Karen (and others who replied to my email), thank you so much for sharing your experience. I too, like Family Tree DNA and that's who we've used for all tests. Wish I could say we've had such great luck as you've had but I'm still hopeful as we get more participants, we'll find answers to questions and break through brick walls. Sandy On 2/9/2011 8:52 PM, Karen Simmons wrote: > Hi Sandy, > > I'm a BIG supporter of DNA testing for genealogy. I'm also a > Co-Administrator of the Garrison DNA Project. Our Project has had > some amazing breakthroughs that would not have been possible without > testing of the male YDNA. For instance, my mother's Garrison line has > thought for a long time that we were descendants of a group of > Garretsons who moved to Orange Co NC and became Garrisons. Last year > I recruited a non-genealogist Garrison male who was born in the right > neighborhood and had an impeccable trail back to the Delaware > Garretsons. I did the research myself. The results were quite > surprising. We learned that I am not a descendant of the Delaware > Garretsons, who are acompletely different haplogroup from my line. > However, the Garrisons who settled in SE Illinois, descendants of > James Garrison and Hester Roberts, ARE a very close match to this > fellow. It was their first breakthrough in many years. In my own > line, we were inspired to do a very intense search for the right > Garrison line and were able to document ours back to the early 1700s > in Carteret Co NC. We were stuck because we had been chasing the > wrong family. > > The Garrison community has been able to separate out several > distinctly different lines who had believed their research offered > clues that they were related. However, when combined with the DNA > test results, it was clear that they were only looking at coincidental > information such as residing in the same approximate location or using > the same (very common) given names. > > I have arranged for several DNA tests for other lines that will > not likely yield such dramatic immediate results. However, you have > to consider whether or not your best available DNA donor might > suddenly become "unavailable." If you only have one close male > relative in that line, you need to get them tested. I waited until > after my Garrison uncle passed away and had to locate a third cousin I > did not even know. > > I only recommend FTDNA (Family Tree DNA) because they have 90% of the > market which means their database also holds 90% of the results. They > will also retain the samples 25 years, in case you want to upgrade to > a more refined test or if new technology becomes available. The price > for the tests are discounted if you order through an active Project. > > One final word. Through experience I have learned that it is better > to NOT announce that you are having someone tested until the results > are in. A few participants have received shocking results and it is > usually better to deal with those surprises privately before making > any announcements. Fortunately your privacy is protected by the > testing company. You decide how much you want to reveal. > > Karen Simmons > Co-Administrator > Garrison DNA Project > > -----Original Message----- > From: "Sandy Bauer" <sandy@whalen-family.org> > Sent 2/9/2011 8:35:41 PM > To: ilfrankl@rootsweb.com, iljeffer@rootsweb.com, > "ILWayne@rootsweb.com" <ILWAYNE@rootsweb.com>, ilhamilt@rootsweb.com > Subject: [ILWAYNE] DNA testing > > Are you are participating in a DNA project? I'm curious if people are > jumping on board with DNA testing and it it's proving successful for them. > I've had my son do that DNA test for his THURMAN family (my first > husband's line). I've contributed to a DAVIS male to do the DNA test, > gotten a BUTLER cousin to do the DNA test and gotten my brother to do > the DNA test for our WHALEN family. So far no "Eureka" moments. > Anyone else having more positive results? > Sandy (Whalen) Bauer > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ILWAYNE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message