Genealogy Lesson 5 - Genetic Genealogy & DNA Testing

This lesson might seem a little premature, since you are just starting out with genealogy.  However, I want to at least expose you to the concept of genetic genealogy.  I am sure you are browsing around the Internet and that you have or soon will encounter this subject.  Genetic genealogy can seem confusing, maybe a little bit scary, so I want to give you a crash course on the subject.

 

In a nut shell, you swab the inside of your mouth and mail those cheek cells to the testing company.  They extract your DNA, run a test on the sample, and provide you with a set of numbers in return.  Those numbers correlate to certain traits passed along by family lines over the centuries.  The more of these numbers match between two people, the more closely they are related.

 

The main goal of genealogical DNA testing is to find where a male line came from in the world.  Take my case for example, I now know that the Lett family almost certainly came from Scandinavia.  I would never have figured that out on my own!  Now my research on the Letts always leans toward connecting my line back to that area of the globe.

 

One major point to keep in mind...this type of DNA test only helps if you are male.  The genes in question are passed from father to son, just like their last name.  Therefore my genes and my last name came from my father and are both therefore the same. 

 

In the case of women, their test looks for genes passed from mother to daughter.  Mothers and daughters generally do not share the same last name after marriage.  You could therefore find out where your "maternal line" came from but that is much less helpful since the last name is not constant.  If a woman wanted to find out where her paternal family was from, she would need to get her brother or father to take the test.

 

I am absolutely watering down all that  genetic genealogy involves.  If you are interested, I would suggest reading up on the websites of the various testing companies.  Family Tree DNA is probably the largest, best-known and most respected testing company.  Ancestry.com also offers testing that is among the most affordable on the market.  I personally used Family Tree DNA but that was long before Ancestry.com started offering tests so I cannot say that one is better than the other.

 

If you really want to find where you ancestors were from, I strongly suggest that you consider performing one of these DNA tests, sooner rather than later in your research project, for two reasons.

1. It takes several weeks for the results to come back.  The sooner you send your sample, the sooner you get results.
2. The answers that you receive can lead your future research in the right direction.

Most testing companies will ask if you want to make your results public.  That basically means that, if anyone else matches your DNA, they will put the two of you in contact.  You might be introduced to someone that has an abundance of information on your family.  That could save you countless hours of research down the road.  I made my personal results public and have never had any problems with that decision. 

 

Let's face it, everyone wants to say that "I am German" or "I am Scandinavian."  If you take one of these DNA tests, at least you can probably say where your paternal family was from.  With that piece of information, you would then know both the starting and ending points of your family tree.  The fun part then becomes filling in the middle.

Getting started with genetic genealogy, how and why?

One of the most helpful genealogical advances is the widening availability of DNA testing. In a nut shell, you swab the inside of your mouth and mail those cheek cells to the testing company. They extract your DNA, run a test on the sample, and provide you with a set of numbers in return. Those numbers correlate to certain traits passed along by family lines over the centuries. The more of these numbers match between two people, the more closely they are related.

The main goal of genealogical DNA testing is to find where a male line came from in the world. Take my case for example, I now know that the Lett family almost certainly came from Scandinavia. I would never have figured that out on my own. Now my research on the Letts always leans toward connecting my line back to that area of the globe.

One major point to keep in mind is that this type of DNA test only helps if you are male. The genes in question are passed from father to son, just like their last name. Therefore my genes and my last name came from my father and are both the same.

In the case of women, the test looks for genes passed from mother to daughter. Mothers and daughters generally do not share the same last name after marriage. You could therefore find out where your "maternal line" came from but that is much less helpful since the last name is not constant. If a woman wanted to find out where her paternal family was from, she would need to get her brother or father to take the test.

I am absolutely watering down all that genetic genealogy involves and can offer. If you are interested, I would suggest reading up on the websites of the various testing companies. Family Tee DNA is probably the largest, best-known and most respected testing company. Ancestry also offers testing that is among the most affordable on the market.

