About this DNA thing

A few weeks ago, I submitted a saliva sample to 23andMe for DNA testing and the possibility of finding potential related individuals.

This week I had my first glimpse at the information about people with whom I share a portion of DNA. My initial reaction was a bit disappointing. The individual I was most closely matched with showed that we share only .42% DNA. That's less than one half of one percent. The percentage of shared DNA goes down from there.

There are several of us "DNA Testing Buddies" who are discussing our experiences on a Facebook group. I'm not the only one who was a bit disappointed in the initial results. However, our DNA guru, Joan Miller of Luxegen Genealogy, is doing her bit to keep us upbeat and pointing out that this is a long term process.

The original results in the Relative Finder on 23andMe  showed I have 386 potential relatives. It is now at 387. 23andMe permits you to contact five of these people per day. So far, I've initiated only the first five inquiries. I've received correspondence from about half a dozen potential relatives, and for most of them, we did not find any familiar surnames.

One of my correspondents pointed out that the connection could definitely be from siblings of our direct ancestor or any of the various descendants. This probably requires posting more than the surnames of only the direct line ancestors.

Another correspondent and I found we both have the Kelly surname in the United States. His family was in the eastern United States around 1790. My family immigrated circa 1850. I brushed off the connection. He pointed out that the possibility exists that it may have taken decades for the members of the family to complete the migration pattern. I was reminded of this again over the weekend during Lisa Alzo's webinar on tracing female ancestors. Patience. Patience.

Where do I think I come from?

It was not surprising that my DNA results show these origins of my ancestors. I've learned that I am in the maternal haplogroup J1c.

This is still a relatively new aspect of genealogy. It's not going to replace research by any stretch of the imagination. And I shall do my best to remain open minded about the entire process. Just sit back and wait and see what happens.

Read all my posts about my DNA testing journey.

You've Got Mail! - er, DNA!

Last evening, I received a long-awaited email from the DNA testing lab and web site, 23andMe, with the subject header: Your Genetic Profile is Ready at 23andMe!

Last fall, 23andMe offered genetic DNA kits and lab testing at a reduced price, so I thought, "Why Not?" Several of my fellow geneabloggers and I took the plunge, ordered our kits, spit in the tube and mailed in our samples to the 23andMe lab.

Many of my DNA testing buddies started the process much sooner than I did. Once I mailed the sample to the lab, it took about five weeks to receive the results. At this point, what I know is that I am a member of the J1c maternal haplogroup. Already, I'm confused! No doubt I'll be turning to my buddy, Joan Miller of Luxegen Genealogy, for advice as more information becomes known. Joan knows all about this DNA stuff, you know!

23andMe indicates that it will be a few days before the Family Finder feature starts churning out my Long Lost Relatives for me to be in contact with.

In the meantime, I'm glad to know that I am no more at risk for a variety of health issues than the public at large. Although, the results warn me that my habit of drinking a full pot of coffee every Saturday and Sunday morning might not be in my best interest. Perhaps my abstaining from coffee during the week will balance out my risk?

Read all posts about my DNA testing journey.

DNA Kit is on its way to a testing lab in L.A.

It's been nearly two months since the arrival of my DNA testing kit from 23andMe. I finally stopped procrastinating, provided my saliva sample and sent it off in the mail today. Now to sit back and wait.

To follow my DNA testing journey, you can click here for all posts on this topic.

I also have set up an RSS feed of blog posts of note from all of the DNA buddies. You can read or subscribe to the feed here.

To learn more about how 23andMe is providing results for health risks and as a family finder, visit their web site.

23andMe DNA testing kit has arrived

The 23andMe DNA testing kit has arrived.

What's in the kit?

An instruction card - 5 steps of directions about how to collect your saliva sample in the tube that is provided. The instructions tell the user to not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum for 30 minutes before collecting the saliva sample.

A minimum amount of saliva must be collected in the tube to provide a valid sample.

Users are required to register their kit on the 23andMe web site in order to access the results of the DNA testing.

Once the sample is collected, the tube is placed in a biohazard specimen bag, then placed in a prepaid mailer to send to the laboratory.

