DNA And Genealogy

[mitsuki lover]

Lately I have become interested in how DNA can be used in Genealogy.
There is a lot of interesting information out there on the internet about it,but
like anything else one has to be alert and careful.
Mostly DNA is used to match people with the same surnames to see if they have any definite relationship.Although it has also been used to solve some
historical conundrums such as wheter or not the body buried at the James farm in Missouri was in fact that of the legendary outlaw Jesse James.
Mtdna tests confirmed the body's identity(a comparison was run of examples from the remains and those of descendants of James' maternal line and a match was found).
Sometimes though mistakes can be made,for example the case of the Florida
professor that was mistakenly claimed to be a descendant of Genghis Khan.
(While his Y-DNA DID show Central Asiatic ancestry it did not in the end
match with Genghis Khan's.)
Another more infamous example was Oprah's declaration that she was of
Zulu descent despite the fact that the Zulu nation never existed during the period when her ancestors were being transported to America and is in
fact a lingua-cultural group and not an ethnic one.
Despite this DNA can be useful when it comes to genealogy when correctly
used.

[mitsuki lover]

Both Y-DNA and mtdna are divided up into HAPLOGROUPS,HAPLOTYPES and CLADES.
A HAPLOGROUP is the largest division and is made up of related HAPLOTYPES.
For example everyone who has either a R1a or R1b HAPLOTYPE belongs to
HAPLOGROUP R1.
HAPLOTYPES are based on the number of counts at each genetic marker.
CLADES are smaller divisions within HAPLOTYPES.For example the Western
Atlantic Modal Haplotype is a subdivision of the R1b HAPLOTYPE and is what most of us of Scots and Irish ancestry belong to.(CLADES are subdivided themselves into
SUBCLADES for example the Northwest Irish Modal within the Western Atlantic
Modal,etc.)
Because R1b is the most common among Western European males it is also the most likely to get false positives when it comes to matches.Therefore anyone who
checks positive for R1b needs to take as comprehensive tests as possible to make sure that,say for example,Chuck Jones from Indiana is really related to Chuck Jones from Wales.
Matching is rather strict and to 100% positive that you are related to someone of the same name a male has to have from 0-1 difference in markers.2 marker
difference might mean you COULD be related but 3 or more means you are
PROBABLY NOT related on most of the tests.
Some of the HAPLOTYPES for Y-DNA are:

B=This is the haplotype that shows you are of African descent.

Q=This is the Amerind hplotype

K2=This is the haplotype made famous by Jefferson

I1a=This haplotype indicates you are related to Hagar The Horrible(just joking)
actually the I1a indicates Nordic ancestry

C=This haplotype indicates Central Asian ancestry

C3=This is the unique haplotype for Genghis Khan

and last but not least:

R1b=This is the haplotype of the majority of us who are of Western European
ancestry.

[K. Ayato]

Wasn't there a thread on this already?

[mitsuki lover]

No,I don't think so.
btw:mtdna on the remains that was said to be that of Luke the Evangelist show that he was Syrian.

[mitsuki lover]

One fun site to look up the DNA of famous people is The International Society Of
Genetic Genealogists.They have the mtdna of the Tsar and Tsarina,Marie Antoinette,
Luke The Evangelist,Cheddar Man and Jesse James.They also have the Y-DNA for
Thomas Jefferson,Genghis Khan,Colla Uais(the Father of the Clans),Neil of the
Nine Hostages and Somerled King of the Isles.