Ravenstonedale DNA project
Ravenstonedale DNA project
More about Family Finder results
Unlike yDNA results, autosomal DNA results are displayed in the form of the names of other individuals in Family Tree DNA's database who share a significant amount of the same DNA as the person tested. The match lists include details of the total amount of DNA shared, the largest segment shared, and a prediction as to the probable relationship between the tester and the matching individual.
However, as the number of project members increases, the matrix I had developed at the start of the Family Finder part of the project became increasingly difficult to generate and view. And, in practice, any shared DNA which shows up on one-to-one comparisons is not relevant to the general public.
I hope the pages in this section will be helpful to anyone considering taking a Family Finder test as well as those who have already received their results.
An important point to remember, is that we are using Family Finder tests in our Ravenstonedale DNA Project in an experimental capacity ... as previously stated, autosomal DNA tests are really only expected to provide confirmation of genetic relationships between people who are connected within up to six or seven generations - that is, 4th or 5th cousins (i.e. with people who share your 3x or 4x great grandparents). The amount of DNA you inherit from each of your ancestors is roughly halved with every generation, but the actual segments inherited from each individual ancestor is completely random.
![Cousin_tree_(with_genetic_kinship)](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d58553_9feba509a5d844b88db4fd10621027bc~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_414,h_324,al_c,lg_1,q_80,enc_auto/d58553_9feba509a5d844b88db4fd10621027bc~mv2.jpg)
The chart on the left (courtesy Dimario, Wikimedia Commons) shows the average amount of autosomal DNA inherited by all close relations up to the third cousin lvel. It appears on this page in the ISOGG Wiki which provides an excellent explanation of inheritance patterns of autosomal DNA, along with lots more regularly updated information about genetic genealogy.
In our project, we are comparing autosomal DNA belonging to members who all have a branch of their ancestry which originated in Ravenstonedale - but any connections between us may date back over 300 years! So any shared genetic ancestry we discover is likely to be the result of our common ancestry with a close community rather than identifiable individuals.
However, your autosomal DNA represents ALL branches of your ancestry - not just the branch that connects to Ravenstonedale! So anyone participating in the project may discover matches who connect to one or more branches of their individual family tree which relate to connections in ANY branch of their ancestry - so it is worth each tester examining the closest matches on their match list for any shared surnames and locations, and making direct contact with most the likely looking matches to share information about their ancestry in private.
You can read much more about AUTOSOMAL DNA tests on this page of the website of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy
In recent years, a new company has broken into the DNA market ... Living DNA This company's main focus is on testers whose majority of ancestors originated in the British Isles. Their results tie in with the data from the 'People of the British Isles' Project. I have tested myself and also tested other family members and the results are very interesting! You can read more on this page of my personal family website. NB this link will open in a new window,