For GENEALOGY purposes, there are 2 main DNA testing companies: 1) Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), founded in 2000 2) Ancestry DNA, founded in 2007 when they bought Relative Genetics (founded in 2001)
There are other DNA testing companies as well. There are the ones that deal with paternity, crime, and medical testing. One company, based in California, is 23 and Me. They deal mostly with medical testing (you can find out what you may be genetically predispositioned towards). They do have a genealogy component to their results, but you do NOT have the name or the email address of your match in most cases. You contact them anonymously through 23 and Me. Many people who test on 23 and Me don't do genealogy, so it's hard to get people to respond to you. Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) is not the same as AncestryDNA. They are 2 different companies, just as Ford and Honda are 2 different car manufacturers. Also, for GENEALOGY purposes, there are 3 types of DNA tests: 1) Y-DNA: To trace the STRICT male line only: The father's father's father, or top line of the pedigree chart. You need to be a male to take this test or you need to find a male relative with that surname you want to test (I had to get my mom's Duncan cousin to test her Duncan line since neither me nor my mom are male. I also had to get a male relative to test my dad's Blackburn line. My dad was born a Mello and not a Blackburn, so my dad's Y-DNA would not work for this type of testing). 2) mtDNA: To trace the STRICT female line only: The mother's mother's mother, or the bottom line of the pedigree. Either males or females can take this DNA test. You need to look at the testee's pedigree and make sure that person who is being tested is getting that particular mother's mother's mother's line. It is best used in conjunction with a theory (example: You and I think our mother's mother's mother were sisters but the paper trail ended so we do an mtDNA test). Most of the time, you get some really interesting anthropological information. For about 10 years, these were the only 2 types of DNA testing available for genealogy. A couple of years ago, a 3rd test evolved: Autosomal DNA 3) Autosomal DNA (the Family Finder test at FTDNA): This one is probably the best for Portuguese researchers since the male ancestor did not keep the same surname through the generations and mtDNA is more anthropological in nature. The Family Finder test can be done by a male or female. It covers the testees ENTIRE PEDIGREE (not just one line) back about 200 years from the testee's birth. Both of my parents are born in the 1930s. My dad is half Portuguese and half everything else. My mom is English, Scottish, German, etc. My dad and my mother matched back about 1740 to a common ancestor from Germany (making them 6th cousins). Y-DNA, mtDNA, and Family Finder are 3 types of DNA tests. A banana, apple, and an orange are 3 types of fruit. But when you are learning something that is out of your ballpark, it can be a bit overwhelming. Hope this simplification helps. Cheri Mello Family Tree DNA Admin (volunteer) Azores DNA Project -- To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership."
