mtDNA test??

[double a]

My mother was an only child. Her mother(my grandmother) was an only child. I don't have any info regarding my g grandmother except her name.
I am thinking about having my mtdna tested. Besides finding my "Eve", I hope somday when thousands of women are tested and entered into some kind of data base, that I may find a mtdna match.
My question is- Will the 2 generations of "only child" be a problem? Also, I am on a very strict budget so should I have the regular mtDNA test or the mtDNA Plus? Is there enough difference between the two to warrant going with the Plus test?
Thanks for any input. Aileen
Genealogist travel in the PAST lane.

[AngelaC]

Re: mtDNA test??

Originally posted by double a
My mother was an only child. Her mother(my grandmother) was an only child. I don't have any info regarding my g grandmother except her name.
I am thinking about having my mtdna tested. Besides finding my "Eve", I hope somday when thousands of women are tested and entered into some kind of data base, that I may find a mtdna match.
My question is- Will the 2 generations of "only child" be a problem? Also, I am on a very strict budget so should I have the regular mtDNA test or the mtDNA Plus? Is there enough difference between the two to warrant going with the Plus test?
Thanks for any input. Aileen
Genealogist travel in the PAST lane.

Hi Aileen,
Strictly speaking, the two generations of being an only child won't be a problem. The only problem would be is that you won't be finding long lost first or second cousins.
I too am getting my mtDNA tested for similar reasons. However, do keep in mind that mtDNA mutates very slowly, so you will likely have exact matches with people you had a common ancestor with thousands of years ago (not at all recent enough to connect together on a family tree).
You will get more matches with the standard mtDNA test, (as common ancestor goes back further), but the extra sequences in the plus test will give you fewer people (but more "recent" ancestry).
In the long-term you might want the Plus test done, but in the short term, initially just getting the standard test done might be better. They keep your DNA sample in storage and you can upgrade at a later time. Thats what I'm doing.
Angela

[Bill Hurst]

Hi Angela and Aileen,

The chances of finding a match on FTDNA for your mtDNA are less than for Y-DNA. One reason is that there are probably a lot fewer test results in the FTDNA database for mtDNA. The other reason is that an mtDNA match has to be perfect for it to show up on your page, while for Y-DNA you are shown one-step and two-step mutations.

One study I looked at recently tested 1771 Caucasians in Europe and the U.S., finding 1278 different haplotypes. If you are haplogroup H, with no additional mutations, which is the CRS (Cambridge Reference Sequence), then you might find some matches. But if you are from one of the rarer haplogroups, or clans, then don't hold your breath. I'm in K, with 12 mutations using mtDNAPlus, so if a match ever shows up, it will probably be a cousin. The study above listed defining mutations for subgroups K1 and K2 - I have both! My mother was an "only daughter," so I have to go back another generation to find cousins who should have the same DNA. I've mentioned the test to them, but I think for them it failed the cost/benefit test. Aileen, don't forget that men as well as women can take mtDNA tests.

I also arranged tests for two cousins to prove that two of their ancestors were sisters and was pleased when they had a perfect match. They are in H, with 5 mutations. My father should have had the same haplotype, if he were still around to be tested. By the way, these cousins, with a Virginia ancestry, had HVR1 matches in Canada and New York, but the match did not continue to the HVR2 or mtDNAPlus level. And their haplotype does not appear to be that unusual.

So, you might want to take the basic test, which will tell you your haplogroup. If you have some matches which you think might be relatives, then you should think about upgrading to the Plus test.

Bill Hurst

[double a]

Thank you Bill and Angela for your responses. My dad's dna is on "file" at FTDNA but having his dna updated with mtDNA test won't do me any good. Since my mother and grandmother were only children means cousins will be really hard to come by. My grandmother's mother may have had siblings but, so far in my research, I haven't found any info on her. That is the main reason I want to test - to hopefully someday find a maternal cousin or two.
I will start saving for the basic mtdna test and then start saving for the up grade after I receive my results.
Thanks again for your input.

Aileen