A special family history.

Y-STR analysis is a common tool in forensic case work. Lately it has also been popular in genealogical research to determine the male lineage. We present the investigation of members of a family with a pedigree dating back to the 14th century. The aim of the study was to genetically confirm the kinship established genealogically, a method that is mainly based on the fact that individuals of the male lineage carry the same family name. We investigated fifteen male individuals who were connected to approximately forty different branches of the family tree using the Powerplex Y kit (Promega) that allows the detection of eleven Y-STRs. Our study shows that there can be differences between genealogical and genetic pedigrees indicating the need for additional genetic analysis.