Southern California Genealogical Society DNA Project

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Group Administrator: Doug Miller and Alice Fairhurst djmill@earthlink.net

Background

Project Surnames:

SCGS

Project Background:

Recognizing the importance that DNA testing is going to be in the field of genealogy and family research, the Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library has decided to partner with the Family Tree DNA testing service to provide reduced pricing for our members and to encourage this form of research.

SCGS members who sign up through SCGS will later be able to have their results transferred to the appropriate Surname Project.

Understanding DNA Testing:
Family Tree DNA provides information to help you understand DNA testing. Most people start by looking at projects which fit their surname. Across the top of every page are the words TESTIMONIALS, PRIVACY and FAQ. There are also excellent explanations of Y-DNA (male DNA) testing and mtDNA (female DNA) testing accessed from the left column. On the lower right column are articles which give you a deeper understanding of DNA. An excellent tutorial on DNA is found on the Blair Surname site called DNA 101.

Recommended books for understanding DNA are:
Colleen Fitzpatrick & Andrew Yeiser, DNA & Genealogy
Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner, Trace Your Roots with DNA.

Books featuring DNA in the British Isles and Ireland are:
Stephen Oppenheimer, The Origins of the British
Bryan Sykes, Saxons, Vikings and Celts (published in Great Britain as Blood of the Isles).

If you still have questions, contact:
Doug Miller - djmill at earthlink.net or
Alice Fairhurst – afairhurst at earthlink.net

Please note that the FTDNA Surname Group Administrators are not FTDNA employees. They do not receive any form of financial payment or any other incentive or reimbursement.

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All Contents Copyright 2001-2004 Genealogy by Genetics, Ltd.
Project Background, Goals, Results and News are copyright of the specific Surname Project

Project Goals:

The purpose of the Southern California Genealogy Society (SCGS) project is to:
• facilitate testing for our members
• provide reduced pricing for our members (they save up to $60 per test)
• provide an additional benefit for our members
• encourage new memberships
• encourage DNA testing as a research method

Project News:

As of October 8, 2007, we have had more than 260 people test through SCGS.

Project Results:

Y-DNA Results:

Haplogroups are DNA signatures that are used to look at migrations of man. A resource on this topic is Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestry. To see research and graphics of the Y-DNA tree, go to http://www.isogg.org/tree/index.html

The test kits have been sorted into their respective haplogroups. Sometimes we know where a particular group within a haplotype comes from, such as R1b - Northern Ireland which is thought to be of the Ui Neill clan, often referred to as descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The haplogroup I1a labeled Anglo-Saxon is a broader category than just the people who came to England in the 400's. They are people who spread in Western Europe and the British Isles. Haplogroup R1a is essentially Norwegian Viking. Vikings were mainly R1a's and I's. To learn more about the haplogroups, go to http://www.isogg.org/tree/index then click on your own haplogroup letter.

A few people do not have assigned haplogroups because their haplotype numbers are somewhat unusual. Only a SNP test can confirm the haplogroup when a haplotype is rare.

mtDNA Results:

mtDNA test kits are also arranged by mtdna Haplogroups. Y-DNA Haplogroups with the same name as mtDNA Haplogroups have no relationship with each other. An example is that Y-DNA Haplogroup K has a different history from mtDNA Haplogroup K.

mtDNA Haplogroups show the deep ancestry of the tester and are described in Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestry,. Descriptions are also available on the tester's personal page.

DNA Test Results (mtDNA) for Project Members