* DNA testing - Did it help?

[DragonLady]

I searched for DNA topics within this forum and the last one I found was from 2011. I know that DNA for genealogy has come a long way since then. I have had a recent Cancer scare with my Mother and she has agreed to take a DNA test, although she is not sure if she wants to know the results. BTW it was a scare and she is okay!

Let me explain, my Mother has no idea who her father was, or is. There is a name, age, and occupation on her Birth Certificate, but we have no idea if it is accurate information or not. My Grandmother was an unwed Mother in 1949 and married the man that raised my Mother when my mother was 5 months old. My Mother did not find out until she was 18 and requested her Birth Certificate that he was not actually her father. My Grandmother then told her that her Biological Father died before she was born, and that he was a drunk and a womanizer. My Grandmother died over 20 years ago without telling any of us the true story. I have searched and searched for the info listed on the birth certificate and truly believe that at least some of it is false.

My Genealogy mentor recommended doing Autosomal DNA testing of my Mother and her Half-Sister (same Mother), and using that to hopefully compare and find Paternal Relatives of my Mother. Both of them have now agreed to take the test, especially since I am paying for it.

I also plan to get both of my sons and my own DNA tested. My eldest son's father was adopted and they (my son & his father) do not have a relationship (even though I have tried to encourage it), so we have no paternal information for him. My youngest son's father is at least 1/8th white (making my son at least 9/16th white), (his Great-Grandfather was white) and we have no information past his Grandfather (my son's Great-Grandfather). I am intrigued by Y-DNA and wondering if it would give us answers for both of my sons. I would of course also be doing their Autosomal DNA. My eldest is planning to join the Navy soon and so I need to get his sooner rather than later.

Along with all of that as many of you may know from my previous posts, my biggest roadblocks (besides my Mother's Paternal Line) is my Maternal Great-Grandmother's line. I am hoping that DNA may provide some new avenues to fill in my tree. I realize that being able to trace most of my tree back to the 1600's and beyond is exceptional especially for an American, but I look at the short branches and feel so frustrated.

At the moment I am considering using AncestryDNA and then submitting my results to Family Tree DNA. When and if I have more funds testing with 23andMe, unfortunately the USA does not allow us to test for any Medical issues.

So here are my questions for those of you who have experience with DNA research;
1. Who did you use and how was the experience?
2. Did you submit your results to other Databases, and what was that experience?
3. Am I totally off my rocker, with my plan?
4. Should I bother with Mitochondrial DNA?

Thanks in Advance!!!

[Valkrider]

Given your story I suspect that you will have very limited success with DNA testing unfortunately. However, my knowledge in this area is limited.

I did my Y test and even though there is a surname project on FTDNA with quite a lot of participants I have no matches. However, that is not surprising as you need thousands of people to test to compare against rather than the 100's in the surname project.

Have a look at the ISOGG website at http://www.isogg.org/ there is a lot of very useful information on there.

DNA can be useful for confirming lines rather than finding them in the first place.

Good luck.

[mjashby]

I can't directly answer your questions but there is some 'light' and informative reading on the subject here on a very recent 'Lost Cousins' Newsletter which might help: http://lostcousins.com/newsletters2/midjul15news.htm

In following the DNA matching route you are, of course, wholly dependent on other interested parties (genealogists) directly connected to the unknown male line(s) you are wanting to find having been tested and having posted their results to the sites you choose for matching. There is always that possibility, but you need to consider what the probability is of finding that key match which might help to solve the riddle of a complex 'family' relationship. Then, if you do identify potential matches, unless there is supporting documentary evidence, all you are likely to be left with is a level of possibility/probability over parentage (fatherhood). In short, your chances of finding a confirmed male ancestral line are likely to be somewhat greater than, or at best slightly less than, your chances of winning the jackpot in a national lottery! Sorry if that sounds defeatist, but DNA matching does become watered down over the generations, especially as you can only normally have a fair degree of certainty, but not always, about who someone's biological mother was. Known fatherhood is largely down to probability, acceptance, trust and morality. So, if you are dependent on DNA matching some generations back, the best you are ever likely to get to is that that the probable father was X or any one of his close male relatives, including brothers/sons/father/uncles (and also, of course, any illegitimate male offspring of the male line who may not have been acknowledged or accepted into the family).

Mervyn

[jimlad68]

A subject I find fascinating, not just for genealogy but broader history, disease, migration etc. I have been waiting for the prices to come down and the detail to increase before I jump in.

On the subject of

At the moment I am considering using AncestryDNA and then submitting my results to Family Tree DNA!

I find that very disappointing, as to me that is far more useful/important than genealogy, I know it might still be in its infancy, but knowing a "propensity" to something can steer you in a better life choice direction etc. Could you not send your sample abroad for this purpose?

Anyway, for me, please keep us informed, or if you don't think this is not the correct forum, let us know where you get the best forum results from.

[DragonLady]

I find that very disappointing, as to me that is far more useful/important than genealogy, I know it might still be in its infancy, but knowing a "propensity" to something can steer you in a better life choice direction etc. Could you not send your sample abroad for this purpose?

Jim, I'm a Registered Nurse here in the US and have found out that my Eldest Son's Half-Sister is being tested for Huntington's Disease most likely passed down from her Father (my Son's Father). Along with that and both my Mother and Maternal Aunt having Heterozygous MthFr http://www.genetics.edu.au/Professionals/mthfr-dna-test mutations, and all the other issues in my family tree both known and unknown I would love to have it tested for health issues also. Unfortunately, unless I find someone willing to submit my tests via the UK or Canada I am stuck with dealing with a country owned by big business and even bigger pharmacopeia. Yes, the USA is controlled by Big Business and not The People!