Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Ordering DNA and getting assistance
Thank you Cheri! This is very helpful. I will review the info and treat myself to one of these test. Thank you for taking the time to run this group, I have learned so much from just reading all of the post. With deep appreciation. Tanya On Tue, Jul 29, 2014 at 7:47 AM, Cheri Mello wrote: > Tanya S, > > The 3 major companies that offer DNA testing for genealogy are Family Tree > DNA (FTDNA), Ancestry.com, and 23 and Me. The Azores DNA project is housed > at FTDNA. > > 1) Ancestry.com: Ancestry started out in the publishing world, with > genealogy books. Then they went digital by scanning and making things > available from your computer with their Ancestry.com (or .ca or or or) web > site. In my opinion, they should have stopped there. Being traded in the > stock market means you have to please your shareholders and make them > money. So they got into DNA testing by buying out other companies to > start. I've watched them as they've basically bumbled their way around > DNA. I've even called them on the phone, with a DNA question. They try to > sell me their World Membership instead and avoided my question. Maybe they > are better now. I haven't called them in a while. However, they used to > offer all types of DNA testing for genealogy. They made an announcement > about a month ago that they are dumping all the DNA samples and results > from Y & mtDNA and just staying with autosomal. This is a shame because > some people tested a relative who has died and they are just going to do > away with all that?!?! You can test with Ancestry.com. Just be aware your > results and sample may not be there in a few years. Also, they have no > projects there. I find their help very, very limited. > > 2) 23 and Me: They really started out doing stuff for medical reasons. > Anne Wojcicki, one of the founders, is (was?) married to Sergey Brin (one > of the Google guys). Anne had found some medical thing in her family (or > Sergey's family?) and wanted a way to utilize DNA to solve the problem. > The chip that is used for medical DNA has the genealogy stuff on it. So > they offered that too. Most people on 23 and Me don't answer genealogy > requests because they are there for medical. Then the FDA came in around > last November and told 23 and Me that they can't sell the medical part to > the consumer. So currently, they are offering only the genealogy portion > until they can compile with the FDA rules and regulations. So if you test > with 23 and Me, you may wind up with your medical info in the future. Some > people don't want to know that they have the gene for Alzheimer's, > Parkinson's, etc, etc. Other people want to know. There are no projects > there. Most of the help is through their message boards. > > 3) Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). This is where the Azores project is held (we > have 713 members in it; 407 have had the Family Finder test run). FTDNA > was founded in 2000 by Bennett Greenspan. He had a genealogy mystery that > could be solved by DNA, just as DNA helped solve the Thomas Jefferson & > Sally Hemings question. There wasn't any company out there that could help > a genealogist. So Bennett started FTDNA in 2000 and used the lab at the > University of Arizona (FTDNA built their own lab 2 or 3 years ago and all > tests are now run in-house in Houston, Texas). They are the oldest and > have the largest database for genealogists. They have some big name > geneticists on their advisory board. It's absolutely crazy what us > genealogists have made the geneticists do. We've asked questions and > pushed them into making discoveries that they didn't initially think were > possible. Anyways, Katherine Borges founded the Azores DNA project with > FTDNA around 2004 or 2005. They have projects, message boards, admins, and > customer service to help. They are working on improving their Learning > Center, as they recognize their strength is delivering results but not much > in the way of interpretation or really, really good comparison tools. > Since we've had the Azores project there for about 10 years, you will find > more matches with people of Azorean descent there. Oh, they save your > sample for at least 25 years. > > There are other small DNA testing companies too. > > Also there are 3 or 4 or 5 types of DNA testing, depending on how you look > at it. > > 1) Y-DNA testing: Only 23 and Me and FTDNA offer this. Y-DNA is taken by > a male and traces his father's father's father's line only. That's the top > of his pedigree chart. Just that one line. So if your maiden is Smith and > you wanted to know about your Smith ancestors, you as a female, would have > to have your brother test or your uncle or male cousin named Smith take the > test for you. Since the Azores are somewhat isolated out there in the > Atlantic, it will take time to get a sample from every family that ever > settled in the Azores (we have about 340 men who have taken a Y-DNA test > who are of Azorea
Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Ordering DNA and getting assistance
Tanya S, The 3 major companies that offer DNA testing for genealogy are Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), Ancestry.com, and 23 and Me. The Azores DNA project is housed at FTDNA. 1) Ancestry.com: Ancestry started out in the publishing world, with genealogy books. Then they went digital by scanning and making things available from your computer with their Ancestry.com (or .ca or or or) web site. In my opinion, they should have stopped there. Being traded in the stock market means you have to please your shareholders and make them money. So they got into DNA testing by buying out other companies to start. I've watched them as they've basically bumbled their way around DNA. I've even called them on the phone, with a DNA question. They try to sell me their World Membership instead and avoided my question. Maybe they are better now. I haven't called them in a while. However, they used to offer all types of DNA testing for genealogy. They made an announcement about a month ago that they are dumping all the DNA samples and results from Y & mtDNA and just staying with autosomal. This is a shame because some people tested a relative who has died and they are just going to do away with all that?!?! You can test with Ancestry.com. Just be aware your results and sample may not be there in a few years. Also, they have no projects there. I find their help very, very limited. 