Question about Y-37 DNA Test from FTDNA

[Benody1921]

Hello!

My dad has agreed to take a Y-DNA test for me in order to help prove/disprove his paternal lineage. His grandad was adopted so I'd like to find out if he truly was a Stuart or if his biological mother lied on his birth certificate. I realize that the Y-67 or higher would have been the better test to buy but it was too expensive so I figure one day I'll do an upgrade.

My question is what exactly will this test give me? I'm not expecting many (if any) matches but will it give my dad's haplogroup? And if so, what is the benefit of knowing the haplogroup? Sorry if these are stupid questions. I just want to be prepared when the results come in.

Thank you for your time.

[davidft]

Yes it will give your Dad's haplogroup and yes that could be helpful in eliminating non matches in the future.

There is (or was) a database that you can join which shows very close matches to you. Unfortunately i can not remember what is is called or where to find it.

The downside of doing a Y37 test is you will get a lot of matches that are not really close matches so to make full use you will only be looking at full matches ie 37/37 or very close matches like 36/37 or 35/37 etc

[clayton bradley]

When you get the haplogroup join the relevant group. Moderators are really good and helpful. If they can match you to a group using your STRs you may be able to buy individual SNPs to get you closer to some matches. But you may need to buy an autosomal test as well because that is better for more recent events. Y-DNA can be a very long time ago. We have a group of Bradley/ Broadleys and the MRCA of that group was born about 1320.
In fact if I were you, I would start with autosomal on Ancestry and join the facebook groups which help adopted people.

[Benody1921]

Yes it will give your Dad's haplogroup and yes that could be helpful in eliminating non matches in the future.

There is (or was) a database that you can join which shows very close matches to you. Unfortunately i can not remember what is is called or where to find it.

The downside of doing a Y37 test is you will get a lot of matches that are not really close matches so to make full use you will only be looking at full matches ie 37/37 or very close matches like 36/37 or 35/37 etc

So basically I will be able to see my dad's haplogroup and then if a match pops up who is not part of the same haplogroup (if they've done their Y-DNA testing) then I will know that they do not match on the male line?

[Benody1921]

When you get the haplogroup join the relevant group. Moderators are really good and helpful. If they can match you to a group using your STRs you may be able to buy individual SNPs to get you closer to some matches. But you may need to buy an autosomal test as well because that is better for more recent events. Y-DNA can be a very long time ago. We have a group of Bradley/ Broadleys and the MRCA of that group was born about 1320.
In fact if I were you, I would start with autosomal on Ancestry and join the facebook groups which help adopted people.

I've uploaded both my dad and aunt's DNA from Ancestry onto FTDNA and joined a few groups there. I suspect the paternal line is Stuart so I've joined a Stewart project. However, it may come back that Stuart is not the paternal line. The Y-DNA should help establish that, yes? I don't have Facebook but I suppose I could create an account strictly for this purpose.

[clayton bradley]

Have you joined Gedmatch as well? One of their tools is "matches both kits" which shows shared matches.
I am associated with three Y-DNA tests. My brother has 3 matches at 25, not 37, which is what he's tested to and they are very far back in time.  I tested my husband because we were stuck in Derbyshire with a Thomas Ball who married there, no baptism. The Y-DNA gave him close matches in North Staffordshire, not matching his surname, but proof that is where Thomas was born. The third test, taken by cousins, took the Broadleys of Lancashire back into Yorkshire and proved the line back to John Broadley Constable of Ovenden in 1362 and the connection to Bradley/Broadleys who emigrated to America in the 1600s.
I think you can see all variations are possible. Try everything and ask all the questions you can.

[Benody1921]

I've got both my dad and aunt's autosomal DNA on GEDMatch. Do people upload the Y-DNAZ there too or do they just add the haplogroup?

That's so great it was able to take you back that much further. I've got so many brick walls but autosomal doesn't really help since there aren't many people who match through those lines.

[clayton bradley]

FTDNA are really the only company for Y-DNA so you can't upload it anywhere else. One of the other firms will give you a haplogroup, not Ancestry, maybe My Heritage, not sure but they won't break it down any further so you still have to go to FTDNA. You may be lucky and get a match but my husband has loads of matches on Y-DNA and nobody of his surname. It's a very common surname.

[J.A.M.]

I was researching my family surname & helping another researcher of the same name & suggested he do the FTDNA test that may have linked our families. The results came back with a surname that wasn't the surname we were researching. He didn't know he was adopted & he got several matches for the birth father's surname. He had wasted many years researching the adoptive family lines.