FamilyTreeDNA
West Surname y-DNA Project
Family Reunion
St. Louis. MO
2013
Becky & I attended this year's y-DNA reunion. We are Group # 5 in the West Surname Project at FamilyTreeDNA (known as the leader with the largest database of participants). We now have Y-DNA results for 310 WEST-surnamed males, identifying 113 unrelated WEST lines. We are a very diverse genetic group. Our surname was adopted many times by people in different locations. As more WESTs participate in the project, the benefit to all WEST researchers increases. We have 39 unrelated groups. West is a somewhat common name. We have learned that odds are not in our favor that we are related when we meet someone new by the name of WEST.
We stayed at the Renaissance Airport Hotel. We were welcomed and honored by the city of St. Louis with a plaque, special cake, flowers and a very nice reception in the city hall. Our reunion was covered on TV and in the newspapers. We were treated as celebrities and everyone we met knew we were in town. You would think we were some kind of very large International Convention. There were about 20 or so of us. We are a "colorful" and interesting family as we were described. We all had a great time and discussed a lot of genealogy!
- submitted by JGWest
