mt Full Sequencing - How Many Generations?

[david64]

Evening, seeing FTDNA have lowered their prices I have been lured in for the mtDNA test. However, after some searching I can't seem to find a specific answer to the question?

Can mtDNA tests return matches within several generations? On the FTDNA site it says it will find matches in the last 16 generations. This is of little use to me, as I don't know that far back on maternal lines I have samples for.

[DevonCruwys]

Family Tree DNA claim that 95% of exact matches at the full sequence level will fall within the last 22 generations (550 years):

https://www.familytreedna.com/learn/mtdna-testing/tell-closeness-relationship/

That still leaves 5% (1 in 20) that will be more than 22 generations ago. Sometimes the common ancestor could have lived perhaps 1500 years ago. You are therefore looking at a very wide potential range of dates. I sometimes see people with exact FMS matches who have ancestors from completely different European countries. On the other hand people do sometimes have matches with other people who have a maternal ancestor from the same geographical area. It's all a question of who is in the database. Not so many people have as yet taken the FMS test but now that the prices are plummeting this is really now the test of choice. FTDNA have the world's largest mtDNA database. They say they now have 174,101 mtDNA records, but so far they only have 35,060 FMS results:

https://www.familytreedna.com/why-ftdna.aspx

However, the FMS database is growing rapidly. mtDNA would not be the first test of choice but the sale price is an exceptionally good offer and once you've done the full sequence you won't ever need to get tested again so it could be seen as a long-term investment.

[david64]

Thanks for your great advice as always. Due to the small pool of possible matches, I will give this a miss for now.

[flipflops]

I've had a MtDNA test as well as Family Finder and am puzzled that of 23 Mt full sequence matches that had done the FF test none matched on both tests. The HVR2 test results produced two matches.

Up to date I have 632 FF matches so I'm just wondering how distant a relationship can be before it appears on family finder has to be before it appears as a match.

I

[DevonCruwys]

The Family Finder test is giving you matches with people on all your ancestral lines within the last five or six generations. The mtDNA test gives you matches with people who share your matriline (the line of your mother, your mother's mother, your mother's mother's mother, etc). With mtDNA your matches could share a common ancestor 1000 or more years ago so these people would not match you on the Family Finder test.

[flipflops]

Thank you for your reply Devon. They say that a full sequence MtDNA  has a 50% confidence level within 5 generation and a 95% one of 22 generations. Granted (if my research is correct) it's closer to 5 generations than 22 it's still disappointing

[DevonCruwys]

That's a limitation of the test. If your match is closer to five generations then there's a good chance it will show up in an autosomal DNA test. If it's not declared as a match you might like to get both parties to upload their data to GedMatch to do an analysis there. Sometimes a match will fall just below the match threshold.

There are links to GedMatch and other third party tools here:

http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_tools