Testing provided by:

Group Administrators:

Co-Coordinators:

Project Surnames:

Madison, Matheson, Mathewson, Matson, Mattason, Matterson, Matteson, Mattieson, Mattison

Project Background:

Matteson Y-DNA testing for the male descendents of the name Matteson, Mattison, Madison, Mattewson, Mattheson, Matterson, Matson, Matteeson, and all other variations. Project DNA testing is being conducted by Family Tree DNA.

This will unite all cousins and give us a better idea of who we are and where we came from. The name has changed in spelling through no fault of the ancestor. Often spelled as it sounded to the person writing it down, sometimes they didn't even ask how it was spelled.

Project Goals:

1. Determine our country of origin
2. Identify those who are related
3. Solve brick walls in research
4. Prove or disprove theories regarding ancestors
5. Determine a location for further research
6. Validate exising research

Project Requirements:

A Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common surname. Since surnames are passed down from father to son like the Y-chromosome, this test is for males taking a Y-DNA test. Females do not carry their father's Y-DNA and acquire a new surname by way of marriage, so the tested individual must be a male that wants to check his direct paternal line (father's father's father's...) with a Y-DNA12, Y-DNA37, or Y-DNA67 marker test. Females who would like to check their direct paternal line can have a male relative with this surname order a Y-DNA test. Females can also order an mtDNA test for themselves such as the mtDNA or the mtDNAPlus test and participate in an mtDNA project.

Y-DNA

Since the Y chromosome is only found in men, those who take the Y-DNA test must be males. For females who are interested in the Y-DNA result for their surname or family tree, a close male relative with that surname would need to provide the sample.

The Y chromosome is transmitted from father to son. Testing the Y chromosome provides information about the direct male line, meaning the father to his father and so on. The locations tested on the Y chromosome are called markers. Occasionally a mutation occurs at one of the markers in the Y chromosome. Mutations are simply small changes in the DNA sequence. They are natural occurrences and take place at random intervals. Overall, they are estimated to occur once every 500 generations per marker. Mutations can sometimes be valuable in identifying branches of a family tree.

How many markers to test?

By using additional markers, groups of related participants have a better chance of finding mutations which identify sub-branches in the family. For this reason I would recommend the 37 or 67 marker test.

Participants who have previously ordered the 12 or 25 marker test can order test refinements or additional tests against their DNA already on file.

You should test more markers when you want to compare additional markers against others with similar results to you. The additional STR markers will refine your matches. If you currently have many Y-DNA12, Y-DNA25, or Y-DNA37 matches you should certainly consider upgrading your Y-DNA profile to a higher level. You may always upgrade to a higher level of testing as your number of matches and needs change. Our motto could be: Test only what you need, and upgrade only when necessary.

Probability for Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA)

Number of matching markers	50% probability that the MRCA was no longer than this number of generations	90% probability that the MRCA was no longer than this number of generations	95% probability that the MRCA was no longer than this number of generations
10 of 10	16.5	56	72
11 of 12	17	39	47
12 of 12	7	23	29
23 of 25	11	23	27
24 of 25	7	16	20
25 of 25	3	10	13
35 of 37	6	12	14
36 of 37	4	8	10
37 of 37	2 to 3	5	7
65 of 67	6	12	14
66 of 67	4	8	9
67 of 67	2	4	6

Y-DNA Haplogroups

Using the results of a Y-DNA marker test, Family Tree DNA estimates the tester’s haplogroup. The haplogroup identifies the person's major population group and provides information about the ancient origin of the male line. Family Tree DNA also offers a haplogroup test which participants can use to confirm their haplogroup assignment. The “Backbone” haplogroup test confirms the base haplogroup assignment, and the “Deep Clade” haplogroup test identifies the branch of the haplogroup the person belongs to.

mtDNA

mtDNA is passed from mother to child. Since only females pass on their mtDNA, testing the mtDNA tells about the mother, to her mother, and so on along the direct maternal line. Both males and females receive mtDNA from their mothers, so both men and women can test their mtDNA.

