Only Ancestry.com will be discontinuing the Y-DNA and mtDNA test. Family Tree DNA will continue to sell them. I think Ancestry will be moving in another direction.
The Y-DNA and mtDNA tests are for those who need a specific line tested. It is much easier to work with if the surname traditions were as they are today. I do run a couple of other projects that are surname based. We use the Y-DNA testing and have been successful. It doesn't work that way in the Azores (or Madeira or Cape Verde or some Scandinavian countries). It'll take a while to get a descendant from each man who settled the Azores islands. When we accomplish that, the Y-DNA testing will be really good. But in the meantime, we put our Y DNA out there and play wait and see, and go play with Family Finder. Back in 2000, the Y-DNA 12 and basic mtDNA was all that there was. FTDNA has kept those products as an entry into DNA for those on a budget (they can upgrade later) or as a way to disprove lineage (Megan Smolenyak (author of Trace Your Roots) is married to a Smolenyak. Both Smolenyaks were in the same village in Europe. Megan's brother took a test and her husband took a test and no, they are not related, even on the 12 marker). Ancestry never offered a level of Y-DNA markers to make a genealogical match. Nor did they offer the Full Sequence mtDNA test. The only company that offers the Full mtDNA is FTDNA. And on the Y-DNA front, they (FTDNA) are up to 111 markers! It's crazy that people need that many, but they do. I've been to the DNA conferences in Houston. A few years ago they asked how people were doing with the 67 markers and some project admins were having a hard time splitting apart families (think the Anderson, Smith, etc). The following year, they came back and said that they were working on more. Maybe the year after they said that they thought they'd have 90ish markers, but not to say anything until their research was done. Then they came out with 111. I know that FTDNA will be working on Gedcoms. Let me share your idea with them. Cheri Mello Listowner, Azores-Gen Researching: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada -- For 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." --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores.
