--- On Sun, 10/4/09, n5bry@aol.com <n5bry@aol.com> wrote: From: n5bry@aol.com <n5bry@aol.com> Subject: Re: [TNLINCOL] DNA testing To: tnlincol-l@rootsweb.com Date: Sunday, October 4, 2009, 7:51 AM For those who are considering surname DNA testing. I would suggest that you use FTDNA for your testing.? There are quite a few testing companies but they don't test on the same markers.? FTDNA has the largest data base to check against. Testing with another company may cause you to miss a match or seem to be so mis-matched that you discard a true connection. Case in point.? My cousin tested for our Taylor surname project.? We were contacted by a person whose cousin tested with another company.? Based on court house records she was certain we were closely related but the marker comparison was so far off, there were serious doubts.? I suggested her cousin retest with FTDNA and he matched very well with only 1 marker off as opposed to he original 7 markers off, confirming the close relationship even though our common ancestor was about 250 years back. We have been contacted by some who tested with other companies who were certain we were a match.? When comparing apples with apples, they would never match us.? Other companies don't check the same markers, making it very difficult to confirm a lineage. Test with FTDNA.? You will have lots of interesting DNA freebie information included plus an opportunity to convert your markers to Y-search where people from other testing companies can also post their markers for comparisons and? you may find an unknown connection there. FTDNA usually sponsors really good sale prices on the testing around Christmas.? Also, at least for a start, testing to 37 markers is sufficient to get you the information you need.? We have upgraded several of our different surname donors and testing to 67 markers did not improve our matches. My best advice - test to 37 markers with FTDNA.? That will give you the most important information. Good luck. Nita DNA chatters,     I  appreciate to hear everyone's input. On FTDNA at one time there was a sort of informational bell curve of the information derived from 12, 25? 37, and 67 marker tests, and there is a large informational advantage for the consumer going up to 37, but the difference in likelihood of a match was only about 5 percent more from 37 to 67, meaning that at 37, if you were identical it was a 90 percent probability of you being related at 5 generations and at  67 it only went up to 95% probability of a match. The informational gain from 37 to 67 nearly flatlines. I have seen this mentioned in the past. This is why I am not so sold on the purchase of a 67 marker test. Just my two cents. I am opened minded for corrections from anyone though. Have a good Sunday!!                                                                                   Randy  --------------------------- ---- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TNLINCOL-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Randy, You are for the most part correct, with the caveat that matches at 37 markers have been know to disappear when 67 marker test were done. In most cases markers 38 to 67 remove all doubt about a match, sometimes however they disprove the match. It all depends on how much confidence you want in the match. There are many people who think they have proved a family relationship, with a 12 or 25 marker match with another person who has done the 37 or 67 marker test---not so, all they have proved is that they are in the same haplogroup. While it is necessary to be in the same haplogroup to have a match, that does not prove you are related within genealogical time, the last 500 years. People in the same haplogroup are related, but it could be as much as 40,000 years ago. The purpose of genetic testing for genealogical purposes is to find matches within a realistic time frame. Marleen Van Horne