While mutations occur in mtDNA, the rate of mutation is relatively slow. Over thousands of years these mutations build up so that one female line will have a sequence distinguishable from another. As people spread throughout the world, mutations occasionally occurred in different populations over time. This allows us to test the mtDNA to identify the world origin of a person’s lineage.

mtDNA is tested and the result is compared to a reference sequence called the Cambridge Reference Sequence (CRS). By comparing an mtDNA sequence to the CRS, we can identify the ancient lineage to which you belong, called the haplogroup. Many haplogroups are continent-specific and some of their branches are region-specific.

mtDNA Haplogroups

Haplogroups are labeled alphabetically. Today, anthropologists have identified certain haplogroups that originated in Africa, Europe, Asia, the islands of the Pacific, the Americas, and sometimes particular ethnic groups. Of course, haplogroups that are specific to one region are sometimes found in another, but this is due to more recent migration.

For more information:

FAQ - About DNA testing and genealogy by genetics
Videos - Listen to Surname Project coordinators discuss how DNA helped in their family research.
Test Kit - See what's in the test kit. Instructions
Y-DNA TESTS - Confirm paternal lineage and common ancestry on the male line.
mtDNA TESTS - Trace female lineages of both males and females.
DNAPlus - A comprehensive maternal and paternal DNA test for ancestral purposes.
Deep Clade Haplogroup Tests - This Haplogroup test will test a single SNP, to determine which haplogroup, or major branch of the tree, a male belongs to.
Test Descriptions - The complete listing of all tests being offered.

Join the Matteson DNA Surname Project:

We would like to get representitives from each of Henry's sons for comparison as well as any individuals sharing the Matteson surname or variant. If you are interested in participating in the Matteson DNA Surname Project, you may click on the link below to join the project and purchase your DNA test kit. Or to help defray the costs of DNA testing for those wishing to participate you may also make donations to the Matteson DNA Project General Fund. Contact one of the project administrators for more information.

Join the Matteson Project - Order Tests

Contributing to the General Fund

Interpreting The Results:

Y-DNA Test Results (Alleles) for Project Members

DNA Test Results (mtDNA) for Project Members

Unique Y-DNA12 marker Result Strings: 13 23 14 10 11 14 12 13 12 13 13 29

As of May 20, 2010 of the 34 kits that have been returned, the project has had 18 kits returned that show a genetic distance of 0 or 1 in the 12 marker analysis. A distance of 0 is considered to be an exact 12/12 match. This means that they share a common male ancestor with 12 other members sharing the Matteson surname (or a variant thereof). Many of these members can provide genealogical data indicating a descent from Henry Matteson, therefore these members share a common ancestry with the family of Henry Matteson.

Further testing with the 25, 37, and 67 marker analyses is beginning to indicate some sub-branching of the family tree due to naturally occurrring mutations. Remember, by testing additional markers, groups of related participants have a better chance of finding mutations which identify sub-branches in the family.

The remaining kits have been returned from individuals who are also not directly related to Henry Matteson's family. There could be many explanations for this such as unreported adoptions or infidelity. Certainly there will be some individuals that fall into these catagories. But the most obvious reason someone would report as "not related" is simply that they share the Matteson surname (or variant) but are from an unrelated family. This of course is not be unexpected as surely there could be many different families, that share the Matteson surname that are unrelated to each other.

These unrelated Mattesons (although not related to the Henry Matteson family) should expect to find genetic links to other family relations. This in effect broadens the scope of the original project to include all familes with the Matteson surname (or variant) even those unrelated to the Henry Matteson family, although the primary focus of the project remains the Henry Matteson family.

Genetic Distance

• 0    Related
• 1    Possibly Related
• 2    Probably Not Related
• 3    Not Related
• 4    Not Related
• 5    Not Related
• >5  Not Related

Haplogroup

The Haplogroup predictions clearly indicate a Western Europe origin. This is indicated by the R1b1 designation, which is the haplogroup predicted for all related project members.

Haplogroup R1b1 is the most common haplogroup in European populations. It is believed to have expanded throughout Europe as humans re-colonized after the last glacial maximum 10-12 thousand years ago. This lineage is also the haplogroup containing the Atlantic modal haplotype.

Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A point to note is that Denmark, Scotland, Ireland, and England are all among the countries that fall within the R1b1 haplogroup. Of course in order to find a country of origin we would need to find a genetic link between Henry Matteson's known descendants and other living descendants of his family in the originating country. It is within the realm of possibility that Henry had relatives that did not emmigrate and there could very well be some of their descendants still living in that country.

• R1b   Western Europe
• R1a   Eastern Europe
• I       Nordic
• J2     Semitic
• E3b   Semitic
• Q3    Native American