"Max Blankfeld" <max@familytreedna.com> wrote in message news:b966ho$uki$1@askin-17.linkpendium.com... > > >It still only gives information about a single line. - the one > >linked to the surname. It CAN be used to confirm (or not) family > >myths and/or apparent male descent lines, but when one considers the > >numbers of ancestors about whom nothing can be learned by these > >methods, its use for genealogical purposes is very limited. > > > >Lesley Robertson <l.a.robertson@tnw.tudelft.nl> > > Dear Leslie, I do prefer the female version of my name, as given in the signature you quoted above. > You are correct in saying that mtDNA is passed from mother to male > and female children, but when a mother's mtDNA is passed to a son, > it stops right there, it doesn't go down the line. That's what I > meant. It only goes down the line from mother to daughter to > daughter..... As do all lines except the surname-bearing one. > Now on your second claim that "Mitochondrial DNA provides the same > evidence of relationships", I'll have to respectfully disagree with > you since, again, mutation rates are much slower, and therefore an > evidence of ancestry would go much back in time that the one that > can be obtained by Y-DNA. The rare of Y mutation is a little higher, but not sufficient to show much difference within the number of generations that can be historically verified. > I completely understand that since the use of DNA in genealogy is > something quite new (only 3 years) there are still many skeptical > people. This is perfectly understandable. Please check my answer > to Ardis, and I'll be happy to stay here and answer any questions > you may have. I find this rather patronising. I do understand that someone trying to sell DNA analysis will want to present it in the best possible light, but it would be better to present it in context. Y chromosome analysis will provide evidence of a common ancestry on a single genealogical line. It will provide useful information for someone doing 1-name studies. It will not solve all genealogical mysteries and without a historical context, will not really be very useful. Perhaps you could say that those of us who actually work with DNA analysis have a better appreciation of its limits. Lesley Robertson Lesley Robertson <l.a.robertson@tnw.tudelft.nl>