DNA testing -- a powerful new technology now available to the genealogist and family historian.

DNA was first used for genealogical research in 1997 and in 2000 the first information on the rates of change for the markers was identified.  Though precise, the application / interpretation of the results is still being refined.

It is the goal of this site to aid in the understanding and implementation of dna testing and research for genealogical purposes.

The organizations known to this author currently doing genetic genealogy testing are:


Each of the above offers a valid service.  At this time, it is the author's opinion that FamilyTreeDNA has the most to offer the professional and amateur genealogist.  Check each of them out and come to your own decision.

Read the Washington Post article of 12-8-2002 by Steve Olson entitled "We're All Related To Kevin Bacon".


Links:

Links for the beginner:

 Books:

    DNA for Family Historians   is easy to read and offers an extremely understandable view of genetics for genealogy. We suggest this primer for everyone interested in understanding the impact of DNA as a genealogical tool.

 Heavier Fare:

 

The links below were found at: Family Tree DNA - Genealogy by Genetics, Ltd.

  • Y Comparison  is a wonderful page of several dozen of our surname project customers and a very nice analysis between Haplogroups #1 and 2.
  • NOVA - Building a Y-DNA based Family Tree   For those of you who would like to play a simple game using the Y chromosome to identify relatives you may do so by visiting the NOVA web site. However, a few notes of caution: 1) You will need to download Macro Media's "Shockwave" to play, and 2) the game is simplistic and tends to minimize the complexity of the science behind the science.
  • Sephardim  is a Research Tool for Sephardic Genealogy.  This site lists thousands of Sephardic Surnames and other Heraldry.
  • Family Tree DNA in the News  First, we would like to share with you some excerpts of publications that gave Family Tree DNA exposure for its work and leadership in the field of genealogy by genetics.
  • Jewishgen  was our first marketing partner when we launched our service in mid 2000.  They had the vision to recognize that DNA testing would become a viable alternative to the roadblock when the paper trail goes cold.
  • NATURE  The original article on the Cohanim describes how a group of scientists sought and found clear differences in the frequency of Y-chromosomes haplotypes between Jewish priests and their lay counterparts.
  • Ethnic Groups Comparison  In a May 9th, 2000 article that quickly made its way to the New York Times, Dr. Michael Hammer compared 7 different Jewish populations to the localized non-Jewish communities and included an additional 15 ethnic groups for a further bases of comparison.  The article is quite technical, but an executive summary is available from the National Academy of Sciences as an Abstract.
       The entire article, with valuable charts, diagrams and more detail than most laymen will want is available at the same site in a full text version.

Click here for the -- Cloud surname DNA Project.