The instructions indicate that the laboratory analysis will take between two and four weeks to process.

There are rumors that some of my DNA Testing Buddies have photographs (and video!) of them spitting into their tubes. If you think you're going to see a photo of ME doing that - forget it! Check THEIR blogs for the graphic details!

Related links:

Read all of my blog posts about the DNA testing for genealogy project.

Read blog posts about DNA testing for genealogy and from the DNA Testing buddies.

The DNA Journey - Getting Started

I think I have finally calmed down a bit after more than 100 messages via Facebook and Twitter with my DNA Testing Buddies, Joan Miller and Carole Riley. A couple others have joined our Gene Pool Party, but I'll wait until they have publicly blogged before introducing them.

Two days ago, we each ordered a DNA testing kit from 23andMe.com since the price of the kit was reduced to $99 from a whopping $499. To participate at the $99 fee, a customer also has to sign up for a $5/month subscription for one year. What the heck - a long time ago I discovered that genealogy is a hobby that can be even more expensive than golf! There's also some postage costs involved, which was much higher for Joan in Canada and Carole in Australia, as compared with mine in the U.S.

I am, by far, the least knowledgeable of this trio when it comes to DNA testing for genealogical purposes. So I have the most to learn. I'll share what I learn as we go through this journey.

After logging in to my account at 23andMe, I see that "Your order is being processed and will be shipped shortly."

Unlike some of the other DNA testing services, 23andMe requires users to spit into the container rather than doing a cheek swab. We are already joking about this being our "spitting contest."

In addition to the potential for making connections with living individuals who share a common ancestor, the results from 23andMe provide information regarding health and disease risk factors and some predictability to one's reaction to certain drugs. As my prescription costs seem to increase with age, and as there are some health issues that run in the family, this makes the test even more valuable to me.

As far as genealogy, no, you don't spit in a cup and automatically have a bunch of family tree charts appear! But it may put you in touch with others who share a similar lineage and provide information regarding your global origins. What little I've seen in television programs about the origins and migratory patterns of humans has fascinated me, so it will be fun to see how I fit in the big picture. I already know that my ancestors are from Ireland, England, Denmark, and Germany - but where else did my ancestors come from?

Related sites and blogs

The DNA Testing Buddies:
Joan Miller's blog - Luxegen Genealogy and Family History
Carole Riley's blog - Carole's Canvas
Kerry Farmer's Family History Research

All of my posts on this topic

Blog roll of our posts and other blogs about DNA testing for genealogy
The Spittoon - blog from 23andMe

Jumping Into the DNA Gene Pool

This morning began as usual with a cup of coffee and a quick look at my Facebook news feed. A posting from 23andMe.com caught my eye. This company that offers DNA testing was having a major mark-down sale from its usual $499 to $99. That's a Black Friday sale I can live with, so I reposted the message on Facebook. Facebook friend Carole Riley shared the same link and asked if it was worthwhile.

Later this afternoon (in U.S. time), Carole and I found ourselves in a rapid-fire discussion on Facebook with Joan Miller about DNA testing for genealogy. Joan is clearly an expert on the topic as she was going through the DNA testing lingo and leaving me with a quizzical look on my face wondering, "what on earth is she talking about?" Before we knew it, Carole and I were both signing up at 23andMe to get our DNA testing kit. I'm always willing to try anything new and this could definitely be an adventure. As I mentioned to Carole and Joan, at least I should get a few blog posts out of this! We decided we three would embark on this adventure together.

Joan and Carole jumped right in. Carole posted on Carole's Canvas about 23andMe's sale and costs. Joan also wrote about her DNA Testing Buddies on her Luxegen Genealogy and Family History blog. I've added a blog roll to the right hand column of this blog titled DNA for Genealogy, where Joan and Carole's posts will appear, along with other blog posts relevant to the topic. Or you can bookmark this RSS feed if you want to follow along.

This is a subject I know absolutely nothing about, so I guess that means I have a lot to learn.

Here are few starting points:

The Spittoon - the blog from 23andMe

The International Society of Genetic Genealogy

Wikipedia - Genetic Genealogy

If you've already taken the DNA plunge, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Please post comments and suggestions below.