I strongly suggest that you consider performing one of these tests, sooner rather than later in your research project, for two major reasons.

1. It takes several weeks/months for the results to come back. The sooner you send your sample, the sooner you get results.
2. The answers that you receive can lead your future research in the right direction.

Most testing companies will ask if you want to make your results public. That basically means that, if anyone else matches your DNA, they will put the two of you in contact. You might be introduced to someone that has an abundance of information on your family. That could save you countless hours of research down the road.

You will also have a good idea of where in the world your family is from. Everyone wants to say that "I am German" or "I am Scandinavian." If you take one of these DNA tests, at least you can say where your paternal family was from. And, as was the case with myself, I now know which direction on the compass my research should travel. I know the starting and end points of my family history. The fun part becomes filling in the middle.

What's going on lately with me.

I have been thinking about the blog a lot lately but I have been too busy with work to do much with it. In case you did not know, I am the production manager for a local robotics company. We build autonomous floor cleaners, not like the I-Robot Roomba, think more industrial. You can get an idea of what I make at the company site, just click this link if you are interested. - Intellibot Robotics. We have a new project underway so I am really tied up right now.

I finally caved in and decided to upgrade my personal DNA test at Family Tree DNA from 12 to 67 markers. It is going to cost me $189.00 but it was time to splurge a little. It looks like the Lett family is from Scandinavia but I hope this test will help clarify which part of the region. I think we were probably from Iceland but I am not certain. Anyway you look at it, I am a Viking!

Keeping with the DNA theme, a few days ago I joined Charlie Brock's DNA test up with the Brozgol surname group. There seems to be a possible connection there. The project coordinator was so excited that she paid to upgrade his test to the 67-marker variety... out of her own pocket! I will let you know how long it takes for both upgrades to come back. Mine will take longer since she paid by credit card and I asked to be invoiced. They sent me a PDF invoice but I have not stroked a check yet - dragging my feet a bit.

I did notice the other day that the Library of Virginia has updated the look of their website. It is in beta testing right now but you can check it out here. I do not know if there are any major changes yet or if it is just a face lift. Check it out and let me know what you find.

Brock DNA Update - Upgraded test received

I finally have all of the tests back for the DNA project we have been following for the past several months. This was a refinement test to go from 12 to 25 markers. It was due back on January 28, 2009 but came back around the 15th - early for once. It pretty much isolated Charlie Brock from the rest of the Brock DNA project participants. This line of the Brock family is apparently fairly rare.

Brock DNA Test update, Family Tree DNA

I got back the results of the free haplogroup upgrade for Charlie Brock's DNA test on January 7, 2009. (See this older post if you do not know what I am talking about: DNA Update - Free upgrade on the way)

This test indicated that Charlie is of the J1 haplogroup.

We are still waiting on the refinement test to go from 12 to 25 markers. It is due back on January 28, 2009. I will let you know when that test is completed.

DNA Update - Free upgrade on the way

As mentioned earlier, the Charlie Brock DNA test did not result in a known haplogroup. With that in mind, I received the following e-mail on 12/17/08 from FamilyTreeDNA:

"Dear Family Tree DNA Customer,

During the 3rd Annual Family Tree DNA Conference on Genetic Genealogy, we announced that if we could not predict your haplogroup with 100% confidence, we would run your DNA sample through our Backbone SNP test for free. Please note that the DNA values that you received are correct, it is the haplogroup that we would like to confirm through this additional test.

Your sample qualifies for this free SNP test and your test will be ordered this afternoon. The test should take approximately three to five weeks and the results will be posted in both the Haplogroup and Y-DNA DYS Values section of your Family Tree DNA personal page, you will see the results in the box to the right of the haplogroup assignment. Please note that once you have a confirmed SNP assignment, you will be able to join the Genographic Project (if you elect to do so and have not already) and you will have a clear and unambiguous SNP position on the “tree” of mankind.

