The Tripp DNA Project began in October 2005 when a group of John Tripp descendants decided to prove their descent from John Tripp of Portsmouth, Rhode Island. All Tripps are welcome to participate regardless of their relationship to John.

Explanation of the Y-DNA Colorize Chart

At the top of the chart are the the DNA markers. The markers are color coded depending on the number of markers tested, 12, 25, 37, 67 or 111. See below for the color scale. The numbers on each line represent the marker value. The values themselves mean little but comparing markers to other participants tells how closely they are related. The closer the match, the more likely they are related.

The Y-chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) results chart headings are color coded in two ways. First, each testing level (Y-DNA1-12, Y-DNA13-25, Y-DNA26-37, and Y-DNA38-67) is coded with a different shade of blue. Second, the STR (short tandem repeat) markers that have faster mutation rates and are more likely to change within the genealogical time frame are coded with a red background.

The Y-chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) results chart is color coded to show where someone in a subgroup differs from the calculated modal value for an STR (short tandem repeat) marker. For each step less than the modal value, a progressively darker shade of blue is used for the background color. For each step greater than the modal value, a progressively darker shade of pink is used for the background color.

A Brief Explanation of Results

John Tripp had five sons: John, Peleg, Joseph, Abiel, and James. As participants have joined the project we are now able to group results into categories.

• Group A - Probable descendants of the immigrant ancestor, John Tripp. Two participants in this group have documented their descent directly from two of John's sons -- Abiel and Joseph. A mutation on the DYS439 marker is shared by descendants of Abiel Tripp. It is not known in what generation the mutation occurred.
• Group B - Tripp surnames sharing the Tripp R1b1a2 haplotype but genetically not closely related to Group A.
• Group C - Tripp surnames sharing the Tripp R1b1a2 haplotype but genetically not closely related to either group A or B.
• Group D - Descendants of Sylvanus Tripp of Kittery Maine. Once thought to be the sixth son of John Tripp, Sylvanus' descendants belongs to the I2 haplogroup which was formed thousands of years before the R1b1a2 haplogroup. Both groups are found in England.
• Group E - Ungrouped non-TRIPP surnames with mixed haplogroups.

The more matching markers, generally, the closer related the individuals are. Genetic distance is a term that describes how closely related two individuals are. A genetic distance of 2 on a 37 marker test means that you match 35 of 37 markers. A genetic distance of 0 is a perfect match -- 37/37. Genetic distance can be used to calculate the likelihood of having a common ancestor sometime in the past. The following is a rough guide to how many years ago your common ancestor likely lived:

Markers Tested	Genetic Distance
	0	1	2	3	4
12	575	975	1400
25	250	400	575
37	125	200	300
67	100	200	300
111	87.5	150	200	250	275
90% probability that the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) was not more than this number of years ago. (25 yr/generation.)

Reference: Family Tree DNA FAQ 456

For more information: Tripp Project at Family Tree DNA