which testing should I do first? Maternal or paternal?

[longlostbro20]

I'm wondering because I saw on the website it looks as though I'll have to make a choice. My problem is honestly. I'd want to do my dad's because I know a lot less about his side. It's like there's that whole thing where I don't even know what race my dad is sometimes and therefore me because he for one didn't look like any of his siblings. He looks hispanic with more of a native american influence. While the rest looked primarily black/white. None of his 6 siblings on his mom's side had the same two parents. So you get the picture basically. Plus his mom was 14 when she had him. But I have always wanted to know with my mom where her family tree ended up knowing I am more familiar with them which should I chose?

[Old-Bonez]

Hmm.... Difficult situation you have here.

I presume you are talking about DNA testing??

Do you know that the Y chromosome (your fathers) is rather stable where the X (Your Mothers) is ever so much more difficult to trace back.

From what you say your fathers ancestors could be unknown so basically you have to prove if he has a common father to any of his siblings. Ask your cousins if they wish to participate.

From here you can search for a DNA match as well as possibly a country of origin along the "Y" male line. I believe you will basically have to settle knowing that your fathers bloodline came from a particular area. Yes you may also chance on a great match which will give you a probable family name which might also be known to you.

From there on the other hand you probably wouldn't need DNA to trace your mothers ancestory.Just tracing records would do this for you.

[DevonCruwys]

It all depends on what exactly you want to know. It may be that an autosomal DNA test will be your best option as this will give you matches with genetic cousins on all your family lines (both paternal and maternal). However, the test works best for matches within the last five or six generations. Autosomal tests give you ethnicity percentages, but these represent the genetic contribution from all your different ancestors. You might want to look at the autosomal DNA testing comparison chart in the ISOGG Wiki:

http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_testing_comparison_chart

The video linked on here gives a good introduction:

http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA

The 23andMe test has the benefit of giving you health and trait information. 23andMe also have the best admixture test, though there is still plenty of room for improvement. With 23andMe you also get Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroup assignments though you can't use the Y-DNA and mtDNA for genealogical matches. Matches at 23andMe tend to be less responsive because many of the customers are taking the tests for health reasons. FTDNA is more genealogically oriented. They also have the benefit of a more international database though that will not be an issue for you as an American. If your parents are alive, it would be better if they could both get tested.

The Y-DNA test follows the direct paternal line (your father, his father and so on). See:

http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Y_chromosome_DNA_tests

A mitochondrial DNA test will tell you about your direct maternal line (your mother, your mother's mother, your mother's mother's mother, etc). See:

http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_DNA_tests

The X-chromosome has a complicated inheritance pattern:

http://www.isogg.org/wiki/X-chromosome_testing

X-chromosome testing is incorporated in the 23andMe test. FTDNA provide the raw data for the X-chromosome but don't yet provide any analysis. They are supposed to be launching an X-chromosome browser but no one knows when or indeed if it will ever be available.

[PK-KTK]

Which test you do may also be made for you by virtue of your gender. I'd love to be able to trace my paternal line with some degree of genetic certainty, but being female, any and all Y based tests are out of my reach. They would have to be done by my father or brother.
I can therefore only do X based tests or tests that claim to look at everything and give me results from anywhere in my genetic heritage.

[supermoussi]

I'd want to do my dad's because I know a lot less about his side. But I have always wanted to know with my mom where her family tree ended up knowing I am more familiar with them which should I chose?

Easy!    Seeing as physical characteristics are inherited from paternal and maternal lines alike you need to take a combined test which covers all 3 of your paternal, maternal and "in the middle" (autosomal) lines. If you were to take a paternal test, then a maternal test and then an autosomal test separately it will obviously work out much more expensive than a combined test.

The two best current combined tests are National Geographic's Geno2 test and BritainsDNA Chromo2 Complete Combined test:-

 http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Genographic_Project

 http://www.britainsdna.com/products/complete

The Geno 2 test is a bit cheaper than the Chromo2 Complete Combined test but the Chromo2 Complete Combined test is the most up to date test on the paternal side.