DNA tests

[NIMROD]

Hi,

  I am considering having a DNA test to determine origin etc.  I have heard that these are open to the general public.  However, I have no idea where to go, what is entailed or how much it costs so I m wondering if any other members have done this and can offer any any advice???

  Regards

  Nimrod

[Comosus]

What sort of test were you looking for?  Some can give you an estimate to the percentage of European, African etc in your DNA.  Some will give a read out of the Y chromosome (male line) or mtDNA (female line), and those with the same, or extremely similar read-outs will be related.  The downside is that they are very expensive at the moment.

There are a few sites that offer DNA tests:
http://www.oxfordancestors.com/
http://www.ancestrybydna.com/

There are also a few threads that might be worth reading:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,235674.0.html
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,208054.0.html
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,186402.0.html

Andrew

[NIMROD]

Hi Andrew,

  Thanks for your reply.  To be honest I did nt realise there were several options for testing, so more food for thought.  I ll have a look at the links you ve provided and work from there.  I had a feeling it might be pricey.

  Many thanks

  Nimrod

[mike175]

Hmmmm . . . I was toying with DNA testing, but I think the money would be better spent on a couple of dozen BMD certificates at the moment.

Mike.

[Dancing Master]

they offer a range of matches from 12, 15, 32 etc.,  but then tell you that the ones less than 32 are not an exact match only that somewhere within your family someone or other could possibly have a same relative. which would tell you very little.

You also have to have something or someone to test the results against.  Just doing the test will not tell you that you are related to X  family etc., other people in your family would have to do a test as well if they wanted to confirm you are related.

[NIMROD]

Ok, thank you for your comments. The more I look into this and read about it the more confused I become and I must say I am seriously beginning to reconsider its worth.  I certainly don t want to shell out around £200 for something non specific. What I was hoping for was a direct DNA route through the ages as close as is possible but maybe I am expecting too much from it.

I have e mailed Oxford Ancestors with my querries and recieved no reply and just got a automated response over the phone and all it did then was offer to send the sample kit.  If you can t discuss your requirements with them directly it does nt exactly make you want to dip your hand in your pocket.

I think Mike may have a point there, the money could be better spent on BMD certificates etc.

Regards

Nimrod

[Bill749]

Definitely save your money Nimrod - when DNA tests can prove that naturally-conceived children are un-related to their birth-mother I would seriously question their value as a genealogical tool! (look up chimera: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(genetics)) 

Regards, Bill

[NigelBurch]

I almost took the plunge at Who Do You Think You Are Live yesterday and had my DNA tested but I then thought I should hold back and maybe get some advice. 

My Great Great Grandfather on my paternal side was illegitimate and I believe my surname was then taken from his mother.  (Assuming the path between the former and me was straightforward blood connection without unknown illegitimacy, adoption etc) am I correct in thinking that if I got a strong DNA match with someone with a different surname who I could later prove to be living in the area at the time, this might then lead me to the identity of my 3 x Great Grandfather?

Several companies offer different markers.  If I got a 46 marker test - could I match with anyone below that (ie 37 marker result, 25 marker result, etc) or just someone that had equivalent 46 marker?

Apart from the Y-test and the Mt-test - is there any point in taking what everyone seems to be calling the "Colin Jackson" geographical migration test.  This seems to be most expensive of all but it does appeal to me due to people's frequent mistaking of my nationality as Eastern European despite my research having only discovered English and Scottish roots.

Opinions please from anyone that has taken tests or those that have informed opinions - Thanks



Moderator Comment: topics merged

[john franks]

Hello All,

Comments for Nigel mainly.

Yes! The presumptions you set out about getting a lead on your g-g-grandfather's paternity via DNA testing are correct. I have recently been tested and my experience may be of interest.

I was tested for 37 markers out of sheer curiosity - I had no particular objectives. I have a rare surname which, in the 17th and 18th centuries, is highly concentrated in one English parish. To my surprise I was contacted by someone in the USA who is an extremely close match with me at the 37 marker level and I am an even closer match to his cousin. The statistics suggest that there is a 95% probability that we have a common ancestor not more than eight generations back. The cousins ancestry goes back to someone born in New York in 1800. We haven't found a common ancestor yet (I doubt we ever will) but the connection is plausible for a number of reasons: the cousins have a fairly common English surname; people with that surname were living in the same parish as my ancestors; there was a marriage between people bearing our names (not one that could have produced the ancestor but showing the families knew one another!) and the cousins' DNA does not match other males of the same surname who have made their results available. It seems to me that these are the sort of results you might reasonably expect to get given what you know about your g-g-grandfather.

If you are tested for 37 or more markers you can certainly be compared at the 25 or 12 marker level. I can't help with Colin Jackson.

I was tested by Family Tree DNA (www.familytreedna.com) having been impressed with their website and I have been completely satisfied with the way they have conducted the whole process.

Hope this helps

John