WHAT WILL GENETIC GENEALOGY DO FOR OUR RESEARCH?

 

By Barbara Tailor

 

        The term Genetic Genealogy refers to the application of science, through testing DNA, to uncover information about your ancestors. There are currently two types of tests available to the general public: the Y-DNA test and the mtDNA test. The YDNA test tells you about your male ancestors, and the mtDNA test tells you about your female ancestors.

 

        The Y-DNA test is for males only, as it tests the Y chromosome, which is only found in males and is inherited from the father's direct paternal line (grandfather to father to son). Scientists have determined that the Y chromosome is passed from father to son unchanged, except for random mutations that are estimated to take place only once per 500 generations per marker.

The direct line of descent for males is critical. Events such as adoption or an extramarital male birth would break this chain.

 

        All males with a direct line of descent from your most distant known male ancestor should have the same Y chromosomal pattern, or genetic fingerprint, except for the random mutations. If you compare the genetic fingerprints of these male descendants today, they should match.

 

        The mtDNA test is available for the female ancestors of males. We all carry mtDNA inherited from our mothers. Anthropologists have determined that there exist approximately 20 daughters who are descended from a single `mitochondria) Eve.'   Family Tree DNA's mtDNA tests will determine from which daughter of Eve you descend. You can then use the Family Tree database to find others whom you match.

 

HOW MANY MARKERS SHOULD I TEST?

 

        The place to start is to define the term `marker.' A marker is a location on the Y chromosome that may be tested for Genetic Genealogy. These locations, or markers, have names, such as DYS #19 or DYS #385a or DYS #439. When a marker is tested, the result is reduced to a number, which represents the number of repeated patterns of the DNA protein sequence at a specific location on the Y chromosome.

 

        Family Tree DNA offers a 12 marker Y-DNA test and a 25 marker Y-DNA test (and now they offer a 37 marker test). The difference is that the Y-DNA Plus test results, with its additional markers, reduces the time frame to the most recent Common ancestor, or MRCA. For all 3 tests, the number of markers that match can determine whether you and another participant share a common ancestor and how many generations ago that common ancestor might have lived.

        If two individual's test results match exactly (12/12) in the 12 marker test, there is a 99% probability that they are related. The issue then becomes: when did this common ancestor live? Unfortunately, science cannot pinpoint the exact generation, but science can provide a range of time when the common ancestor might have lived.

 

        If two individuals match in the 12 marker test for either 10 out of 12 (10/12) or 11 out of 12 (11/12), they are also considered related, but the time frame to the common ancestor, MRCA, is more distant than if they had a 12/12 match. Where the matches are less than 10/12, the two individuals are not considered to be related.

 

        If your 12 marker test results match another participant's exactly, 12/12, your common ancestor occurred between 1 and 62 generations ago, with a 50% probability that the common ancestor lived 14.5 generations ago or less. There is a 90% probability it was within 48 generations and a 95% probability it was within 62.

 

        You can shorten this time span by increasing the 12 marker test to a 25 or 37 marker test. A 12 marker test can be upgraded to a 25 or 37 marker test at a later date. The Lab used by Family Tree DNA, based at the University of Arizona in Tucson, keeps a sample of your DNA stored under a kit number. If, later in your project, you decide to expand your test to 25 or 37 markers, the additional markers can easily be tested from the DNA already stored for reprocessing.

 

        The information above was excerpted from Family Tree DNA - Genealogy by Genetics, Ltd. (copyright 2002) from their newsletter "Facts & Genes" July 24, 2002, Volume l, Issue l. (http://www.familytreeDNA.com/facts_genes .asp)

 

OLMSTE(A)D   YDNA SURNAME STUDY UPDATE

 

DNA MATCH LINE 1 (CAPT. JABEZ OF WARE):

        OSG1: Jabez, Moses, Gideon, Jonas, George, Jonas, George (b. 1861)

        OSG2: Jabez, Moses, Gideon, Israel, Harvey, Henry, Everett (b. 1861)

        OSG2: Jabez, Jeremiah, Jedediah, Israel, Ephraim, Reuben, James

 #2 & #8 are 12/12 exact matches; #1 is an 11/12 match to them.

 

DNA MATCH L2 (PILGRIM RfCHARD):

        OSG4: Richard, ? ,Samuel, Bartram, John, John B., John

        OSG5: Richard

        OSG12: Richard, Lt. John, Richard, Justus, Justus, Justus Williams, Wallace Gifford, Austin,Frank

        OSG11: Richard

#4, #5, & # 12 are 12/12 exact matches; #11 is an 11/12 match to them

 

DNA MATCH LINE 3 (PILGRIM NICHOLAS):

        OSG6: Nicholas, Thomas, Daniel, Daniel, Francis, Francis C., Leverett T., Leverett L.

        #6 is an 11/12 match to the Richard group

 

DNA MATCH LINE 4 (UNKNOWN - Pennsylvania group)

        OSG9:

        OSG10:

        These two are an 11/12 match to each other; #9 is a 9/12 to Richard; # 10 is an 8/12 Match to Richard, therefore, they are probably NOT related to the Richard group. #9 is a 7/12 match to the Jabez group, so are probably NOT related to the Jabez group, either.

                                                                               

DNA MATCH LINE 5 (UNKNOWN):

        OSG3:

        1 participant hasn't turned in his kit after several months & may no longer be interested.          

        2 results pending.