Marcy & All on the list, I didn't do the DNA test on Ancestry for a long time because Ancestry was gobbling up a lot of free genealogy sites and I wasn't to happy about it.  Genealogy has definitely changed over the years.  I made a lot of progress on my tree using our surname lists on Rootsweb which is now owned by Ancestry as well.  Hopefully they will stay free. I finally gave in and did the test.  What I've noticed about many of my matches on Ancestry and FTDNA, as you may have noticed Marcy, is many do not do a tree or have their tree locked.  It is often difficult to see where one matches without a tree.  The autosomal test, whichis the technical term, the connection can be on paternal or maternal lines.  A match can be on our grandmother's grandmother's line too!  So, I think those trees are important as an aid to identifying just where we link.  I'm not sure why a person tests and then doesn't do a tree unless they are beginners.  But I've not even had a beginner with no tree contact me.  Maybe some don't understand how the test works and that you still have to do the research.  If a tree is done on Ancestry, their program will point out which surnames are in common.  That can be a help.  I also have found that matches don't always reply to messages.  Ancestry has their own message system and quick replies depend on whether matches check their Ancestry account regularly.  FTDNA uses email addresses so is quicker.  A tree should be done on FTDNA also. A recent PBS Newshour online article explained the autosomal matching in an easy to understand analogy as follows: /".....it typically scans about 700,000 locations in your DNA code, otherwise called your genome. Think of your genome as a railway line, and these locations as train stations......genome has its own set of train stations, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, and many overlap with my immediate family in a particular sequence.....Let’s say the first three stops on our genomes are Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia. Meanwhile, my cousins are similar — Washington D.C., Baltimore and Pittsburgh — but not quite the same. Someone outside our family is totally off the tracks: New York City, New Haven and Boston...//By quantifying the length of these identical segments, we can basically infer the genealogical relationship between people..."/ FTDNA has a chromosome browser that allows one to see the DNA segments and the length of those segments of a match.  Ancestry does not have a chromosome browser.  Also, looking at the matches one shares with a match can be helpful. It might save money to do the Ancestry test first and then transferred the results to FTDNA for free.  I think FTDNA charges about $20 to use all their tools.  If you test on FTDNA, Ancestry does NOT allow a transfer.  Check out on both sites to be sure. Since I had are Bowers male relative do the yDNA test several years ago and administer that account, I was able to have the Family Finder test done on the same sample.  But since Ancestry does not allow transfers, I did the test there.  You can also put your results from either on GEDMatch.  Gedmatch is a public site, although most of us cannot read the DNA of others and only look at the matches.  It is the site that forensic police are using.  Be aware of that. As I mentioned, FTDNA is the only place doing yDNA.  It is far more expensive and traces the paternal line only.  It goes back further than the autosomal (Family Finder type) tests.  FTDNA has surname projects for both types of tests. I paid for the 67 marker yDNA test and the reason I came back to do the atDNA tests was that our Bowers yDNA test showed no matches to anyone with the Bowers surname.  There are quite a few others participating in FTDNA's Bowers project in the same situation. There are many reasons for this.  It may be because not enough Bower/Bowers have tested and in the yDNA database.  I think not enough have done the atDNA test either as my Bowers matches are few for it as well.  Other reasons for no matches are one might not be descended from a Bowers as people changed their surnames when they came to America sometimes; adoption is another possible reason too. I was at the point I suspected my g-grandfather might not have been a Bowers.  His parents were next door neighbors in the 1860 census and counted separately in their own parents households when it was the year of my g-grandfather's birth.  