Tiny chemical Markers on the Y chromosome create a distinctive pattern, known as a Haplotype, that distinguishes one male lineage from another. Shared markers can indicate relatedness between two men, though not the exact degree of the relationship. Y chromosome testing is most often used by individuals with the same last name to learn if they share a common ancestor. More detailed information about markers may found in DNA 101. Family Tree DNA is offering such testing.

A y-DNA study to connect males of the Miner surname and its variants was initiated in March 2005. Results. (Thomas Miner Family History)