(*Completed with thanks*)Which test for a female line

[DevonCruwys]

Lizzie, The mitochondrial DNA test that we've been discussing would not in any case work in your situation. It tracks the matrilineal line - your mother, your mother's mother, your mother's mother's mother and so on back in time - as shown in this diagram:

http://www.isogg.org/mtdnapath.htm

A mtDNA test specifically does not tell you about all your ancestry on your mother's side of the family. In the situation you describe an mtDNA test would, therefore, not tell you anything about your paternal gg grandmother.

A Family Finder test could in the long run potentially tell you whether your ancestor was Spanish or Portuguese but you would be reliant on getting matches with people in Spain or Portugal to confirm the relationship and the database is not yet at the stage where you might be able to get such an answer. However, the test does now only cost $99 (about £61) and the value of the test will grow over time as you get more matches. See my blog post here which explains how the test works:

http://cruwys.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/new-family-finder-test-from-ftdna.html

[LizzieW]

The problem is, there is 2 x g.grandmother (I have no name for her) who might be Spanish or Portuguese, then there is her son (my g.grandfather who had an English name and I think was possibly adopted, or just changed his name), then his daughter (my gran), then her son (my dad), then me.  So the line goes backwards and forwards from female to male to female.  I guess I'll never solve the problem until I can trace my g.grandfather from when my gran was born to his own birth.

[DevonCruwys]

Lizzie, The Family Finder test covers all your ancestors on all your family lines for the last five generations or so. The test works by giving you matches with genetic cousins. You then have to go back to the paper trail and work out which line the match is on. You could potentially have matches with people who are related to you through your 2x g. grandmother. The drawback at present is that this test is still fairly new on the market and has only been available at an affordable price for the last six months or so. The database still has a long way to go to reach critical mass. The Spanish and Portuguese are not well represented in the database except by proxy with Americans of Spanish or Portuguese ancestry. It is therefore probably a long-term investment but it doesn't cost very much so it might be worthy a try.

[supermoussi]

Bear in mind that Portugal is only c.100 km wide, has been invaded repeatedly and doesn't have a 20ft brick wall around it so people criss-cross the border. The difference between the DNA of the Portugese and the Eastern Spaniards is going to be less than the difference between Western and Eastern Spaniards.

You might eventually be lucky and find spomething specific but it is always going to be a long shot.

[DevonCruwys]

It would probably be impossible to distinguish on the DNA alone between someone from Portugal and Spain. It is the genealogical information provided by the matches that would determine the origins. In theory Lizzie might have matches with third or fourth cousins with a documented paper trail to Spain or Portugal but it all depends on who else is in the database.

[Lookin2]

DevonCrewys

I was thinking of buying Ancestry DNA kit for a relative but see it has $99.00 for 6 months.  I called their number and on the first try got cut off after ten minutes of waiting.

Finally spoke to an Op. and she said it is best to buy on-line for the cheaper rate.  I thought this $99.00 was a one-time payment so thought I would ask an Ancestry member what my relative would get for $99.00 and what happens to your kit after 6 months.

I am a member of 23&Me and Family Tree but Ancestry confuses me somewhat. Lookin2

[DevonCruwys]

DevonCrewys

I was thinking of buying Ancestry DNA kit for a relative but see it has $99.00 for 6 months.  I called their number and on the first try got cut off after ten minutes of waiting.

Finally spoke to an Op. and she said it is best to buy on-line for the cheaper rate.  I thought this $99.00 was a one-time payment so thought I would ask an Ancestry member what my relative would get for $99.00 and what happens to your kit after 6 months.

I am a member of 23&Me and Family Tree but Ancestry confuses me somewhat. Lookin2

The Ancestry test is only available in the US so you wouldn't be able to buy it anyway. The Ancestry test lacks all the bells and whistles of the other two tests. Also you need to maintain an Ancestry subscription to have full access to the trees. Why don't you buy your relative a 23andMe or Family Finder test? If you've already tested with the other companies it would help you to have more relatives in the database so that you can work out which side of the tree your matches are on.