For more about our SNP Assurance Program (the first of its kind in the Genetic Genealogy industry, and as yet unmatched by any other company in the field) please click the link below:

www.familytreedna.com/SNP_Assurance.html

Best Regards,

Darren Marin
Family Tree DNA"

DNA Testing Update - Upgrading to 25 markers

Since the Charlie Brock DNA test did not result with the discovery of a haplogroup, the Brock DNA project was not satisfied. They offered to go in on an upgrade from 12 to 25 markers. The test cost $49 of which I offered to pay for $20. It was ordered on 12/9/08 from FamilyTreeDNA and should take a few weeks to get the results. I will keep you posted with the results.

Family Tree DNA acknowledges recent 12-marker test issue; Problem is fixed

I wrote an e-mail to my contact at Family Tree DNA to see what is going on with their long lead times. I wrote the following note last night:

"I have been getting a lot of complaints from my readers that FTDNA is taking a rather long time providing results. The results for the test we did on the blog (and made the video for) took 91 days to get back. A lot of people are getting the "inconsistencies with the results" message in their account...without any notice from the company.

In my case, I decided to check the website on October 7, 2008 and found a note that the tests were being rerun with results to follow on October 17th. That date came and went so I checked on it again on November 5, 2008. The results were then listed as due back on November 14th. Results finally arrived on 11/18. To refresh your memory, I mailed the kit on 8/15.

Are we all getting unlucky or are there reasons why the results are taking longer than they did a few years ago? Could it be increased volume, change in your procedure, a backlog, more strenuous testing??? You are obviously not obligated to provide an answer but it would be helpful, so that I can provide an educated answer to those who ask. I get the question at least once or twice per week."

I received a response today that read as follows:

"Thank you for your email. Results are normally running within 3-5 weeks. I know that there was an issue with the first 12 markers where for some samples one marker was producing an artifact that was obscuring another and so this test was repeated for these individuals causing a delay, but this problem has been fixed.

Delays are not the norm and we do work hard to avoid them, but sometimes they occur due to the complex chemical nature of the product.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks!"

So, there you have it....Family Tree DNA acknowledges a recent 12-marker test issue but the problem is reportedly fixed. I thank them for the fast and honest response.

Family Tree DNA Results Arrive...finally

I finally received result from the Family Tree DNA test that I had Charlie Brock take back on August 20, 2008. It took almost 91 days to get the results back, roughly three months. That is quite a bit longer than expected. All I have received from them so far is an e-mail that read as follows:

"New Y-DNA 1-12 results have been posted for your Family Tree DNA Kit. If you ordered a Y-DNA25 or Y-DNA37 test, please note that the tests are processed in sections and the remaining results should be posted within one to two weeks.

With the increased popularity of DNA testing, you may be asked to export your results to other databases not endorsed by Family Tree DNA. Please note that Family Tree DNA cares about your privacy and can only be responsible for the integrity and use of your data contained in our databases or automatically transferred from Family Tree DNA to Ysearch.org. We strongly recommend that you never share your kit number and password outside of Family Tree DNA as it may give away your personal information, including the ability to see and modify your personal contact information.

Follow the link below for more information at your Family Tree DNA personal page.

XXXXXXXXXX

Since genealogy is all about matching to people with your surname you should now verify if a Surname Project exists for your surname. You can do that by clicking on the JOIN button located on your personal page. If you find a Surname Project for your surname just navigate to the Surname Project, click the link and then click the next JOIN button to become a member of that project. You may also join a subsequent Geographic Project; however you will have the best chance of matching someone if you are in a Surname Project. If you are already a member of a Surname Project you do not need to take any action.

Please remember to add your results at www.Ysearch.org, the FTDNA-sponsored public database. Go to the Y-DNA Matches tab, on your personal page, linked above, and you will see an explanation and a link for automatic upload.

