DNA Testing - Breaking down the Brick Wall!

By Alice Fairhurst

Have you hit a brick wall in your genealogical research? After looking for census records, vital records, property records, and internet sources, are you stumped? Sometimes DNA testing can help you make the breakthrough to earlier generations.

The objectives of DNA testing include:

• To validate existing research.
• To identify others who are related.
• To determine if two people might be descended from a common ancestor.
• To prove or disprove theories regarding family history or ancestry.

There are two types of DNA tests that are useful for genealogical research.

• The Y-Chromosome (Y-DNA) test (for males only) uses the Y-chromosome that makes a child a male. It follows the straight male line from son to father to grandfather to great-grandfather and back. It can never go through a female.
• The Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test for either males or females uses the mitochondria that are in all human cells. It is transmitted from a mother to all of her children. It follows any person back in time through its mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, etc.

The simple test involves scraping the inner cheek with something similar to a toothbrush, depositing the results into a sealable container and returning the sample to the testing company in the envelope provided.

The SCGS Board of Directors partners with Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) to provide discounted prices for our members and their extended families. FTDNA is located in Houston, Texas and maintains the database and service center. The lab is at the University of Arizona and stored DNA samples have only the kit numbers, not names of testers. Samples are kept in a locked facility. The DNA tested there is not useful for medical diagnosis, paternity testing, or forensic tracking. You are issued a personal webpage with information on your DNA and shown who you match. Your results start arriving about 6 weeks after the test kit arrives in Houston.

The DNA Interest Group meets 4-6 times a year and provides personalized service plus interesting speakers. Alice Fairhurst, 626-331-4791, alicefairhurst@gmail.com, Bonny Cook, cookdna@earthlink.net  or Kathy Johnston, kjohns7900@aol.com are available to help you understand your results.

FTDNA Discounted Prices for the 2010 SCGS DNA Project

New Testers – When you order, you will be asked for the tester’s full name (for females use maiden name), the address where the kit is to be mailed, a phone number, and at least one email address. Two email addresses are allowed. To all new test kits add shipping and handling of $4 (inside USA) or $6 (outside USA). In the USA it costs $0.68 to mail the kit back to the lab. BE SURE TO SIGN THE GREEN SLIP so you will be notified of matches.

Males (father’s straight male line only):

1. Follows the male surname even when there are changes in spelling.
2. With patronymics or no consistent surnames, still follows the straight line of male ancestors.
3. The Haplogroup information shows the general migration path of the male ancestors.
• Y-DNA12 $99 US
• Y-DNA25 $124 US
• Y-DNA37 $149 US Recommended
• Y-DNA67 $239 US

Males (father’s straight male line and mother’s straight female line):

1. If a male wants to test both his father’s and mother’s line, it is cheaper to order this test at the beginning rather than to upgrade later.
2. If a female has a brother with whom she shares both parents, it costs less for her to test the brother rather than test herself for female and her brother for male because the DNA has to be extracted from only one kit, not two.
3. If a female has an uncle who is a full brother to her mother, his female DNA will be her mother’s and hers, plus his male Y-DNA will get her mother’s father’s male line.
• Y-DNA 12 + mtDNA $179 US
• Y-DNA37+ mtDNAPlus $269 US Recommended
• Y-DNA67+ mtDNAPlus $369 US
• Super DNA (tests Y-DNA67 plus SNPs for Haplogroup and mtDNA Full Sequence) $498 US

Females (mother’s straight female line only):

1. Matches for mtDNA tests can be far in the past and people who match may not be able to name the common ancestress.
2. The Haplogroup information shows the general migration path of the female ancestors.
• mtDNA (Low Resolution Match) $99 US
• mtDNA Plus (High Resolution Match) $149 US Recommended
• mtDNA Full Sequence (entire mtDNA) $279 US

Here are three options for ordering a test:

1. On the home page of the SCGS website www.scgsgenealogy.com click on the FTDNA link in the right hand margin. It will open to the order form.
2. Order online at: http://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?Group=SCGS
3. Call Family Tree DNA at 713-868.1438 and ask to join the SCGS project.

When your results come in, we will automatically join you to the appropriate surname, geographical and/or haplogroup project. Although we encourage you to be a member in SCGS, membership is not necessary to join the DNA project. You may also live anywhere in the world and participate in this project.

© Alice Fairhurst. Used with permission.