A Model Letter to Promote the Taylor Project

Hi Fellow Taylors!



Whenever I run into a new Taylor in my life, I tell them about the Taylor project. It's hard to explain in a simple soundbite, and sometimes I'm less than successful. So I met yet another Taylor Tuesday evening, and got his e-mail and sent him this letter. It is adapted from the letter we are now sending to anyone who contacts the project, without yet being a member. I recommend you take it and modify it to your needs. I'm wondering, myself, if it would be too OCD to carry copies in my purse to hand out...



See letter below.



Lalia

~~~~~~~~~

Dear...



Here is information about the Taylor DNA project, hosted by FTDNA (Family Tree DNA). It allows you and the rest of us find our ancestral lines. Our Taylor Family Genes project posts the DNA results and family trees for members of the project. The public is welcome to view our public page, http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~taylorydna, and to explore the FTDNA websites--which together have a wealth of information about genetic genealogy and about the Taylor project.



To become a member, you'll need to go to FTDNA, http://www.ftdna.com/, and click on the "Products" tab at the top of the page and scroll down to the list of tests, then order a kit. There are many products available so we recommend our new members purchase the 37 DNA marker test (or the 67) because when you do get a match, it is easier to zoom in on the generation in which a common ancestor lived. These kits are for men. For Taylor women with no male Taylor to be tested, you have the option of following your maternal line, through testing mtDNA, or testing autosomal DNA, through the new Family Finder test. These two tests are also available to males.



Once your kit is turned in for processing there's about a 1 month waiting period for your results to come back. You can join the Taylor surname project at that time and we will request that you send your family tree to be posted on the site. Once your markers are in, FTDNA will post them and send you a certificate with all the data.



We hope this has given you the information to get you started. We look forward to you joining the 350 Taylors already participating in the project, who currently are sorted into about 35 family groups (i.e. related markers) and a number of "singles" awaiting family matches.

A Decorated Taylor from WWII

Hi,

I was looking up some material about Mannheim, Germany, when I came across this interesting bit of Taylor news. One of the US Army's military facilities in Mannheim is named for a Taylor hero of WWII.

You can see more about this at Wikipedia.

The barracks was named after Pvt. 1st Class Cecil V. Taylor who posthumously received a Silver Star for courage in the face of the enemy. Taylor continued to fire his machinegun, though mortally wounded, fighting off an enemy counterattack in Beilstein, Germany, on 18 April 1945. Taylor was assigned to 399th Inf Reg, 100th Infantry Division.

Lalia Wilson for the Taylor DNA Project

Welcome to the Taylor DNA Project Blog—Taylor Topics!

In the interests of serving project members and forwarding the educational and informational goals of the project; the project administers have decided to use a blog for communicating with members.

Our goal is to provide you with information that helps you understand your family tree and to connect with relatives and go further backward to previous generations in your family tree.

The blog will feature short pieces of information about DNA testing, Taylor genealogy, famous Taylors and associated topics.

If you have managed to have a breakthrough regarding your Taylor line through using this project, please send the story to Lalia Wilson (LaliaW@aol.com) so that we can share your story with other project members.

We look forward to hearing from you and answering your questions so that everyone’s questions are answered.