Courtesy of https://clipartix.com As Mother's Day approaches, many of us wonder how best to honor our moms, especially those of us whose mothers have passed. We want to more fully know their lives, and tell stories about them to our families. We have some great examples of such stories in past years here on the SKCGS Blog: Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History Thank You Mothers and Aunties An Unusual Story Brick Wall -- Dissolved? Wonderful Women: Grandma Lolas Brick Wall broken! A WOMAN AHEAD OF HER TIME Westward Expansion--Women Shape the West Women in Our History--Revolutionary War Celebrating March--Women's History Month Recently Wikitree offered a creative way to honor our whole maternal line, the  2023 WikiTree Challenge 8 .  Registration has started to help research for mitoYDNA: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1572660/wikitree-challenge-registration-started-research-mitoydna . To participate, answer this post and say you want to be part of it. And then list your mit...

It's all about the chromosomes (and mitochondria) The 23 chromosomes of a human male . Courtesy: National Human Genome Research Institute X, Y and Mitochondrial DNA are less well-known and not used by many genealogical researchers. Both Y and MtDNA tests are more expensive than the more common autosomal DNA tests.  X is always tested in an autosomal DNA test. However X results are less reported (FTDNA, 23andMe) or not reported at all (Ancestry, MyHeritage, LivingDNA), with the exception of Gedmatch. Rather than covering generations of your ancestry, each of these DNA types cover a smaller portion of your tree, which some see as a weakness.  However, because of that restriction, the researcher gets a focused result, which can be powerful, if the test will help you answer your research question.  Y DNA tests were first offered to the consumer in 2000 by only one company: FamilyTreeDNA. Ancestry also offered Y and mitochondrial tests between 2012 and 2014...

Fish in all the DNA ponds We've heard this advice; do we use it? Most often it is given about DNA testing. No matter what company you choose to test with first, download your raw DNA results and then upload to all the sites which allow uploads that fit your research goals. If you have the funds, test at both Ancestry and 23andMe . Neither allow uploads, and they have the largest databases. If you are using DNA testing for genealogy research, your goal is the most matches possible, and "fishing in all the ponds" accomplishes that goal. You can download your results from either Ancestry or 23andMe or both, and upload to: FamiyTreeDNA  - the earliest DNA testing company, and most often used by researchers. The only choice for Y and mitochondrial testing. Upload is free. MyHeritage  - most used by Europeans and is the top choice by those who do not want law enforcement to have access to their DNA results and matches. Upload is free . LivingDNA  - the newc...

Why I Use FamilyTreeDNA  (FTdna) and You Should Too .... But only if you have family mysteries you have been unable to solve!  Don't we all have such mysteries? Years ago, my father's family had done some family history, then I did some research, and got my dad's Cowan line back to the Borders of Scotland and the tiny village of Yarrow Feus in Selkirshire where they lived before emigrating to Ontario, Canada in 1832.  However, the records before 1700 are scarce, and so the question remained - did the Cowans always live in the Scottlsh Borders? Were they always sheep herders? Y DNA testing When FTdna first introduced Y-DNA testing, I got a kit for my Dad for Father's Day one year. It was thrilling to see matches come in. He had an identical good match at 35 markers, which was what was available at the time. His match Chris Cowan and I compared notes, but his bunch came from Ireland and mine from Scotland. My dad and he both paid for more markers, and they w...