We talked a bit about DNA results at our February meeting. Here’s a good article that will help explain why the DNA results may not be what you expected – or maybe are! As the article mentions, Autosomal testing is not the best way to find your ethnic heritage, yet that’s how it’s being advertised by many testing companies. And that’s what most people are using to test with – maybe because it’s the least expensive test and most readily available.
http://dna-explained.com/2016/02/10/ethnicity-testing-a-conundrum/
Y-DNA testing will follow the father’s male line and can only be tested on a male. So, if you are female and want the test Y-DNA from your father’s line (far-far-far, etc.), you need to get your full-brother or a male cousin (son of your father’s full-brother) on your father’s side to test for you.
Both males and females inherit Mt-DNA (Mitochondrial DNA) from their mother. Mt-DNA follows the female line (mor-mor-mor, etc.) back through history.
If you want to find out about your Mor-far, you need a full-uncle (Mother’s brother) or a male full-cousin (son of your mother’s full brother) on your mother’s side to test. There are other relatives that have the right relationship, too, but you have to carefully work out the relationship to make sure it is what leads to the correct DNA.
The same is true for your Far-mor (and other lines) – you need to work out the correct relationship to you to make sure you have the correct DNA for the line you are pursuing.
If you’re interested in further information about DNA and DNA testing, the above link is from a blog written by Roberta Jestes called “DNA Explained” and you can follow her blog by going to http://www.dna-explained.com and entering your email address in the gray box on the right near the top of the column.
Happy hunting,
Maryanne