Tuesday, December 28, 2010

2nd cousin at 23andMe

I have done the autosomal testing at 23andMe. They report results and give you notice of matches in Relative Finder. Apart from my 1st cousin, the closest match I have is with a predicted 2nd Cousin. We have 14 matching segments. The usual definition of a 2nd cousin is some one who shares a Great grandparent with you.

My Great Grandparents are the following couples:
Jesse Perkins and Elizabeth Jane Creekmore;
Andrew J. Walker and Rutha Manning;
Peter Coleman Ball and Frances Jane Strunk;
Thomas J. Swain and Mary E. Kidd.

All are from the Wayne, Whitley and McCreary county area of Kentucky.

If you descend from any of them please contact me with you pedigree. Especially if you have tested at 23andMe, ;^)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Genetic Genealogy testing: Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation

We often focus on the commercial DNA testing companies and forget about the non-profit Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, http://smgf.org/ They were the first organization to use DNA testing for genealogy. They began with testing of blood and then moved on to testing with a mouth-wash method. One of their goals was to build a collection 100,000 samples. This was reached a few years ago. These samples have been tested for Y chromosome DNA, mitochondrial mtDNA, and autosomal DNA from Chromosomes 1 through 22 and the X chromosome. At this time the Y DNA and mtDNA results are available for searching by entering your results or by using a surname to search the genealogical charts the participants sent with their samples. The autosomal database has not yet been released for searching.

Did I mention the test is free of charge?

One drawback to the testing is that there is no guarantee that your results will make it into the public databases where you can retrieve them at no charge. However, you can get your results from GeneTree, http://www.genetree.com for a nominal charge.

At this time SMGF is accepting samples from the following populations:

Other Areas of Interest
Reaching the 100,000 participants milestone was just one of the objectives of our project. We are still working to enhance our dataset by actively seeking participants for our database with ancestry from a number of countries and lineages (listed below). If you have genealogical information linking you to one of these areas or have connections that could facilitate collections in these areas please contact SMGF at info@smgf.org.
  • Ireland
  • Japan
  • Sweden
  • France
  • Germany
  • Belgium
  • All Eastern European countries
  • Lebanon
  • Syria
  • Jordan
  • Egypt
  • North Africa
  • Switzerland
  • Denmark
  • Spain
  • Portugal

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Family Tree DNA's annual end-of-year promotion

From Family Tree DNA:

It's time once again for Family Tree DNA's annual end-of-year promotion.

Starting tonight, and until December 31st, we will 
reduce the price of our YDNA37, YDNA67, mtDNAPlus, and 
Family Finder tests.

Price for NEW KITS:  Regular Price  Promotional Price
         YDNA37  $149          $119
         YDNA67  $239          $199
      mtDNAPlus  $159          $129
  Family Finder  $289          $249

Price for UPGRADE:      
  Family Finder  $289          $229

Orders must be in and paid for by Dec. 31, 2010, to receive this offer.

IMPORTANT: since this promotion will run through the month of December, we encourage you to spread the word starting now, as the natural tendency is for people to order at the last minute, and we will not extend it beyond 12/31/2010.

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