Merry Christmas, Sweetheart... Now Open Your Mouth

The secret's out: I'm giving my husband a DNA test for Christmas. As you can tell from the picture, he's thrilled about this thoughtful gift!

No, no, there's no question about the paternity of our daughter. Good heavens! Where did you come up with that? You've got quite an imagination there, gentle reader. My life is nowhere near that interesting... sigh...

Actually, my husband and I are avid genealogists. We've (read: I'VE) been doing a bit of research into genetic genealogy, and we (I) finally decided to take the plunge by ordering a Y-DNA test kit for him. We're hoping that this will shed some light on the mysteries of his all-too-common surname.

It's really quite simple, and no blood or hair is involved, despite what you may have seen on CSI.

The test only requires a few little swabs of the cheek with a small scraper (Really! It's smaller than a toothbrush!). Repeat 2 more times, insert swabs into tiny jars of unknown liquid, then drop the whole package in the mail.

Voila! Instant genealogical success, right?

Well, not exactly. The results don't come back for 5-7 weeks. We're hoping they'll include at least one or two links to people who share a common ancestor and have done tons and tons of verifiable research... but realistically, we're not expecting much.

Genetic genealogy is still in its infancy, so to speak. Large throngs of family historians aren't banging down the doors of DNA testing companies just yet, so the "gene pool" is still rather small.

The "best" results come from Y-DNA, which - if you remember your high school biology - only comes from males. If your family is like mine, and there are very few males still alive with your surname, you'll want to hunt them down and convince them to test. This probably won't be easy, especially if they're not at all interested in knowing whether Ghengis Khan really is your ancestor, as you suspect based on some of your family's issues with anger.

Plus, DNA tests aren't cheap. Getting "Cousin Bob" to fork over his swab is going to cost you.

Until more people take the plunge, it may be while before there are significant results to be had. But... we're hopeful. Any information is better than none, when it comes to family history research.

Want to take the plunge yourself? There are many DNA testing companies from which to choose. We went with Family Tree DNA because they're supposed to have the largest database of participants. We also had financial incentive to use them: we got a discount for being members of the Southern California Genealogical Society.

You'll want to check around to see if your local genealogical or historical society offers a discount. Perhaps your particular surname project will offer discounted prices.

But if you're interested in genealogy, and you've hit the "brick wall," you might consider taking the plunge into genetic genealogy.

Come on in! The water's... well... I'll let you know that later when we find out.

Oh... and Dad... if you're reading this (which I know you're not): your test is sitting on my desk.

Merry Christmas!

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