Regular readers will recall that several months ago I sent a sample of my DNA to AncestryDNA, an offshoot of the subscription genealogy site Ancestry.com. My hope was that I could use my experience to inform readers about the use of DNA analysis in genealogical research.

Alas, after sending three separate saliva samples, all were rejected for “insufficient genetic material.” That had me wondering if I was really a robot with no DNA, but I asked for and received a refund of the charges (about $100).

Last November, I decided to try again, with another vendor, 23andMe, also at a cost of about $100.

This was not without its obstacles, since when I received my test kit, it came with a warning that due to New York state law, my sample could not be accepted if it was taken and/or mailed back from New York state.

This is because 23andMe not only analyzes genealogical connections, but also addresses medical and health conditions of its participants, and New York requires such laboratories to involve a physician in the sample-taking.

Luckily, I had a planned trip to Philadelphia at the time, so I prepared the sample while there and mailed it in from Pennsylvania, which had no such restrictions.

But that wasn’t the end of the problems, because shortly after I got acknowledgement of receipt of my sample by 23andMe, stories began circulating that the firm was at odds with the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) over the same concerns expressed by New York state.

That concern still exists, but 23andMe has received temporary FDA approval of its operations as long as new customers have access only to their ancestry information, without health results.

Customers who purchase 23andMe now must do so with the understanding that health results are not available to them. Since I was never interested in the medical or health results, I am satisfied with that ruling.

About three months after sending in my sample, I received an email from 23andMe stating that my genealogical results were available online.

Before I get into the details of the 23andMe testing and what it can show in a genealogical sense, consider the various reasons for having a DNA test:

• To determine a close familial relationship between two specific individuals (for example, a paternity test). This requires that DNA from both individuals be tested.
• To determine whether a person is susceptible to a certain disease, a potential carrier of a disease, etc. This can be determined by comparing one’s DNA with databases of DNA that show similar tendencies.

Neither of the above reasons are typically genealogical in nature, and neither are appropriate for this column.The genealogical reasons for DNA testing include:

• The desire to know one’s broad ethnic or national origins. Tests can determine the regions where our ancestors lived from 5,000 to 25,000 years ago, again by comparison to databases collected from thousands of donors and to the genetic characteristics of various races, etc.
• Determination of pedigrees, or family trees of direct ancestors, from one’s self to several generations back. DNA testing in and of itself cannot do this. However, used in conjunction with family trees developed by conventional paper research methods, DNA analysis can fill in information, help confirm assumed relationships, or help find living relatives.

More to come.

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