Do you have a brick wall that you cannot seem to break down? What steps have you taken to break it down? I know personally that brick walls can be a lot harder to break down than we can even contemplate sometimes. Both my husband and I have had brick walls that have not been easy to break down and both have been on paternal family lines. The first step outside of looking at genealogy websites for biographical information is to try a DNA test. Yet a DNA test does not go far enough sometimes, because you often need a more focused test. So you need to know what kind of DNA test will focus on paternal lines.
Since the early 2000’s Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) has been using DNA tests on the Y chromosome that only men carry. Over time these Y-DNA tests have improved. The latest version is the Big Y-700 test. This test can help you sort out any genealogical problems you may have on your paternal lines. The Big Y-700 test has two different tests involved to help find ancestral and more recent connections. The Short Tandem Repeats (STR’s) help you determine closer relationships within about 10 generations. While the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP), which have a very slow rate of change, can help you go back thousands of years. The 700 helps you find a more pronounced depiction of your genealogical lines. However, not just any male in your family can take this test.
To take the Big Y-700 DNA test you need a direct male line from where the brick wall starts. Here is an example: I am looking to tear down a brick wall on my Irish side of the family. My family is huge, yet most of the line comes from females. My sons would gladly take the test but we need a direct line of males and while it is my grandfather's line we are looking for, I come from one of his daughters. There are currently only 9 surviving males that can accomplish this task because most of the males never married or had children. So, if this test is something you need done, check your line and do it before it is too late.
Overall, if you have brick walls in your paternal lines, hope is not lost. Thanks to modern technologies, finding lost relatives can be made easier than ever. Go through your tree and find a direct male line from where your brick wall is and see if anyone is willing to take the Big Y-DNA test. While it is costly, tearing down that brick wall is often well worth the cost. While the Y tests show us our paternal lines, it is worth noting you can also do a specifically maternal line through mtDNA tests. We wish you luck in tearing down your family’s brick walls.
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