Hi Cheri.... Even with my 2 kits that i have, i think i screwed up big time :( Im trying to find out my maternal grandfather line. The thing is that i dont have uncles, my grand dad is dead and he only had sisters that all died already as well. so when i took both tests i was thinking that somehow it would be traced at least in one of them...but reading now your emails i can see that is only tracing my dads side of the family, in which i have no idea where they really come from leandro On 23 Nov 2011, at 18:06, Cheri Mello wrote: > Hi Betty, > > DNA for genealogy has been on the market for about 10 or 11 years now, but > it probably took about 5 years to get the word out and to get people to > understand it. Or somewhat understand it, I should say. > > For a half-Portuguese man and his results: > It depends on which test he takes. If his surname is Portuguese (or a > variation/Anglicized version) and he takes a Y-DNA test, then he will be > tracing father's father's father's line. He will get a list of matches > with their email addresses. I encourage people to upload their Gedcoms > (from their genealogy software program) so the matches can see their line. > My dad is half Portuguese on his paternal side. Since his surname is > Mello, the Y-DNA test is tracing his father's father's line (back to that > Jacome guy). My dad get a list of matches, but they were at the 25 marker > level, which means their common ancestor was probably a thousand years > ago. A bit too far back for my genealogy. I did not expect my dad to get > a genealogy-relevant match on his Y-DNA though. That's because the Azores > are 9 islands. Even though my dad's family comes from the largest of the 9 > islands, not enough people have yet test from that island, let alone that > freguesia. I would think that once more men from Madeira test their Y-DNA, > they would be getting matches much, much sooner. > > Now, for a half-Portuguese (or a quarter or even less), he could take > Family Finder. That test has been on the market now for about 1.5 years. > I tested my dad's DNA a year ago, and things are starting to fall into > place. I think he had maybe 5 or 6 pages of matches (so 50 or 60 people). > Now he has 10 pages of matches. They range from the 2nd cousin level to > the 5th/Distant cousin level. I know how 5 or so of them fit into the > tree. I have about 4 or 5 who I think I know how they should fit, but the > match does not have all the research yet done on that line. They email me > when they find info. I'm guessing that my dad's matches on Family Finder > are probably 2/3 to 3/4 American (ultimately British Isles) type lines, > since there are a lot more of those researchers out there. The remainder > are Portuguese. And then there are those that I can't tell. Mrs. Jane > Doe. I don't know if her maiden name was Portuguese or she's matching on > my dad's American side. If I see the Gedcom button, I click it and take a > look. If not, I email. This Family Finder test is not a straight shot > like the Y-DNA (my father's father's father's line that winds up as a > Jacome). This one is a plate full of spaghetti and I have to try to > separate it to figure out which line came from where. It's fun and > frustrating sometimes. But mostly fun. > > I have not tested my dad's mtDNA (which is his American side which appears > to be something British). It's a brickwall and my paperwork on that only > goes to the mid-1800s. Since my dad's DNA will be stored for 25 years or > longer, I want to attack that line more with research first. But if I do > test it, I will do the whole Full Genetic Test or Full Genome or Full > Sequence (they keep marketing it differently). And I may do it when I find > another person who thinks that they come from the same ancestor. > > The Portuguese uncle would be good to test for either Y-DNA and definitely > for Family Finder since he's the older generation. Generally speaking, > it's usually better to test an older person, if that person's genealogy > covers your goals. > > Expenses: Well, depending on how you look at it, DNA can be expensive. > However, with one of my brickwalls, I drove up to the Los Angeles FHC on > numerous occasions (gas money), flew to Salt Lake (airfare, hotel, and > food), flew to St. Joseph, MO (air, hotel, food again + rent a car), and > east Tennessee. I don't even want to think how much money I spent on that > line. But I got to see a lot of really neat places and meet some really > good people, so I'm not complaining. How that wall was broken? A 2nd > cousin took a DNA test and it matched someone whose paper trail left the > burnt out east Tennessee and we got a match that way! > > So far, I've had no rich Portuguese person leave their fortune to my DNA > projects. Since FTDNA runs the holiday sale yearly (for the last 5 or 6 > years), some people save their money all year long and buy a test at the > end of the year. Some find a cousin or two who do genealogy and split the > cost. If it's Y-DNA, some buy the lower marker (Y-DNA 12 marker) and > upgrade as funds become available. Family Tree DNA does have a layaway > plan that they don't advertise. Once the kit is paid off, you can mail in > the DNA sample and it will be processed. > > On your U.K. match, you didn't state how many markers it was or the > haplogroup. Or how common the UK surname is. > > Hope I gave you a few ideas and cleared up a few questions. > > Cheri Mello > Family Tree DNA Admin > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PRT-MADEIRA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Leandro, Actually, you didn't screw up. You may have tested a DNA line that doesn't meet your current goal, but it may meet a future one! Your maternal grandfather: You could take Family Finder yourself which covers all your lines back to your 2 greats with 90% accuracy. It's just not a straight shot there. But it does cover your maternal grandfather. If you want a straight shot there, and since that grandfather had no brothers, he may have had uncles or male cousins from that direct line. You find one of their descendants and get that guy to test and then you have a straight path to that grandfather's line. In tracing your dad's side (where you have no idea) will take longer. The matches you are receiving aren't going to be meaningful for a while. So you are stuck in the "wait-and-see" mode. That's