at-DNA Test: How Do I Find Cousins?
I found the above chart on the internet and while some of the prices are not accurate the other comparison information is valuable. All of these represent the at-DNA test and the only company which also does the Y and MT tests is Family Tree DNA although these are much more expensive than the AT test. Watch for sales throughout the year or visit genealogy shows to purchase kits and save on shipping.
Depending on the company, the test involves either collecting a sample of saliva or scraping the inside of your cheek with a swab. After mailing back your sample, the test results will take several weeks for the sample to be multiplied and analyzed.
Family Tree DNA, Ancestry DNA and 23andme will all provide you with your matches to others and an estimate of the genetic distance involved such as 2nd to 4th cousin. Each company has their own unique tools to help you analyze your results and I would encourage you to visit all of their websites to see what you get.
Since at-DNA diminishes by 50% with each generation it is very important to get your oldest living relatives tested as soon as possible as they can provide a critical connection to your past that is lost once they are gone.
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You’ve ordered your test and received the results so now what do you do?
While all of the companies provide their own unique tools such as a Chromosome Browser or Ancestry Circles there are a number of third-party tools available to help you make connections. Each company provides good tutorials on how to interpret your results within their collection.
The first thing to do is to download your raw data from whichever testing company you used. This is typically a zipped text file and we aren’t going to do anything with it other than to upload it to other websites. It’s also important to have your data in your possession since it is yours and you paid for it and if something happens to the testing company in the future you will have a backup copy. Each company provides instructions on how to do this
Once you have downloaded your raw data file you can then upload it to a free service like GEDmatch or DNAGedcom and do further analysis against a bigger pool of test subjects from all three companies. GEDmatch allows you to do 1 to 1 analysis directly against a potential relative or to go fishing with a 1 to many analysis against their total user group. You can then sort and edit the results as you would with a spreadsheet to narrow your possibilities. Personally, I do it the low tech way by sorting and matching email addresses from their results. Both of the above companies also allow you to upload a GEDCOM file to use in conjunction with your DNA which gives you the paper trail as well.
The Society would like you to share your GEDmatch kit number with us so that we can produce a cross reference pool of Hubbell families that you can use for 1 to 1 analysis.
at-DNA Project
If you would like to share your GEDmatch kit numbers with us we will endeavour to post a cross reference list for you to use for 1 to 1 analysis.
| Your Name | ||
| Your email address | ||
| Test subject’s name (if different from above) | ||
| GEDmatch kit number | ||
| Most distant Hubbell ancestor | ||
| Birth and death dates (if known) | ||
| Do you want your name and email published? | YES | NO |
| Are you a member of HSM&L? | YES | NO |
Copy and paste the above table with your information into an email to dna@hubbell.org
You can repeat this for each of your relatives that have been tested.
Check our website frequently to see if the list has been updated.
Further reading:
https://www.familytreedna.com/
https://dna-explained.com/2016/01/22/genealogy-and-ethnicity-dna-testing-3-legitimate-companies/
http://www.legalgenealogist.com/2015/02/02/2015-most-bang-for-the-dna-buck/
https://www.familytreedna.com/learn/imports/transfer-autosomal-ancestry/download-results-ancestry/
http://www.yourdnaguide.com/transfer-to-gedmatch/
http://isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_tools
http://www.cyndislist.com/– A comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
