panels and haplotypes size data typing or cutting & pasting the following:
12, 13, 12, 30, 25, 37, 67
For this project, all members of a group that is submitted must have been tested at the same lab.
Note: I extend a special invitation to projects done with DNA Heritage, Relative Genetics, or other labs.
Let's hear from you with results data for their 26(1-26) marker and 43(1-43) marker haplotype size tests. Thank you.
See prior entries in this log for examples if you need further guidance as to what to enter. Also, print out this data entry form as a worksheet. It's easier to work off line and then come back to enter your data. And of course, you can also email me if you have questions.

Enter the number of males tested and used in calculating the haplotype mutation rate(s) for your data:
Note: You must have a least two males and in most cases three males with a known common male ancestor to have a relevant surname project for this Log.
If entering data for more than one haplotype size you may have data for a different number of males for each haplotype size. If so, enter the numbers separated by commas, e.g., for three males all tested at 37 markers it would be: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
For a group with some tested at 37 markers, but not all at 37 markers the entry might be: 5, 4, 3, 4, 3
For a group with some tested at 67 markers, but not all tested at 67 markers the entry might be: 10, 10, 10, 7, 10, 10, 7

Enter the number of Unique Transmisson Events (UTE) aka Births from the MRCA.
Or you a descent tree outline format per this example: Unique Transmission Events (UTE) aka Births from the MRCA.
Use a Descent Chart from the Most Recent Common Male Ancestor down to all males tested to determine this number:
Important Note: Only count unique transmission (birth) events from the most recent common male ancestor down to all males tested in this group.
Please be careful when counting to not double count transmission events (births). Don't double count transmission events back in time beyond
a common ancestor which is shared by two or more tested descendants. And only count transmission events for the males tested for each panel and haplotype size.
For 37 marker panels/haplotype sizes, enter the UTE count for each panel and haplotype size separated by commas, e.g., 18, 18, 18, 18, 18
For 67 marker panels/haplotype sizes, enter the UTE count for each panel and haplotype size separated by commas, e.g., 38, 38, 38, 30, 38, 38, 30
These numbers will likely be different for each haplotype size, unless of course everyone in this group has been tested for the same haplotype size.
See this webpage for a Diagramatic Example of how to count Unique Transmisson Events (UTEs)in this group.
See this webpage for a Text Outline Example of how to count Unique Transmisson Events (UTEs)in this group.
See this webpage for a Word Document Example of how to count Unique Transmission Events (UTEs) in this group.
Note: For the composite haplotype sizes (67 markers for example) you may lose some males in that larger haplotype subset of this group who were not tested for that composite haplotype size. Thus, some unique transmission events (births) may drop off the count with the data for the males not tested for the larger composite haplotype size. So be careful when counting the UTEs (births) when entering that UTE count data for the composite haplotype sizes, especially at 67 markers.
If you need help in determining the correct number of UTEs, email me your Descent Tree from the MRCA for the male group being submitted and I will help you.

By separate email attachment, send me a one page tree in Word DOC, or using some other format, showing the line of descent from each male tested from the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) for this group.
See YSTR Log instructions for simple, and alternative, examples of how to type or show the tree.
Enter the number of Unique Mutation Events (UME) observed in the descent line from Common Male Ancestor down the various lines of descent to all males tested for the haplotype size(s) entered:
Important Note: Only count unique mutation events. Don't double count mutations. Two recent cousins may share the same mutation and thus their mutation is probably from a more recent shared ancestor in their recent branch and thus each of their mutations from the ancestral haplotype is not unique.
Note: If you suspect a two step jump in a DYS marker allele has occured in one branch and not two separate one step jumps, count the two step jump as one mutation event.
And if you had the same mutation uniquely occur in two separate independent descendant branches from the common male ancestor you would count that as two unique muations. That type of parallel mutation in two separate descendants branches from two different sons of the common male ancestor occured in my surname project.
Also, please make special note that if not all the males were tested at 37 or 67 markers, you would only count for the last numbers entered in this entry field the unique mutations in the subset of this group who have been tested for the full 37 or 67 markers respectively.
See this webpage for an example of counting Unique Mutation Events (UMEs).
37 marker example: For 37 marker panels/haplotype size enter the data as a string separated by commas, e.g., 0, 0, 1, 0, 1
67 marker example: For 67 marker panels/haplotypes sizes up to the 67 marker size enter the data as a string separated by commas, e.g., 2, 2, 4, 2, 4, 8, 8
Note: Some panels may not have any mutations. For the composite haplotype sizes (67 markers for example) you may lose some males in that larger haplotype subset of this group who were not tested for that composite haplotype size. Thus, some mutations may drop off with the data for the males not tested for the larger composite haplotype size. So be careful when counting the unique mutations when entering that mutation count data for the composite haplotype sizes, especially at 67 markers.
If you need help in determining the correct number of UMEs, email me your Excel allele data table with rows sorted by birth order for the male group being submitted and I will help you.

By separate email attachment, send me an Excel spreadsheet showing only the cluster of related males tested and highlighting the marker mutations you counted for this entry.
See YSTR Log instructions for simple, and alternative, examples of how to prepare this.
Calculations: (Note: The below fields are not for data entry but to display math automated calculation results. You must have entered correctly the data in the preceding steps first.)

  

MMO=HSxUTE =    MR=UME/MMO =
Enter the list of markers having observed mutations and the Genetic Distance (GD), i.e. the numerical difference of each mutated marker value from the Deduced Ancestral Allele (DAA) value.
For example if the Deduced Ancestral Haplotype had a value of "13" for marker DYS393 and one or more members of this group had a value of "12" at that marker,
then you would list here that DYS392 had a mutation with a "GD of 1" from the DAA. This is called a single step mutation.
Or if one or more members of this group had a value of "11" at that marker, then you would list here that DYS392 had a mutation with a "GD of 2" from the DAA for that marker.
If this change of 2 occured in one generation, this is called a two step "jump" mutation.
Likewise you would report the marker name and GD for other markers with differences from the ancestor.
Example entry: Unique mutation events were observed at three markers in this related group.
Marker DYS390 had an observed mutation with GD of 1 from the DAA, marker DYS392 had an observed mutation with GD of 1 from the DAA,
and marker DYS388 had an observed mutation with GD of 2 from the DAA.
Feel free to add comments, if desired, to explain any mutations you have observed and/or to ask any brief questions you may have about them.
For in-depth questions send a separate email after this entry is made. As part of the submission process, I double check all entries.
If I have any questions about your entry, I will contact you.

Comments:
Please share with us a brief synopsis of what you know about the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) in your
surname project or any other relevant comments you may wish to make about your surname project and project goals in brief.
Note: To reduce spamming type false entries, hyperlinks, webpage addresses, and URLs are not permitted in the comments field.
Do not attempt to hide or camouflage a URL in the comments field. Doing so may cause your entry to be rejected.

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"stop--spam".


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Copyright (c) 2005-2025
Charles F. Kerchner, Jr.
All Rights Reserved
Created: 7 Jan 2005
Revised: 27 Jun 2025
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