Judy, I am so sorry that you have been disappointed, and that you feel that the DNA test was not [yet] worthwhile. In isolation, a DNA result is (as you realise) of little value. The results really take on meaning when compared with other people. Since 2004 I've been voluntarily coordinating a DNA project for the Pike family, so that we might be able to use genetic analysis to help distinguish between different family lines, and also to discover which family lines are connected to each other. We now have over 50 people involved, from 4 different continents, and have discovered that there are at least 19 genetically distinct Pike family lines. Of interest to the readers of this list will be that we so far have only 4 Nfld Pikes involved, each with roots from Carbonear, and these 4 have been shown to be related ... we're actually quite excited about this since for some of us we cannot find written records to show that we are related. Also of interest is that we have not yet found any Pikes elsewhere who genetically match the Carbonear crowd... my hope is that we will make a connection someday, as that may help shed some light on the origins of the Pikes of Carbonear. I'm also hoping that we'll get more Nfld & Lab Pikes involved, such as those from the Burin Peninsula, from Old Perlican, Red Bay, etc, so that we can find out if we are all one big Pike family, or if there are multiple Pike family lines [my personal suspicion is that Nfld is home to multiple Pike family lines]. Anybody interested in the Pike family can find our DNA project (plus lots of other Pike information) on my website at http://www.math.mun.ca/~dapike/family_history/ Judy, if your brother is a Corbett, then if you go to http://www.worldfamilies.net/ you will find that there is a DNA project for the Corbett family. I would recommend that you try to get involved, as that's the best place to be comparing your DNA with other Corbetts. You might also consider entering your brother's DNA markers into the public database at http://www.ysearch.org as this is another way that you might find genetic matches (especially with people of differing surnames). You can also search for genetic matches at http://www.smgf.org For other folks who are contemplating getting involved with genetic genealogy, I have a number of recommendations. The first is to get involved with the International Society of Genetic Genealogy. It is free, has a number resources online at http://www.isogg.org but especially has a wonderful mailing list/forum (plus more resources and links) at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DNA-NEWBIE/ For those wanting to trace their direct paternal line, seek out a project for the corresponding surname. There are a number of companies out there that do genetic testing for genealogists, and if your surname has a project with one of them, then it might be difficult to compare your DNA results if you test with a different company. A few places where you can search for surname-based DNA projects are: http://www.worldfamilies.net/ http://www.familytreedna.com/ http://dnaheritage.com/ If your surname has no project, then it's worth noting that several of these entities also provide some assistance with creating one (that is, if you're willing to take on the task of coordinating one)... you might also be interested in checking out this list/forum http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ISOGG/ which often discusses issues of interest to project coordinators. Be aware that there are a number of other companies that are happy to take your money and provide you with DNA results, but as I said earlier, unless you will be able to compare those results with other people then there really is little value to be had. Some companies are really good about telling you who match with, while others are not; which you test with will likely impact on how you feel about your experience with genetic genealogy. Changing topics slightly now, from paternal ancestry (and Y-DNA) to maternal ancestry (and mtDNA), I would like to also take a brief moment to announce that a Newfoundland and Labrador mtDNA Project has been recently established. It's website is at http://www.familytreedna.com/public/NfldLab-mtDNA - David. > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [NFLD-LAB] DNA primer > Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2006 18:09:13 EST > > I spent $118 on this test. I had my brother do the cheek swab as we are > tracing the male line. However, it seems like a big waste of money since they don't > tell you who you are connected to. I was very disappointed. They give you 44 > markers (these are letters like DYS19 etc. You will get 44 of such. No way to > tell if you are connected to anyone unless you know people who have done the > test and are probably related to you. My grandfather was from Chapel's Cove. > I suspect that anyone from Harbour Main or Chapel's Cove would have similar > DNA to myself and my brother. However, until everyone is tested, we won't know. > Here is the link to the site where I went. > It is called www.Genebase.com > Good luck, > Judy > > Judy Corbett Barker > St. Petersburg, Florida and Holyrood, Newfoundland, Canada > Researching the Channel Islands, Ireland, Newfoundland and New Jersey.