Y Chromosome DNA In Genetic Genealogy; Jan 2018

the castle of Iníon Dubh, where I first located the trail of my McCain family

Y Chromosome DNA In Genetic Genealogy

This is a brief introduction on Genetic Genealogy using the Y chromosome. The Y chromosome (Y-DNA) is passed from father to son only, in a direct male line, and this makes it the best test for surname studies. A Y-DNA test is for men only. Women do not carry the Y chromosome.  Women use a male proxy in the line they are researching to obtain a Y-DNA sample.  Men who are researching a non direct paternal line must also use a male proxy from the line they are researching. 

There are two types of tests used with Y-DNA.  There is a STR (short tandem repeat) test and a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) test.   STR tests are used to find genetic matches in a direct paternal line.  These matches can be recent to distant.  With a company like Family Tree DNA Ltd, this test comes in the form of a 11, 25, 37, 64, or 111 loci test.  Most participants use the 64 or 111 level as it provides more data.  The STR test will easily locate a paternal DNA match and give an estimate of the time to the most recent common male ancestor. 

One aspect of a Y-DNA STR test is that it allows you to confirm kinship to lines that you have no paper records to show a connection.  This allows the Y-DNA participant to use primary source records to all the families in his match group.  A family may have branches they did not even know of prior to testing.  As these matched families collect their data, a much better history of the family is revealed.  One letter from one family, one note on a census record, etc., can allow all the matched families to use the data with complete confidence. 

A wet day in County West Meath just prior to a Bean Sí incident

However, STR matches can have some issues in analysis.  Some STR loci will mutate back to, or close to, their original position.  This means two branches in a family may appear much closer (in time) to their most recent common ancestor.  This situation is called ‘convergence.’     

Conversely, if Joe sat under a UFO one night, he might have one STR mutation that shows a great distance to a shared common male ancestor, even to the point of Joe not being listed as a match at the lower level test.  At the higher level test, we can see Joe is a match. Poor ole Joe just had a unique mutation on that one STR locus. I have seen this happen several times in my consultant work. The issue is one STR locus mutated a greater distance than is normal. This is why the higher level STR tests are recommended.

In the early days of genetic testing, SNPs were dated thousands of years ago and showed basic ethnic and tribal connections.  In the past few years SNP testing has advanced greatly. Many new SNPs have been discovered and the number is growing. The new SNPs are younger in age and provide data that can be used in genetic genealogy.  SNPs are more stable than STRs.  The mutations are permanent and take place at a stable rate.  SNPs provide a method to expand on your STR test and match group and resolve any issues that come up.  

The data is becoming so detailed that the SNPs can differentiate between individual branches in a family.  So, even when there are no primary sources available, an advanced SNP test can ascertain how two branches of a family are related and locate the geographic point of origin.  As you explore down the SNP path, downstream to newer SNPs, you may find a SNP unique to one line in a family.  For example: this will allow you to tell the difference between a branch in a family from Porthall, Donegal, to a related branch in Corbally, north County Antrim.  Alas, with SNP test at this level, you had best bring your cheque book as the path can be a long one, but it is the ultimate tool for the genetic genealogist. 

R1b Y-DNA Haplogroup

 I work in the geographic area of the north of Ireland and western Scotland.   This includes the province of Ulster, the west Highlands and southern Hebrides, and the western Scottish Lowlands.  This population is remarkable homogeneous and many families share distant common ancestors.  Irish and Scottish families often benefit from advanced SNP testing.   

A summary: both STRs and SNPs are used in Y-DNA testing for genetic genealogy. Your Y-DNA test will include your STR results and matches, and a basic SNP Haplogroup.  This Haplogroup will show paternal ethnic origins and pre surname connections.   At this point, you will normally do more advanced SNP tests to discover your downstream (more recent in time) haplogroup.  This will allow you to confirm family branches, clan connections, and locate the geographic area associated with your family.  

Genetic Genealogy When No Paternal Relative Is Available

Genetic Genealogy When No Paternal Relative Is Available 

County Meath

In genetic genealogy surname studies we use the Y chromosome in our DNA tests.  This chromosome is only passed from father to son and this is why this test is used in surname studies.  There are two sex chromosomes, X and Y.  Every person has one pair of sex chromosomes in each cell.  This is the 23^rd pair, i.e. the sex chromosomes, which determine if you are male or female.  The Y chromosome is present in males.  Males have one X and one Y chromosome.  Females have two X chromosomes. The Y chromosome is the perfect tool to research family history and genetic genealogy, because it can follow a direct paternal line.

