DNA Testing Overview
I am, by no means, an expert on DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) testing or the interpretation of DNA results. The following overview is my understanding of the subject and attempts to frankly address the questions that I have been asked and the concerns of a few folks. The World Families Network is a good place to find much more detailed information on this subject.
I have been asked many times why the Woody DNA Project is limited to male participants. The answer to this question is found in the characteristics of DNA. DNA is passed from parents to their children. There are two kinds of DNA that are useful in genealogical research; yDNA and mtDNA. yDNA is passed from father to son forever. yDNA is not passed from father to daughter. In ideal circumstances, yDNA should follow a surname forever. Some of the reasons for deviations from the ideal are discussed below. mtDNA is passed from mother to daughter and son; however the son does not pass his mtDNA on to his children. So mtDNA is passed from mother to daughter forever. Since most lineages are based on male surnames, most DNA projects use yDNA; however, many mtDNA projects do exist.
An individual's yDNA test results have little meaning on their own. Test results cannot be plugged into some magical formula to determine the name of an ancestor. The value of an individual’s test results depends on how they compare to other test results. Matching results indicate that the individuals share a common ancestor. Depending on the number of markers tested and the number of matches, the comparison will indicate, with a certain degree of probability, how long ago this common ancestor lived. The tests will not show exactly who this ancestor was, but when combined with conventional research (i.e.; paper trails), the results can be used to confirm a suspected connection between two families or disprove a connection. Although it is impossible to pinpoint a common ancestor from the test results alone, with a proven paper trails, it is possible to do so.
The test results can be very useful to anyone that has a short/medium paper trail. That is, family historians that are confronted with a dead-end or brick wall. In that case, matching results with results associated with a proven longer paper trail would indicate ancestor candidates and the geographical area to concentrate research.
Of course, the test results can confirm good research and may refute less than perfect research.
The tests are also a good indicator of events that have occurred in almost every
family history. Such an event may not be known to the yDNA submitter and his
results may be surprising. In my research of several family lines, I
have become aware of the following events:
1. "Adoptions" - In earlier times,
frontier life could be very harsh and formal adoptions were rare. When the
parents of young children died, their neighbors sometimes "adopted" the orphans.
Sometimes the orphans kept their parents name; sometimes they grew up using the
surname of their foster parents. Sometimes these children were never told of
these events.
2. Unions (civil, common law or
other) that, for one reason or the other, resulted in children that were given
the surname of their mother. One specific example is that of the children of an
unmarried mother. These children were often given the surname of their mother
and sometimes raised as children of their mother's parents. Sometimes these
children were never told of these events.
3. Name/Identity changes - At one
time, it was relatively easy for an individual to assume a different name
without using the legal system.
4. Marital indiscretions - Stuff
happens.
Although, these events were relatively rare, they did occur and such a discovery may cause the submitter some concern. Unless the submitter agrees, the DNA testing companies do not release submitter's given name. The Woody DNA Project uses the same ground rules as the testing companies. The Woody DNA Project compares yDNA results with lineages, not individuals. The Woody DNA Project Patriarch Page does not contain lineages with the names of people born after 1910.
Personal Privacy - Participants in the project can remain completely anonymous if they so chose. The person being tested does not have to pay for for the testing himself. The testing company does not care who pays for the testing and neither do I. In fact, we have several participants that had their testing paid for by an interested relative.
Medical Privacy - The yDNA used for genealogy is call "Junk DNA" by the scientific community. That is because the function of this DNA has not been identified. Therefore, this yDNA has no relationship to medical conditions and cannot be used by people, businesses or organizations to identify medical conditions.
Another concern is that yDNA results will refute long established family traditions, legends and/or imperfect lineage assumptions/paper trails. In other words: Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up. Again, it is up to the submitter to make his name public, so if he chooses, he can go on living, telling and publishing his legend.
Revised Mar 25, 2008