Are any of you working with DNA?

[Thirtieschild]

My 95-year-old uncle ran in the Senior Games last year (won a bronze in the 100-yard-dash for those over 90) and was enrolled in 23andMe - they gave everyone who entered a free membership and free DNA test because they wanted to check genes for longevity. His Y chromome line (father-son-ad infinitim) turned out to very rare for his name (Hall) and place of origin (Britain, probably Scotland or Northern Ireland). The progenitor who settled in Britain was an Ashkenazi Jew or came from North Africa, the Middle East or Southern Europe within the last 500 years. Jewish? Spanish Armada? We'll almost certainly never know, but it adds a degree of anticipation.

The thrilling part of this story is that another Hall in the same area and time (mid 1700s, NC-SC) has the same rare chromosome. I've been stuck on this line for 26 years, and think I may finally break through this particular brick wall. I have paid for a male Hall first cousin to have additional tests at FTDNA - can't really afford it but after 26 years of looking I can't pass an opportunity to confirm or deny.

I've made no progress for 15 years or so, reduced to checking collateral lines and evem looking for the ancestry of aunts-by-marriage, whom I didn't particlarly like. These DNA projects seem like they're opening whole new areas of research. My sister and I joined 23andMe when they had a $99 sale in May. No way we could have afforded it otherwise. She already has her results, I'm waiting for mine.

I'd love to hear about anyone else's experiences. If this has already been discussed I apologize for bringing it up and would appreciate direction to the thread(s).

Thanks. Thirtie's Child the Excited

I'd like to hear about anyone's experiences with these tests.

[Mr. McD]

1. I have had full DNA testing

So far it has not been of any genealogical value. I did my yDNA over two years ago through FTDNA (I2a2b – Isles A). My closest match is a GD of 6 with a different surname. mt DNA followed 6 months later. I have done the full genomic sequence at FTDNA no matches (H19).

23 & Me had their full package on sale this year for $99 so I went for it. So far nothing on the autosomal but then I wasn’t expecting much. Autosomal DNA is fairly unreliable for genealogy.

Currently a probable third cousin 2X removed is being tested (yDNA). We are expecting a match. Based our individual research his 4th great grandfather and my 2nd great grandfather should be brothers. We have not found documentation that proves this. yDNA will answer the question one way or the other.

[Thirtieschild]

2. Thanks for sharing your DNA experience.

My uncle's yDNA is E1a1, which is rare for Britain. I got a response from another Hall, whose ancestors also came from NC-SC and whose yDNA is also E1a1. Rare DNA and coincidental place, but no match. Sigh. Both lines go back to the mid-1700s, so maybe it just doesn't show. My uncle is getting matches from places like Russia and Sweden. We can't figure that one out, but it maybe it will open some doors to look through. Until now I've concentrated on finding all the immigrants for my husband and myself (an impossible goal) and haven't been interested in looking in Europe. Btw, my maternal line is I1a1. Will never know my paternal yDNA - I don't know any males from my father's paternal line, but assume it's R-something. (German Lutherans, Swiss Mennonites and Amish.)

[Mr. McD]

3. Based on my surname origin "McDonald" I expected to be R1a or R1b

Y-DNA haplogroup I2a2b-Isles L-161+ were early arrivals in the British Isles predating the Celts by thousands of years. They are considered to be among the indigenous populations of the Isles. Currently the group is broken into 4 primary groups. Isles A, B, C and D. Isles B being the oldest settled in Ireland around 6000 years ago and are possibly associated with the ancient Cruthin.

http://www.impalapublications.com/blog/index.php?url=archives/4587-Genes-of-the-Cruthin,-by-Cllr-Dr-Ian-Adamson.html&serendipity=linear

I2a2-Isles A branched off Isles–B around 1500 years ago and is associated with Ireland and Scotland. All 4 groups have strong ties to Ireland. The Isles clades are found almost exclusively in the British Isles.

[Thirtieschild]

4. Where are your McDonalds from?

Mine came from Skye and settled in Wilkes and then Banks counties Georgia. My great-grandmother was a McDonald. Lots of red hair in the family, not surprising since we have lots of Scottish and even more Scots-Irish.

How fascinating that your branch is so recent. Great to know how long they've been there. I have so much to learn about DNA - just starting and when I read it so much of it computes as gibberish, but I keep trying, hoping that eventually it will all come together. I love science but, unfortunately, don't have a particularly scientific mind. Certainly not a scientific background - no physics or chemistry anywhere, ever, just one year of biology in college, and that eons ago. I don't call myself Thirtieschild for nothing.

[Mr. McD]

5. The immigration record just says Scotland

The person I believe to be my immigrant ancestor (not yet documented) arrived in VA in 1699. He was a 19 year old indentured servant. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=331x2052

[csziggy]

6. Does DNA testing do any good without a direct paternal or maternal line?

Because I don't have either for a family line that I want to check out. I am thinking of asking a male cousin to be tested - he would be a direct male line back to one of my biggest roadblocks and in a line where there is a lot of testing being done since it seems that family split off all over the continent once they got here. If we could figure out where JT came from other than the census clues that he was born in South Carolina and his father was born in Maryland, it would be a big help.

I've been reluctant to ask him about it though since we are not close.

Is the DNA testing really worth while if there are no inherited diseases to worry about?

