which dna test

[jdwaters]

I've talked my brother into getting a DNA test for genealogy purposes.
I'm just wondering if you guys have any recommendations on Which test or What company to use...?

[GvdM]

I've talked my brother into getting a DNA test for genealogy purposes.
I'm just wondering if you guys have any recommendations on Which test or What company to use...?

What results are you looking for? If you want to study the male line (father, father's father, etc.) go with a ydna test, female line (mother, mother's mother etc.) mtdna test. Or you could do both. FTDNA has been excellent for me, from EthnoAncestry I am waiting on the S-series tests. Both these companies are reputable. DNA-fingerprint was excellent and is now part of FTDNA.

[jdwaters]

yes, the male line

yes I want to study the male line. My brother is the only male left.

what company/product would you recommend?

[GvdM]

yes I want to study the male line. My brother is the only male left.

what company/product would you recommend?

The most markers at present is FTDNA at 67-marker. They also sponsor the ysearch.org database which is I believe the largest. that is who did my testing and I am very happy with them. I also use EthnoAncestry for the S-Series DSNP tests since they are the only lab doing those particular SNP's at the moment. That is in addtion to the DSNP from Family Tree. FTDNA also sponsors this forum. I am comfortable dealing with them.

Here is the link for FamilyTreeDNA: FamilyTreeDNA

[Jim Barrett]

If you use FTDNA be sure to check for a surname project you can join. You get a nice discount that way.

[GvdM]

If you use FTDNA be sure to check for a surname project you can join. You get a nice discount that way.

Yes, that is the best if there is a surname project that fits you.

[jdwaters]

the results

OK, it sounds like if I can afford it, I should get the Y-DNA67 - 67 Marker Test.

sorry to be such a newbie about this. but I'm wondering about the results, I looked at the website, but it's still not clear to me. Will it just be a bunch of numbers?

A few years ago, my Mom took a AncestryByDNA test. Besides numbers, it had a chart that broke down her race and showed what percentage of asian she was. Then I think there was some other map that showed most likely countries of origin or something like that.

will my results shed any light on the parts of Europe our ancestors came from?

[vineviz]

OK, it sounds like if I can afford it, I should get the Y-DNA67 - 67 Marker Test.

If money is no issue, there is nothing wrong with the 67-marker test. For most purposes, however, the 37-marker test is sufficient unless you have some reason believe the common ancestor of the two people you are testing is very recent. You'd be better off paying for a couple of 12- or 25-marker tests for people that you believe yourself to be related to, however, than paying only for a 67-marker test for yourself.

sorry to be such a newbie about this. but I'm wondering about the results, I looked at the website, but it's still not clear to me. Will it just be a bunch of numbers?

Yep, just a bunch of numbers. The value arises when you compare your numbers to someone else's numbers: the more similar your numbers are to those of another person, the more likely you are closely related.

will my results shed any light on the parts of Europe our ancestors came from?

Maybe, but the light won't be very bright. DNA in Europe is pretty well mixed up, so you might get lucky with a regional focus or you might not. My paternal line was in Italy for hundreds of years, but my closest DNA matches are in Germany and Scotland.

[haplogroupc]

My paternal line was in Italy for hundreds of years, but my closest DNA matches are in Germany and Scotland.

vineviz,

Seriously? Wow. Have you taken the DNA Tribes test? I'm curious to know what your results were, if you got scores from Italy or not.

[vineviz]

Seriously? Wow. Have you taken the DNA Tribes test? I'm curious to know what your results were, if you got scores from Italy or not.

I have not taken an autosomal test of any sort.

And I should have added that my closest matches with people of a different surname were in Germany and Scotland. I have a surname match with someone else from the same region of Italy as my family.

And this really isn't a shock: populations were much more fluid in Europe in the past than many people imagine. My ancestors could have been Roman soldiers, Roman slaves, Lombard invaders, etc. Thus, the belief that DNA tests can pinpoint a location (i.e. particular country) in Europe is often unfounded.

[cliffsheets]

Which DNA TEST?

yes I want to study the male line. My brother is the only male left.

what company/product would you recommend?

I used Family Tree DNA and was very satisfied with their work. I got a 37 marker test and a HVR1 and HVR2 mitochondrial test. They gave me certificates and things that helped me understand what I was looking at (I'm new to this too).

Depending on what your brother's surname is would also determine how many markers you want. If it is a common name like Smith or Jones, you may want to have more than 12 markers because there are several different surnames with the same 12 markers. I match 12/12 with a guy who shares my surname, and we can trace our common ancestor back to the 1750's.

Good Luck.