I though OK, maybe he was the mailman's son!  The atDNA test showed matches to descendants of his siblings as well as some matches further back in time and confirmed we are Bowers descendants.  The tests can help as long as the genealogy research is correct and people post their trees. Hope the explanation of atDNA helps someone.  Those of us who aren't DNA experts can easily understand the "train station" analogy! Donna H. On 10/13/2018 5:52 AM, M wrote: > Donna, > > > I have done the DNA test....of course, I know so little about it. Mine is on Ancestry. I am female and my maternal grandfather was a Bowers. There are only males cousins left from our line so I might have to ask one of them. I have well over 900 potential matches and I am sure over time it will be even more. Mostly people I contact have no clue the link we have. I will keep my eyes open for the holiday pricing. > > > Thanks, > > > Marcy > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Donna Bowers Hinson <dmhinson2004@suddenlink.net> > To: bower <bower@rootsweb.com>; bowers <bowers@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Fri, Oct 12, 2018 9:50 pm > Subject: [BOWER] DNA genealogy > > I've done both the Ancestry and FTDNA atDNA tests and a Bowers male > relative did the yDNA test on FTDNA. Every holiday season, all the > genealogy testing companies usually offer a reduced special price. > Several of us researching Bower/Bowers and variants were talking about > the fact that not enough of the Bowers clan have tested. If you're > interested, check for the specials during the holidays or let your > families know that might be a potential gift. Actually, you an join > Ancestry without signing up for a costly subscription and do a tree. > Others who have a subscription can see your tree and contact you. Then > if you decide to test, you can link the test to your tree. FTDNA allows > all who are DNA matches to see each others trees. FTDNA is the only > company I'm aware of that also does the yDNA test which requires a male > of the same surname. Please know I'm not posting this because I earn > any money whatsoever. I would just like to see more matches from our > surname. We do not have a very large database on the FTDNA Bowers > project (yDNA) where other surnames have many more participants. > > Donna Hinson > > _______________________________________________ > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_rootswebpref&d=DwICaQ&c=kKqjBR9KKWaWpMhASkPbOg&r=R4mUXD5CBwYsWeqVI1U6ODhTdyq9NO05AC41KHmL32s&m=UZMpT16dmBfBCg8Ja95slmlsr1zZlnkh01B0cvrkWhk&s=7vDNf_M4L3jkkHHBqCFaCv2ExUuvWuMn-EEGb5Y3MUQ&e= > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/bower@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ancstry.me_2JWBOdY&d=DwICaQ&c=kKqjBR9KKWaWpMhASkPbOg&r=R4mUXD5CBwYsWeqVI1U6ODhTdyq9NO05AC41KHmL32s&m=UZMpT16dmBfBCg8Ja95slmlsr1zZlnkh01B0cvrkWhk&s=yZIPmv59_U6U-rmbBKkQUEVFLBFWAOykWpVQbalYb6k&e= Terms and Conditions: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ancstry.me_2HDBym9&d=DwICaQ&c=kKqjBR9KKWaWpMhASkPbOg&r=R4mUXD5CBwYsWeqVI1U6ODhTdyq9NO05AC41KHmL32s&m=UZMpT16dmBfBCg8Ja95slmlsr1zZlnkh01B0cvrkWhk&s=4TlAwINygz5ZmGvGPenoQTQ2BWRGcIf9FLq8fBArXFA&e= > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community > > > _______________________________________________ > > _______________________________________________ > Email preferences: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__bit.ly_rootswebpref&d=DwID-g&c=kKqjBR9KKWaWpMhASkPbOg&r=Y87bGozWymqs_K5WfXedme5g6IkZdwSipFZHQzK7E7M&m=7GAJ-XDRdTiX_eEVNvCrori_fm_SDyScT70hYjfXa58&s=dhMJxTrwmedfHL3lE2Nw1-Dclk8fqINIc-hU-IxzbJQ&e= > Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/bower@rootsweb.com > Privacy Statement: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ancstry.me_2JWBOdY&d=DwID-g&c=kKqjBR9KKWaWpMhASkPbOg&r=Y87bGozWymqs_K5WfXedme5g6IkZdwSipFZHQzK7E7M&m=7GAJ-XDRdTiX_eEVNvCrori_fm_SDyScT70hYjfXa58&s=y69OWGuqwcoj1cf1C-2Lti-sC3OY6uYKMCyB0lx2n3g&e= Terms and Conditions: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ancstry.me_2HDBym9&d=DwID-g&c=kKqjBR9KKWaWpMhASkPbOg&r=Y87bGozWymqs_K5WfXedme5g6IkZdwSipFZHQzK7E7M&m=7GAJ-XDRdTiX_eEVNvCrori_fm_SDyScT70hYjfXa58&s=15IGwJ5aq8_ZF5IRPbZ0RoZ_IC0Br2Su7n8_N8dGpN0&e= > Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog > RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community >