Genetic Testing Question

[sunnylew]

One of the things that started my interest in genealogy was the revelation that my grandfather was not my grandfather and that one of my mother's great grandmothers was aboriginal.

I felt sure I could prove or disprove this, but after a couple of years, now I have traced every one of my mothers forebears to the ship they came in on but one - the same woman who family stories say was an aboriginal.

Her I can find nothing of at all apart from her first name as the mother on a birth record.

At the moment I hope to use genetic testing to prove or disprove whether we have aboriginal ancestry.

I know there are all manner of different tests, and it seems to be almost pot luck when testing, so I was hoping someone would have a better idea than I on the most appropriate company or test.

'Lizzy' was the mother of Elizabeth, the mother of Mary, the mother of Charles, the father of Susan (who will give the DNA sample).

Will a mitochondrial DNA test help prove Lizzy's background?

I really appreciate anyone's insight.

[reoinna]

Hi Sunnylew,

I was involved in the National Geographic world wide genetic testing a couple of years ago.  You would need to get Charles maternal side tested.  If you do have aboriginal DNA it should be a specific gene and should be able to be detected.  It is a very simple test of a check swab from inside the mouth or blood test (I think), the one I did was a check swab.  The testing places have quite a few tests so you would need to contact them or view their website to try and narrow down the best one for you.  You more than likely know this - goodluck.  Have you tried this nationalgeographic.com/genographic.
Regards
Reoinna

[sunnylew]

Hi Reoinna,

Thanks for your reply. I'll give national geographic a look.

In terms of Charles' maternal side - that's my main concern. My mother is the closest I can get.

Will the one male in the tree mess up our chances for mitochondrial DNA tests to work?

[reoinna]

Hi Sunnylew,
I dont know enough to say - but I do know that with a male than can can test for the mothers side which traces her female genetics from her direct line of females.  MtDNA is also passed down from generation to generation unchanged. So we share the same mtDNA-type as our mother, our maternal grandmother, our maternal great-grandmother and so on. In fact the exact same mtDNA code will track our direct genetic line back until the point at which a natural mutation in the mtDNA code occurred  To have male DNA tested will give you both genetic origin history of their previous lineage.   With a female they are limited to be only able to test for the female line.  Y chromosome is passed down exclusively from father to son, the most popular ancestry tests are Y chromosome (Y-DNA) testing and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing which test direct-line paternal and maternal ancestry, respectively.  The DNA tests  for example, to determine a person's comprehensive genetic make-up and/or ethnic origins, so if you do have the halogroup for aboriginal genetics  it should be able to be detected.  If you are a female and you use your DNA it will show your mothers, her mother, her mother and her mother so forth and not the fathers mother.  So if it is your mother then it will show only her direct line of females.  It you have a male it will show both.  I think I am probably confusing you!  Sorry!  Good luck again.
Reoinna

[bamc37]

I have a similar problem. My father was born the day after my grandparents were married. My grandmother was working in service up to the date of the marriage.
My grandfather was of Scottish descent. My grandmother's employers were German Jews. Would the DNA ancestry test be able to prove my paternal line as Celtic or Jewish?
I am a little concerned that these tests may be a bit of an expensive gimmick. Can anyone advise me please.
Brian

[reoinna]

Hi Brian,
All I can add is that I did have it done.  The test I had done was for maternal DNA.  As a male you can get both paternal and maternal done, which may help you.  My female line on my mothers side shows that my ancestors were either Scandanavian (Viking), Celtic or the Gauls.  Still a huge range and not as distinctive as I would have liked.  However there are other tests I can get done.  If my brother was to be tested they would find out more as well.  I personally think it is great.  I cannot afford to get more testing done at this time however I most certainly will in the future.  Read up about it and make up your mind.  I am glad and it did help me in my quest for answers.  As with Aboriginal DNA I think Jewish DNA is a specific marker as well.  Scottish you may find out that you to are from the same Halogroup as me - U.  Good luck.
Regards
Reoinna

[bamc37]

Thanks for your reply Reoinna
I will probably go ahead with both male and female with 67 markers. That seems to be reasonable.

By the way, I have a John Brady who was my great, great, great grandfather. He lived in Fremington, North Devon (UK) but gave his birth as Ireland in c1760. I have no further details so if you find a spare one let me know.
Brian

[pocketrocket]

DNA Tribes do DNA for Indigenous communities around the world.

Regards,

Caroline

www.armidalehistory.com

[Billyblue]

Hello Sunnyview

There is a long topic in The Common Room, headed DNA Testing.....
started by Tisy which you might care to read.
It gets a bit technical at times, and confusing, but might answer some of your questions.

Sorry but I don't know how to put a link through to it but there has been a post to it in the last couple of days so if you go to The Common Room forum you should find it fairly easily.

WRT can it prove / disprove your heritage, I'm sure it can.  A cousin of mine (male) in Canada had his DNA tested - sorry don't know the details - a couple of years ago and he said they told him he had "deep West African roots" which pleased us no end.
We are both descended from Billy Blue (Blue's Point) and while we can't prove where he was born, we are pretty sure he or his family came from Jamaica and the black slaves there in the West Indies originally came from Africa.  We mainly wanted to disprove those speculations that he was somehow of American Indian stock.

Good luck with your quest.
Dawn M
Dawn M