Why Y-DNA Haplogroup?

[MarcuccioV]

I'd be looking for suggestions on which DNA tests and which companies.

As for the DNA questions, I can only say I've only had limited success with subjects in this forum as well.

All I can give you as to test suggestions is what I've done (and the reasons why):

I started out with Ancestry -- it has the biggest database, and has given me by far the most DNA matches (close to 27k; albeit only 585 of those are listed as maternal). They do update their ethnicity estimates somewhat regularly as their database grows, and it does seem to improve with each update. Of course there is cost for the test & annual subscription, but coupons can be had online and the tests often go on sale. They have Beta tested some interesting features which have been helpful to my research. Ancestry GEDCOMS are downloadable (see further).

I next did 23&Me -- although the results line up well with Ancestry, they can pinpoint regions within a noted ethnicity that Ancestry cannot. DNA matches are limited to 1500 (at least at the basic level) and lower cM matches drop off as higher matches appear. Costs compare with Ancestry and 23&me GEDCOMS are also downloadable. No ethnicity update thus far.

FTDNA -- they have the ability to provide a matrix based on uploadable GEDCOMS (I uploaded both my Ancestry and 23&Me GEDCOMS). Gives you a bigger DNA match group, ethnicity estimates in my opinion are it's weakest link. I did my mtDNA test through FTDNA (and the have joinable DNA projects the other matrices do not). Costs for annual subscription and mtDNA or Y-DNA tests apply (I have NOT done the Y-DNA test). Very basic chromosome comparison tool. No updates to ethnicity mix.

MyHeritage -- again, using the uploadable GEDCOMS. Decent ethnicity matrix, I now have 10k+ DNA matches with them. Similar tools to the other sites. Subscription fee. Similar chromosome tool to FTDNA. No ethnicity updates.

Geanenet -- French-based, might be useful for your maternal side. GEDCOM upload. Hasn't helped me much.

My Living DNA -- UK based, ethnicity estimate is heavily UK biased. Again, GEDCOM upload. Not the best one unless you are 100% (or close) UK ancestry. No ehnicity update & DNA match updates rare.

GEDMATCH -- GEDCOM upload, by far the most scientific of the lot. Lots of tools even at the basic (free) level, even more if upgraded to 'Tier One' (nominal monthly or annual fee; I have not tried it yet). It can be rather overwhelming at first, but once you get to experimenting with the various tools it can be quite enlightening. It gives you up to 3k DNA matches at the basic level, up to 100k for the paid level. Besides the more scientific tools, you can compare each DNA match to your own DNA chromosome by chromosome. Oddly, only about 10% of the DNA matches are the same between the 2 GEDCOM uploads...

The one I'm now seriously considering is Nebula Genomics. Whereas all the above only test a very small fraction of your genome, Nebula tests 100%. It also has included health reports (of no particular intertest to me) which might be valuable to some. Downside is it's the most expensive test out there.

In short, depending on your budget (or how much you wish to invest), ANY of these options is better than none. This was just the path that I took. As you know, I'm closer to a breakthrough on my maternal side, but It's still elusive, even with the investment that I have made (thus far).

The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

[darkerhorse]

Thanks. That's a wealth of information. I'll have to spend time digesting it.

For now, have DNA matches helped you much with identifying your own ethnicity and/or constructing family tree?

I know you have found a long-lost cousin through DNA matching but my interest in finding/contacting DNA matches is relatively low.

[MarcuccioV]

Thanks. That's a wealth of information. I'll have to spend time digesting it.

For now, have DNA matches helped you much with identifying your own ethnicity and/or constructing family tree?

I know you have found a long-lost cousin through DNA matching but my interest in finding/contacting DNA matches is relatively low.

My goal was less about DNA matches and more about building the family tree (DNA matches have assisted somewhat in that goal, however). I'm still more pursuant to my maternal side since the DNA match lists are SO heavily skewed to my paternal side.

Yes, finding my cousin Debbie was an unexpected and exciting bonus.

I'd suggest checking out the info & FAQ links on the various testing sites to find the one(s) that suit you best for your purposes. In ANY case, I HIGHLY recommend a GEDCOM upload to GEDMATCH.com. It will be well worth it, methinks...

[darkerhorse]

Have you learned anything substantive about your own ethnic background solely from DNA matches?

[MarcuccioV]

Have you learned anything substantive about your own ethnic background solely from DNA matches?

I'm not sure if I can say substantive or not. For certain they have reinforced the Sicilian connection that I never knew existed prior to testing...

[darkerhorse]

Have you learned anything substantive about your own ethnic background solely from DNA matches?

I'm not sure if I can say substantive or not. For certain they have reinforced the Sicilian connection that I never knew existed prior to testing...

Can you recap this?

[MarcuccioV]

Have you learned anything substantive about your own ethnic background solely from DNA matches?

I'm not sure if I can say substantive or not. For certain they have reinforced the Sicilian connection that I never knew existed prior to testing...

Can you recap this?

Prior to testing, according to my grandparents (at least what they let on), we had basically Roman roots (commune of Valmontone) on my mother's side. My grandmother mentioned Frosinone a few times, as if there was a distant connection there, but nothing outside of that general area.

I doubt they ever had a very deep family history, as all the gens before them were illiterate peasants (plus both of my grandparents arrived in the US at the age of 19 -- in 1910 and 1922 respectively).

Upon testing, the matrices began showing deeper roots in locales outside of the familial geography -- Several regions on the mainland, and a strong tie to Sicily.

My grandparents never relayed any of this, especially the Sicilian connection. Since my uncle's wife was Sicilian, it was not unfamiliar to us, just not related as we knew it.