Family Tree DNA...
The world's first and largest Genetic Genealogy organization"

Okay...here are several things to note. First of all, ysearch that they promote is not working. If you go there, it displays the following message:

"Due to excessive and abusive usage of the free Ysearch.org service, the site has been temporarily disabled while we implement changes in order to improve performance and user experience. We appreciate your patience in this manner."

According to the web page, that message has been displayed on the site since Thursday, March 06, 2008 at 4:00:57 PM. Why is Family Tree DNA partnered with a site that has been down for apparently seven months? I have also recently had several people complain that they have waited a long time for DNA test results from FTDNA. There must be something going on with them to be so disorganized.

To top it off, after all of this waiting, they cannot tell us which Haplogroup Charlie belongs to and there are only eight matches in their database of 139,861 Y-DNA records at the 12-marker level (but all are private). According to information provided by four of the eight matches, it looks like Charlie's ancestors were possibly Ashkenazi Jews. According to Wikipedia, Ashkenazi Jews "...descended from the medieval Jewish communities of the Rhineland in the west of Germany." That probably makes sense, seeing as though I was always told the Brocks were from Germany and came over during the American Revolution.

The page that the e-mail linked me to was very hard to understand. It was difficult to find the actual results. I am somewhat familiar with their site and with genetic genealogy, so I knew what I was looking for. Even with that said, it still took me a good ten minutes to figure out what was what.

Overall, I would say that this experience has been somewhat frustrating. When I took my own test several years ago, the experience was wonderful. This time...not so much. I think I am going to wait a few weeks and then get someone else to take another test, giving FTDNA one more shot at redemption. I will let you know when that happens.

Family Tree DNA project update

Thought I would give you an update on what is going on with the Family Tree DNA test that I had Charlie Brock take back on August 20, 2008. I would say that so far the test has been a bit of a bust! It has been almost three months and still no results. I made the last posting on October 7, 2008 to announce that there were inconsistencies with the results and that the tests were being rerun with results to follow on October 17th. That date has come and gone so I checked on it again today. The results are now due back on November 14th! It seems to me that somethings fishy is going on.

I understand the need to be accurate with the test results but give me a solid date and stick to it. I know that there was a hurricane a few weeks ago in Houston and that could be a factor. I also saw on the Internet that Family Tree DNA is teaming up with another company to help process some of its results. Maybe they are getting to big to handle the load of incoming tests? I am not versed in all of the details but something seems to be going on there.

I am going to keep you informed with what is going on. I honestly expect to see another test kit in the mail any day, requesting that we do it again. That is fine but man this is starting to drag out!

DNA Test Update - "Your result failed to produce a clear result in this run"

I received some bad news from Family Tree DNA regarding the DNA test we had Charlie Brock take on August 20, 2008. I received the following e-mail today and republish it here in its entirety:

"A very small percentage of the tests we perform do not return conclusive results the first time we test. In these cases, the samples do not produce a reading that allows our lab to determine with 100% certainty the values for one or more markers or regions. When this happens, we re-test the sample. We repeat this procedure up to 3 times after the initial test fails to give a clear result.

Your result failed to produce a clear result in this run. Below is a status update for your kit number, ######, as well as an estimated time of when the next rerun is expected to be completed:

STR - 10/17/2008 This test failed to yield results for your sample. Your sample is being rerun now. Results from this round of testing are expected by this date.

Family Tree DNA"

We will have to wait and see what happens at this point. The new results should be back within ten days. I never had this happen before so I do not know what to expect if the next set of test fail. I guess they will give us a new test kit but we will have to wait and see. Have any of you had this problem in the past? If so, how was it resolved?

DNA Test Example Video

I finally put together the video we took of Charlie Brock taking his genetic genealogy DNA test from Family Tree DNA. It is pretty short and only shows one of the three swabs he had to perform. They are all essentially the same so no big loss on your part. You will get the idea of how easy and painless the process can be from what you see. I also try to give a little bit of advice on how to give the best samples possible.

The video quality is not great because I have hosted it at YouTube. You should be able to view it by clicking in the middle of the video displayed below. If you are reading this over an e-mail or RSS reader, you will probably have to come to the Virginia Family Tree site to see it.

The test was taken during my son's first birthday party, you will notice the decorative table cloth. There is also a lot of muffled background noise. I left it in there since everyone is pretty much making small comments about the test. Despite all of the distractions, Charlie manages to take the Family Tree DNA test without any problems.

There is one funny twist to the video but you will have to watch it to see what I mean...

DNA test kit received by Family Tree DNA!

I received word this afternoon that our DNA sample has arrived at Family Tree DNA. The e-mail they sent to me contained the following:

"The next step is the processing of your sample at our lab. When the lab has completed the processing, you will be notified immediately by email.

Our tests meet the highest standard for precision and reliability which requires individual verification by very skilled professionals. Therefore, typical times between the time when the kit goes to the lab for processing and the availability of results is about three to five weeks for all tests. Kits are shipped to the lab on a weekly basis.

These time frames are for tests that have a successful outcome from the first run at the lab. Approximately 85% of the first runs are successful. The tests are rerun on the other 15% until a good result is obtained. Unfortunately, each rerun adds several weeks to the process. We understand that the delay is frustrating to participants. When a delay occurs, your sample is being rerun as many times as it takes to achieve a successful result.

Finally, we would like to recommend that you join the International Society of Genetic Genealogy at http://www.isogg.org. Membership is free and it is a good resource.

Thank you for choosing Family Tree DNA"

DNA Test Update. Kit sent out 8/15/2008.

I have been slow in getting this DNA testing project going. I have had several major events that have been holding me back from its completion. Between a softball tournament, a funeral, my son's first birthday party, my eighth wedding anniversary and my wife going on a business trip, the last two or three weeks have been busy. Here we go with what I have to date...

To recap, it took less than a week to receive our test kit from Family Tree DNA. That was around the 29th of July. I was supposed to get the test done on August 2nd but my softball tournament ran long and I missed the opportunity. The subject of the test ended up at my house on August 14th, to my complete surprise, so we did the test then and there. My wife videoed one swab of the test but I have yet to get it off her camera. She wants the memory card cleared off so I will try to do it soon.

Flash back to when I opened the kit, I found inside a welcome letter, instruction sheet, a return envelope (without postage), the bill and the test kit itself (not shown in this photo). The bill indicated that payment is due when you send the kit back. They accept check, money order or credit card, all in US funds obviously. They do not provide return postage, you have to put your own on the envelope. They tell you the correct amount in the instructions, I think it was in the $1.25 range. I stuck a bunch of old postcard stamps on mine to get rid of them!

The basic test kit included three vials of preservation solution, three test swabs/sticks, a release form and a zipper bag. The overall concept is pretty simple. You swab the inside of your mouth for about a minute, rubbing your cheeks with the provided swabs. The sticks are somewhat like a Q-Tip but the are a little more rigid and have dull teeth on them, they look somewhat like a little toothbrush.

After taking a swab, you try not to touch it too much and put the collection end of the stick into a vial of the solution. This process is so simple that I screwed it up in the video. All you have to do is press the end of the stick and the head is ejected from the swab. I tried to break it off, which worked, but was quite difficult. I would advise doing it the correct way and just pressing the "eject" button. (It seems to me that the collection method has changed slightly since I did my own test several years ago, but I could be wrong)!

The written instructions advise that you should wait several hours before doing the second and third swabs. I am pretty sure you are not supposed to swab after you eat so this could be difficult. I would perhaps do the first swab after few hours after dinner, the second after awhile and the third when you go to bed. I guess you will just have to give up snacking for one night.

