I finally decided what I wanted for my birthday and since I was on my way to see the folks, I figured there was no time like the present…for presents.
Me: “So, I decided what I want for my birthday.”
Dad: “Yeah, what’s that?”
Me: “Your DNA.”
Dad: (smiling) “What?”
Me: “You are the only one here with a Y chromosome and since you didn’t give it to me at conception, I would like it now please.”
Dad: (grinning) “All right.”
I wasn’t surprised that he was up for it. Dad’s a genealogist and family historian as well but we never discussed the subject before. Some people are leery of the swab. I went ahead and pointed out that if he had reservations about giving up his genetic material, he has a couple of male double cousins that should carry the same markers, paternal and maternal. No, he was game. So much so that the swabs came out immediately and the envelope was on its way to Houston before I hit the road to go home.
It seems genetic genealogy can be as addicting as the regular kind. We haven’t seen the results and we have already started planning further tests. I love maps. I can’t wait.
Randy Whited of Family Tree DNA gave a presentation to the Austin Genealogical Society last year. Here’s a sample of their reports.
