My atDNA Test Results are in (AncestryDNA)

Well my great $99 AncestryDNA atDNA adventure has come full circle and I now have some results to look at. Based on this atDNA (autosomal test) I show the following genectic ethnicity that reveals where my ancestors lived hundreds — perhaps even thousands — of years ago.

British Isles 57%
Scandinavian 22%
Southern European 17%
Uncertain 4%

I had six cousin matches within the 4th-6th cousin range (95-96% confidence levels)

I had 22 matches within the 5th to 8th cousin range (moderate confidence level). One of those matches was also a direct match to my Mallory line (my new 8th cousin). So the test does work. Now I need to take time to explore the other 27 matches and their trees to see what shakes out. Pretty interesting and I have a better feel for things now that I have my 67 marker yDNA test, my HRV1 mtDNA test and now my atDNA complete.



You can learn more about autosomal DNA by clicking here.

Ancestry testing goes for pinpoint accuracy

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.

Until a few years ago, most ancestry tests for individuals relied on short stretches of DNA in cell-powering organelles called mitochondria, which are inherited through the mother, or on the Y chromosome, which a father passes down to his sons. While providing very accurate information about father/son relationships, these tests were not always so accurate about the geographical origins of earlier ancestors.

For example, a set of Y-chromosome markers called Haplogroup R1b is common among Western European men, but a small fraction of North Africans have it, too. Similarly, “if men have a Y chromosome that is more common in Scandinavia than England, they’re convinced they’re a Viking”, says Mark Jobling, a geneticist at the University of Leicester, UK. But that is not necessarily the case. Such nuances are not always conveyed by the companies that offer such services, notes Jobling. What’s more, Y-chromosome or mitochondrial markers trace only one strand in a person’s ancestry.

Writing in Nature magazine, Ewen Callaway describes the latest surveys of human genetic diversity, including the International HapMap Project and the 1000 Genomes Project. Callaway states that "Individuals may soon be able to trace the geographic origins of their ancestors more precisely. An academic project called People of the British Isles has distinguished the genetic signatures of people from neighbouring UK counties."



You can read more in the latest edition of Nature at http://www.nature.com/news/ancestry-testing-goes-for-pinpoint-accuracy-1.10785.

My thanks to Sue Burgess for telling me about the article.

Waiting on Two More DNA Test Results

Recently Ancestry offered a really good price on their new AncestryDNA autosomal test so I have taken the plunge. I have tied it to my ancestor public tree which I have spent my off time from my genealogy teacher's podium at Tri County Community College working on. You can see my revised and updated ancestor tree on Ancestry at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/20484129/family.

I'm also waiting on my mtDNA (HRV1 region only)test from Family Tree DNA which so be out in the next three weeks. I took advantage of their excellent one day sale last month so now I will at least know who my clan mother is.

This will be my first experience with an autosomal DNA test so I will let my readers know what I think of the results when they get back and I see how it fits into my family research plans.

Opening Up My FTDNA Test Results

Thanks to the Vanhorne Family FTDNA project manager, Marleen Vanhorne, I opened up my FTDNA test results from just our group matches to the entire FTDNA database. Whoa Nelly did that clear my sinus' up this morning.

I won't go into details now, since I don't want to make someone elses DNA stuff public unless we have prior communication, but I found some new possible avenues for research.

Bottom line, it still appears based on the existing lines of DNA test/genealogy research that our Vanhorn/Van Horn lines descends from Christian Barentsen Van Horn (1626-1658).

Here is my immediate line of research

1. William Larry Van Horn
2. Warner Lee Van Horn
3. Witt Lange Van Horn
4. Willie Law Van Horn
5. Dr. William Law Van Horn
6. Thaddeus Damascus Van Horn
7. James Vanhorn
8. William Vanhorn-Eleanor Hiett m. 1790 Winchester VA (based on all my research, I believe this is the parents of James Vanhorn. This is very tentative and needs more research work in Winchester). Can you say road trip to the Shenandoah Valley!

You can see more detail on my Van Horn Public Family Tree at Ancestty.com at
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/20484129/family