The issue is what do you want to find out. If you are satisfied with having information only on a ancestral line of males or females then Y and MTDNA testing is the way to go, but if you want to know your ethnic mix, then choosing a company that does autosomal testing is what a person needs to do. SMGF is free, but it is my understanding it takes a long time to get your results from them and they only do Y and MTDNA testing which doesn't tell you a lot. During these kinds of tests requires that you either have to have a tester who is part of an unbroken line of male ancesters or female ancestors. It produces haplogroup information which can be pretty generic depending on the type of test that is taken. It can also get to be pretty expensive. To get the most bang for your buck, I think 23andme is the way to go. My 2nd choice would be FTDNA. The goal is to have as many SNPs tested for the least amount of money. Now there are websites such as Gedmatch.com where a person can post their raw data to see if their results match the results of others. Linda -----Original Message----- From: Jones, Louise (LVA) Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 5:56 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [VA-ROOTS] smgf.org I do not know if anyone has mentioned the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation yet. Back in 2007 they sent representative to the National Genealogical Society Conference in Richmond, Virginia, where they told us about their program and offered to test our DNA for free. For the men, they tested both their mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA. My sister, my brother-in-law, his father, a group of friends, and I took advantage of the offer. Not too long after we took the test, if stopped being free and GeneTree took over the program. The nice thing about this program was that the participants provided a family tree with their samples of DNA. We had the option of providing up to 7 generations of ancestors. Copies of the participants' family trees are available at smgf.org. The index is divided into mtDatabase and YDatabase. You can search their index by surnames or you can search by the DNA results obtained from another vender. I have found this site helpful and I hope you will also have good results. Louise Jones To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2411/4956 - Release Date: 04/24/12 ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2411/4958 - Release Date: 04/25/12 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html