FAQ
If you have a question not covered below, or just want some feedback on this group and your place in it, or anything else...the best way to reach me is directly via email at dnadeb@gmail.com
NOTE: Like with all projects at FTDNA, there is NO FEE or DONATION required to join this group!
I joined this group awhile ago, why haven't I heard anything?
Ok, this will be my one mea culpa paragraph...I was "out of the loop" for several years due to a pressing "day job," and so wasn't able to keep up with admin tasks like always sending welcome emails, updating our private chart (see below), organizing the match group list, etc. I did keep my eye on relevant literature however. And now that I have retired, I am getting caught up. If you haven't heard from me at all, you will!
What more do you need from me, other than joining the group?
If you haven't made your results "visible" to the group administrator. please do...I need to see your coding region results to properly place you within the group and evaluate where you fit into our group migration story. (Go to PRIVACY & SHARING tab under Manage Personal Information on your FTDNA Dashboard "home" page....scroll down to "MY DNA Results" where you will see "Who can view my Coding Region results?"...click on the "Only You" and that will let you check a box to make your results visible to the L2a1 administrator)
Also, please share whatever you know about your older maternal ancestors...even if you are not sure of places or dates, "family stories" and "rumors" are valuable clues. (That often turn out to be closer to fact than people think!) Some of you who have been in this group for years have already done this, so no worries...it's you newer folks I'm talking to. Not sure if I have your info or not? Email me!
Am I likely to find a cousin I can confirm with a paper trail via this DNA testing?
To be blunt, no. It's possible but not likely. (Although if you have a particular person you THINK is a relative, the DNA test can be a great way to confirm or deny that!) The reason it is not likely otherwise is that via DNA testing, the time to the common ancestor is usually farther back than people's paper trails go. And in many cases, such as with Jews in general and African-American descended from slaves, surnames are not ancient or even hereditary, once you go back more than a few generations. Your matches do give you clues, though, as to your maternal family history. Indeed, you can learn some absolutely awesome things...see next FAQ:
What exactly will I get out of being in this group?
It's going to be a wild ride, so buckle your seat belt. First, if you haven't already clicked on the "LINKS" tab, please do so as there are many items there of interest already. Second, as soon as I have updated our private group chart---this is a chart different than the FTDNA list of results---I will post it and send it to members so you can see exactly who you match and how closely and how significantly. Thirdly and most thrilling, from this information I will be creating a phylogeny (group tree) which combines your results with family history information, world history information and the results from recent genetic studies to tell our story of how such a diverse group of people as we are (Jews, African-Americans, Hispanics, English, Gypsies, etc.) all connect on a common maternal line. It will be an awesome migration story.
Should I do more DNA testing now? How do coupons work?
The answer varies quite a bit from person to person, so please feel free to email me directly to get an individualized reply. But in general, for MtDNA, it is VERY valuable to have done the full genome sequence (mega or FMS)...so if you have only tested HVR1 and HVR2 levels, upgrading would be well worth the money. However, it is not cheap. If your results might make a big difference in our group analysis, I'd be willing to help cover the cost. And you can wait for sales which FTDNA often holds (especially around the holidays!) to reduce your costs.
Although we are an MtDNA group, if you have other questions about DNA testing (ydna, family finder, Geno 2.0 etc.), email me. I've done almost every test known to man and can guide you!
I see "Avotaynu" listed under my projects and I don't remember joining that...what is it?
NOTE: Like with all projects at FTDNA, there is NO FEE or DONATION required to join this group!
I joined this group awhile ago, why haven't I heard anything?
Ok, this will be my one mea culpa paragraph...I was "out of the loop" for several years due to a pressing "day job," and so wasn't able to keep up with admin tasks like always sending welcome emails, updating our private chart (see below), organizing the match group list, etc. I did keep my eye on relevant literature however. And now that I have retired, I am getting caught up. If you haven't heard from me at all, you will!
What more do you need from me, other than joining the group?
If you haven't made your results "visible" to the group administrator. please do...I need to see your coding region results to properly place you within the group and evaluate where you fit into our group migration story. (Go to PRIVACY & SHARING tab under Manage Personal Information on your FTDNA Dashboard "home" page....scroll down to "MY DNA Results" where you will see "Who can view my Coding Region results?"...click on the "Only You" and that will let you check a box to make your results visible to the L2a1 administrator)
Also, please share whatever you know about your older maternal ancestors...even if you are not sure of places or dates, "family stories" and "rumors" are valuable clues. (That often turn out to be closer to fact than people think!) Some of you who have been in this group for years have already done this, so no worries...it's you newer folks I'm talking to. Not sure if I have your info or not? Email me!
Am I likely to find a cousin I can confirm with a paper trail via this DNA testing?
To be blunt, no. It's possible but not likely. (Although if you have a particular person you THINK is a relative, the DNA test can be a great way to confirm or deny that!) The reason it is not likely otherwise is that via DNA testing, the time to the common ancestor is usually farther back than people's paper trails go. And in many cases, such as with Jews in general and African-American descended from slaves, surnames are not ancient or even hereditary, once you go back more than a few generations. Your matches do give you clues, though, as to your maternal family history. Indeed, you can learn some absolutely awesome things...see next FAQ:
What exactly will I get out of being in this group?
It's going to be a wild ride, so buckle your seat belt. First, if you haven't already clicked on the "LINKS" tab, please do so as there are many items there of interest already. Second, as soon as I have updated our private group chart---this is a chart different than the FTDNA list of results---I will post it and send it to members so you can see exactly who you match and how closely and how significantly. Thirdly and most thrilling, from this information I will be creating a phylogeny (group tree) which combines your results with family history information, world history information and the results from recent genetic studies to tell our story of how such a diverse group of people as we are (Jews, African-Americans, Hispanics, English, Gypsies, etc.) all connect on a common maternal line. It will be an awesome migration story.
Should I do more DNA testing now? How do coupons work?
The answer varies quite a bit from person to person, so please feel free to email me directly to get an individualized reply. But in general, for MtDNA, it is VERY valuable to have done the full genome sequence (mega or FMS)...so if you have only tested HVR1 and HVR2 levels, upgrading would be well worth the money. However, it is not cheap. If your results might make a big difference in our group analysis, I'd be willing to help cover the cost. And you can wait for sales which FTDNA often holds (especially around the holidays!) to reduce your costs.
Although we are an MtDNA group, if you have other questions about DNA testing (ydna, family finder, Geno 2.0 etc.), email me. I've done almost every test known to man and can guide you!
I see "Avotaynu" listed under my projects and I don't remember joining that...what is it?
If you are of known Jewish ancestry, in order to improve my service to you and contribute to scientific research, I may have joined your kit to the AVOTAYNU project---check it out here and, of course, you are free to unjoin from that project if you wish at any time:
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/avotaynu/about