Over 60% of the people in the US are currently doing some type of family tree research. Some get frustrated – there’s no question that climbing through the family branches is often an arduous and unrewarding task. Sometimes the leads break, turn out to be mis-remembered, or you “fall completely out” without any solid documentation for all your time and effort. If you’re nodding vehemently, know you’re not alone.

While various groups like the Mormons have been diligently trying to preserve their records, there’s no question that some information simply gets lost along the way. DNA testing, therefore, offers another scientific rout to finding that lost relative, distant cousins and kin, and even ethnic origins.

There are several DNA testing companies in the field now. They use the markers in your DNA to look for men and women to whom you were related, the regions in which those people lived, etc.. The Y-DNA test provides the paternal line (note that women cannot be tested for this – they would need a brother or father to take the Y-DNA test for that information. This is suggested as the Y line is very dependable).

The mtDNA test looks for the maternal line, and both men and women can use it. These tests cost between $115 and $650 to process and get results. A basic kit includes scrapers and collection tubes that get returned to the company from whom you bought them for processing.

How does it work? There are genetic markers that come from various parts of the world. Those markers in your DNA provide information on where your ancestors came from and to where they traveled. These markers also tell you the various “haplogroups” (such as being Native American). Additionally any mutations noted in your DNA give researchers insights into more recent ancestry and geographic areas where your markers fit. In the end you can:

- find out if you’re actually related to someone else
- find other people with your surname to whom you’re related
- find out if you had a common ancestor with someone else
- support the information already assembled for your family tree
- find potential countries from which your family and surname may have come
- offer insights into various ethnic origins

Because DNA services are relatively new this approach has its limits. The more people in a family who get tested, the more specific the results become. Also the size of the DNA database to which you’re compared does matter. The larger the sampling, the more specific the results will be.

Despite this limitation, once your DNA has been recorded it will be available for future generational searches too – so you might be helping unravel a mystery for your progeny’s children!

Tags:  cousins DNA DNA Test family Maternal maternal line Paternal paternal line research Search surname