[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] DNA testing

[Sue Eipert]

Joining various project or surname groups can be a useful way to compare 
related DNA results. I have submitted the Y DNA and mitochondrial DNA 
results from tests of my paternal uncle's DNA to several projects in 
hopes that I might learn something about my paternal line and my 
grandmother's maternal line.  Each project has a description of its 
goals and also lists the names in the project. Some of the projects are 
with the Family Tree DNA company. I believe that if you have been tested 
for the National Geographic project, you can add your data to the Family 
Tree DNA database and join these projects (see the information under 
Notes at http://www.german-dna.net/index.htm).

I checked with the administrators of both the German and Polish groups 
to see if my uncle, whose oldest known ancestors are ethnic Germans from 
Poland, was eligible to join. My family fits the criteria for both groups.

As for privacy issues, my uncle's name never appears in the databases, 
just his most distant known ancestor (paternal or maternal).

- Polish FamilyTree DNA Project: 
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/polish/default.aspx?section=goals
This project has an interesting list of goals.
In the Y DNA section, my ancestor Samuel Radke is listed under R1a - N 
Cluster; and in the mDNA section, find my ancestor Anna Dorothea Zielke 
under HV.

- Germany DNA Project:  http://www.german-dna.net/index.htm
Here I listed Martin (Samuel's father) as my uncle's oldest known 
ancestor in the Y DNA section. His origin is rather vague, however. It 
looks like I forgot to enter the mDNA results in this project; I will do so.

- The 'Radtke' surname group is very small - see 
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Radke/default.aspx?section=yresults.
My ancestor Samuel is listed here.

- R1a1 group: 
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/R1aY-Haplogroup/default.aspx?section=yresults
Samuel Radke is listed under Prussia/Germ/Poland

Keep in mind that the usual Y DNA (paternal) testing and the 
mitochondrial DNA (maternal) tests are testing only 2 ancestral lines. 
For example, if you have 16 different great-great grandparents, your Y 
and mitochondrial DNA results can provide information only about 2 of 
those individuals (your mother's mother's mother's mother and your 
father's father's father's father). The correlation of paternal lines 
with surnames, plus the nature of the Y DNA mutations, make the Y DNA 
test the most useful of the two for genealogy. The autosomal tests are 
the only ones that will have information about your complete ancestry.

Sue Eipert
seipert2 at gmail.com