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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2005-12 > 1135607538


From: "Phil Goff" <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] What DNA testing can and cannot tell you
Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 08:32:21 -0600
References: <43AFED73.8050704@worldnet.att.net>


Jim,

Your understanding of the purpose of Y-DNA testing for "way back when and
about very recent times" covers a lot of territory and generally seems
accurate.

I have a similar problem with a rare haplotype. I started the Goff project
in September 2004 to find another Goff family that matches my own. I've done
a lot of recruiting and have matched up a lot of men named Goff and Gough,
but none with my own family for which I've triangulated the haplotype back
to the early 1700s. In your case as in mine, it's just a matter of time
before the right person gets tested and we find surname matches. However,
here are things that may help to accelerate the process:

> There are two men in FTDNA's database named Honeychuck. However, it
> appears there is no Honeychuck project at FTDNA and it appears that
> neither man has uploaded to ysearch or ybase. These two may have joined
> via the NGS project. For $99, I suggest you start a Honeychuck project at
> FTDNA and try to capture these two results. While the $99 is technically
> for the 12-marker test, it is really buying you access to a rapidly
> growing database.
> If you start a project, develop a clear strategy and recruit those men
> that are needed to prove or disprove a theory. Soon you will see patterns
> and groupings and, maybe, your result will fall into one of those groups.
> You may consider updating your ybase entry to reflect your SNP-tested J1
> as it currently reflects J2. I think it is important to have the right
> information in all places so as to not give anyone a reason to question if
> there's a connection.

Keep the faith. Thanks,

Phil

----- Original Message -----
From: "James A. Honeychuck" <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, December 26, 2005 7:17 AM
Subject: [DNA] What DNA testing can and cannot tell you


> Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays.
>
> It is dawning on me that my frustration at finding no matches, no
> relatives, and no definite origins through Y-DNA testing is probably due
> to my initial lack of understanding about the purpose of the tests. I
> think I now understand correctly that Y-STR and Y-SNP testing are
> basically to determine deep ancestry and relatedness among living people;
> that is, information about way back when and about very recent times. And
> if I understand Thomas Krahn correctly, autosomal testing is basically for
> whatever you think it might mean, with no claim that it will reveal
> origins of any age.
>
> So as for determining where your Y-line ancestors were a thousand years
> ago, no form of testing can do that, right?
>
> Jim
> Y-DNA J1

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