Thank you Gregg. You explained it a way that I can understand it. You are a good teacher. :) Barb In a message dated 5/13/2009 6:19:29 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, greggbonner@yahoo.com writes: Hi Barb, First let me say that there are a LOT of different kinds of DNA tests, and if you had a lot of cousins (etc.) willing to provide samples, there are all kinds of things you might be able to find out...presuming also that money is no barrier. But I am only familiar with Y-chromosome and mtDNA testing for genealogy. The mtDNA traces the purely maternal line, so it is more or less the female equivalent of Y-chromosome testing as far as genealogy goes, with the important difference that men also have mtDNA, so they can be mtDNA tested as well. To address your specific case, I'll just mention what I call 'tantamount DNA proof'. Let's say that you think Easter Hazel Newton is your mother's mother's (etc.) mother, but are not sure, and want to use mtDNA to prove it. Now, if Sarah Jane Bettis had another daughter, who had a daughter (etc.), and you got her to test mtDNA, and you matched, then this would more or less prove that you descend from Sarah Jane Bettis. But this would never tie you by DNA to the NEWTON male line. You would always have to RELY on it being the case that the Sarah Jane Bettis's daughters were all fathered by John William Newton as a matter of course due to marriage, etc. So you see, Y-chromosome is very good for purely paternal descents, and mtDNA is good for purely maternal descents, but neither are good for descents which are a mixture of paternal and maternal (i.e., your mom's dad's mom's dad, etc.). For cases of mixed descent, you really need to have cousins test for you, whether through mtDNA or Y-chromosome. Generally speaking, for each diversion in path from purely maternal or purely paternal, you will need another pair of DNA tests (one to represent your line "experimental", and one from a bona fide descendant "control"). This can get expensive depending on how many generations back it is, and how many times the path changes. The good news on that is that there's a descent chance a lot of these people have ALREADY been tested. After all, just in the DNA testing company I prefer, they have 140,000+ Y-chromsome tests already completed. Best, Gregg --- On Wed, 5/13/09, PalTia@aol.com <PalTia@aol.com> wrote: > I was wondering if women can trace their line through DNA > to their > foremothers? I am a descendant of John William Newton and > Sarah Jane Bettis > through their daughter, Easter Hazel Newton. Is there a way > to trace female dna > blood lines or at least connect them to male bloodlines in > their family? > > Thank you, Barb ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NEWTON-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message **************Recession-proof vacation ideas. Find free things to do in the U.S. (http://travel.aol.com/travel-ideas/domestic/national-tourism-week?ncid=emlcntustrav00000002)