Frequently Asked Questions


What can I learn about my genealogy by taking a DNA test?

Personal objectives for taking a DNA test range from

  Where did my ancient ancestors come from?

  Is the man I met at the gas station with the same last name related to me?

  My last name is Cartier. Am I related to Jacques Cartier?

  Am I researching up the right tree? Or the wrong tree?

  There were two early Boucher families in French-Canada. Which one am I descended from?

  My surname is Nicely. I match several participants named Beaudry. Could this have been my ancestor's true name?

  I was adopted and do not know my birth father's name. I match several men with the name of Barton. Could this have been my father's surname?

What tests are available?

The most common and most useful test for genealogical purposes is the male Y Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) test. A man inherits his Y Chromosome from his father, who inherited it from his father, who inherited it from his father, all the way back to the original ancestor. Taking the Y-DNA test will provide the DNA signature of the ancient direct paternal ancestor give or take a mutation every 20 generations.

If the Y-DNA test is genealogically valuable but can only be taken by men how can a women participate in this new adventure?

Women can participate in the Y-DNA side of the research by enlisting a male relative (father, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew) of the appropriate surname to test.

What is the importance of finding a male with the appropriate surname?

The male Y chromosome was handed down from father to son to son to son.
So also was the surname handed down from father to son to son to son. Males with the same surname and having the same DNA signature are usually related to a Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA).

How else can women participate?

Sons and daughters inherit their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from their mothers, who inherited it from their mothers, all the way back to the ancient ancestral mother. Men and women can each take the mtDNA test to find out something about their direct maternal lineage.

Is the mtDNA test valuable for determining relationships?

The mtDNA test is generally not valuable for genealogical purposes.
It will only define your direct maternal ancestry from thousands of years ago. Of course there are exceptions, but these are few.

How are relationships identified?

This is accomplished by testing the male Y Chromosome DNA, obtaining a DNA or genetic signature and comparing that signature to others in the general DNA database or in a surname project database. When a DNA match is found with someone with the same surname or variation of the surname there is a high degree of probability that both these individuals are descended from a Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA).
For example, we currently have 4 participants with the surname Boucher.
One of them is a documented descendant of Marin Boucher of early French-Canada. The other 3 participants now know that there is a high probability that they are also descended from Marin Boucher or possibly a brother.

Will DNA testing tell me who this MRCA is or when he lived?

DNA testing cannot tell you who the MRCA is or exactly when he lived.
This information will hopefully be determined by communicating with others that match.

Who will be doing the testing?

The FHDNA project has chosen the Family Tree DNA Company of Houston, TX to be our recommend testing company. It was the first to test for genealogy research and has the largest database of the testing companies. It also supports surname, geographical, and haplogroup projects.
The lab processing is conducted at the University of Arizona.

Is it possible to pay for a test to be sent to another person?

Yes. During the ordering process you will fill out two screens. The first screen is all of the information about the person that will be taking the test.
The second screen is where you enter your information for payment purposes.

What is a surname project?

This is a project dedicated to a certain surname. FTDNA has over 3000 surname projects.

What is a geographic project?

This is a project dedicated to a certain geographic area or in our case dedicated to a heritage (French).

What is a haplogroup project?

This is a project dedicated to those participants belonging to the specific haplogroup of the project.

How many projects may I join?

After your results come in, you can join

  2 Surname

  2 Y-DNA geographic (must have tested Y)

  2 Dual geographic

  2 mtDNA geographic (must have tested mt)

  1 Y-DNA haplogroup (must have tested Y)

  1 mtDNA haplogroup (must have tested mt)

  1 mtDNA lineage project (must have tested mt)

What is a haplotype? What is a haplogroup?

Your DNA signature is shown as a series of numbers (12 numbers, 25 numbers, 37 numbers or 67 numbers) depending upon the size of the test ordered. This string of numbers also defines your haplotype. Based on a comparison of this string of numbers to all the other signatures in the database you will be assigned to a haplogroup. This haplogroup defines the branch of the ancient ancestral tree of life that you are descended from.

How much do the tests costs?