When all of the swabs are taken and sealed in their individual vials, put the vials into the zipper bag and seal them up. Sign the release form to share your results with others if you choose, pay the bill and seal it all up in the return envelope. Apply some postage and send the kit with your mailman the next day. I mailed our test kit on Friday, August 15, 2008 so the clock is ticking. I will let you know when the results arrive (or when I am notified that they have received the kit).

As for the video, I should have it online soon. It is nothing terribly special but it is a little bit funny. Check back soon...

DNA Test Video

Tonight was my son's first birthday party and my Uncle Charlie Brock came over. He is the subject of the DNA test that I wanted to video for you guys to see. I had no idea he was coming so it worked out great. I missed him the other week but I got him to do the test tonight. I will post the video, photos, etc. tomorrow.

It is going to be quite comical, trust me!

Out of Town, DNA Kit is Here!

I am sorry that I have not been posting for a few days. I got called out of town on business so I have not been able to sit down and do much. I wanted to let you all know that the DNA test kit from Family Tree DNA has arrived! I will see my test subject on Saturday and will have more to post about it this weekend.

I will be going to South Carolina again tomorrow but only for the day. I should be back home and doing some catch-up postings on Thursday so bear with me until then.

Kevin

DNA test kit is on the way!

I have received confirmation that our DNA test kit is its way from Family Tree DNA. My representative confirmed that she sent it out this afternoon so I will let you all know when it arrives. I will be visiting my test subject on August 2, 2008 so hopefully the kit will arrive before that time.

If you have not been following our DNA testing project, you can read up on it at the link below:

DNA Project Details

More to come when the package arrives...

Family Tree DNA Surname Search

I have been working with a representative from Family Tree DNA to start a series of blog posts about genealogy DNA testing. I am ordering a test kit and will keep you all posted on the entire process from start to finish. I will update the blog in real time so you know exactly how long it takes to order a kit, take the test and get the results. I am even going to do a video of the volunteer taking the test so you can see exactly how easy DNA testing for genealogy can be. I am still hammering out all of the details but I will let you know when the kit is in the mail.

I have also added a Family Tree DNA search box to the sidebar of my website. You can use it to find surname projects hosted at the Family Tree DNA site. These surname projects are excellent resources, I even have one for the Lett family. You can run searches with all of the surnames you are interested in and see if projects currently exist. I checked several surnames in my family tree and was able to find projects concerning my distant ancestors.

If no project exists for your surname, you can take a DNA test and start a surname project at any time. It is a free service Family Tree DNA provides for their customers and surname project groups members get bulk discounting on their tests. Therefore, if you join up with an existing group, you can get a discounted rate for your test.

Ancestry.com DNA Testing

I do not think I ever mentioned that Ancestry.com now offers DNA testing. This isn't anything terribly new but I wanted to point out that you do not have to buy your test from them to use their matching services. All I had to do was manually enter the results that I got from Family Tree DNA and I can use all of the Ancestry features. I assume you have to have some type of Ancestry.com membership to use this feature. I mean, you obviously have to have an account in which to enter the information.


I was able to see a nice write-up about my haplogroup, I1a, and you can also see all of the other members that match your DNA to some degree. You can even specify the number of generations of separation between yourself and the results that are shows. I am showing up to 70 generations in the example below but it can range from 70 down to 2. My DNA test was not very refined, I think only 12 markers, so I do not have many close results.


Ancestry also appears to have a new surname group project section where you can compare results with others of the same last name. I have not tried this yet but I may in the near future.

You can click here to check out Ancestry.com DNA testing

California to Ban DNA Testing for Genealogy?

You can read the articles for yourself but it appears that California is trying to ban genetic genealogy. Their Health Department sent cease-and-desist letters to thirteen personal genomic testing companies. Their main concern is not with genetic genealogy but with companies that do lifestyle and health testing, bypassing doctors. However, any sweeping change in law, could easily alter your rights to DNA testing for genealogy purposes. Read the articles and let us know your opinions.

Regulators, Genetic Testing Companies Begin Face Off

Regulators Take Aim at Nascent DNA-Testing Industry