really annoying. Although I know where my dad's dad's line is from and have a paper trail, he has no matches at 37 markers. I've been playing wait-and-see on his line for the last 5 years. But you tested and your DNA is banked for a minimum of 25 years. Something is bound to happen within that time and if you ever needed to upgrade, your DNA is there. Cheri Mello Family Tree DNA Admin On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 1:14 AM, leandro deoliveira <gregobhte1@aol.com>wrote: > Hi Cheri.... > > Even with my 2 kits that i have, i think i screwed up big time :( > > Im trying to find out my maternal grandfather line. The thing is that i > dont have uncles, my grand dad is dead and he only had sisters that all > died already as well. > > so when i took both tests i was thinking that somehow it would be traced > at least in one of them...but reading now your emails i can see that is > only tracing my dads side of the family, in which i have no idea where they > really come from > > leandro > > > > > On 23 Nov 2011, at 18:06, Cheri Mello wrote: > > > Hi Betty, > > > > DNA for genealogy has been on the market for about 10 or 11 years now, > but > > it probably took about 5 years to get the word out and to get people to > > understand it. Or somewhat understand it, I should say. > > > > For a half-Portuguese man and his results: > > It depends on which test he takes. If his surname is Portuguese (or a > > variation/Anglicized version) and he takes a Y-DNA test, then he will be > > tracing father's father's father's line. He will get a list of matches > > with their email addresses. I encourage people to upload their Gedcoms > > (from their genealogy software program) so the matches can see their > line. > > My dad is half Portuguese on his paternal side. Since his surname is > > Mello, the Y-DNA test is tracing his father's father's line (back to that > > Jacome guy). My dad get a list of matches, but they were at the 25 > marker > > level, which means their common ancestor was probably a thousand years > > ago. A bit too far back for my genealogy. I did not expect my dad to > get > > a genealogy-relevant match on his Y-DNA though. That's because the > Azores > > are 9 islands. Even though my dad's family comes from the largest of > the 9 > > islands, not enough people have yet test from that island, let alone that > > freguesia. I would think that once more men from Madeira test their > Y-DNA, > > they would be getting matches much, much sooner. > > > > Now, for a half-Portuguese (or a quarter or even less), he could take > > Family Finder. That test has been on the market now for about 1.5 years. > > I tested my dad's DNA a year ago, and things are starting to fall into > > place. I think he had maybe 5 or 6 pages of matches (so 50 or 60 > people). > > Now he has 10 pages of matches. They range from the 2nd cousin level to > > the 5th/Distant cousin level. I know how 5 or so of them fit into the > > tree. I have about 4 or 5 who I think I know how they should fit, but > the > > match does not have all the research yet done on that line. They email > me > > when they find info. I'm guessing that my dad's matches on Family Finder > > are probably 2/3 to 3/4 American (ultimately British Isles) type lines, > > since there are a lot more of those researchers out there. The remainder > > are Portuguese. And then there are those that I can't tell. Mrs. Jane > > Doe. I don't know if her maiden name was Portuguese or she's matching on > > my dad's American side. If I see the Gedcom button, I click it and take > a > > look. If not, I email. This Family Finder test is not a straight shot > > like the Y-DNA (my father's father's father's line that winds up as a > > Jacome). This one is a plate full of spaghetti and I have to try to > > separate it to figure out which line came from where. It's fun and > > frustrating sometimes. But mostly fun. > > > > I have not tested my dad's mtDNA (which is his American side which > appears > > to be something British). It's a brickwall and my paperwork on that only > > goes to the mid-1800s. Since my dad's DNA will be stored for 25 years or > > longer, I want to attack that line more with research first. But if I do > > test it, I will do the whole Full Genetic Test or Full Genome or Full > > Sequence (they keep marketing it differently). And I may do it when I > find > > another person who thinks that they come from the same ancestor. > > > > The Portuguese uncle would be good to test for either Y-DNA and > definitely > > for Family Finder since he's the older generation. Generally speaking, > > it's usually better to test an older person, if that person's genealogy > > covers your goals. > > > > Expenses: Well, depending on how you look at it, DNA can be expensive. > > However, with one of my brickwalls, I drove up to the Los Angeles FHC on > > numerous occasions (gas money), flew to Salt Lake (airfare, hotel, and > > food), flew to St. Joseph, MO (air, hotel, food again + rent a car), and > > east Tennessee. I don't even want to think how much money I spent on > that > > line. But I got to see a lot of really neat places and meet some really > > good people, so I'm not complaining. How that wall was broken? A 2nd > > cousin took a DNA test and it matched someone whose paper trail left the > > burnt out east Tennessee and we got a match that way! > > > > So far, I've had no rich Portuguese person leave their fortune to my DNA > > projects. Since FTDNA runs the holiday sale yearly (for the last 5 or 6 > > years), some people save their money all year long and buy a test at the > > end of the year. Some find a cousin or two who do genealogy and split > the > > cost. If it's Y-DNA, some buy the lower marker (Y-DNA 12 marker) and > > upgrade as funds become available. Family Tree DNA does have a layaway > > plan that they don't advertise. Once the kit is paid off, you can mail > in > > the DNA sample and it will be processed. > > > > On your U.K. match, you didn't state how many markers it was or the > > haplogroup. Or how common the UK surname is. > > > > Hope I gave you a few ideas and cleared up a few questions. > > > > Cheri Mello > > Family Tree DNA Admin > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > PRT-MADEIRA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > PRT-MADEIRA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >