Ancestry Daily News Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak - 12/8/2005 Have You Already Been DNA-Tested? A few months ago, I was interviewed as part of an "expert panel" on the future of genealogy. Not surprisingly, I spouted off about my confidence in the ever-growing role of genetic genealogy, which I like to condense to 'genetealogy.' Eye-Opener When the article came out, I received a bit of an education. Others had remarked that genetealogy wouldn't be much of a factor until the databases of genetic data were as large as those of genealogical data -- until the entries numbered in the millions as they do at Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org and so forth. It was only then that I realized for the first time that many -- and possibly most -- genealogists are unaware of an important, fundamental aspect of genetealogy. While it's true that genetic databases are measured in the thousands rather than millions, each person whose results are included is representing tens or hundreds of relatives by proxy. In other words, the DNA databases are far beefier than their absolute numbers would seem to indicate. A Little Background This might be a good time to back up a bit for a quick refresher. For those who are new to genetealogy, it helps to know that Y-DNA testing is by far the most popular. Only men have a Y-chromosome and it's passed intact from father to son down through the generations. It travels through the centuries and worms its way through our family trees essentially the same way that surnames do, and that's why surname projects are such a popular application. Simply put, Y-DNA and surnames go hand-in-hand. Because of this, when one man gets tested, he represents a number of others sporting the same surname. His father, brothers, paternal uncles, and paternal cousins (both living and back in time through the generations) all share the same Y-DNA. For instance, being female, I don't have Y-DNA, so when I wanted to test the Smolenyak family I was born into, I asked my father. But I could have also turned to one of my brothers, my father's brother, or a male Smolenyak cousin. Similarly, when I wanted to get my maternal grandmother's maiden name (Reynolds) represented in a Reynolds surname project <http://www.ftdna.com/public/Reynolds%20Surname%20Y%2DDNA%20Study/> , I sought out a male Reynolds cousin -- in this case, a first cousin once removed -- to take the test. One Y-DNA Test Goes a Long Way I was curious about the ripple effect of a single DNA sample, so as an experiment, I counted how many people in my family tree were represented by proxy by my father's test. The result? 62. Of these, 32 are alive. Of course, that figure will grow over time as I continue my research and identify other Smolenyaks -- and as fresh sprouts are added to the branches of our family tree! On the day I wrote this article, the largest testing company's website indicated that their database contained 47,857 Y-DNA records. If my father is typical, then 47,857 x 62 people have been tested by proxy -- about 2,967,134 people by just one company. How typical is my father's 62? I have no idea. His family strikes me as fairly average size-wise, but even if we were to assume that his family is three times the average, this one company's database would still hold genetic clues for about a million people. And if his figure is on the low side, who knows how many millions have already been tested-by-cousin and simply don't know it? Where to Dig? So how do you find out if you're one of the many whose distant cousin has already swabbed his cheek for your benefit? That's the tricky part. Ideally, in the future, genetic and genealogical databases will merge so that you'll be informed of DNA representation when you search on an ancestor's name in a conventional genealogy database, such as Ancestry World Tree. Current DNA surname project managers might want to consider using the Post-em feature <http://www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=A986601> to add notes to relevant, existing family trees at Ancestry.com to inform others that a genetic project is underway and explain where to go for more information. Doing so could serve as a bit of a bridge for the time being. It's also possible to add a comment when uploading your own trees, although the only examples <http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=dnacousins&i d=I391> I can find at present are ones dealing with mtDNA, which focuses primarily on maternal lines. But for now, if you want to find out if there's already a project on one or more surnames of interest to you, you'll have to do a little surfing as I explained in an earlier article <http://www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=A958201> . To be thorough, you'll want to explore several DNA testing company sites and one or more of the online public access databases. Also, since the time I wrote this previous article, it's now become possible to search by surname at the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation <http://www.smgf.org> site. Results come with pedigrees attached, so you can browse them for your ancestors -- a powerful option. And the old standby -- googling a combination of 'DNA' and 'genealogy' and the surname of interest -- will frequently pop up a website dedicated to the relevant project. You might also want to try substituting a location or ethnic group for the surname, as there are more and more such projects. Louis Loccisano's Calabria DNA Project <http://www.calabriadna.com/> and Doug Miller's French-Canadian/Acadian/Metis/Cajun Heritage DNA Project <http://home.earthlink.net/%7Edjmill/fcdna.html> are a couple of interesting examples (and if you have any roots in Osturna, Slovakia, be sure to contact me to join my village study!). Already Tested? What if your surfing reveals that you're one of the lucky ones who have already been tested by proxy? Perhaps you've discovered that other descendants of your direct line great-great-great-grandfather have already participated in a project centered on your surname. If so, congratulations! Now what? You'll definitely want to communicate with the project's manager, and if the contact information is provided, that cousin of yours who was thoughtful enough to get tested. But if you want to learn still more, scribble down that pile of numbers that represents your DNA results and stay tuned for my next article on online resources for further analysis. That also goes for those of you who have just been tested yourselves and aren't sure what to do next! P.S. On Orphan Heirlooms In addition to the orphan heirloom rescues I write about in this column, I'll be sharing still more rescues in an Ancestry Magazine column, so I'm on the lookout for more strays. If you have any you'd like to submit, please use the form <http://honoringourancestors.com/HiQFM/apply_orphan.html> on my website to do so. Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, co-author (with Ann Turner) of Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree (as well as In Search of Our Ancestors, Honoring Our Ancestors and They Came to America), can be contacted through www.genetealogy.com and www.honoringourancestors.com.