I don't know about mtDNA, but FTDNA will allow you to upgrade your Y-test for the difference in price to the higher test. Barton On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 7:12 PM, Dee Ziegler wrote: > Can anyone tell me -- as DNA testing is further developed, will the > samples already taken be capable of upgrading? My male cousin's Y-DNA > and my own mtDNA are my concern. THANKS for this enlightening > discussion. Dee in Maryland > ==== > > On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 9:03 PM, BARTON LEWIS > <bartonlewis@optonline.net> wrote: >> To elaborate on Joan's helpful DNA primer ... autosomal DNA tests DNA >> shared on the 22 chromosomes that don't determine sex.  The >> sex-determining chromosome (either no. 22 or 23, can't remember which >> right now) is only helpful for males, since it tests their Y >> chromosome. >> mtDNA exists in the membrane around the nucleus, and is passed down >> from >> a woman to all her children.  It is not passed down by a man to his >> children.  Therefore, either a man or woman can test their mtDNA but >> it >> will only identify the female lineage.  And the resolution is not >> good >> at that -- at best (I believe) only giving a 50% probability that you >> are related to a match. >> >> I have had both my mom and dad test their autosomal DNA.  Here is an >> one >> example of how it has been useful to me:  my great grandmother was >> born >> out of wedlock and we were told her father was unknown.  Then in 2008 >> a >> distant cousin called and said he knew the man's name.  I tracked >> down >> the granddaughter of this man's sister and she agreed to test.  She >> and >> my dad would be second cousins if the story was true.  But it was >> not. >> They did not match.  The more closely related you are to someone, the >> more autosomal DNA you share.  Second cousins should almost >> definitely >> be a match.  FTDNA tells you that it will only make matches back to >> about 5th cousins, and that there is a slim chance of such a match, >> but >> it's not true.  Paper trails confirm both my parents' matches with >> quite >> a number of 3rd, 4th, 5th, and even 6th cousins.  Other matches we >> don't >> know our relation to could very well be further back than that. >>  Since >> you apparently have a number of distant cousins who have tested, that >> increases your chances of making a match.  I recommend testing.  Even >> if >> you don't match with this family, you are bound to get other matches >> that could prove new connections. >> >> Barton Lewis >> >> >> On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 2:48 PM, Kirsten Bowman wrote: >> >>> I have a fair understanding of the use of yDNA in genealogy but the >>> blurbs I've read about autosomal DNA don't give a clue to whether >>> that >>> test would help solve a longstanding brick wall in my maternal line, >>> which is as follows . . . >>> >>> My 3rd great-grandfather was born in 1788 in a sparsely-populated >>> region of Canada.  I suspect he was the son of one of 7 brothers who >>> settled in the area in the early 1780s.  Roughly a dozen direct male >>> descendants of those 7 brothers have done yDNA tests through FTDNA. >>> Some have tested up to 67 markers and one has done the FTDNA Family >>> Finder test.  My own line daughtered-out with my 2nd >>> great-grandfather >>> and I’m unable to locate any direct male cousins for yDNA testing. >>> >>> Now I'm wondering whether an autosomal DNA test would tell whether >>> I'm >>> related to any of the fellows who have already tested, or would an >>> autosomal test of a female descendant of one of those 7 brothers >>> show >>> a relationship to me?  Would the $99 test from Ancestry.com do the >>> trick, or is the $289 Family Finder test from FTDNA necessary?  I >>> realize that no testing could tell *which* of the 7 brothers was the >>> parent of my 3rd great-grandfather; I'm simply wondering if I can >>> narrow him down to a certain clan. >>> Can anyone answer those questions or direct me to a site that gives >>> a >>> thorough explanation of what autosomal DNA testing will do? ===== >>> If you would prefer digest mode to mail mode, drop a note to >>> roots-admin@rootsweb.com and ask for the digest... >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> ===== >> If you would prefer digest mode to mail mode, drop a note to >> roots-admin@rootsweb.com and ask for the digest... >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ===== > If you would prefer digest mode to mail mode, drop a note to > roots-admin@rootsweb.com and ask for the digest... > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Barton, MTDNA is a type of DNA not a company.. FTDNA is a genetic testing company ... For info on Genetic testing for Genealogy go READ: GeneticGenealogy - http://www.geneticsand.us Nelda Nelda L. Percival, Administrator of Y-DNA surname projects Gilpin, Cupp, Bonstein and Gillock My Genealogy - http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bonsteinandgilpin/index.htm GeneticGenealogy - http://www.geneticsand.us Blog - http://aircastles-lets-talk.blogspot.com/ GilpinGenetics: http://www.gilpingenetics.us/ Web Mistress for LCRG - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~molcgdrg > Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 22:19:34 -0400 > From: bartonlewis@optonline.net > To: dee.ziegler@gmail.com > CC: roots-l@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [ROOTS-L] Autosomal DNA? > > I don't know about mtDNA, but FTDNA will allow you to upgrade your > Y-test for the difference in price to the higher test. > > Barton ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~