Y-DNA the results.

[Ruskie]

You won’t necessarily get any matches through a Y DNA test unless others have also taken the same test. As it is expensive it is not as popular as the autosomal test.

 I agree with Biggles, take an Ancestry test, then upload the raw data to other companies who will accept it to try to cover all bases. There is information online which tells you who accepsts what.

As far as I know, Ancestry and FindMyPast are the only companies who won’t share, which is another reason to start with Ancestry.

You’ve just missed some good Black Friday sales but there will be more sales coming up. Around Christmas last year I purchased an Ancestry test and for an extra AUD$1 received a three month worldwide Ancestry subscription. I rang them to delay taking up the sub until my DNA results arrived. Something to keep in mind if they have a similar offer at any stage.

Don’t give up yet - within your likely time frame it is very possible that you will be able to identify or at least close in on your illusive g/gggrandfather/s. Ancestry split their results into parent groups (and seem fairly accurate), with the addition of an “unassigned” category, so you will be able to concentrate on the matches on your paternal line.

You are almost guaranteed plenty of matches. Don’t necessarily look for the Wiliams surname. It might just be me, but a great number of my matches come through the female lines, and surnames change upon marriage.

Good luck. Let is know how you get on.

[Wexflyer]

So, do I take it that the consensus is that Y-DNA testing is pretty pointless?

[Biggles50]

So, do I take it that the consensus is that Y-DNA testing is pretty pointless?

Yes and No, it depends upon what you want out of it.

A yDNA test does seem to be substantially less popular but again it depends upon what is required of the results.

For me going down the lines of both my Paternal Great Grandfathers there are no DNA Matches that I can link to coupled with a high cM match I suspected that one of said Paternal Great Grandfathers was not who the research and documentation says him to be.  The yDNA results confirmed my suspicions in that I had matches bearing the surname I found in my high CM matches tree.

I had set low expectations before buying the test.

What it also revealed is that despite being a male to male test there was not a commonality in the surnames of the matches, but you name it, it is there kind of result.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

[Talacharn]

I began this thread wanting to know more. Thank you all for your comments. There are many on RootsChat that for them family history is their whole life, researching their own family and helping others. I have other interests. My family tree is secondary and it will always be that way. Now I know more, I have decided not to go down the Y-DNA route and will not be taking an Ancestry test. When I have time, I intend filling in my family tree by tracing each branch, rather that wanting another generation further back.

[coombs]

In 2004 I remember reading about the Y-DNA/Y chromosome and how it is passed down the paternal line. My earliest known direct paternal line ancestor is Thomas Titshall born c1665 in likely West Suffolk. I descend from his son Thomas born 1693. Thomas Snr had a few other sons so any paternal line descendants of John and William born 1691 and 1695 should match with me on the Y chromosome, if ever we took our DNA, providing there was not a break in the line (A non paternal event or informal adoption to a couple), either in my line of descent or theirs.

[Biggles50]

On other posts I have suggested listening to the BBC Sounds series The Gift, it is all about DNA.

One spoiler from it is the guy who spent 30 years researching his Family Tree only to then take a DNA test and find that the 30 years was wasted, he was adopted and his “Parents” never told him.

Without a DNA test to validate each branch your lineage you cannot be anywhere near having a proven tree.

To think otherwise is burying ones head in the sand.

Genealogy is about the Truth not Fiction.

[SMJ]

As with any tool you use, it’s worth looking at the advantages and disadvantages when making your mind up and setting your expectations.

Y-DNA - near to 100% accurate. Will identify the direct male-line. Will show possible Non-Parental-Events, illegitimacy, adoption, surname changes (happens a lot in the Welsh English Marches with patronymic surnames), Clan ties and surname clusters.

MtDNA - does for the female line what Y-DNA does for the male. Particularly useful in chasing offspring from re-marriages and relationships outside of marriage. If your Grandmother and Great-Aunt’s female descendants have different MtDNA, this is the tool you need.

Both of these results are immutable and the fact that they span back several hundreds of years is an advantage not a disadvantage. In my own case I know it’s probably not worth looking for any direct paternal connections to the ancient Princes of Wales or the High Kings of Ulster. It’s also shows any obvious NPE issues.

Autosomal DNA is based on statistical analysis and the probability that someone sharing similar DNA may be related to you. It is not a guarantee, just a best guess. It depends on the size of the data pool and the accuracy of the data model. This can be skewed by some parts of the World not allowing DNA research in the public domain (France for instance) and the popularity or not of DNA based family research in different regions of the World or even regions within a country. However, the ethnicity estimates are popular.

I decided that I wanted the information gained from the knowledge of my Y-DNA and MtDNA as I wanted to chase the direct maternal and paternal lines. The ethnicity estimates provided by the AuDNA was less important. The cost of the FTDNA Y-700 was and still is prohibitive, and the lack of easy purchase options from the UK ruled it out.

Luckily, LivingDNA were offering SNP based Y-DNA, MtDNA and AuDNA for about £70 so that was chosen with an upload to GedMatch later.

I know I may well give in and do a Y-700 test later, but at least I’ve enough information to be getting on with for a minimal outlay.

All I have to do now is find the paper evidence to support my AuDNA result. It is indicating an unknown Ulster/SW Scottish share of 19%.

[phil57]

Luckily, LivingDNA were offering SNP based Y-DNA, MtDNA and AuDNA for about £70 so that was chosen with an upload to GedMatch later.

LivingDNA provide your Y-DNA and mt-DNA haplogroups as part of their autosomal DNA test. That is as far as their Y-DNA and mt-DNA testing goes - they show you proposed maternal and paternal geographic origins and migration routes, but there is no Y or mtDNA relational matching and no way to gain that ability through transferring the raw test data to other providers databases. It is basically an autosomal DNA test with the haplogroup names bolted on. The designated haplogroups are in my experience accurate though, and the Y haplogroup in particular may be more refined than any of the lesser FTDNA YDNA tests can provide.

For Y-DNA or mtDNA matching, you do need specific Y or mtDNA tests. There is really no need to go for the Y700 test though, at least initially, and if you test with FTDNA you can always upgrade to that test later fort a fee, with no additional samples required. If you are a member of a Y-DNA surname group and the administrator recommends that a Y700 test would be beneficial, there may be a discounted price or even a monetary donation from the surname group available towards the cost of the test or upgrade.

Generally, a Y111 or even a Y67 test will be more than sufficient to identify any close generational matches.

[Ruskie]

SMJ, just to pick up on a couple of points in your post ….

Can you explain how Y-DNA tests show things such as adoption, illegitimacy, surname changes etc?

How does an mt-DNA test help chase offspring from a remarriage?

I thought Y and mt DNA followed the female and male lines back in time, possibly for many centuries, often before written records. How can you discover the specific events such as adoption etc that you mention, if they occurred that far back in time?

I understand that numbers of “matches” with autosomal tests is dependent upon how may others test, but surely there are even fewer who take the Y and mt tests, so the pool would be even smaller?