Newfoundland and Labrador Family Finder Project- Background

Background

This project is for people who have ancestry from Newfoundland and Labrador and who have taken (or plan to take) Family Tree DNA's Family Finder test.

The primary benefit of the Family Finder test is that it looks for blocks of DNA that people share. As the number and size of these shared blocks increase, the more likely it is that the two people are closely related. When you take the Family Finder test, you are provided with a list of the people that share DNA segments with you, along with information on how much DNA you have in common and an estimate of what degree of relationship might exist between you.

For more information about the Family Finder test, you can either click here to view documentation from the ISOGG Wiki, or you can view the Family Finder FAQ on the Family Tree DNA website. Entries such as this one on Roberta Estes' DNAeXplained Blog are also helpful.

Some things to note about the Family Finder test are:

• The Family Finder test can be done by both men and women
• It can detect DNA segments from any of your ancestral lines (not just the direct male and direct female lines)
• It works best at detecting shared DNA segments between people whose relationship is that of third cousin or closer
  (more distant relationships can also sometimes be detected, but with lower probability)
• Different family members might have inherited different DNA segments and so it can be helpful to test several family members
  (testing the most elderly generation is a good idea).

Project members can find out which other project members they share DNA segments with by following the steps below:

1. Login to your account at Family Tree DNA
2. Select "Advanced Matching from the "Family Finder" submenu
3. Check the "Family Finder" box, select "NfldLab-FamilyFinder" from the drop-down menu for "Show Matches For", and then click on the "Run Report" button

An extra feature of the Family Finder test is its Population Finder component. What it does is look for similar DNA patterns between your test results and those of several reference populations from around the world. Based on which of these populations your DNA is most similar to, an estimate of your genetic origins is provided. For example, below is an assessment for a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Family Finder Project, showing a mixture of about 97% European DNA and 3% Native American DNA:

How to join the Newfoundland and Labrador Family Finder Project:

If you have not yet had your DNA tested, then you can order a Family Finder DNA test from the website for Family Tree DNA. Once you have been assigned a kit number and password, you can join this project using the instructions in the following paragraph:

If you are already a customer of FamilyTreeDNA, then the following steps outline how to join this project:

1. Login with your kit number and password at www.familytreedna.com
2. Hover your mouse over "Projects" in the menu and then click on the "Join" item in its sub-menu.
3. Enter "Newfoundland" in the "Search by Surname" area and then click on "Search".
4. Two projects will then be listed. Click on the "NfldLab-FamilyFinder" link.
5. Click on the "Join" button that appears near the bottom of the page.

If you have already had your DNA tested by the National Geographic Society's Genographic Project, then go to your personal webpage with the Genographic Project, click on the "Learn More" link near the bottom of your personal page so that you can transfer your DNA results into the FamilyTreeDNA database, and then follow the instructions in the previous paragraph.

If you have already had your DNA tested by 23andMe, then it may be possible to upload your raw data from 23andMe into the Family Tree DNA database. For more information on this possibility, consult this FAQ on the Family Tree DNA website.

DNA Analysis Tools

• David Pike's utilities for analysing autosomal DNA

Links:

• Newfoundland and Labrador mtDNA Project
• International Society of Genetic Genealogy
• Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Newfoundland and Labrador GenWeb
• Newfoundland's Grand Banks Genealogy Site
• NFLD-ROOTS mailing list
• Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador

Project Stats