Saturday, February 21, 2009

My Foray Into The World of DNA Testing and Genealogy

I've taken the plunge and I've actually used a DNA testing kit for the first time. You can read more at my recent post over at Examiner.com where I give a review of a YDNA kit from familybuilder.com.

My reasons for being hesitant to test my DNA had to do with the price of the DNA testing kits and my feeling that the technology was not far enough into its development. With plunging prices on a variety of test kits (the 17 marker YDNA kit from familybuilder is $59 and Ancestry recently announced a 33/46 marker YDNA kit for $79) I no longer had any reason to put off taking my genealogy research to the next level.

In a previous post here at Destination: Austin Family, I discussed what couldn't be learned about my family tree from DNA testing. But what I most want to learn is this: is my theory about the MacEntees of New York's Hudson Valley being related to the famous McEntees of the same region true?

Stay tuned. I will have results in about four weeks and then I will need to contact McEntee family members who also have DNA testing data they can share.

I'd like to hear from anyone else who has decided to pursue DNA testing as part of their research.

Disclosure: familybuilder sent me their YDNA kit at no charge for purposes of reviewing the process of taking a DNA sample, using a DNA kit for genealogy purposes, and to receive and interpret results. I am disclosing this as a matter of transparency and honesty of my opinion. My intent is to give a good review (meaning a well-researched and written review) not necessarily a favorable review of all products I receive gratis.

Copyright 2009, Thomas MacEntee.  Some rights reserved.

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