Brand new and excited / slightly overwhelmed

[Chere]

Hello and thanks for being here. Been dabbling in my family tree but brand new to DNA. After a grandson's convincing, my paternal uncle agreed to do it. I purchased the Y-DNA67 test kit and it's on it's way to him. I hope he follows through with it.

I have been reading but I must admit, I'm worried that I might not be smart enough to interpret the results. So far, I'm a little confused and a bit overwhelmed.

Please indulge me, a couple of questions from the set-up:

Do I upload the entire GEDCOM file (about 3500 people)?
Does any maternal influence appear in the results? (told you I was a newbie)
Will the test I ordered tell what part of the world my ancestors came from?

I have written questions to the company but I believe they have a show in New York this week and everyone must be busy with that as I haven't received a reply.

Thanks in advance

[Wing_Genealogis]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Genetic Genealogy!

I will attempt to answer at least some of your questions. But I do want to commend you for trying to explore the subject BEFORE the test results come back. While it can be challenging to learn the ropes, many people (including myself) find it VERY rewarding.

First of all, the Y-DNA test examines the Y (sex) chromosome. The Y chromosome is passed down strictly from fathers to sons and only men have this chromosome. The quick answer to your question about maternal influences is that there are none.

It is up to you even whether to upload your Gedcom file, and if you do upload the file, how much of it you do upload. If all you ever intend to DNA test is your uncle's Y-DNA, then all you would need to upload is just a straight male lineage.

However, if you do intend (or even thing you would want) to eventually expand to other tests (such as mtDNA our autosomal-DNA) then it would make sense to upload your entire Gedcom.

Finally - in regards to ancestral origins: For the most part, current level of Y-DNA testing cannot absolutely identify your origins. It can assign you to a haplogroup, and with that assignment you can learn more about the lines early history.

What I would suggest is that once you receive your results, and obtain a haplogroup assignment, you should join that haplogroup project. These projects are run by volunteer administrators, and while they do not get paid for their services, they are usually VERY well educated on their particular haplogroup and are a valuable resource.

I hope I have answered all of your questions for you.


Ray

[Chere]

Thanks Ray. This is a big help!

[tomcat]

...
First of all, the Y-DNA test examines the Y (sex) chromosome. The Y chromosome is passed down strictly from fathers to sons and only men have this chromosome. The quick answer to your question about maternal influences is that there are none. ...

The telomeres (strand ends) of X and Y do exchange genetic material but the telomeres of Y are not part of the 67-marker Y test. X telomeres are sampled by the 23&Me test. I don't know if FTDNA's Family Finder test samples X telomeres or if any FTDNA Y test samples Y telomeres.

[Chere]

I received word that my uncle's test kit was received. Now what do I do? Where do I find the info or will it be sent by snail mail somewhere? I hope it's sent to me and not to my uncle as he will know even less than me what to do with it.

[travers]

I received word that my uncle's test kit was received. Now what do I do? Where do I find the info or will it be sent by snail mail somewhere? I hope it's sent to me and not to my uncle as he will know even less than me what to do with it.

If you purchased his kit you should have received log-in credentials in the order confirmation email sent from FTDNA. When you log-in to FTDNA at the bottom of the myFTDNA page if your uncle's kit was batched by the lab there should be a section called "Pending Lab Results", click where it says "Check Progress". It will tell you what batch the kit is in and when results are expected. You can follow the progress from there. FTDNA is supposed to send an email when results come back but their notification emails are unreliable, so just check the account yourself from time to time. You can also see the progress on the left-hand side of the myFTDNA page where it says "Order Progress and History".

[Chere]

Thank you so much for those instructions. It was just received, according to the site.
We are in the Thrasher / Thresher Project.

[Brunetmj]

I just wanted to mention something that FTDNA does not mention. His results
may not actually show his exact group. This is because the Y testing only goes to a particular level, high on the tree. If you want more detail you have to pay for a deep clade test. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
My initial Y tests ends up as R1b1 M269 as far as a haplogroup goes. This is far up the tree. To go further I then pay for a "deep clade" and then move further down the tree to R1b1a2a1a1b4- L21 (L21 is the shortcut name).
This really all depends on what group he is in . Some groups have very short trees and others much longer. The group you belong to influences what project you can join. In my case being French i can join the french heritage group with just a M269 but I could not join the L21 group until my deep clade is done.

As far as matching others is concerned this also depends on what nationality he is. Some people , such as the Irish, have many matches whereas other nationalities such as myself have no matches. There are just not as many people from mainland Europe in the database.
I do not like being a nay sayer but dispite these flaws in the testing system
it is well worth the information you do get.

[Chere]

Thanks, I think I understand what you're saying but this is all very new.
What about Family Finder? Will that test tell me where my family's origins are in the world? I'm very interested in knowing that as well as if we have Native American Indian ancestry (as the rumor goes).

[Brunetmj]

Well there are two parts to family finder test. The Population finder and Family finder.Take a look at my population finder results below ,in my signature. Would you be able to guess where my ancestors came from based on that? Other than to say I am likely European? For most of us (there are exceptions) these results are rather broad.
Family Finder can be useful because you can find DNA cousins and may be able to better judge ancestry by looking at their ancestry. The key to this test is having a good paper trail and being able to compare paper trails with the other person.

[Chere]

Hmmm, perhaps I wasted my $ then?

[Brunetmj]

Hmmm, perhaps I wasted my $ then?

Not necessarily I was just pointing out the limitations inherent in testing.
I have found it to be very interesting and informative. For many people it may be the only thing available to find biological parents and ancestors.
I would encourage you to research and pick your tests carefully by asking questions, as you have done.

[Chere]

Where is the "Beneficiary Form" to be sent?
Is it sufficient to have added the name, email & phone? I printed out the form and it may scare the beneficiary off

[AJAskey]

Chere - One thing to keep in mind is that you will continue to learn over the years. There is no rush to know everything in the next month. Testing is relatively new and what we "know" now may be different than what we "know" in a few years.

[tomcat]

Hmmm, perhaps I wasted my $ then?

No, you didn't waste your money! You have tested one piece of the puzzle, and an important piece as most paper records track the paternal line.

If your American Indian ancestry is on your paternal line, there is even a slim chance it will be reflected in your uncle's haplogroup assignment. The odds favor that that ancestry would appear on a maternal line (mtDNA) or, if the admixture occurred within the last five generations, on an autosomal test (FTDNA Family Finder, Geno 2.0, 23&Me, AncestryDNA).