DNA testing - genetic genealogy

[Nick29]

If you take a test with FTDNA you can export the data to Ancestry and other databases that allow imports.

[kwheaton]

FTDNA and 23andme Allow you to download your raw DATA and then you can do with it what you please. People who test with 23andme can upload autosomal data to FTDNA for a fee. When you get your data from a Y-DNA test there's just a value for however many markers you test usually between 12-111. So not much data.

However an autosomal test involves values for 700,000-900,0000 SNPs or more. So it would take something in the order of 25,000 pages to print out the info (not recommended). You just keep it in a zip file and use various tools to examine the data.

For Y-DNA there are sites like Y-search where anyone can upload data and compare. There's also Ancestry.com where you can manually enter your data if you are a subscriber.

To my knowledge neither 23andme or ancestry allows uploads of data from other companies. There are third party sites like GEDMATCH.com that host tools and data for free  (they take donations) There are also medically based free sites that will help you explore your info. FTDNA tends not to report values for the genes with medical information.

Hope that helps.

[Nick29]

Ancestry allow you to import DNA data - I've done mine    You have to enter it manually, though, as you say. 

[marcie dean]

s
?urely this only works if your ancestors or other relatives of you ancestors have sent in samples too.?
marcie

[Redroger]

s
?urely this only works if your ancestors or other relatives of you ancestors have sent in samples too.?
marcie

Correct Marcie, my DNA is on file but only one taker so far in 15 months.

[kwheaton]

Marcie & RedRodger,

Lots more Americans taking the DNA plunge than in the UK so its a numbers game. For Y-DNA matches WILL match if two men with the same paternal DNA match---when I started the Wheaton project there had been a Wheaton out there waiting two years without a single match now he's got 12 thanks to our project.

As to autosomal DNA. Lots more matches possible but again you'll need more UK folks to test to get matches---except with all the Americans who hark from the UK fairly recently. Ancestry.com's new offerings may bring a lot more folks into testing and that could be helpful to us all. If you are an ancestry.com customer they are offering a $99 introductory kit which is a great deal. You have to sign up and its a short time offer.

[Redroger]

My experience has been this: I joined a surname project with FTDNA as did several others with my surname. Some of them in USA have made links with people who share the surname. I have made one link, a 36/37 Y chromosome match with a man in Canada with a different surname. However, his ancestors had lived in Lincolnshire since at least 1538, while my line only got there with my 2XGGfather c1795, The connection must have happened between then and 1899, when co-incidentally both our fathers were born. We have now established the link was due to an indiscretion by my grandfather's older brother in 1869. DNA certainly works, it just gets frustrating, my relative had waited for several years before the link was made, when we were searching it was a peculiar feeling as neither of us knew if our surnames matched our bloodline, a little disconcerting to say the least.

[tinytears9]

If you didn't wish for Nicola to include any info from your tree then I think she would have happily accepted that. You only had to make your feelings known. She is doing a family tree which includes her nephews and not the Loquet family. I think it's pretty amazing what she has achieved and also managed to find newspaper articles and old photos for almost every branch/person. She has even managed to get in touch with my sons' twin aunts, which is quite an achievement as their mum changed her name and registered the girls' birth herself under that name.

[annesthreads]

Isn't the problem that it only works with the male line? 

My brick wall is my paternal g.grandfather, but as his two sons didn't have any children only his daughter did, the next males are my father and two of his siblings.  How would DNA testing one of their sons help?  Might be a problem there though, only two left and one of the  lives in Canada somewhere and one other is incarcerated in USA .

Me too. My father and his brother are dead, I have no brothers and my only male cousin is adopted! I think my father's cousins' children are all female too - I have literally no close male relatives, which is incredibly frustrating, as I'm very interested in DNA testing. I've had the Ancestry one done, but the Y is closed to me.