DNA Results: Now What?

[kjhong]

I just got my DNA results back from 23andme (Maternal: M12a, Paternal: O3a4*).

I've reached out to a 1st cousin match and a 3rd cousin with the same surname and home town in China.

What's else can I do (genealogy-wise) with the results now that I have them?

[Doug 周]

kjhong,

I have connected with a lot of people who are 4th+ cousin (everyone is a 4th+ cousin). I have never matched with 1st to 3rd cousins. Your match is rather close.

I would recommend you compare the match with your haplogroups. See if the match is on the Y, Autosomal, or the Mitochondria. I would cross check that with my family tree.

If they are not in your clan tree already (Zupu), then you might be able to position them on a branch.

However, usually this depends on whether they have access to their jiapu and have done their genealogy. I find the genetic information not that useful this current 2015 state of science. My DNA archive is meant for my descendents. It is useful as ‘cousin bait’ if they have done their own genealogy and you can match ancestors.

I discovered a 4th cousin kwkwlau via 23&Me and how we discovered our relationship was that he already had his family tree drawn out. We found his grandmother’s father in my Zupu. Of course his Jiapu stopped at the maternal side and he knew the given names of her father based on oral interviews. This provided proof of concept that with a Zupu, you can trace maternal sides of families.

IMO the DNA testing is meant for future research when matching techniques will have matured. It is especially important for the elders since they will not be alive when the critical mass of participants and techniques finally evolve. I even doubt I will be alive when that happens.

[kwkwlau]

KK and Doug,
I have use 23andme for a few years. In addition to finding Doug, I also find a second cousin for my mother and a second cousin for my wife. My wife met her second cousin when they were under 10, they were re-united after over 50 years. My mother, a child from a European and a Chinese, do not know anything about her European heritage. We find a second cousin and we have a hypotheses how they are related but we do not have proof yet.
To make 23andme work for you, you need to make yourself visible to all your DNA relatives - that is to say make yourself a public match and provide as much usable data on your profile. You may wish to keep some privacy - do not disclose your current city if you live in small town, not your name in full. So your Last name so that your clan can find you. Secondly, you need to invite people to share genome with you (no health info though). Periodically check the site and respond to message from your correspondents. In general to make any autosomal DNA testing work, you also need to test as many known relatives as possible. They help you find the branch your DNA relative is on.
23andMe is changing the website and the apps. So the apps will change what they call certain process, but the key is make yourself visible and be responsive to those who contact you and test as many relatives as you can!

[kwkwlau]

Kj,
Sorry to get your initiasl wrong on the last post.
You should know that many users in 23andMe do not read their message regularly. But you may have to wait for a while (months) but you would need to stay on the course and get in touch as many DNA relatives as possible. Typically, in any family, there is one that are interested in genealogy and the others just agreed to take the test. So most do not respond but you need yo get to one of his family members then you are in! Correspond to everyone that are with the 3rd cousins for sure and the others are not as fruitful. But when you do it often one may hit pay dirt!

[kwkwlau]

Finally, haplogroups is not a strong suit for 23andme. Paternal haplogroup can be used to ID your clan - those on the same male lineage as you. Also people with the same haplogroup can be related to you 1000 perhaps 10000 years ago they are not very useful. However, haplogroup if used effectively, it can establish that you prison shares same male lineage as far back as 10 or 20 generations. Autosomal testing practiceskkl can only get to no more than 6 generations back. Autosomal do have the advantage of finding any branch of your ancestors while haplogroup can only find the male lineage!

[kjhong]

KW and Doug,
Thanks for the suggestions. I have already connected with two distant cousins (> 4th) who share the same paternal haplogroup.

My next step is to get my mother tested. If she is, how does that add to the picture as far as what we can do?

Cheers,
Ken

[Doug 周]

Your mother is one step less admixture of the genomes than you. You should be in a better future position to explore her lineage.

I have had certain of my elders tested. They are ones whom I have not been able to study their genealogy. Either the families have disappeared as a consequence of the Sino-Japanese conflict or the Zupu has been lost.

My goal is to provide cousin bait with the closest possible relative to a specific lineage. Other elders I have no need to archive the genomes because I have their lineages determined via standard method.

When you get your mother's genome, make sure you download the information in case 23&Me changes their terms of services for ancestry work. Remember, 23&Me is not in the business of providing ancestry discovery. Their business model is to discover new pharmaceuticals and therapeutics using the genomic information and answers to questionnaires YOU provide.

IMHO

[1geewong]

I would like to encourage you to upload your raw results to GedMatch along with a genealogy. 

The discussions here are limited but I'm impressed with the successes that each poster has had. As is apparent, the DNA results have the most value when someone is tested that has a solid genealogy developed and can then be matched with someone whose ancestry is less well developed. My wife's family is in the later category ... all her grandparents and parents are dead, her father was a "paper son", available obituaries mention relatives in China but never attempt to name them. My point is that those with deeper ancestries are needed to help researchers with tougher families.