I have gotten several questions about DNA testing over the past few months. I want to review the different tests available.
Autosomal testing – this is the test that you get when going through 23andMe, ancestry.com and using the Family Finder test at Family Tree DNA. It provides a list of cousin matches and gives you an ethnic breakdown of your ancestry. In my opinion, it is of limited genealogical value if you already know your family tree back to five generations or more, but it is sometimes interesting to see your ethnic background.
Mitochondrial DNA – Commonly called mtDNA, it is DNA passed on from a mother to her children. So testing mtDNA gives you your maternal line (See chart below). If you get matches with this test, that means you share a common maternal line ancestor with your match.
Y-chromosome testing – This is the test we use for the Bassett DNA project. You can currently only get this test from Family Tree DNA. I recommend starting with the 37 marker test. The Y-chromosome is passed from father to son each generation virtually unchanged. The value of this test is that it follows the paternal line back through time. (See chart below) The test results gives you a set of values and you can compare your values to other male Bassetts that have also taken the test. If you have a close match, then you share a common Male ancestor somewhere in the past. We have used this test to successfully place Bassetts into the Bassett tree.
