Dr Bruce Durie BSc (Hons) PhD OMLJ FIGRS

Consultant Genealogist and Heraldist, Author, Broadcaster, Lecturer

● Shennachie to the Chief of Durie ● Académie Internationale de Généalogie ● Right of Audience at the Court of the Lord Lyon 
●  Fulbright Senior Scottish Studies Scholar, 2015-16 ● Freeman and Burgess of the City of Glasgow ●

Now incorporating Ancestral Scotland Ltd (www.ancestralscots.com)

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DNA and Genetic Genealogy - what is the best DNA test and what can it tell you?

          

Fun fact: Every human on Earth is descended from a few related individuals who left Africa
 some 60,000 years ago

DNA is a useful adjunct to traditional "paper" genealogy, especially where the paper trail runs out.
A DNA test can help:

  -  break down brick walls

  -  find related individuals

  -  link you to others of same or similar surnames

  -  suggest a geographical origin

  -  indicate deeper ethnic ancestry

 

Fun fact: 75% of all males of Scottish paternal origin descend from 
one of FOUR men alive in the Bronze Age.

The four major types of DNA tests conducted in genealogical research are:

  -  Y-STR  - Short Tandem Repeats in the DNA between genes on the Y-chromosome (males only) which give the tsted individual a haplotype which can be matched to others who have been tested (we recommend at least a 37 or 48 marker test) and is most useful in recent ancestry research within genealogical time - say, 1,000 years.

  -  Y-SNP - Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, a change in a single nucleotide in the DNA, which occurs infrequently, but can typically define a whole chromosome and become its signature, can assign an individual to a haplogroup and indicate deeper ancestral ethnic background and migration in the time-frame 6000 BCE to 1500 CE.
The gold standard is the FTDNA Big Y-700.

  -  mtDNA - for males and females, but it tracks the matrilineal ancestry (mother, mother's mother etc.) back through time.
It is less useful for genealogy, but may indicate relatives in the female line if ay have tested

  -  Autosomal DNA Testing (Family Finder and Relative Finder) for close ancestry testing - this traces all ancestral lines to identify relationships for five generations, back to 16 great-great-grandparents

 

Note: DNA tests can also help indicate inherited diseases and other medical conditions, but we do not deal with these.
Nor will we contact living relatives. 

FTDNA
The best testing company is FamilyTreeDNA (www.familytreedna.com) 

We can help you understand the results and match you to others who have tested.

 Go to www.ftdna.com and select your test or tests.

There are regular sales and discounts at certain times of the year (Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day etc.)

If you have been tested by another company, it may be possible to transfer some of these results into the Family Tree DNA database.

Contact us HERE and include your name, location and query

 

[ Home ] [ About Bruce Durie ] [ Books ] [ Articles etc. ] [ Genealogy ] [ Genetic Genealogy & DNA ] [ Heraldry and Arms ] [ Clans, Families and Tartans ] [ Chiefs and Commanders ] [ Scottish Feudal Baronies ] [ Palaeography ] [ Talks and Lectures ] [ Ancestral Scotland ] [ The Durie Family ]

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