The results from my Y DNA test have arrived. I am disappointed. I am perplexed. I was expecting enlightenment. Instead, there is a new dimension to the mystery. I think that I have a fair understanding of the science behind autosomal DNA. (The DNA that comes from both parents.) Websites such as Gedmatch provide an estimate of the number of generations that one must go back to find a common ancestor (the Most Recent Common Ancestor – or MRCA) (See MRCA). I am just beginning to get to grips with Y DNA.
The suggested family grouping is R-M269. A quick piece of research reveals that this is the most common group in Western Europe. A little bit like finding that you are blood group O, which is the case for 48% of the population of the UK.
I undertook the Y-37 test. This means that a comparison with other samples was conducted at 37 points. Increasing the number of test points (tests for 111 and 700 are available) will have two effects. Firstly, it will increase the chance of finding a difference – thus reducing the number of distant leads to be followed. Secondly it gives a better indication of when the divergence took place. Parallels with comparing fingerprints are relevant. Setting up fingerprint recognition on a mobile phone requires a lot of data to ensure that only one person will be recognised as the owner of the phone.
In ‘Y DNA or not Y DNA’ I commented that the common ancestor may be 4, 8, 12 or more generations back. This turns out to be on the low side. It could be as many as 30 generations back.
The analysis shows ‘genetic distance’. Y DNA changes very slowly. This means that the timeframe within which the common ancestor may be found is very large. My closest match has a genetic distance of two. The statistics show that the common ancestor lived somewhere between 1250 and 1850 AD, with the peak probability being 1650 AD. A mere 600 years! This makes looking for needles in haystacks appear trivial by comparison. In England, this covers the reign of King Henry III through to that of Queen Victoria.
1650 AD coincides with the (last) English Civil War. (The one that pitched Roundheads against Cavaliers and resulted in Charles I losing his head. In calling it the last English Civil War I am ignoring the Jacobite Rebellions of the 1700s.) At that time, Louis XIV was King of France, Christina was Queen of Sweden, Alexis was Tsar of Russia and Frederick William was ruler of Prussia.
As covered in “DNA ethnicity update”, the best estimates of my origins lie in SE England and Ireland. I sincerely hope so. I think that my chances of successfully researching ancestors in France and the territories that now form modern Germany would be slim.