Women, and men that are researching a line other than their direct paternal line, cannot use a Y chromosome test.  But, there is another way to locate the Y chromosome data that you need for your research.

We use an autosomal DNA (atDNA) test to locate a match to a man from the line being researched.  We can then use this man's existing Y chromosome result or have him test to obtain this.  When an atDNA match is located and confirmed that it is the needed male line, you are good to go with your research using this proxy Y chromosome.

For example, I researched my father’s mother’s father’s line.  I carry their atDNA, but because this was not a direct paternal line I could not use my Y-DNA result.  I had already researched my father's paternal line using Y-DNA. Using this Y-DNA I located my cousins in Ireland and have been over to visit and found the family's progenitor in the primary sources.  The research was a complete success.   

the castle of Iníon Dubh, Porthall, Donegal

My father’s mother’s father’s line was also from Ireland. Their surname is Tweedy, however,  I do not carry the Tweedy Y-DNA.  I do carry the Tweedy atDNA DNA.  I used an atDNA test to locate a match to my Tweedy line.  I was hunting for a male Tweedy from that line and have him proxy Y-DNA test for me.

I did the Family Tree atDNA test which they call their Family Finder test.  Through this test I located a female Tweedy cousin and her father was a Tweedy.  She had a brother and we had him do the Y-DNA test.  This way, both she and I, could use him as a Y-DNA proxy to for our research. We now had the needed Tweedy Y chromosome and to begin our research.  

We have many women that participate in Irish Y DNA projects.  As in my case, they can use a male relative to proxy test for them.  It is a simple technique to use atDNA to locate a male proxy to obtain the needed Y-DNA sample.  This method works with both women, and men researching a non-direct paternal line.

Autosomal DNA testing does have limitations.  As a research tool, it can only go back around five or six generations.  But, most people can locate the family line they need within this time frame.  In my case it was a fourth cousin match and the time connection was mid-1800s.

All you need is one good match to the family you want to research and then have a male in that family test their Y chromosome.  Once you get the Y chromosome, you are set.  The Y chromosome does not have time limitations, you will find close matches, distant matches, even very distant matches. Once the Y-DNA is confirmed, you can go on to STR and SNP (two types of Y-DNA) testing which will give you very detailed data that will confirm geographic location, family branches, clan connections, and even tribal histories going back several thousand years.

Barry R McCain (c) 2018

Autosomal DNA Test in Irish genetic genealogy

Y-DNA test When No Paternal Relative Is Available II 

 

 

This post will again address genetic genealogy for Irish, Scots, and Scots-Irish, when no male relative is available to DNA test.  Why is a male needed?   In surname studies we use the Y chromosome, it is only passed from father to son.  

Women cannot take this test.  And, males that are researching a line other than their father's cannot use their Y chromosome test to find matches.  Males only carry the Y chromosome of their father and no other Y chromosome will show up in their DNA test.

Gaelic Warrior Lord AD 1000

So, what do women, and men researching lines other than their father's, do?
 

Here is an example:  I have already researched my father's paternal line, all the way back to Ireland and Scotland.  Found them, have been over to visit, found the progenitor in the primary sources.  Total success.

But, I wanted to research my father's mother's father's line.  Their surname is Tweedy and I do not carry the Tweedy Y chromosome.  However, I do carry a lot of Tweedy DNA, just not the Y chromosome.  I used another test which used this other DNA material.

I did the Family Tree Autosomal DNA test.  They call it their Family Finder test.   Through this test I located a female Tweedy cousin.  She had a brother.  He did carry the Tweedy Y chromosome and we had him do the Y chromosome DNA test.  Through this simple method we obtained the Tweedy Y chromosome and are using it to research the family.

We have many ladies that participate in our projects.  They use a male relative to proxy test for them.  If they have no known male relative from the line they are researching they will use the Autosomal DNA test to locate one, as I did.

I manage several large Irish and Scottish DNA projects.  There are hundreds of people that have used this method to research a family line where they do not have access to a known male descendant. 

Autosomal DNA testing does have limitations.  As a research tool, it can only go back around five generations.  But, most people can locate a co-lateral line they need within this time frame.  In my case it was fourth cousins and the time connection was mid 1800s.

All you need is one good match to the family you want to research and then have a male in that family test their Y chromosome.  Once you get the Y chromosome, you are set.  The Y chromosome does not have time limitations, you will find close cousins, find distant cousins in Ireland and Scotland, confirm real clan connections,  and even research tribal histories going back several thousand years. 

