DNA Tests

[ladybird]

I am thinking about having a DNA test done for tracing Family Tree. I want to see whether I am a Celt or Saxon etc.

My question is, can somebody explain to me SIMPLY. Do I as a female go down my Mothers line, as i have been reading that your true DNA is from mother to mother.
If this is so, would a male go down the Father's line.

Plus I have read that the ones which include both are too mixed up with all sorts of DNA. So any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Ladybird

 

[Lirio100]

There are basically two sets of DNA tests. The mitochondrial DNA and the Y DNA tests are specific to the ***--these are the ones testing the direct line of mother to daughter or father to son. I've taken the mDNA and had a male cousin test for the Y DNA for me. I've seen the Y DNA in particular useful in sorting out different lineages with the same surname, sometimes the mDNA will work that way too.

The other set is called different things by different companies; I've seen "origins", "family finder", "deep genealogy", etc. This tests the NON-*** genes, showing inheritance from both sides of the family. This can be useful in finding relatives of different degrees, also in suggesting the origin of a particular population. I've done this, but I consider it still a best guess type of thing, in that the data sets the test is compared against can be small or widely separated.

The Y DNA and mDNA are probably the most useful, in that they provide a specific answer in some cases. The autosomal test is interesting but I'm not sure how useful in recent generations of ancestry unless one actually is looking to find distant relatives.

 

[barbarajoh]

Ladybird

I have had my dad tested with the Y67 at FTDNA but he is very British in descent and he doesn't have many matches at the moment. When it becomes more popular in the UK then I hope he will.

I have also done the autosomal test and am finding that more useful for finding 2-4th cousins of my parents. for instance I have a Bell direct ancestor who was my gg grandmother and I hadn't known that some of her brothers had settled in America until people came up as a match who were descended from the brothers. It can be frustrating especially when people's trees are wrong and they don't know they have UK ancestors but very interesting all the same. Bell being such a common name I may not have found about these brothers without the DNA proving a match.

It does make you widen your tree to find out where the matches can be.

Barbara

 

[Lirio100]

My feelings on the DNA tests are actually yes, no, and maybe. I've found the same thing with the Y DNA; I know my great grandfather came from a small town in Staffordshire but there have been no matches. I agree that a larger sample size would help. It has been helpful in a negative sense though, as the surname is very common and it helps to sort which branches to investigate.

The mDNA would certainly be helped by larger samples! Mine turned out to be a very old group that now occurs in only 10% of the European or American population. My mDNA leads to one of my brick walls but near matches confirm I am at least looking in the right part of the country!

I've find the family finder type tests are interesting; I've seen that a lot of people have been helped to find cousins this way but in mine it's mostly confirmed the ethnic makeup of what I know of my family tree. Most of my great grandparents were the immigrants and I know who came but I think it will help me focus on where to look in the UK.

 

[benny1982]

I think you can only do DNA testing to find cousins who have your paternal or maternal lines or as said to find out where your ancient origins are.

As yet you cannot do this, and I dont know if it will ever one day become possible in scientific research to find matches for your mothers fathers fathers sisters daughters son. I other words a third cousin through a maternal male ancestor.

 

[Lirio100]

I think you can only do DNA testing to find cousins who have your paternal or maternal lines or as said to find out where your ancient origins are.

As yet you cannot do this, and I dont know if it will ever one day become possible in scientific research to find matches for your mothers fathers fathers sisters daughters son. I other words a third cousin through a maternal male ancestor.

If I understand their FAQ correctly (admittedly if) the autosomal tests can possibly do that, as a male contributes one X to a daughter and so inheritance from a male ancestor can be passed down through the maternal line. The autosomal tests look at non-*** genes.

 

[benny1982]

Recombinant DNA, I have done some reading since my last post and yes, I think a test can be done but the DNA may wear out after 4 generations. 4th cousins.

 

[Lirio100]

Recombinant DNA, I have done some reading since my last post and yes, I think a test can be done but the DNA may wear out after 4 generations. 4th cousins.

The amount passed down can get less and less, but the recombining is pretty much chance, I think--sometimes a lot gets passed down and other times very little, even when comparing siblings. Other factors can skew the family finder results; I have one Jewish great grandfather and because of keeping marriages within the community I have lots of "matches" at the 4th cousin or greater with testers from Poland or northeastern Germany. At some level we probably are related but it's so far back and such a tenuous connection that it doesn't really factor into my family tree. On the other hand finding the small Ashkenazi percentage did confirm the paper trail!

Sometimes I think the advertising for these things could be a little more informative, if not more honest! The YDNA and mtDNA tests are popular right now but they don't identify particular people in the way the ads imply. I've found them more useful in the negative sense, in a way. My dad's surname is "Newton" which is common in the British Isles. Great grandfather comes from extreme northern Staffordshire, Three Peaks District, I think it's called. That's pretty much leading into the most common areas for that surname according to global surnames. Comparing the YDNA will let people sort out the various lines.