One package fits all ?

[DoctorStrange]

Hi folks,
New here and new to this dna stuff, but certainly not new to genealogy.

Is there one package that covers it all ? That will give me my dad and mom's side and going way back, and which includes the information given in the family finder and any additional info ?

Because it seems that ordering packages and add-ons can turn out to be extremely expensive.

Thank you in advance

[MoberlyDrake]

DNA does not actually give you genealogical information, per se. Family Finder gives you a list of people who are predicted to share a common ancestor with you, along with a prediction of how close the relationship is. It's up to you and your match to find that common ancestor and it's usually difficult or impossible, partly due to the fact that most people don't know who their ancestors were and/or refuse to reply to email. The common ancestor could be in any line, therefore it's best to test your parents or grandparents if possible, in order to separate the lines. You usually end up testing more relatives as you go along, in an effort to separate lines.

A Y-DNA test follows the direct male line - father's father's father's, etc. line. You should get a minimum of 37 makers tested, more if you can afford it. Only direct line male descendants can do this one, so you have to find a willing male in the line of interest to do the test.

Be aware that either of these test can bring to light skeletons in the closet, so you need to consider if and how you can handle unexpected results (such as finding out you or one of your close relatives had a different parent than the known one, or you have a half-sibling you didn't know about, etc.)

But I think these 2 tests are the most useful for recent (the last few hundred years) genealogy.

[ech124]

I would say for a beginner, testing autosomol DNA is the most useful and Familyfinder is an excellent choice. It is on sale here until the end of August, so that is what I would highly recommend.

[DoctorStrange]

Thanks for your answers.

[marcus118]

I'd start off with the basic autosomal test to get your feet wet. This is the most popular test and will get you started in the right direction. If you end up getting hooked on genealogy research like many of us do, then you can think about other tests like the YDNA and mtDNA. I found this article to be extremely helpful for me to decide which test was best: https://www.smarterhobby.com/genealo...ee-dna-review/

Hope this helps!

[DNAMaria]

Just joined! Marcus118 definitely has a good recommendation for that link. I was checking on Google and found another site where I actually know the author, Kushal Tantry. He's worked at some of the genealogy companies and has a really good understanding of what's going on. He's also got scientists that have helped him to give objective opinions oabout the autosomal DNA test. Here's the site as a whole: https://www.dnatestingguides.com/ It gets straight to the point when it comes down to it.

Hope this helps everyone!

[loobster]

Just joined! Marcus118 definitely has a good recommendation for that link. I was checking on Google and found another site where I actually know the author, Kushal Tantry. He's worked at some of the genealogy companies and has a really good understanding of what's going on. He's also got scientists that have helped him to give objective opinions oabout the autosomal DNA test. Here's the site as a whole: https://www.dnatestingguides.com/ It gets straight to the point when it comes down to it.

Not impressed by the accuracy of that link -- FTDNA uses a Cheek Swab, it says it uses Saliva Sample. And -- they say FTDNA does not import from other services, which they definitely have been doing.
Also - what are they talking about when they say about FTDNA "Users must back up their data because the site doesn't retain data as long as other sites do." -- Is this another error, or ??

[Jim Barrett]

I have never seen so much wrong information. It says 23andMe uses cheek swab, they don't. It says 23andMe have Y-DNA and mtDNA test but they only do enough to provide low level Hapolgroup. It says FTDNA stores results for 25 years. WRONG!!! FTDNA stores the sample for 25 years. I have never seen any mention of how long they store the data. I wouldn't waste my time going to the site.

Back up your data? Why not? We never know what will happen to any company.