My recent book, Finding the McCains is a guide that illustrates how much can be accomplished through a well run Y chromosome genetic genealogy project

Good luck with your research and do not fret about those brick walls, they can be smashed.

Barry R McCain

Irish and Scots Female Ancestor Names

Irish & Scots Female Ancestor Names in Primary Sources

As you progress with your genetic genealogy research you will eventually reach a point where records were not written in modern English.   The records are in Gaelic or written is an English dialect, such as Lallans, with the surname rendered into phonetic Gaelic.

With men’s names this does not present too much difficulty if you are familiar with their Gaelic forms, but, do not overlook the possibility of locating a female ancestor from this time period.  Most records and pre 1600 genealogies tend to feature only male names.  However, in some cases the name of a female ancestor will appear, but you will need to know how to recognize the surname when you see it.

Finding the name of a male ancestor is fairly straight forward.  It will appear in some anglicized or phonetic spelling of the original Gaelic surnames.  Most people are familiar with male surnames in Gaelic; Ó means “descendant of” and Mac means “son of.”   Mag is an alternative spelling of Mac and was sometimes used when the name that follows it began with a vowel.  The ladies used a similar system. Girls and unmarried women with surnames that began with Ó would have Ní before their surname.  Girls and unmarried women whose family surname began with Mac would use Nic.

Married women would take their husbands names, but the prefix form was different than the male form.  Ó became Uí and Mac became Mhic.  This name change did not always hide the surname of the woman’s father however.  In traditional Gaelic society some women were known by their maiden names due to the strong sense of family and clan affiliation.

Two examples from the mid to late 1500s:  Fionnuala Nic Eáin married Dónaill Mac Ailín.  Her “married name” becomes Fionnuala Mhic Ailín.  In actuality, she retained her maiden name in the community and is listed by that name in the records.  Her name appears crudely anglicised as Finvall Nikean.  Here is an entry from the Argyll records where she appears:

…In the same year (1572) Finvall Nikean, the wife of Donald M'Alane V'Donile of Dunnad, resigned to James Scrymgeoure of Dudhope constable of Dundee the twenty shillinglands of Carnyame, the said Donald warranting the constable free of all harm in respect of the lands from the heirs of the deceased Lauchlane M'Donald V'Alane.

This data allowed me to place Fionnuala Nic Eáin to the House of Dónaill Mac Ailín’s cousin.

          The next example is Aifric Nic Dhonnachaidh Rua the wife of Malcolm Scrymgeour.  Again, this Gaelic woman does not use her husband’s surname, but rather a name that identifies her clan.  In this case she is linked to the family of Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín of Dunemuck, a thane in Glassary and who held his lands through Clann Lachlainn.  In the actual record her name is recorded as “Effreta nein Donche roy.”

 When you get on the trail of your ancestors pre 1600 be aware of both male and female forms of your surname.  You might make a great find, I have done it several times now.

Family Tree DNA Summer Sale!

Family Tree DNA is holding their excellent Summer Sale.  Some really good values there.  If you want to research your family's history, locate your family that stayed in Ireland, etc., this is a great opportunity to do so.  

For surname research the best test is the Y-DNA test.  Only men carry the Y chromosome, so only men can do this test.  The Y DNA will allow you to pinpoint your family's point of origin in Ireland, Scotland, etc., allow you to ascertain your paternal line's ethnic origin, to follow their migration path for thousands of years.  You will locate cousins, confirm links, break through those infamous 'brick walls' that one encounters in family history research.  

If you do not have access to a direct paternal descendant to test, there is another test of use; this is the autosomal DNA test, called the Family Finder test by Family Tree DNA.  Women can use this test to locate a male from the line they are researching and then use his Y-DNA test.  Men who are researching a line that comes through a maternal branch of their family can do the same.  I successfully used the Family Finder autosomal test to locate a male from the line of my father's mother's family.  It worked perfectly, I had a match to a female cousin and we had her brother test and in so doing obtained the Y-DNA of that line. 

Links are below.  If you are research and Irish family or family from the western Highlands or the Hebrides, do contact me if you need some help.  That is my field of study.

