I see that I accidently stated "Smith" where I should have stated "Jones" in my last post. Sorry about that. Bill Davidson ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Davidson" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2012 6:16 PM Subject: Re: Is there a way to leave your DNA for the future..... > Aurelia, > > If you want to research a particular Jones family, for example, then you > need a male Jones from that family to take the Y chromosome DNA test. > That test will be "representative" of Mr. Jones, Mr. Jones' father, his > father's father, his father's father's father, etc. (i.e., all of those > men would have the surname of "Jones," assuming that there were no > "adoptions" or "out of wedlock births"). That test will not be > representative of ANY other "biological line," and it will not "reflect" > anything about the wives or mothers of any of those Smith men. That test > WILL be "representative," however, of all of the "Jones brothers" of all > of those Jones men in each generation in that line (since the "Jones > brothers" in each generation would share the same Jones father). Bottom > line, the Y chromosome is passed from father to son, and it is not > "influenced by"....nor is it "reflective of"....the mothers and/or wives > in any generation. > > I wanted a DNA test on my mother's Brown family. As such, I had to have > one of her/my male Brown cousins take the DNA test for me (and I paid for > it). So....I now have my own Y chromosome DNA test for my paternal > Davidson family, and have his Y chromosome DNA test for my maternal Brown > family. > > Note: The DNA test on my "Brown" cousin showed that he....and hence, my > mother....were actually "biological Smiths" versus a "biological Browns," > and I now know that my maternal gg-grandfather named Smith W. Brown was > actually a "Smith infant" who was taken-in, named and reared by a Brown > family in Middlesex Co., VA around 1817. I have now "traced" my > biological Smith family back to Lancaster Co., VA by at least the 1650s > (ditto the Brown family that took-in my maternal gg-grandfather). > > The above is just the way that the Y chromosome DNA test works (and just > the way that God made us). I know a lot of people who are "into > genealogy" who would give almost anything to find a living male with the > surname of interest (and, of course, in the specific family of interest) > who would take the Y chromosome DNA test for them. If a particular > "biological line" should eventually "daughter-out" (i.e, where there are > no living males left in that "surname line" of interest), then the above Y > chromosome DNA test becomes "unavailable" (unless you exhume a man from > his grave). I know some "family researchers" who are, unfortunately, > faced with that reality today. > > Note: For those who question the true value of the Y chromosome DNA test, > it has shown us that there were at least a DOZEN UNRELATED > Davidson/Davison/Davisson families in just VA alone in the 1700s (and > thanks to DNA testing, we can now "define and segregate" most of them). > It has also shown us that there were at least FIVE UNRELATED Brown > families in just Culpeper Co., VA alone in the 1700s. These types of > discoveries were absolutely IMPOSSIBLE using "conventional documentation." > As I like to say, "if the necessary document does not exist, then it does > not exist"....and as any genealogist worth his/her salt knows, there are a > lot of "wished-for" documents that obviously "do not exist" (if they ever > did "exist"). > > Bill Davidson > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at > http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html