Targeted DNA Testing

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The introduction of DNA testing for genealogy was revolutionary. The Sorensen Foundation, NatGeo and other non-profit efforts, along with scientific research yielded books such as Bryan Sykes' The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry back in 2001. 

But until Family Tree DNA began offering Y and mitochondrial (mt) DNA kits for sale, there was only the crudest information available. Thanks to Bennett Greenspan of Family Tree DNA, who persisted in finding a way for this important data to be available to genealogists, we now have these wonderful record sets. He and other citizen scientists have persisted; the more we test, the more we know about shared relatives and our deep ancestral history. 

The Human Genome Project helped immensely and scientists of all types continue to deepen our knowledge of not just Y and mitochondrial (mt) DNA, but also autosomal and the more-rarely used X-DNA. The development of testing chips brought down the cost of consumer DNA testing. 

The next big jump ahead for family history researchers was 23andMe's autosomal tests, which include genealogically useful data along with health information. Other companies, including Family Tree DNA, Ancestry and others soon followed, and competition drove down the cost of autosomal testing kits.

In all cases, DNA data is only one record among many possible records, and good research will investigate them all in order to build a strong case. We need to find evidence for every relationship and event, using the Genealogical Proof Standard. DNA data is reliable, but no record can prove anything by itself.

Target: Entire Ancestry

When we think of DNA testing, it is usually autosomal DNA, which all the testing companies sell. But is that the best sort of test to take? That all depends on your goal. If you want information about your entire family, yes. However if both of your parents are alive and willing to test, or their parents and other elderly relatives could test, testing them is a better use of your time and money because they are a generation closer to the ancestors. Their matches will be larger and thus easier to figure out. 

An adopted person whose birth parents are unknown will need to test themselves, unless they want to research the adoptive family's roots. When parents are unknown, it's best to have your data in as many reputable DNA sites as possible. 

One reason to test yourself and your parents is to investigate more distant (smaller) matches. If one of your matches does not match either of your parents, it is "false" meaning that it is not genealogically useful. However if there is a group of inter-related people matching you but neither of your parents, that is evidence that one of your parents is not biologically related to you.

If your goal is your whole ancestry for the past five or six generations, test your oldest family members. 

Target: Motherline

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If your goal is your mother's mother and on up that line, you will need to head to FamilyTreeDNA and purchase a mitochondrial DNA kit. They generally are on sale before Mother's Day, so keep an eye out. Roberta Estes recently explained the new mitochondrial tools available on the site, which she helped develop. If you want to research your matrilineal line, this is well worth your time to watch. Just like all the websites available to us researchers, the tools available are made for the users. The creators of the site want you to find what you seek. 

I think of time spent learning to use the tools like learning about the context in which my ancestors lived. Once that snaps into focus, I know where the records might be. 

Women in patriarchal cultures like our own are challenging to research, because we don't have a "surname line" to follow. However, with the recent advances in both DNA tools and the increasing availability of "full text search" on sites such as FamilySearch, we have many more clues to follow, and more evidence of relationships. Collaboration is another layer of possible help in identifying and honoring our female ancestors. 

Any of a woman's children can test for her mt-DNA, however only daughters will pass it along to their own children. Roberta Estes challenges all of us to identify all the matrilineal and patrilineal  lines in our ancestry, including their Y and mt haplogroups. The more of us who do this and collaborate with our distant family members the more we will all know!

Target: Fatherline

If your interest is your father's patriline, there is much more help available. Part of this is because for certain periods of history, it was generally only men named in records. Another is that Y-DNA projects, usually surname groups, are long established. The "Big Y" test at Family Tree DNA has been the great leap forward there, and if you can afford it, any person with Y-DNA can test. I bought a test kit for my Dad on Father's Day many years ago, and was able to upgrade that to Big Y after his death. This will be data for all Cowan researchers going forward.

My mother was never able to test her DNA but fortunately her brother tested, and so did one of my male McBee cousins, giving us a solid line on that McBee paternal line. We have records back to the early 1700s and perhaps even further, and now the DNA groups on Family Tree DNA are making inroads on the Irish, Scots-Irish, and Scottish lines. It's really exciting to see! 

Lee Martinez has a great series of talks for the New Mexico Genealogical Society about how he has used Big Y testing and old records to build his paternal lines very far into the past: part One, Two, Three. I see that he also has a newer series of lectures but have not yet viewed them.

To sum up: what do you want to know? Create a specific research question, and from that formulate a plan. DNA can be very information in helping you have confidence in the answer you find, whether it is your own test or that of selected relatives.

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Send your stories to m.strickland@skcgs.org 

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Valorie Zimmerman