Summer is the perfect time for sun, fun and family…so jump into the gene poolnow with sizzling hot savings from Family Tree DNA! JUST $69USD Lowest Price Ever! NEW AMAZING FEATURE Sort Your Paternal and Maternal Matches! All of our DNA tests are designed to deliver superior results with the most advanced technology to tackle any genetic genealogy challenge. Plus, our new parental phasing tool allows users to further refine DNA matches like never before. The more matches the better, so be sure to tell family and friends and take advantage of this incredible offer. For even more bundle specials, check out our Sizzling Summer Sale! With savings this hot, what better way to discover, match and connect more dots on your family tree! All that, and no subscription fees! For more information, visitFamilyTreeDNA.com. Sincerely, The Family Tree DNA Team

DNA Test Sale with Family Tree

Barry R McCain with Ian McKean and Ivan Knox, two of his Irish cousins located using DNA testing

For a very short time, until midnight of 26 April, Family Tree DNA is running a significant sale on their testing.  If you have been curious about genetic genealogy, this is the opportunity to do it.  Sale prices:

Family Finder test (autosomal test) $79

Y -DNA 37 marker test: $129

Y-DNA 67 marker test: $199

Y-DNA 111 marker test: $289

Those are very good prices.  If you want data on your ethnicity which incorporates both your paternal and maternal ancestors, then the Family Finder test is best.

If you wish to do genetic genealogy and locate your cousins in Ireland and Scotland and recover lost family history, then the Y-DNA test is best.  The more markers to have the better data you will have.  The Y-DNA 37 and 67 are particularly good bargains.  If you have the coins, I recommend the 111 level Y-DNA test. However, you will get quite a bit of data with the 37 marker test.

Link to purchase the kits:  Family Tree DNA Test Sale

And... should you want to read a book with chronicles the use of DNA testing to locate your cousins in Ireland and discover your family's point of origin, etc.,  I highly recommend my last book Finding the McCains.  I go into great detail on how I did the deed. 

Take advantage of this excellent sale.  It is a good time to start that genetic genealogy project.

Irish & Scots Female Ancestor Names in Primary Sources

As you progress with your genetic genealogy research you will eventually reach a point where records were not written in modern English.   The records are in Gaelic or written is an English dialect, such as Lallans, with the surname rendered into phonetic Gaelic.

With men’s names this does not present too much difficulty if you are familiar with their Gaelic forms, but, do not overlook the possibility of locating a female ancestor from this time period.  Most records and pre 1600 genealogies tend to feature only male names.  However, in some cases the name of a female ancestor will appear, but you will need to know how to recognize the surname when you see it.

Finding the name of a male ancestor is fairly straight forward.  It will appear in some anglicized or phonetic spelling of the original Gaelic surnames.  Most people are familiar with male surnames in Gaelic; Ó means “descendant of” and Mac means “son of.”   Mag is an alternative spelling of Mac and was sometimes used when the name that follows it began with a vowel.  The ladies used a similar system. Girls and unmarried women with surnames that began with Ó would have Ní before their surname.  Girls and unmarried women whose family surname began with Mac would use Nic.

Married women would take their husbands names, but the prefix form was different than the male form.  Ó became Uí and Mac became Mhic.  This name change did not always hide the surname of the woman’s father however.  In traditional Gaelic society some women were known by their maiden names due to the strong sense of family and clan affiliation.

Two examples from the mid to late 1500s:  Fionnuala Nic Eáin married Dónaill Mac Ailín.  Her “married name” becomes Fionnuala Mhic Ailín.  In actuality, she retained her maiden name in the community and is listed by that name in the records.  Her name appears crudely anglicised as Finvall Nikean.  Here is an entry from the Argyll records where she appears:

…In the same year (1572) Finvall Nikean, the wife of Donald M'Alane V'Donile of Dunnad, resigned to James Scrymgeoure of Dudhope constable of Dundee the twenty shillinglands of Carnyame, the said Donald warranting the constable free of all harm in respect of the lands from the heirs of the deceased Lauchlane M'Donald V'Alane.

This data allowed me to place Fionnuala Nic Eáin to the House of Dónaill Mac Ailín’s cousin.

          The next example is Aifric Nic Dhonnachaidh Rua the wife of Malcolm Scrymgeour.  Again, this Gaelic woman does not use her husband’s surname, but rather a name that identifies her clan.  In this case she is linked to the family of Donnchadh Rua Mac Ailín of Dunemuck, a thane in Glassary and who held his lands through Clann Lachlainn.  In the actual record her name is recorded as “Effreta nein Donche roy.”

 When you get on the trail of your ancestors pre 1600 be aware of both male and female forms of your surname.  You might make a great find, I have done it several times now.