As a geographic project at FTDNA we are given discount pricing:

  Y-DNA 12 marker test $99 save $50.

  Y-DNA 25 marker test $148. Offered only to project participants.

  Y-DNA 37 marker test $189, save $70.

  Y-DNA 67 marker test $269, save $80.

  mtDNA HV1 panel test $129, regular price.

  mtDNA HV1 and 2 panel test $189 regular price.

  Y-DNA 12 marker + mtDNA HV1 test $229, save $30
See http://www.ftdna.com/products.html for the entire regular pricing schedule.

What is the difference in the number of markers tested?

The higher the number of markers tested, and matched to someone of the same surname, the greater the degree of relationship. For instance a 25 for 25-marker match is more significant than a 12 for 12 match. Likewise a 37 for 37 marker match is much more significant than a lower resolution match.

Why is it that I match many at the 12-marker level but when I upgraded to 25 markers all the matches disappeared?

Consider if there was only a 1-marker test and that there were only 3 possible outcomes. Then consider that 1000 individuals tested and 333 had one result, 333 had another result, and 333 had the third result. So each person would have 332 matches. Now consider that the test consists of 12 markers each with 3 or more possible outcomes, now the number of individuals that match each other would diminish. Then consider the same for the 37 and 67 marker tests. There will be fewer and fewer matches. That is why a match at the higher levels denotes a greater degree of relationship.

I recently had my Y-DNA tested through FTDNA without joining a project and paid their regular price that is about 60% more than if I had ordered the test through your project. If I now join your project can I get a refund credit to be applied to future tests?

Unfortunately the answer is no. However, once you do join our project you will be eligible for any other discounts offered to project members.

Is the HVR1 mtDNA test sufficient for determining ancient maternal ancestry?


Yes, the HVR1 panel will provide you with your maternal haplogroup.
The HVR2 panel adds information that might be useful in comparing your mtDNA signature with others.

How is the testing accomplished?

FTDNA will send you the test kit that includes 3 swabs, 3 vials of preservative, a release form and a return envelope.The swabs are used to scrape the inside of your cheek to collect buccal cells. The ends of the swabs are then dropped into the vial of preservative.
The scrapings should be taken at least 12 hours apart.
The release form that authorizes FTDNA to share your DNA signature with others in the FTDNA database should be signed. All items will be sent back to the company in the return envelope.

When can I expect results?

You should receive your results within 6-8 weeks depending on the type and size of test taken.

Will the results include anything that will give me information about my genetic make up or diseases that I might inherit?

The Y-DNA test only tests areas of the Y chromosome that are non-coding. These areas are also called junk DNA as they have no known medical or genetic application.
The results of the basic HVR1 and HVR2 mtDNA tests do not provide information about genetic recombination or inherited diseases.
However, the company is now offering the entire mtDNA sequence and the results of this could lead to discovery of genetic and health issues. The company does not provide any medical analysis of the full sequence test. You can obtain this from a professional medical consultant, see: http://www.isogg.org/consult.htm

Can my DNA test reveal the presence of genetic predispositions to develop sickness and then be used by insurance companies to exclude me from their insurance program or to cause them to charge me more for the insurance?

No. The Y-DNA test involves only 12, 25, 37, or 67 specific loci on the Y chromosome. These areas are not within your genetic coding region and no health or disease information can be obtained from them. Since the sample is not secured through a controlled chain of custody, the results cannot be used for purposes other than ancestry testing.

I would like to have my DNA tested but do not want my results to be made public. How will I be able to do this?

Enclosed in the testing package is a green waiver form that if you sign it allows FTDNA to compare your results with others in the database and inform those that match you. To avoid making your results public DO NOT SIGN THE WAIVER FORM.

What happens if I do not sign the waiver?

The waiver allows others who match you to view your results and allows you to see the results of others. If you do not sign the waiver then you will be given your results and that will be the end of it. You might only do this if you are just curious about your DNA signature and haplogroup but are not interested in seeing if you match anyone in the database.

Since the Y-DNA signature and surname are inherited down the direct paternal line, is there a possibility that I might be arrested in place of an individual with the same surname and same Y-DNA signature?

