Would you like to help expand the database of yDNA tests?

Image source: familytreedna.com

The 37 marker yDNA test sold by Familytreedna.com is currently on sale for $79 (it's $88.95 including shipping). This the lowest price this test has ever been. This doesn't just mean cost savings for test takers. It also means that more men will be taking the yDNA test. This is truly exciting because more test takers mean more possible matches. And I've seen yDNA break down brick walls before. If you descend from enslaved ancestors or your paternal grandfather is from Africa. Please consider taking a yDNA test during this sale. If you would like assistance in learning how to understand yDNA results and how to use them to help your research, please consider joining my Legacy Reclaimed project.

Please note that I am not an employee of FamilyTreeDNA nor any of the DNA testing companies. I am a genetic genealogist and though I recently began to accept some client work, I charge a substantially reduced price than most genealogists do. I have been doing genetic genealogy free of charge for my own family, friends, and others I've met during this journey.

I am a strong supporter of the tests sold by FamilyTreeDNA and the accompanying tools and resources that they provide for free to those who have tested (i.e. the database of matches, haplogroup origins, project tools, and much more).

yDNA only gets passed from father to son and it changes slowly, so it can be useful in confirming and disproving kinship connections. It can also be useful in identifying some of those unknown, perhaps distant matches we have among our ancestry DNA matches.

Even though women don't carry yDNA, this test is still something they should use to help them in researching their family branches. Women should ask their father or brother to test to learn their father's yDNA line. But they shouldn't stop there, all researchers and test takers can turn to other members of their family to test the other yDNA lines in their trees. For instance, if their mother has a brother or uncle, that person represents their mom's paternal line. Ask that individual to test as well. Since most of us have already done an ancestry.com DNA test, turn to your cousin matches on that site and ask patrilineal descendants of your other ancestors to test as well.

I'm doing what I can to grow the database. Recently I placed close to 30 orders for 37 marker yDNA tests for members of my Legacy Reclaimed project on Familytreedna.com. Most of the tests I've ordered fall under the E haplogroup (I determined this using the haplogroup predictor on their ancestry DNA tests). An E haplogroup means the person has an unbroken (father to son) line back to a male ancestor in Africa. Some of the men are full African but most are descendants of enslaved ancestors here in the U.S.

I already had close to 40 yDNA test takers in my project so once I'm done recruiting new test takers, I will hopefully have doubled the number of yDNA test takers in my project and added slightly to the overall database. I'll also be asking my project members to join the E1b1a project as well. That group has slightly more than 1100 test takers right now.

I have access to more men who want to take a yDNA test than I have funds for (most have already done the ancestry DNA test).

Additionally, I am in contact with a group of people who reside in Ghana who want to do both the yDNA and ancestry.com DNA tests. I'm collecting money and/or tests so we can get them tested as well.

If you'd like to help my project test more people, there are several ways you can help:

1. If you have an extra test that you ordered in the past but never wound up using. Please send it to the address below. I'll make sure it goes to good use.

2. If you'd like to donate directly to the testing fund for my Familytreedna.com project the link is:

https://www.familytreedna.com/group-general-fund-contribution.aspx?g=LegacyReclaimed

(100% of contributions will be used toward testing).

3. If you'd like to donate toward the shipping costs for the tests being sent to/from Ghana. You can do so via Cash app ($legacyreclaimed) or PayPal (100% of contributions will be used toward testing).

4. If purchasing a new test (or sending an unused ancestry.com DNA test)

Send to:

Attention: Samantha Jones (c/o S. Horton)

P.O. Box 35562

Phoenix, AZ 85069

If you have any questions, please submit them in the comments below or via the contact form on my 'about me' page. I'm happy to answer them.