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Prater Project – Where Dna Meets Genealogy PRATER PROJECT – WHERE DNA MEETS GENEALOGY Prater* Project NEWSLETTERi Vol I, No 2 QUICK NOTES: See references on the Click on graphic above to view the latest Prater Project Results Tables using last page for previous newsletters and the drop-down menus Volunteer Admin contact information IN THIS APRIL 2015 ISSUE Some Y-DNA Results so far for Y- DNA37, 67, and 111 Y-DNA TESTING FOR THE MEN mtDNA testing for men & women What you can do to help – MORE RESULTS See what WORLDFAMILIES.NET does to help DNA Understanding References and resources by Laverne Piatt, Steve Coker, and Marty Prather In the previous newsletter, HERE, Y-DNA37 test results returned for the Thomas of VA sub- grouping were reported, and more were pending for various number of markers. Since then, test results have been returned, so 3 levels are shown here. To see the current FTDNA Table: click HERE for the “raw” FTDNA mutation data on their web site. *...including the surnames PRATER / PRATHER / PRAYTHER / PRATOR / PRAYTOR / PRAYTER and related spelling..... Page 1 PRATER PROJECT – WHERE DNA MEETS GENEALOGY See the links to charts that follow for the latest results at Y-DNA37, 67, and 111 test levels. Future Newsletters will report other test results for this and other sub-projects when they become meaningful. With the number of markers tested increasing, (from 37 to 67 to 111) there is higher confidence in the results. See the Sept, 2014 newsletter for an analogy of what Markers represent...click HERE. The Lineage Charts show each Contributor’s result compared IN TWO WAYS: compared to the “MODE” (most occurring) mutation of the group result for that testing level (e.g., 37). Also shown here is a table of Genetic Distance between individual contributors in the sub- project. See the links that follow for each chart. If you tested, for example, to the Y-DNA67 level, your matching will be in the "37" and "67" charts, but not in the "111" chart. You will notice that at all levels of testing there are other surnames than Prat(h)er that match, too, and some even more closely. Studies are under way to determine where the family lines intersect. Y-DNA37 Lineage Chart with Genetic Distance HERE Definitions of relatedness can be found for Y-DNA37 HERE ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Y-DNA67 Lineage Chart with Genetic Distance HERE Definitions of relatedness can be found for Y-DNA67 HERE ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Y-DNA111 Lineage Chart with Genetic Distance HERE Definitions of relatedness can be found for Y-DNA111 HERE If you see any errors in the data presented, please contact us. *...including the surnames PRATER / PRATHER / PRAYTHER / PRATOR / PRAYTOR / PRAYTER and related spelling..... Page 2 PRATER PROJECT – WHERE DNA MEETS GENEALOGY mtDNA Testing by Laverne Piatt and Marty Prather Mitochondrial DNA is one of three main DNA tests that can be taken for genealogical purposes. Mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to child but only the female child will pass it on. Therefore the mitochondrial lineage of an individual will be found on the lowest line of a pedigree chart following the person’s mother’ mother’ mother and so on. Because many societies are patriarchal, giving the male surname to a couple and their children, mitochondrial DNA is less useful than Y-DNA for establishing a connection to a surname. MtDNA testing will reveal the haplogroup, or ancient group, of the test participant establishing an ancient heritage and possibly a region of origin for the maternal lineage. (MtDNA haplogroups do not correspond directly with those for Y- DNA.) Both males and females may test their MtDNA to learn the maternal legacy. While MtDNA may be less useful than Y-DNA for standard genealogical purposes, it does have some value in certain situations. Y-DNA degrades quicker than MtDNA. In some cases MtDNA may be retrieved from human remains and be analyzed to identify the victim. The current mtDNA results summary is found by clicking HERE. TOOLS TO HELP YOUR DNA STUDIES One of the next priorities once your results are returned is to compare your family line with that of your matches. One "tool" being used to compare those families is shown in the following example chart where there were 3 matches. The goal is to develop the family trees to find the common ancestor(s) at the top of the chart. A similar chart could be used for Y-DNA studies, too. Or it could be done horizontally. If you have other methods that you have found useful and can share them, please contact us with a SAMPLE!! *...including the surnames PRATER / PRATHER / PRAYTHER / PRATOR / PRAYTOR / PRAYTER and related spelling..... Page 3 PRATER PROJECT – WHERE DNA MEETS GENEALOGY *...including the surnames PRATER / PRATHER / PRAYTHER / PRATOR / PRAYTOR / PRAYTER and related