Recently, I wrote a multi-part series about mitochondrial DNA – start to finish – everything you need to know.
I’ve assembled several articles in one place, and I’ll add any new articles here as well.
Please feel free to share this resource or any of the links to individual articles with friends, genealogy groups or on social media.
What the Difference Between Mitochondrial and Other Types of DNA?
Mitochondrial DNA is inherited directly from your matrilineal line, only, meaning your mother’s mother’s mother’s mother – on up your family tree until you run out of direct line mothers that you’ve identified. The great news is even if you don’t know the identities of those people in your tree, you carry their mitochondrial DNA which can help identify them.
Here’s a short article about the different kinds of DNA that can be used for genealogy.
Why Mitochondrial DNA?
Let’s start out with why someone might want to test their mitochondrial DNA.
After you purchase a DNA test, swab, return the kit and when the lab finishes processing your test, you’ll receive your results on your personal page at FamilyTreeDNA, the only company that tests mitochondrial DNA at the full sequence level and provides matching with tens of thousands of other testers.
What About Those Results?
People want to understand how to use all of the different information provided to testers. These articles provide a step-by-step primer.
Sign in to your Family Tree DNA account and use these articles as a guideline to step through your results on your personal page.
We begin with an overview. What is mitochondrial DNA, how it is inherited and why is it useful for genealogy?
Next, we look at your results and decode what all the numbers mean. It’s easy, really!
Our ancestors lived in clans, and our mitochondrial DNA has its own versions of clans too – called haplogroups. Your full haplogroup can be very informative.
Sometimes there’s more than meets the eye. Here are my own tips and techniques for more than doubling the usefulness of your matches.
You’ll want to wring every possible advantage out of your tests, so be sure to join relevant projects and use them to their fullest extent.
Do you know how to utilize advanced matching? It’s a very powerful tool. If not, you will after these articles.
Mitochondrial DNA Information for Everyone
FamilyTreeDNA maintains an extensive public mitochondrial DNA tree, complete with countries of origin for all branches. You don’t need to have tested to enjoy the public tree.
However, if you have tested, take a look to see where the earliest known ancestors of your haplogroup matches are located based on the country flags.
These are mine. Where are yours?
What Can Mitochondrial DNA Do for You?
Some people mistakenly think that mitochondrial DNA isn’t useful for genealogy. I’m here to testify that it’s not only useful, it’s amazing! Here are three stories from my own genealogy about how I’ve used mitochondrial DNA to learn more about my ancestors and in some cases, break right through brick walls.
- Mitochondrial DNA Bulldozes Brick Wall
- Lydia Brown’s 3 Daughters: Or Were They? Mitochondrial and Autosomal DNA to the Rescue
- Elisabetha Mehlheimer (c1800-c1851) and her Scandinavian Mito-Cousins
It’s not only your own mitochondrial DNA that’s important, but other family members too.
My cousin tested her mitochondrial DNA to discover that her direct matrilineal ancestor was Native American, much to her surprise. The great news is that her ancestor is my ancestor too!
Searching for Native American Ancestors?
If you’re searching for Native American or particular ancestors, mitochondrial DNA can tell you specifically if your mitochondrial DNA, or that of your ancestors (if you test a direct matrilineal descendant,) is Native, African, European, Jewish or Asian. Furthermore, your matches provide clues as to what country your ancestor might be from and sometimes which regions too.
Did you know that people from different parts of the world have distinctive haplogroups?
You can discover your ancestors’ origins through their mitochondrial DNA.
You can even utilize autosomal segment information to track back in time to the ancestor you seek. Then you can obtain that ancestor’s mitochondrial DNA by selectively testing their descendants or finding people who have already tested that descend from that ancestor. Here’s how.
You never know what you’re going to discover when you test your mitochondrial DNA. I discovered that although my earliest known matrilineal ancestor is found in Germany, her ancestors were from Scandinavia. My cousin discovered that our common ancestor is Mi’kmaq.
What secrets will your mitochondrial DNA reveal?
You can test or upgrade your mitochondrial DNA by clicking here.
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Roberta, here’s my message to my future mtDNA matches: you’re going to be a descendant of strong and powerful Colonial women–many of them working in the background while their husbands bought up land, or in the alternative, acquired land from from their military service. At the same time farming and raising their families in the new frontiers of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and what would soon become Alabama. So, everyone who will become my mtDNA matches: please test!! And don’t forget to put your tree out there–or at the very least your close, as well as your distant, maternal line ancestors!! And check your emails regularly, because you can be sure I’ll send you a line!!
Hi Roberta – perfect! In our DNA Special Interest Group we’ve been covering mtDNA and I had just sent a list of urls to all the mtDNA articles you’ve written (including the Native American and example articles – took quite a while). And then – here comes the complete list! With very nice summaries included.
I did miss a few though, so thank you for the follow-up. I appreciate mtDNA much more now, although I have yet to figure out any of my matches – my own or those of the accounts I manage. So few have decent trees attached and they often don’t go back far enough or have the earliest ancestor listed. Most are Norwegian, not the German I was expecting, just as you found.
See you in North Carolina in November.
Sandy
Where and when was your ancestor found in Germany?
Alan Cook’s German grandmother, Johanna Wilhelmine Ida Brode, was born on 20 Aug 1873 in Neukunkendorf, Uckermark, Brandenburg, Germany. Her mtDNA is in kit 237167 (name Charles Keith, deceased, cousin to Alan). Your mitochondria docs are terrific!
I cannot get to Part 3 of the tutorials, the link just takes me back to part 2. Parts 1 and 2 are really helpful !!
Thank you for letting me know. It’s fixed now.
Amazing details of mtDNA!!!. Thanks for clear all doubts.
Do you have a BREIF summary (instead of a lengthy white paper) of how MtDNA helped find people in your tree for all the non-geneticists and people generally not really interested in getting into the weeds?
I don’t but it’s a great idea.