Genetic genealogy
DNA does not replace documents but complements them: it finds relatives with no documentary link, checks hypotheses and lets you join branches. A test is best done by the oldest relatives while that is still possible.
Three kinds of tests
| Test | What it shows | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Y-DNA | the male line "father — his father"; haplogroup and matches by surname | check whether bearers of one surname are related, and where the common ancestor lies |
| mitochondrial (mtDNA) | the female line "mother — her mother" | ancient maternal lines, checking hypotheses about women whose surnames changed |
| autosomal | relatives from all branches over the last few generations | find living relatives, join branches, check a link with a surname |
Y-DNA is passed only to men; a woman can test her brother, father or uncle. Y-DNA haplogroups in Ukraine are distributed unevenly: the most frequent are R1a and I2, but their share differs by region; for example, in Bukovyna I2a is the most common (overview of the distribution).
Where to test and compare
- FamilyTreeDNA — Y-DNA and mtDNA; there is a group project "Ukraine DNA".
- MyHeritage DNA, Ancestry, 23andMe — autosomal tests with the largest databases.
- GEDmatch — free comparison of autosomal files between companies.
- YFull — analysis and tree of Y-haplogroups; tree.
- In Ukrainian about tests and projects: dnktest.pp.ua.
An example of an analysis of a Y-line on Predok's site: Leonid Kryshchuk's line.
How to work with results
- Tree first. Before the test or right after it build a tree of at least three generations (interviews): without it matches have no meaning.
- A match is a hint, not proof. A match does not name the common ancestor. Look at shared surnames, villages, years and compare with documents (principles).
- Look for the place of the common ancestor. Shared villages among matches narrow the search to a parish (places).
- Verify with a document. Having found a probable common branch, look for metric records (sources).
- Remember small populations. In villages where families intermarried for centuries there are more matches than blood ties: one ancestor may appear several times.
Ethics and privacy
- Test yourself or relatives only with their consent.
- Do not publish results of living people and matches with their names without permission.
- Test data can be exported from one company to another (for example, to GEDmatch), but read the terms of service.
How Predok helps
Predok helps turn a match into a search in documents:
- "Where and when did people with the surname Kahanyuk live? How is it written in sources?" — distribution of the surname by places and decades.
- "Are Kahanyuk and Truh connected in the village of Oleske?" — direct links between bearers of two surnames (godparenthood).
- "How are these two persons connected?" — the shortest chain of family and witnessed links with a source at every step.