A Plunge Into DNA

Well, I've done it. Ancestry.com sent me an offer for their new DNA test and I decided to do it. It came in the mail on Tuesday. The requirements were to fill a vial to the line with spit (something I can't recall ever being asked to do before), register the kit online, and send it back. So Wednesday it was back in the mail. Now I wait.

What are my expectations? I'm not really sure. However, the question I would like an answer to is about any Native American ancestry. This is a story that has been floated around in the family and its various branches for some time. These various branches (some of us have never met or only vaguely know of each other's existence) all connect back to my four times great grandmother, Delila Caroline Kirby.

Delila's parents died around 1847 in Arkansas. Before that, they were in Alabama where Delila was born. Then it gets a little... strange. A few of the children before her were born in Illinois, but the oldest claims to have been born in Alabama. Delila's father was from Tennessee. What was going on with these people?

I've barely begun my research into this line. It will require digging through records of many family members through multiple states. For now that will have to wait as the next couple of months are just too busy. Meanwhile, I'll wait for one clue and see what the DNA results say.

DNA and Genealogy

Well my genealogical education did not stop with Samford. Today I attended a lecture by J. Mark Lowe on Understanding the Basics of DNA Testing for Genealogical Research at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. This is a subject I find fascinating. I've read Trace Your Roots with DNA by Megan Smolenyak, and have been following Amy Coffin's blog at wetree.blogspot.com on her DNA testing experience.

Mark discussed Y-DNA and mtDNA. If you are interested in finding out information on the male line of the family then you test the Y-DNA, for the female line then you test the mtDNA. Now having said that, men can test their Y-DNA and women can't since we don't have a "Y" chromosome. The "Y" being the gene that has been passed down from father to son through the generations. This is only the men, so by doing this test you will not find out anything about your great grandmother on your father's side. The "mt" part is inherited from your mother. By testing this part you can find out about the mothers in your line on your mother's side. Women can only test their mtDNA, but men can test both. Mark also mentioned a test for Autosomal DNA. This can give you some information on both parents and is a new test being offered by Family Tree DNA.

Family Tree DNA is the company that has the largest database in the U.S. and outside of the U.S. it is Roots for Reel. Mark suggested to start with a 12 marker test and then upgrade to a 67 or 111 marker test, as that may be more cost effective. The higher the marker test you get the more specific the results will be.

When the lecture was over my hands were itching to get a hold of microfilm and do some research. However, after being away all week I wanted to spend time with my boys and husband. So it was off to Chuck E. Cheese's for me with DNA on my mind.