Finding DNA Foundations

Since my previous post about DNA, I've discovered some fascinating information about the capability of Y-DNA to pinpoint certain ancestral family links. Available technology now offers researchers with an opportunity to find a common ancestor - probably farther back than any official records could reach. These "forefathers" may have existed - there is is ancedotal (or mythological) evidence that an actual person could have been the father of someone who shares similar Y-DNA. More often, though, relationships are based on statistical studies of the Y-DNA of men living in a certain area or who have a cultural connections.

Men with Jewish ancestry, for example, can learn if they are descended from the "Y-chromosomal Aaron" (otherwise known as the most recent common ancestor of the Jewish priestly group called "Kohanim" - connected to Cohen or Kohen surnames). This might allow them to sneak a peak at what their male ancestor was doing at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Ancestors of men with a matching Y-DNA sequence were connected with the earliest history of the Jewish religion - all the way back to the time of Moses and Exodus. More information can be found at Cohen-Levi Family Heritage.

Another instance of this type of research can be used by men with Northern Ireland and Scotland ancestry. The sequences of men who share the same Y-DNA markers with an ancestor in those regions has been linked to a man named Naill of the Nine Hostages, who lived in the Fourth or Fifth Century A.D. (roughly at the same time as St. Patrick). Men who share the same sequences can be relatively certain that their male ancestors were petty chieftans and/or raiding pirates along the coasts of Ireland, England and France. More information can be found at FamilyTreeDNA.com.

There are other examples - and technology (along with anthropological studies) continue to refine family relationships using DNA. Your own ancestry could have a similar common ancestor that could be found using a Y-DNA test. I recommend you consider adding your test to the growing database - and sharing your story with a comment to this post. Happy hunting!