The Hidden DNA Project has
the aim of bringing together Hiddens from all over the world and linking them
into broad family groups.
This new and exciting
technique for genealogical research has made this a realistic prospect.
It is already suspected from
conventional genealogy that most Hiddens of U.K. origin are descendants of a
single person or group of persons living near Hungerford, Berkshire in about
1500 A.D.
For some U.K. branches where
there is a gap in the documentary evidence the DNA tests are capable of
overcoming that gap.
There are also groups of
Hiddens in several other European countries.
In these countries the name may have arisen in a different way so that
some groups could be indigenous but others may be linked to the U.K. Hiddens.
The DNA tests have the potential to decide between these alternatives.
Hiddens from the U.S.A. will
be especially welcome to participate in the project in order to establish or
confirm their links with one or other of the European groups.
The surname Hidden has
appeared in many guises over the years and in some instances a branch has
adopted one of these alternative spellings as their family name. It is therefore
quite possible that, for example, Hiddins and Headings are genealogically
connected with the Hiddens. Bearers
of other surnames are therefore welcome to participate in the project if they
suspect that they are related.
The company which has been
entrusted with the testing is Family Tree DNA and their website at
www.familytreedna.com has much background and detailed information about the
technique.
The actual test procedure is
very simple and only requires the collection of a some cells scraped from the
lining of the mouth.
The test results are
identified only by a code, and the link between the code and a person's identity
is kept strictly confidential. The company will ony reveal this link with the
express permission of the participant.
The markers which are used
for genealogical tests are entirely unrelated to any medical condition,
inherited or otherwise
With the agreement of the
participant his coded test results may be displayed on the project web site.
This will allow the results to be sorted and displayed in matching or near
matching groups.