DNA Studies

Brough DNA Studies

Information about Genetic Genealogy and DNA Testing can be found at:
International Society of Genetic Genealogy

     In 2008 the BFO began using DNA to help cement and document Brough family genealogies.  Today people can obtain DNA tests and analysis from a number of different companies.

     In 2018 the BFO conducted a Brough DNA Project.  Some of the results of this Brough DNA Project were presented at the 2018 RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and can be viewed here.

2008-2012 Brough Y-DNA test results

2015 Brough DNA Tests

2018 Brough DNA Project

     In April 2018 the Brough Family Organization (BFO) authorized a Brough DNA Project in which R. Clayton Brough, a genealogist for the BFO, took five DNA tests from five different DNA testing companies (shown below): Ancestry DNA, FamilyTree DNA (Y-111), Living DNA, MyHeritage DNA and 23andMe DNA.  This project was undertaken to determine the usefulness of such DNA tests in identifying relatives and ancestral relationships.  Some of the results of these DNA tests are shown below.

     Ancestral Information:  Clayton Brough's sixteen fourth-generation ancestors were all born in the 1800's in the following geographic locations: six were born in the British Isles (four in England, one in Scotland and one in Ireland), six were born in Scandinavia (four in Denmark and two in Norway), and four were born in the United States (two in Alabama, one in Kentucky and one in Illinois). 

2019 RootsTech Presentation by Officers of the Brough Family Organization

     On March 2, 2019, R. Shane Brough (BFO President) and R. Clayton Brough (BFO Chief Genealogist), presented information about the 2018 Brough DNA Project during a session at RootsTech 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This class presentation (which included the three info-slides shown below) was entitled "Strengthen LDS Family Organizations Through DNA" and can be viewed here.      

Conclusions from 2018 Brough DNA Project

     The 2018 Brough DNA Project, which compared DNA results from several companies, showed that DNA tests can approximately or reasonably identify and publicize calculated (or estimated) relatedness between cousins back to about four generations.  However, this project also showed that the accuracy of such calculated (or estimated) relationships between living individuals can be significantly different than what is genealogically provable.  Also the shown geographical distributions and percentages of association to estimated ancestral locations can vary considerably between companies.  

DNA Tests Can Help Grow Ancestral Family Organizations

     The Brough Family Organization (BFO) uses the publicized calculated (or estimated) DNA relatedness of individuals who are identified as cousins by different DNA testing companies to grow and sustain its family organization.  This is done as follows: 1) the BFO tries to contact (via email and the Internet) all “Brough” surnamed individuals who are identified by various DNA testing companies as related to other Brough’s and then invites them to freely join the BFO and to contribute their Brough lineage (if known) to the BFO Research Committee for possible inclusions in the BFO Global Brough Database; and 2) the BFO encourages (via email and the Internet) all first-to-fourth generation “cousins” who various DNA testing companies calculate (or estimate) are related to other known living Brough relatives to freely join the BFO and to contribute their Brough-related lineage (if known) to the BFO Research Committee for possible inclusion in the BFO Global Brough Database.   This effort by the BFO to invite DNA identified Brough-related “cousins” to join the BFO has resulted in DNA patrons investigating, joining and contributing to the BFO.