Tag Archives: Thomas MacEntee

DNA Deals Galore

With acknowledgment to Thomas MacEntee of Genealogy Bargains, I would l ike to share the excellent “deals” on the most popular DNA testing kits from the top testing companies that he was able to put together.

FamilyTreeDNA is advertising their “Family Finder” kit for $49 reflecting a $30 savings. Click here to take advantage of this one. Be aware that this test is for autosomal DNA (atDNA) only. This is the test offered by all of the other companies who offer only atDNA testing such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe.com. (See below for LivingDNA which offers 3 types of DNA tests. More on that later.)The results could help you with the past 4 or 5 generations with less and less accuracy as you travel back 6th or 7th generations and earlier. It’s the nature of the manner in which atDNA is passed down to you.

Yes, it will give you ethnicity estimates, but ethnicity is a moving target as more people test and the data bases of the various companies grow. To illustrate, if there were absolutely NO Irish who have tested, it would be impossible to determine that you had Irish DNA with no one to compare results. Actually, it would almost prove that you don’t! Germany has just recently made DNA testing legal with strict guidleines. I predict that ethnicity reports will begin to be updated over the next few years as more German people, or at least people who descend from populations who live in what we know today as Germany, decide to test.

Next, we have mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) which is passed down to every child, male and female, from their mother. FamilyTreeDNA also has a program and holiday sales for mtDNA. There are 2 levels of testing. The first is a test of just two segments called Hyper Variable Regions 1 and 2. It’s a less expensive test which can be upgraded to a “Full Sequence” test. Click here to read more.

Fnally, FamilyTreeDNA tests Y-DNA, the DNA that is only passed  through the father. If the father passes an X chromosome, the child will be a biological female. If he passes a Y, the child will be a biological male. They will test 4 levels of Y-DNA; 37 “markers,” 67 or 111 markers. Then they offer what they call “The Big Y” which is the most expensive of them all. Click here to read more about the tests and the various holiday discounts.

The other major DNA testing companies also have specials that you may want to take advantage of.

MyHeritage DNA has an offer for a $30 discount. A $79 kit will only cost you $49 until 23 November 2018. There’s a $12 standard shipping charge per kit for 4-7 business day delivery or $25 per kit for expedited 2-3 business day delivery. There are some discounts on shipping for 3 or more kits purchased at once. Read all the details here. As I write this, MyHeritage has announced a “Black Friday” special offering free shipping when you use their promo code topnov18 when ordering.

AncestryDNA kits are discounted to $59 per kit with $9.95 shipping for the first kit and $4.95 for additional kits in the same purchase. Expedited shipping is available for $24.95 for the first kit and $12.95 for additional kits. Click here for the details at AncestryDNA.

The next company to consider is 23andMe. There are 2 levels of tests, an atDNA test ($99) or an atDNA test with a health report for an additional $100. They are offering the basic atDNA kit for $49 each when ordering 2 or more kits. Click here for more details.

Last and certainly not least, the “new kid on the block” is LivingDNA. This is a company based in Britain that is making incredible inroads here in the USA.  Their test covers all 3 types of DNA but they make it much easier to remember which test is which. Their Y-DNA test is called “Fatherline,” mtDNA is “Motherline,” and atDNA is “Familyline.” Their standard price for their “3-in-1 test is $99 but is discounted for the holiday to $79. Details are here but they don’t seem to indicate an expiration date.  There, you can read about their optional “personalised book showing the journey of your ancesry. Your story told in print.” The book is normally $100 but is available during this sale to an additional $69.

There’s lots here to consider. Please comment or ask any questions. I’ll do my best to provide clear, understandable responses. It can be a daunting subject!

One last note: Ask “Alexa” to read your daily “Genealogy Flash Briefing.” You’ll hear Thomas MacEntee with the latest genealogy news Monday through Friday.

NERGC? What’s a NERGC?

Using the Tools of Today & Tomorrow to Understand the Past

“Using the Tools of Today & Tomorrow to Understand the Past”

The New England Regional Genealogical Consortium produces a conference every other year. Each NERGC conference is held in a city somewhere in New England. Past conferences have been in Hartford, Connecticut, Manchester, New Hampshire, Providence, Rhode Island, and this year, Springfield, Massachusetts. The event will kick off on 26 April 2017 with a specialty day devoted to Librarians, Professionals, Genealogical Society Management and Technology. During the following three days, you’ll have a chance to hear and learn from 70 genealogists of every level and in every aspect of genealogy and genealogical research. NERGC organizers have devoted quite a bit of time and space to DNA, a “hot topic” in today’s genealogy world.

The MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield is the venue. Hotel accommodations are available within a block. Other than presentations, this year’s conference includes several workshops, banquets and a “private” tour of the archives at the Museum of Springfield History.

Our opening speaker is Mary Tedesco, a co-host of the PBS program, Genealogy Road Show. Speaking several times during the conference are 3 featured speakers, Thomas MacEntee, Warren Bittner and a third, another co-host of Genealogy Road Show, Kenyatta D Berry.

NERGC is supported by 23 genealogical from societies around New England, all of whom will be represented at the event. Volunteers from each will be busy making sure your experience is optimal. Stop and visit each of them in the Exhibit Hall and perhaps you can meet with a society near where you live.

Also in the Exhibit Hall, you’ll see a wide variety of vendors of genealogy products: Books, CD’s, old maps, clothing, and other genealogy-oriented products. Scheduled are genealogy companies such as Ancestry.com, Evidentia Software, FindMyPast and Geni.com to name a few.NERGC is worth a look! If you can’t make Springfield this year, the 2019 conference is scheduled for a return trip to Manchester, New Hampshire.