World renowned genetic genealogist Donna Rutherford has updated her DNA FAQ with the latest information for beginners at this time. It’s a great distillation covering lots of companies and web sites. So if you’re new to autosomal DNA and want to learn more, we highly recommend giving it a read. DNA – What, when, how, […]
The slides from a presentation by Brad Larkin in October 2022 on Intermediate and Advanced Y-DNA Topics for genetic genealogy have been posted here on SurnameDNA Journal. https://www.surnamedna.com/?attachment_id=2432 This session’s goal was to offer a deeper understanding of Y-DNA NextGen SNP genetic genealogy tests like Big Y-700 and YSeq WGS. The approach was to go […]
Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree Genetic Genealogy 2022 Online Virtual Conference LIVE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY AUGUST 19-20, 2022 World-class DNA Conference Get in on the Latest Discoveries Learn from over 20 renowned Genetic Genealogy experts All purchased Genealogy Jamboree presentations viewable through October 31, 2022. See conference Web Site for registration and viewing information Overview […]
A summary and update on the Irish Mapping DNA Project has been completed. Within the Project, Y-DNA results are grouped based on the Y SNP Phylogenetic Tree branches deemed important in the Irish context. Assignment to these groups is limited to those who have taken SNP-based Y DNA tests. STR-only results are not assigned to […]
A presentation on the DNA, Clans, and Monarchy of Ireland was given in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2018. This material updates earlier presentations on DNA vs Irish Annals and The Y DNA of the British Monarchy. See the DNA, Clans and Monarchy Presentation Slides Updates include: Modern genetic genealogy DNA findings in the context of […]
“Which DNA test should I get?” is a common question posed to genealogists. This session will explain the three major types of DNA tests with a focus on Y-DNA. Costs and benefits of the various Y-DNA test options will be weighed. Most importantly, the Big Y-700 DNA test will be examined in terms of costs, […]
The online tools for making new genealogy discoveries about your ancestors from Ireland have increased radically in the past five years thanks to DNA sampling of modern Irish residents and digitization of surviving paper records. This presentation will provide an orientation on how you can use these new resources to make breakthroughs in researching your […]
Introduction As a DNA Project administrator, I am often asked how to interpret someone’s Y-DNA results in terms of the participants expectations and curiosity as to “what country do I come from?” One aspect that new participants in the field of genetic genealogy may not appreciate is the wide variance in how much DNA has […]
Introduction A fierce controversy has arisen in recent days on the legality and appropriateness of law enforcement using private consumer genetic genealogy databases where the consumer paid for the test and had an expectation of privacy. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/family-tree-dna-fbi-investigative-genealogy-privacy https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190207/how-genealogical-sleuthing-led-to-suspect-in-warwicks-joggers-death While many are outraged at this dramatic policy change, there are also individuals who wish to assist […]
Many DNA testing laboratories are advertising ethnicity or ancestral population percentages for participants – but how are those figures calculated? Why are there such differences in the results from one company to another? This presentation provides insights on how these percentages are derived. Ancestral Percentages here meaning Biogeographical Ancestry (BGA) defined as an estimation of […]
The online tools for making new genealogy discoveries about your ancestors from Ireland have increased radically in the past five years thanks to DNA sampling of modern Irish residents and digitization of surviving paper records. This presentation will provide an orientation on how you can use these new resources to make breakthroughs in researching your […]
On April 20, 2018, Family Tree DNA (formally Gene By Gene Ltd, aka FTDNA) announced the initial release of allele count values for 389 new STR markers (labeled as Panel 6) scored from Next-Gen sequencing data recorded on Big Y DNA existing orders. Going forward FTDNA states they will only sell Next-Gen sequencing of the […]
Here is a list of references, resources, and additional information relating to the presentation for Don’t Discard the Y-STRs: Web Resources View the presentation slides online (PDF) (Updated 9 June 2017) Video Recording of live presentation available until 10 July 2017. Note that technical difficulties inhibited slide presentation. Genetic Homeland Tools Join a DNA Mapping […]
Updated presentation version: DNA, Clans and Monarchy Slides (2018) Here is a list of references, resources, and additional information relating to the presentation for DNA vs. Irish Annals: John O’Donovan (1843) The Tribes and Customs of Hy-many, Commonly Called O’Kelly’s Country Google Books digitized copies of the Deputy Keeper of Public Records in Ireland series […]
Link to the Presentation Slides. As times passes and some online sources are defunct but new information and testing also becomes available, provide this updated list of references and additional information on the subject of the Y-DNA of the British Monarchy and the genetic genealogy of European noble families in general. Coble et al, […]
It gives us great pleasure to publish the winner of the Surname DNA Journal 2016 Genetic Genealogist of the Year award as Katherine Borges of Salida, California. Katherine is very well known and active in the genetic genealogy community as well as well as in her local political community. She has also been a leading […]
It gives us great pleasure to publish the winner of the Surname DNA Journal 2015 Genetic Genealogist of the Year award as Dr Maurice Gleeson MB of London, England. Dr Gleeson contributed to the advancement of the field of Genetic Genealogy in numerous ways this past year. Dr Gleeson, the founder of the Genetic Genealogy Ireland […]
New Article English surnames: Plural Origins and Emigration By Dr. John S. Plant and Dr. Richard E. Plant Doctors John and Richard Plant have written a number of important papers on English surnames previously and bring their formidable skills to Surname DNA Journal with a multi-faceted comparison of the distribution of English surnames in modern England […]
The Surname DNA Journal award for Genetic Genealogist of the Year was presented today at the 10th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy in Houston, Texas, USA. This award recognizes genetic genealogists who have made an extremely valuable contribution to the field in the past year. Nominees: This year’s other nominees have all made wonderful […]
New Article History, Adoption, and Regulation of Jewish Surnames in the Russian Empire, A Review By Dr. Jeffrey Mark Paull and Dr. Jeffrey Briskman Analysis of the formation of surnames by the Jewish population of the 19th century Russian Empire. Description of the cultural and legal context of Ashkenazi Jewish surnames in Russia with examples […]
RECENT ARTICLES Recent articles exclusively on Surname DNA Journal: Preliminary Phylogenetic Analysis of Briese Family Relationships By David Briese This study shows how to analysis an uncommon surname combining paper genealogy, genetic genealogy, and geography to identify related lineages from the area of modern Germany and Poland. Full Article Differences in Autosomal DNA Characteristics between […]
Great presentations from Dr Maurice Gleeson, Diahan Southard, CeCe Moore, and Bennett Greenspan. FTDNA is about to rollout a matching tool for Big-Y results based on the number of shared Novel Variant mutations. It is expected to be released for Father’s Day. Kudos to Katherine Borges and Alice Fairhurst of ISOGG and SCGS for putting […]
We have a variety of new topics on the subject of genetic genealogy this month: 1) Surname DNA Journal has published a new, peer-reviewed article by Joe Flood titled, “Using STRs for Intra-Family Y-DNA Comparisons: Segmenting Markers“. This article is especially of interest to genealogists trying to use DNA testing to distinguish lineages from a […]
An introductory presentation on the founding of Surname DNA Journal, the reasons for establishing the journal, and some notes on how we are free for both authors and readers was given at the 2013 FTDNA Conference on Genetic Genealogy. Attached is a copy of the presentation for anyone that is interested in learning more. Presentation link: […]
Dr Michael Hammer gave an interesting presentation at the FTDNA Conference today on R1b origins. Highlights included: Recent work on sibling Y haplogroup K suggests that R ancestors migrated out of Africa and into SouthEast Asia then moved back west into Anatolia. This implies changes are needed in the migration maps presented by FTDNA & […]