[Mr. McD]

7. For DNA testing to be of any genealogical value

The ones tested would need to related. You would need to compare two individuals, if they are related the DNA test will prove the relationship. They would need a common ancestor in the paternal line for yDNA and the maternal line for mtDNA. For autosomal DNA they have to have a common ancestor also but from any line. Autosomal DNA testing is fairly new and not very accurate.

When I tested it was a crap shoot. I was hoping to find a related individual who could shed some light on my road block in my paternal line. So far it has not turned out that way.

Currently a probable third cousin 2X removed is being tested (yDNA), and we hope to prove a family relationship exists but it was the old fashioned paper trail that got us to this point.

[Thirtieschild]

8. Update on DNA analysis

I've had my DNA analysis two weeks and two days. I haven't broken through any brick walls but have been able to find common ancestors with two people. In both cases we go back into the 1700s in Northumberland Co PA, with two lines each. Those particular ancestors have become more than just names -- at least a few of their genes made it through the generations. I now understand on a gut level that having a name on a paper trail doesn't necessarily mean that the genes also survived. When the paper trail and the DNA come together, genealogy takes on new life.

I found that I am .69% Native American - they say such a small percentage doesn't mean much, but it verifies what I've always thought, that there had to be a Native American, albeit six, seven or even eight generations back. Going back so far would come out to something like .69%. My mother was 100% Southern and my father 100% Pennsylvania Dutch but the results say I am primarily German. I also found out I have a substantially higher than normal pain tolerance, which I've always suspected, and that I have a substantially higher than normal susceptibility to heroin addiction, which I hadn't.

It's been a blast. If they have another $99 sale, I want to get Mr. 30s and at least one of our children tested. The paper trail says we are ninth cousins three times, and I'm curious to know if we share any DNA.

There's so much to learn. Unfortunately I don't have a scientific mind so will likely never really understand it but it's breathed new life into genealogy.

[goclark]

9. I did the test through Ancestry

My male cousin took the test, I his father is deceased and our common grandfather too.

Grandfather and his parents, grandparents were all from Maryland.
We are African American.

My grandfather was always mistaken for White and he was a Proud Colored Man.

The only links we received from my grandfather related to Maryland were 27 genearations or more.
Some of those were from Australia.

I'll keep checking and hope to find more but I was disappointed.

Someone told me of another site that gets better data for African Americans

[Thirtieschild]

10. 27 generations is a tough one.

It would be really tough to keep your cool. I know what you meen about continuing to check. I've done the same thing you did, ask a male first cousin to take a surname test at FTDNA. We have preliminary results, and it's driving me crazy to go there several times a day and see results pending.

I know that some DNA sites will analyze raw data. You might check both FTDNA and 23andMe. Because I'm involved with a surname project at FTDNA I don't know what they have in the way of Family Finder, but they have been enormously helpful when I have a problem. In fact, they have advised me NOT to spend $99 to upgrade until and if I have more information about potential matches. If you call you will get a real live person (someone is Houston, not India) to talk to about your problem and what options are available to you. 23andMe seems to have a large and diverse African American population. I share a paper trail with one young man, but we didn't inherit the same genes from our common ancestor so we don't have a genetic match. From what he says, he's made several connections but he does get frustrated at how slow it can be. His y-DNA goes back to Europe through a slave owner.

Btw, I love goclark and wonder if we know know each other in 2004? We pretty much held together until that awful morning when Kerry chose Edwards for v-p. I blogged as Disorganized.

[Mr. McD]

11. The results are in

A suspected third cousin 2X removed was recently tested (yDNA). Based our individual research his 4th great grandfather and my 2nd great grandfather appeared to possibly be brothers. We have not found documentation that proves this. Now the DNA results are in and we are not related.

The search continues.

This rules them out for having the same father but they could still have the same mother. :shrug: :shrug:

[lazarus]

12. some advice

I strongly suspect, from the documentation I have, that my ex-wife and I are 9th cousins. What type of DNA testing would we do to prove or disprove this, and with what company?

[Mr. McD]

13. There are none

Currently there are no DNA tests for autosomal markers that would prove a 9th cousin relationship. Existing test are not very reliable beyond 4th or 5th cousins and many closer matches are questionable. Perhaps eventually they will.

[lazarus]

15. thank you

That's disappointing. But the lineages I have right now are fairly well-documented, so I'm confident we are related, which is hilarious, since my family hated my ex-wife from the moment we started dating. :D

One other question: Is National Geographic's survey the best one to get the millenia-deep ancestry DNA, the one that tracks you back to Africa through different regions and ethnic groups?

I remember one such test was done on Stephen Colbert, and he found out he's got a surprising amount of Ashkenazi (I believe) in his ancestry for an Irish Catholic. It was part of that Henry Gates series that ran on PBS, tracking the ancestry of various celebrities.

[Mr. McD]

16. The National Geographic study only does yDNA & mtDNA

I can't be much help beyond that. I always come up 100% European ancestry. You should get a better answer at the DNA Forum. http://dna-forums.com/

[lazarus]

17. thank you

[Thirtieschild]

14. DNA update

Autosomnal DNA pretty much proved 4th great grandparents who were likely but who could never be proven on paper. I'm removing the question mark from their names. I wish I hadn't waited so long to get involved in DNA.