No, this is not possible. But as you know, if you do the crime, you do the time!

Can the Y-DNA test be used as a paternity test?

No. Legal paternity tests require what is known as the chain of custody documentation procedure. This procedure verifies that the DNA samples were collected from the proper individuals and were not tampered with. In doing so, it assures you, as well as any courts or government agencies, that the test results can be trusted. By following the chain of custody procedure, DNA test results can be entered into court as evidence and will be legally defensible. Family Tree DNA does not follow this chain of custody procedure.

How is the FTDNA test different from a paternity test?

In a paternity test DNA from both parents is tested. Y-chromosome testing alone cannot identify paternity as the Y-chromosome is shared among all direct male line descendants from a common ancestor.

Why should I register my results with www.ysearch.org or www.mitosearch.org?

With the growing number of companies that perform genealogical DNA testing, Family Tree DNA Company identified a need for the family research community to be able to post results from all companies to one central database. They established the free public databases: www.ysearch.org and www.mitosearch.org in order to achieve this.
All testers are encouraged to post their results to these major databases. Only with your cooperation in doing this will the testing results become ever more valuable as a research tool.

Can I remain anonymous and still have my DNA tested and compared to that of others in the project?

Yes. If you are that concerned about your privacy, do not use your real name when ordering the kit.

I enrolled in the FHDNA Project last week and my name has not yet shown up on the membership list. Is there a problem?

Of course. The problem is that the administrators of the project are volunteers and do not devote full time to managing the project. The website is updated periodically. It is not updated each time a new member joins.

I am of Amerindian descent. Is it possible through DNA testing to determine which tribe I am from?

No. It might be possible to identify a certain area of the continent your ancestors were from but the resolution of the tests is not sufficient to identify tribes.

My Y-DNA haplogroup is Q2. Does this mean that my paternal ancestor was an Amerindian?

Probably not. Q2 is found at low to moderate frequency among populations of Central Asia and Siberia. Haplogroup Q3 is the most common among the indigenous peoples of the Americas. There are always exceptions and it is possible that your Q2 ancestor traveled with the Q3 populations across the land bridge to North America.

My name is Miller. My next door neighbor is also a Miller. How is it possible to know if we are descended from the same ancestor?

You should each take the Y-DNA test and compare your DNA signatures. If they match, then it can be assumed that you are both descended from the same Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA). If there are significant differences in your signatures than you are not related.

My ancestry is African. Is it possible to determine which tribe my ancestors were from through DNA testing?

There is a DNA testing company that specializes in testing individuals of African descent and proclaims to be able to tell you which tribe you are from.
Due to intermarriage among members of different tribes, it may not be possible to identify a specific tribe. However, this may be something that is coming in the future.

I have been tested through the National Geographic's Genographic project. How can I join your French Heritage DNA (FHDNA) Project?

Sign in to your personal page at www.genographic.com
On the page that lists "3 steps to print out your results", on the right, there is at the bottom of the page the following statement:
"Now that you know about your deep ancestral origins, Family Tree DNA can help you use your results from the Genographic Project test to advance your family genealogy and learn if you share a common ancestor with other individuals that performed the same test. Learn more >"
Click on the "Learn More" and this will take you to the Family Tree DNA Company website. This is the testing company for the Genographic Project. The page that opens is the start of the process to allow your results to be part of the FTDNA database and available to others in order to compare relationships. Sign the release statement at the bottom and click through to the next page where you will enter your personal information.
After you complete this and receive your personal page at FTDNA:
Go to your personal webpage at Family Tree DNA. The home page is at www.ftdna.com . To the right of your name and Kit# you will find a blue JOIN icon. Click on that and follow the instructions. Type "French" into the project search window and that should bring up a link to our project. Highlight that and click JOIN and that should put you in the French Heritage DNA project.


Where can I go to know more about DNA testing?

Answers to other Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the Family Tree DNA Company website at http://www.ftdna.com/faq.html or on the website of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy at http://www.isogg.org/ggfaq.htm
There is also a page of suggested readings on the FHDNA pages at http://www.frenchdna.org/learnmore.htm