Greetings, I was the one who asked the original question about mtDNA testing that has prompted additional recent postings on the subject. I guess what it boils down to is: could or would mtDNA testing reveal if my maternal line was of Celtic origin? We have been unable to trace this part of our family tree beyond my great great grandmother.......but I have a strong suspicion that her mother may have been a Milroy/MacElroy (associated with Clan MacGillivray?). So, even if I could not find a recent link to another individual, would the test at least establish a Celtic vs. Norse origin, for example? Also, as in Y-DNA testing, where there are 37-marker tests and so forth, should I be looking for a certain number of markers as the current "gold standard" when having mtDNA analyzed? Best regards, Susan Carlson

Hi, Why don't you join the genalogy-dna mailing list to get your answer.. They do about 200 emails a day so you probablty wouldn't want to say very long , unles you got really interested. We have everyone from beginers to some of the PHD's who run the labs.. Nelda Nelda's websites - http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.com/~bonsteinandgilpin/ Gilpin DNA Project member