About us
Those interested in family history build genealogical charts using many different and varied sources. Today one avenue of proving if two people are related is by means of DNA and this method is being used more and more by genealogists as an ‘extra tool’.
In recent newsletters I had mentioned my interest in setting up a Tierney Clans Society Y-DNA project. This project is specifically male orientated - and this is not because I am chauvinist or anything like that. The Y chromosome is passed from father to son unchanged, except for a mutation about every 500 generations. This makes it an ideal tool for a multiplicity of genealogical and related possibilities. The Y chromosome will provide a genetic finger print consisting of 12, 25 or 37 numbers or markers, depending on the test type selected. By comparing this finger print with other male clan members we can determine who is related to whom. This may prove very beneficial in tracing ancestors. If, for example, my genetic finger print matched others then this would mean that we were related and had a common ancestor and, further, if I know that my ancestor came from a particular area then all those who matched mine would also know that they sprung from this common ancestor and would be able to pinpoint their area of research more accurately. It would also mean that there would be a greater number of people all searching, with certainty, for the route back to a common ancestor so research could be shared and thus avoid duplication?
In recent newsletters I had mentioned my interest in setting up a Tierney Clans Society Y-DNA project. This project is specifically male orientated - and this is not because I am chauvinist or anything like that. The Y chromosome is passed from father to son unchanged, except for a mutation about every 500 generations. This makes it an ideal tool for a multiplicity of genealogical and related possibilities. The Y chromosome will provide a genetic finger print consisting of 12, 25 or 37 numbers or markers, depending on the test type selected. By comparing this finger print with other male clan members we can determine who is related to whom. This may prove very beneficial in tracing ancestors. If, for example, my genetic finger print matched others then this would mean that we were related and had a common ancestor and, further, if I know that my ancestor came from a particular area then all those who matched mine would also know that they sprung from this common ancestor and would be able to pinpoint their area of research more accurately. It would also mean that there would be a greater number of people all searching, with certainty, for the route back to a common ancestor so research could be shared and thus avoid duplication?