2) 23 and Me: They really started out doing stuff for medical reasons. Anne Wojcicki, one of the founders, is (was?) married to Sergey Brin (one of the Google guys). Anne had found some medical thing in her family (or Sergey's family?) and wanted a way to utilize DNA to solve the problem. The chip that is used for medical DNA has the genealogy stuff on it. So they offered that too. Most people on 23 and Me don't answer genealogy requests because they are there for medical. Then the FDA came in around last November and told 23 and Me that they can't sell the medical part to the consumer. So currently, they are offering only the genealogy portion until they can compile with the FDA rules and regulations. So if you test with 23 and Me, you may wind up with your medical info in the future. Some people don't want to know that they have the gene for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc, etc. Other people want to know. There are no projects there. Most of the help is through their message boards. 3) Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). This is where the Azores project is held (we have 713 members in it; 407 have had the Family Finder test run). FTDNA was founded in 2000 by Bennett Greenspan. He had a genealogy mystery that could be solved by DNA, just as DNA helped solve the Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings question. There wasn't any company out there that could help a genealogist. So Bennett started FTDNA in 2000 and used the lab at the University of Arizona (FTDNA built their own lab 2 or 3 years ago and all tests are now run in-house in Houston, Texas). They are the oldest and have the largest database for genealogists. They have some big name geneticists on their advisory board. It's absolutely crazy what us genealogists have made the geneticists do. We've asked questions and pushed them into making discoveries that they didn't initially think were possible. Anyways, Katherine Borges founded the Azores DNA project with FTDNA around 2004 or 2005. They have projects, message boards, admins, and customer service to help. They are working on improving their Learning Center, as they recognize their strength is delivering results but not much in the way of interpretation or really, really good comparison tools. Since we've had the Azores project there for about 10 years, you will find more matches with people of Azorean descent there. Oh, they save your sample for at least 25 years. There are other small DNA testing companies too. Also there are 3 or 4 or 5 types of DNA testing, depending on how you look at it. 1) Y-DNA testing: Only 23 and Me and FTDNA offer this. Y-DNA is taken by a male and traces his father's father's father's line only. That's the top of his pedigree chart. Just that one line. So if your maiden is Smith and you wanted to know about your Smith ancestors, you as a female, would have to have your brother test or your uncle or male cousin named Smith take the test for you. Since the Azores are somewhat isolated out there in the Atlantic, it will take time to get a sample from every family that ever settled in the Azores (we have about 340 men who have taken a Y-DNA test who are of Azorean descent). The string of numbers is compared to everyone in FTDNA's database and the match's name and email is provided to you. With 23 and Me, you know you have a match, but no name or email addy. You go through them to send an email. 2) mtDNA testing: Again, only 23 and Me and FTDNA offer this. Men or women can take an mtDNA test. It traces the mother's mother's mother's line only. The bottom of the pedigree chart. Just that
Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Ordering DNA and getting assistance
Aloha Cheri, I would like to get a DNA testing for myself and mother. Are there options for companies and of DNA testing that I need to be aware of. The Azores project is something that I would like to be a part of. Can you please steer me to the links that can enlighten me about DNA testing and the project? thanks, Tanya On Mon, Jul 28, 2014 at 12:08 PM, Cheri Mello wrote: > I think I've received 4 or 5 emails this weekend asking for help with > DNA. We can NOT help if you are NOT part of the project. It doesn't > matter if your DNA has been sent in, or is at the lab being processed, or > is sitting on someone's kitchen table waiting to be swabbed. Many things > can come up in the interim and if you are not part of the project, we can't > help.. The admins CAN intercede on your behalf, but only if you are part > of the project. We can reset your password. We can change settings for > you (with your permission). We can do other things as well, but not if you > aren't part of the project. > > So if you ordered through FTDNA, please be part of the Azores project. > Log in. > Toward the upper left, point at My Projects and click JOIN. > If the Azores Islands come up as a suggested project, click the link and > find the orange JOIN button on the next screen and click it. > > If the Azores is NOT a suggested project, scroll down to where it says > "Search by Surname," type in "azores" and then follow the directions above. > > Also, please try to remember to include the kit number and the name on > that kit. We really don't want to answer your question incorrectly because > we were looking at the wrong John's page (for example). > > Thanks! > Cheri Mello > Azores DNA admin > > -- > 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. > -- Tanya K. Smith tanya808sm...@gmail.com 808.232.1366 P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. -- 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.
[AZORES-Genealogy] Ordering DNA and getting assistance
I think I've received 4 or 5 emails this weekend asking for help with DNA. We can NOT help if you are NOT part of the project. It doesn't matter if your DNA has been sent in, or is at the lab being processed, or is sitting on someone's kitchen table waiting to be swabbed. Many things can come up in the interim and if you are not part of the project, we can't help.. The admins CAN intercede on your behalf, but only if you are part of the project. We can reset your password. We can change settings for you (with your permission). We can do other things as well, but not if you aren't part of the project. So if you ordered through FTDNA, please be part of the Azores project. Log in. Toward the upper left, point at My Projects and click JOIN. If the Azores Islands come up as a suggested project, click the link and find the orange JOIN button on the next screen and click it. If the Azores is NOT a suggested project, scroll down to where it says "Search by Surname," type in "azores" and then follow the directions above. Also, please try to remember to include the kit number and the name on that kit. We really don't want to answer your question incorrectly because we were looking at the wrong John's page (for example). Thanks! Cheri Mello Azores DNA admin -- 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.
