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Origin of the Daltons at the Focus of Our Project

History of Our Family Group Project

How do I join the Dalton America project?

Privacy and Sharing DNA Results

Which DNA test should I purchase?

For Y-DNA Members

How do Y-DNA results tell me about my ancestors?

Which DNA test should I purchase to discover my ancestor?

 FTDNA provides a variety of DNA tests.  If you are trying to learn more about your ancestors, you may ask yourself, Which DNA test should I purchase to find my missing ancestor?  There is a good way to answer this question.

Begin by locating the spot on a family tree for the relative you are seeking to find.  Particularly useful in making the decision of test that you need is a fan style tree.  You can download one from the internet. Print it and fill in your known relatives.  Then locate the appropriate cell for the unknown ancestors you seek.

Below is such a tree with information about which test to select to fill in an empty cell.

Y-DNA

mtDNA

The green colored cells in the fan style tree trace your female line: mother to maternal grandmother to maternal great grandmother and on.  The mtDNA test captures inheritance from a different portion of the cell than the other tests: the mitrochondrial region.  Both males and females inherit mitrochondrial matter from their mother.  So, everyone can benefit from the mitochondrial or mtDNA test. MtDNA is also very stable across generations.  Those who are your exact matches almost certainly share a common ancestor along the female edge of your family tree within the last ten to twelve generations.  Because in the dominant American culture family lines carry the male surname, discovering the lineage through the mother's line can be more difficult.  Working with your mtDNA matches to find that common ancestor will help in that search.

Family Finder

If you seek to fill in cells in the white or gray areas of the the fan style tree, you must do so using the Family Finder test.  The family finder test is what is called the autosomal DNA test or AtDNA. While only FTDNA provides Y-DNA and mtDNA tests, other companies provide AtDNA tests including ancestry and 23&me.  Your Family Finder matches will display on your FTDNA personal website.  To get this display with one of the other AtDNA tests you will need to import the results from other companies into FTDNA computers.  AtDNA matches occur when the tests detect similar DNA sequences in your DNA and in the DNA of others who have taken the tests.  The total size of those overlaps (measured in centimorgans or cM) indicate that you and your match are cousins, the larger the overlap the closer the relationship.  Using algorithms developed from known cousins, FTDNA will estimate the closeness of your relationship to the matched cousins.

There is a difference in the cells shaded white in the tree above and those shaded gray.  This is because where Y-DNA and mtDNA tests are reliable back from ten to twelve generations, the horizon of reliability for AtDNA tests is only four generations.  That means that as you move beyond that generation to fill in cells in your family tree (beyond your 3rd cousins), the size of the common DNA sequence is so small that there is increased possibility that a cousin who does share one of your ancestors will not have an overlapping DNA sequence (called a false negative) or that a small sequence happens not because of a common ancestor but from chance (a false positive).  You should be very careful about the conclusions you draw from matches with those who are beyond your 3rd cousins, but there are ways of overcoming this reliability problem that we will discuss in another webpage.

A final reminder about working with Family Finder.  The DNA does not identify your ancestor, it only identifies that you and your cousin are matches.  As in all genealogy DNA tests, Family Finder relies on sharing and exchanging information with your match to discover the name and history of that common ancestor.  How to identify the common ancestor is the secret of using Family Finder effectively.

Ordering your test

If you already have a DNA sample on file with FTDNA are are just upgrading or ordering a different DNA test, click on the    [ADD ONS AND UPGRADES] link just to the left of your name in the upper right hand corner of your FTDNA dashboard and place your order.

If you do not currently have a DNA sample on file with FTDNA go to the FTDNA homepage and place your order.
Good luck on increasing your knowledge of your family history!