Epigenetics

Epigenetics is the study, in the field of genetics, of cellular and physiological phenotypic trait variations that are caused by external or environmental factors that switch genes on and off and affect how cells read genes instead of being caused by changes in the DNA sequence.  In layman's terms, you inherit more than the basic genetic component from your parents, you also inherit the memories, the experiences, the phobias and loves, the feelings, of our ancestors.  In the DNA you inherit from your parents, some DNA material is switched on, others switched off.  The geneticists are still researching how this happens.  But... when you stand on the land your ancestors lived for centuries and you have that feeling of recognition and familiarity with the land, the sky, the location, there is more going on than you think.  Your ancestors are communicating with you. 

Here is a short program discussing the topic:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=245&v=fMxgkSgZoJs

SNP Testing, Summer Sale from Family Tree DNA... Only $79

Some good news from Family Tree DNA regarding SNP testing.  They are running a special summer sale of interest to those in the R1b groups.   It includes 139 downstream SNPs from R-M269.  This is an excellent test and will help you fix your kinship group and the geographic origins of your family.  You can order this from your Family Tree Page.

Exciting news! If you haven’t already heard, we’re offering members of Y-haplogroup R1b the opportunity to purchase the beta release of our new R1b Backbone Panel for only $79!     Starting today, Wednesday, July 29, we’re sending notices to customers who are eligible to get in on this great deal.   We created this panel of carefully curated Y-DNA SNPs with the assistance of Mike Walsh, who is administrator of several R1b groups, including the gateway R1b and All Subclades Project.   The 140-SNP panel includes R-M343, which is above the R-M269 SNP we use to designate the R1b branch, plus 139 downstream SNPs that come from a number of testing sources and which represent the upper portion of the R1b branch of the Y-DNA haplotree. Eighty of those 140 SNPs are being newly added to the FTDNA Y tree.     Keep in mind that the R1b Backbone Panel is not meant to provide your project members with a terminal SNP. Rather, it’s designed to help identify the branch of the enormous R1b haplogroup to which those members belong, and will hopefully encourage further exploration of their ancestral origins. Even if your project member has done some preliminary SNP testing, this panel can be valuable since it includes SNPs not previously found on the tree.   This special beta price of $79 is just $1 more than the cost of testing two individual SNPs! All they have to do to order is click on the banner ad on their myFTDNA dashboard.   Here are the SNPs included in the R1b Backbone panel:     SNPs Already on Tree   A6454 BY2896 A1773 A2150 A274 A4670 A517 BY2823 BY2868 BY575 CTS10429 CTS11567 CTS11994 CTS1751 CTS3386 CTS4466 CTS4528 CTS5330 CTS5689 CTS6937 CTS7763 DF103 DF110 DF13 DF17 DF19 DF21 DF41 DF49 DF63 DF81 DF83 DF88 DF90 DF95 DF99 F2691 F2863 FGC10516 FGC11134 FGC13620 FGC13780 FGC20761 FGC22501 FGC396 FGC5301 FGC5336 FGC5338 FGC5344 FGC5345 FGC5351 FGC5354 FGC5356 FGC5367 FGC5373 FGC5494 FGC5798 L1335 L2 L21 L23 L238 L277 L278 L371 L389 L408 L47 L48 L51 L513 L584 L617 L881 M1994 M222 M269 M335 M343 M73 MC14 P297 P310 P311 P312 PF3252 PF331 PF6610 PF6658 PF6714 PF7562 PF7589 PF7600 S1026 S1051 S11493 S11601 S12025 S1567 S16264 S1688 S18632 S18827 S6317 S7721 SRY2627 U106 U152 V88 Y5058 Z156 Z16500 Z17 Z17300 Z18 Z1862 Z195 Z198 Z209 Z2103 Z2106 Z2109 Z225 Z251 Z253 Z2542 Z255 Z2573 Z262 Z295 Z296 Z301 Z302 Z36 Z367 Z381 Z49 Z56 Z8056 Z9   New SNPs Being Added to Tree BY2895 A6454 BY2896 A1773 A2150 A274 A4670 A517 BY2823 BY2868 BY575 CTS11994 CTS5330 DF103 DF110 DF17 DF41 DF81 DF83 DF88 DF90 FGC10516 FGC11134 FGC13620 FGC13780 FGC20761 FGC22501 FGC396 FGC5301 FGC5336 FGC5338 FGC5344 FGC5345 FGC5351 FGC5354 FGC5356 FGC5367 FGC5373 FGC5494 FGC5798 L1335 L277 L408 L584 L617 L881 M1994 MC14 PF331 PF6658 PF7562 PF7600 S1026 S1051 S11493 S12025 S1567 S16264