Once I tested, most of the DNA matches that could be attributed to my mother's side had Sicilian roots. The more closely matched appeared to be rooted on the mainland, but the majority were to at least some extent Sicilian. Some were 100% Sicilian, so along with the matrices showing high concentrations of Sicilian & southern Italian & traces of Greece/Cyprus, it confirmed that there IS a deeper rooting that arrived onto the mainland from the island.

My guess is it came by boat from Palermo and/or Messina to Naples, as that's where the DNA picks up on the mainland & goes north & east from there. In Sicily, most of the matches seem to hail from Messina and Agrigento provinces, with a good number from Palermo.

So if there was any question of the matrix being in error, the DNA matches proved that untrue.

mtDNA teasting also found Sicilian roots on my grandmother's direct female line, which was also backed up by the DNA matches. I just haven't been able (as yet) to physically tie in the genetic lines...

[darkerhorse]

If a DNA match has Sicilian roots then does it mean that their blood connection to you is necessarily through their Sicilian ancestry?

Can any of your DNA matches with Sicilian roots be connected to you through a paper trail?

I was thinking that a DNA match, especially distant, might not share their Sicilian portion with you.

What is your guess as to your actual percentage Sicilian by DNA and/or by paper trail?

[MarcuccioV]

If a DNA match has Sicilian roots then does it mean that their blood connection to you is necessarily through their Sicilian ancestry?

Can any of your DNA matches with Sicilian roots be connected to you through a paper trail?

I was thinking that a DNA match, especially distant, might not share their Sicilian portion with you.

What is your guess as to your actual percentage Sicilian by DNA and/or by paper trail?

I can't answer that question directly. Wild guess would be somewhere around 15-25% through my mother, so divide that in half for me. Where the Greek and Cypriot entered the picture is unknown, but it seems unlikely to have entered via the mainland, as the closer mainland matches don't seem to share it while the deeper Sicilian matches do. Debbie also carries the Greek and Cypriot (and at slightly higher percentage than I).

None by paper trail, as any connections must before prior to the paper trail's beginning (1871).

There are a few matches that are 100% Sicilian with no mainland connections on their trees. Also some of the Sicilian connections are related to each other as well as to me.

Yes, there are some that have both mainland AND Sicilian, but no proven connections to either area.

Strangely I have very few DNA matches to the Roman countryside. More are in surrounding regions, but most seem to be Sicilian. I have made some comparisons to paternal Italian matches from my cousin Debbie that we don't share (due to random recombination) and have found the same pattern.

I have to rely on the law of averages until further information turns up (if it ever does)...

[darkerhorse]

[/quote]

20% Sicilian uncovered wouldn't be too bad, especially since, in my view, it's the mother who makes you Italian/Sicilian in practice.

So you don't have any records which documents that a given DNA match has Sicilian heritage themselves and documents their blood relation to you?

I wonder how representative the reference panels really are. For example, are Sicilians more likely to be DNA tested than Romans?

Aren't the reference panels biased in favor of non-emigrants at the expense of emigrants? In other words, they're composed of persons whose ancestors remained in Italy.

Are the reference panels applicable to someone like me who is descended from a relatively small direct line, and who has very few relatives left in Sicily because so many of my ancestors came over to the U.S. generations ago?

Or does stability of ethnic DNA over time overcome that bias?

[/quote]

[MarcuccioV]

20% Sicilian uncovered wouldn't be too bad, especially since, in my view, it's the mother who makes you Italian/Sicilian in practice.

So you don't have any records which documents that a given DNA match has Sicilian heritage themselves and documents their blood relation to you?

I wonder how representative the reference panels really are. For example, are Sicilians more likely to be DNA tested than Romans?

Aren't the reference panels biased in favor of non-emigrants at the expense of emigrants? In other words, they're composed of persons whose ancestors remained in Italy.

Are the reference panels applicable to someone like me who is descended from a relatively small direct line, and who has very few relatives left in Sicily because so many of my ancestors came over to the U.S. generations ago?

Or does stability of ethnic DNA over time overcome that bias?

I would hedge my bets toward the latter, but I'm no genealogist. All I have to go on is the ancestors (and locations) they list in their trees. I suppose as with anything, you can manipulate the data to mean what you want it to mean. In that case it makes it more a game of personal preference than of actual science...

[Reloadergg]

23&Me reports the Y-DNA haplogroup as R-M269I, while Family Tree reports it as R-L1066.1.

Can you explain what a Y-DNA haplogroup is, and what it reveals about ancestry?

Also, why the reporting difference? I think someone said one code is more "downstream" than the other.

I think it is because of Geographic origins. Different Y-DNA haplogroups are associated with specific geographic regions. By identifying your haplogroup, you can gain insights into the likely geographic origin of your paternal lineage.

[sarika87]

Hello everyone

Y-DNA haplogroups trace the genetic legacy inherited from father to son, providing an intriguing window into paternal ancestry. People can discover links to prehistoric human migrations and gain a deeper understanding of their paternal line's evolutionary history by investigating these haplogroups.

[udit]

Delving into Y-DNA haplogroups sparks a quest for ancestral connections. Thoughts revolve around uncovering the deep roots of personal heritage, tracing the footsteps of forefathers, and understanding genetic journeys. It's a fascinating exploration of one's lineage, bringing a profound sense of identity and connection through the lens of genetics. gb whatsapp pro download

[sarika87]

hello guys,,
In genetic genealogy, Y-DNA haplogroups are essential for tracking paternal lineages down through the generations. By offering information on ancestry, migration trends, and family relationships, they help people discover their roots and provide a complete picture of their genetic background.
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