My thanks to Lois Casson on a very informative conclusion on DNA testing. It has helped my understanding. -----Original Message----- From: irl-kerry-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:irl-kerry-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of irl-kerry-request@rootsweb.com Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 3:00 AM To: irl-kerry@rootsweb.com Subject: IRL-KERRY Digest, Vol 8, Issue 175 Today's Topics: 1. Conclusions about DNA testing (Lois Casson) 2. Re: Beirne/Cunningham in MA (Brendan O'Donoghue) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 06:45:32 -0500 From: Lois Casson <lcasson@cox.net> Subject: [IRL-KERRY] Conclusions about DNA testing To: irl-kerry@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <526513DC.8060906@cox.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed The discussion related to DNA testing developed from someone asking what was the best lab/company to use. I have learned a whole lot in the last month and have reached some conclusions about DNA testing in general. Where you have testing done has less to do with where you have the testing done than which testing you have done, though there are fewer labs offering the more in-depth testing and it will cost you more. The tests being used to determine ethnic heritage are not the same as those used in criminal investigations and to prove paternity. And, I believe the most satisfying results for those who want to know more about their ethnicity are both the Y-DNA and mtDNA tests. Y-DNA can only be done on males, so a woman would have to get test results from her father or a male sibling. These tests will cost more than twice as much as the bargain testing currently being hawked. The $99 test is an autosomal test which is supposedly testing both the maternal and paternal lines of any individual. Currently these results are very general and aren't likely to give accurate answers related to unknowns in the genealogy, i.e. my husband does not know who his father was and would not likely get clear info on his father since his mother has a diverse heritage. With the autosomal test you get the conclusions of the labs, percentages of what your ethnicity is (currently ballpark figures generally that will like evolve over time) along with pages and pages of "raw data" that is unintelligible to the individual being tested. This is basically a long list of genomes?? or factors found in the testing. They also, currently, only pin point regions, i.e. Great Britain, Scandinavia, Easter Europe, Western Europe, Iberian Peninsula, etc. The Y-DNA and mtDNA give you a written analysis and explanation of what it all means as well as pin-pointing locations (actual countries and regions within those countries). Ancestry gives the impression that you are being matched genetically but I have spent a whole lot of time studying those matches and know for a fact they are matching names on AncestyTrees. I believe that Y-DNA and mtDNA can actually lead to genetic matches. I, personally, will go no further. My family tree is quite large and I could make contact with a very large group of cousins if that is what I chose to do. Over time the autosomal test may become more refined, with more accurate percentages as well as more well-defined locations. Right now I believe the companies doing the autosomal testing are currently getting $99 for very general result and not what the majority want or expect. I know of one woman who has had two tests done by the Ancestry labs with absolutely no results. Lois Casson ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 14:22:59 +0100 From: "Brendan O'Donoghue" <brendan@researchireland.com> Subject: Re: [IRL-KERRY] Beirne/Cunningham in MA To: Calhoun Joanne <joannecalhoun@yahoo.com> Cc: irl-KERRY@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <97805ED6-1C97-4B2F-8BA7-AC70A7E65F4B@researchireland.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Hi Joanne, Fran, Helen, I discovered this morning that I was on the wrong track. The Mary in Lynn was Mary Jordan according to her daughters obit. Back to the drawing board. Brendan On 21 Oct 2013, at 01:58, Calhoun Joanne wrote: > Hi Brendan, I was just reading your posts on IRL-Kerry list re: > Mary Beirne. You mentioned that you could not find the family on the > 1930 census but I checked on ancestry and the Cunningham Family was > living on Elmwood Ave, Lynn in 1930 as they were in 1940. The > difference is that in 1930 husband is listed as Peter J. and in 1940 > he is John P. I'd bet that they are one in the same family. > > If you haven't found the marriage of Beirne/Cunningham or the birth > record of Margaret Josephine, I can check the index on my next trip to > the Mass. Archives on Friday. I did read that you had contacted Lynn > Town Clerk so you may not still not need the info. Let me know. > > Take care, > Joanne - ------------------------------ To contact the IRL-KERRY list administrator, send an email to IRL-KERRY-admin@rootsweb.com. To post a message to the IRL-KERRY mailing list, send an email to IRL-KERRY@rootsweb.com. __________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRL-KERRY-request@rootsweb.com with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body of the email with no additional text. End of IRL-KERRY Digest, Vol 8, Issue 175 *****************************************