genealogy testing
Everything You Wanted to Know about Genealogy Testing
What does the popular TV show “CSI”, and the famous silent movie comedian Charlie Chaplin, have to do with Genealogy and Family History? At first you might think: nothing! But, consider this thought: when researching your family history, you may come to a roadblock which could also be embarrassing for the family – what about “illegitimate” children?
A complete family tree will include illegitimate children. However, it may be an embarrassing fact to include on the family tree – especially if the information is still a secret!
This is where genetic testing comes into focus. And this is where the story of Charlie Chaplin sheds some light on its importance.
In 1945, Charlie Chaplin was ordered by a California jury to pay over $100,000 in child support and attorney’s fees for an allegedly illegitimate child. Should this child be included in Charlie Chaplin’s family tree? Of course – right?
Wrong! The problem with the jury’s finding is that this particular child could not possibly have been Charlie Chaplin’s child. By 1959 the science of blood testing and our understanding of the laws of heredity was advanced to the point where scientists could prove without doubt that certain people could not possibly have fathered certain children.
Today DNA testing has taken the science of heredity (which began in the 1800’s with a discovery by a scientist named Mendel) to an even deeper understanding.
Genealogy Testing has steadily increased its popularity well over the past few years, thanks to famous crime investigation series and movies. Genealogy testing is popularly used for crime investigations to identify a victim or prove a suspect’s involvement to a crime. This is not the only use for genealogy tests though.
Genealogy tests are an extremely helpful tool and serve many purposes, such as paternal testing and determining ancestry.
DNA is our human blueprint, the one which sets us apart from the rest of the people of the world. No person shares the same DNA, even twins (though they have very similar DNA structure). Since DNA is passed almost unchanged from generation to generation, genealogy testing is exceptionally accurate on determining family relationships.
If you are curious about your family history and ethnic origins, genealogy testing will help you a great deal. While Genealogy tests cannot present to you a family tree right then and there, it can provide these benefits:
- determine if the two individuals are related,
- determine if the two individuals share the same ancestor,
- determine if the individual is related to those with the same surname as his,
- present clues for one’s ethnic origins and confirm or refute one’s family tree research.
Three Types of DNA Tests
There are 3 types of DNA testing: Y-chromosome DNA (yDNA), Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Autosomal DNA (atDNA).
- Y-DNA is carried only by men, which they inherited from their fathers. Y-chromosome DNA testing is commonly used by individuals with the same surname to determine if they come from the same ancestor. Y-DNA testing is primarily useful for tracing the direct paternal line of an individual. Women, conversely, do not have the Y-DNA. They cannot inherit it from their fathers, nor are they able to pass it to their sons. Thus, a son can not inherit Y-DNA from his mother’s father.
- mtDNA is carried by both men and women, which they inherited through their mother. The mtDNA is inherited through the egg cell, so consequently only women can pass down mtDNA to their offspring. mtDNA testing is helpful for tracing an individual’s direct maternal line.
- atDNA is carried by both men and women. atDNA makes up our genetic blueprint, a random arrangement of genetic information passed down from one generation to another. The atDNA are responsible for making us different from the rest of the human population, it determines our character and appearance.
Genealogy and DNA tests are no longer as expensive as it was before. Nowadays, you can now buy a home DNA testing kit for $100 to $400 a kit you can purchase through the web. They usually comprise of a cheek swab or collecting sample cells from your mouth. You send these samples back through mail, and within a month, the results will be sent to you.
Not a Replacement for Family Tree Research
Always keep in mind that Genealogy and DNA tests is not a replacement or substitute for the traditional family tree research. It is merely a tool to be utilized to aid the researcher in confirming or refuting family relationships.
All the best to you!
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