spelling..... Page 4 PRATER PROJECT – WHERE DNA MEETS GENEALOGY WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP UPGRADE: To help increase the confidence in the conclusions we draw, you are encouraged to “upgrade” to the highest test level you can afford. There are daily discounts on testing posted on the PRATER project page HERE and range from $10 to $20, and as much as $100. To get the discount, enter the code in the appropriate blank when you check-out. Ask your admin for recommendations for your specific case. When you login to your FTDNA account you will see an upgrade link, as well as on other pages. To reiterate, we are volunteer admins’ and receive no financial rewards from FTDNA…..it’s just a “labor of love”. We don’t know what new results might yield, so there is always uncertainty. RECRUIT: If there are other Prat(h)er family members who are candidates for testing, first consider having them join the Project. Also, see what they would like to accomplish through the testing and then pick the appropriate test(s). We can never have too many kits being tested in the project supporting the current Y-DNA and mtDNA results. The FTDNA site has a list of what test reveals what, click HERE. CONNECT: Your test results will be more meaningful if you have entered a DOCUMENTED Distant Ancestor in your profile. Things can be confused if distant ancestors are guessed or if there is no documented, proven, lineage for them. And upload a GEDCOM file of your pedigree. If you need help with this, we have an extensive database developed by Gary Benton Prather where we can possibly generate a custom GEDCOM for you to upload….contact us. With these data at hand, we will be in a better position to compare your results to others, like we have done in the Lineage Chart shown in the previous article. UPDATE CONTACT INFORMATION/BENEFICIARY: If your personal information is not current, please update it. And include a beneficiary for your kit, in case you are no longer involved. If you have no one else who is interested in the role, add one of the administrator’s info in the blanks and we will take over where you left off. CONTRIBUTIONS: Your contributions allow project administrators to buy additional testing for a project. Contributed funds cannot be used for any purpose other than testing at FTDNA. For more information, click HERE. *...including the surnames PRATER / PRATHER / PRAYTHER / PRATOR / PRAYTOR / PRAYTER and related spelling..... Page 5 PRATER PROJECT – WHERE DNA MEETS GENEALOGY SEE WHAT WORLDFAMILIES.NET CAN DO TO HELP THE PRATER PROJECT ...reproduced with permission of Terry Barton, WorldFamilies.net (excerpts from http://www.worldfamilies.net/about_us) Here's the WorldFamilies.net (WFN) Story - The merger of genetic information with traditional genealogy is an exciting breakthrough. In some cases, it answers questions that traditional research couldn't answer. Probably more importantly, it energizes and expands the group of people working on the histories of many families. Today, WFN has one of the largest Surname DNA Projects in the world, but more importantly, we have a large community of researchers working together to share their information and puzzle out issues. Our learning evolved into the World Families Network in early 2004, when a web site was created to help Surname Projects by sharing learning and providing a place to find general information. Since late 2004, WFN has been supporting projects to help more families have the same opportunities we have enjoyed. What Do We, WFN, Do? Why Do We Do It? Why Do We Work With Family Tree DNA? What? For the project administrators, we provide free websites to display test results, family pedigrees, and shared information. There are also forums for family discussions. We are here to answer questions, as needed, and offer tips to help projects be a success. We realized quite quickly that many people are interested in getting started in genetic genealogy, but lack an understanding of the *...including the surnames PRATER / PRATHER / PRAYTHER / PRATOR / PRAYTOR / PRAYTER and related spelling..... Page 6 PRATER PROJECT – WHERE DNA MEETS GENEALOGY vocabulary and the process. To provide that information, WFN has developed the information pages on its website, and a step-by-step guide that makes sure you don't overlook any of the things you should do to make sure your testing is as successful as possible. We make it easy to join a Surname Project and to order your test, if you haven’t done so already. See our guide to DNA testing: DNA The Smart Way. Why? The WFN website grew out of our passion for genealogy and the knowledge we have gained as successful surname DNA project administrators since 2001. Since 2004, we have been offering our services to surname projects: sharing project administration tips and resource information, and by providing free websites.
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