Frequently Asked Questions

How is DNA used in genealogy? We compare the DNA of two people to see if their samples match and, if they do, those two people may be related. If their DNA does not match, we know they are not related. Your entire DNA came to you from your parents as an identical copy of their DNA, e.g. half from your mother and half from your father. Most of it is a random "hodgepodge" of fragments from your mother and father. This hodgepodge means we can't tell who contributed which part and it is of little use in tracing ancestry. This DNA is called "autosomal" DNA. There are two types of DNA which are not jumbled up when passed to an offspring. Each of them comes from only one parent and they are virtually identical to that of the parent and to their parent. One type comes from the mother and is called mitochondrial DNA (abbreviated mtDNA). The other type comes from the father to his sons and is called Y-chromosome DNA (abbreviated yDNA).

Why does the Project place greater emphasis on the use of Y-DNA? The DNA of all humans is virtually identical. Slight differences are a sort of marker or signature that can define a sub-group of our human race. Genealogists are primarily interested in researching family ties within the last thousand years or so, and this means they're looking for very small and specific sub-groups that we refer to as family branches. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is so stable that it doesn't change often enough to create any useful markers within our time frame of interest. Y-DNA, on the other hand, has been found to change more rapidly and those minute changes can be used to differentiate one family branch from another within a much more recent time frame.

What is the difference in Y-DNA and mtDNA? Both forms of DNA can be compared to a family coat-of-arms in that it is unique to a specific family line. The mtDNA identifies the maternal line and the Y-DNA identifies the paternal line. Mitochondrial DNA is passed by a mother to her children. This makes it useful for tracing the maternal line, e.g., a person's mother, her mother's mother, her mother's, mother's mother, and so on. Every woman descended from the same ancient female ancestor will carry virtually identical mtDNA. The Y-chromosome is carried only by a man and the son receives a virtually identical copy from his father. Every man descended from the same male ancestor will have very similar yDNA, though it changes more often than does the mtDNA.

How do we find the DNA signature of ancestors who lived long ago? DNA test results from several lines of living descendants, or people, who believe they are descendants of a common ancestor, are compared to each other. An analysis of the results is like finding pieces to a mosaic of the ancestor's DNA signature. The most effective and accurate method involves determining signatures of recent ancestors first and then comparing their results to determine the signature of more distant ancestors as we work our way back in time. The accuracy of the results depends on the number of test results available, the relationship of the test subjects and the availability of paper trail information to help in the analysis.

Will a DNA test tell me who my ancestors are? No, but the DNA test results can be used to tell you if you might be related to someone else. That evidence is combined with traditional forms of evidence to prove the relationship to the other person or persons. As more people contribute their test results to the study, it is possible to narrow the focus for a common ancestor to within a few generations.

Why should I do a DNA test? You might consider participating in the DNA Project for several reasons:

·         You want to resolve the mystery of an unknown ancestor.

·         You are the last male in your line and you want to preserve the DNA for future generations to help with their research.

·         Other researchers need a sample from your family branch to help them in their research.

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Can the test data be used to tell me of potential medical problems? NO, the type of testing done for this test has no medical value.

Can these results be used to compromise my identity? The DNA results alone cannot identify you or any of your relatives. They must be combined with other information, such as a surname, or vital records and, even then, all they do is identify your branch of your larger family. This is because there are very likely other people living who share very similar or even identical DNA signatures to your family group. Even with that additional data, your test results are either identical or very nearly identical to those of all your male relatives, including your father and uncles and cousins, you grandfather and granduncles, etc. The test results can only identify family groups to which you might be related.

Will my test results be used for any other purpose? No. The privacy of your identity and that of your test results are guaranteed by numerous safeguards. See the company's Privacy and Confidentiality statement.

I'm told I have a match with someone else. What does this mean? One must be careful to not infer too much from a close DNA match. Likewise, you must also be careful to not go to the other extreme and decide that DNA is meaningless. A match can mean you share a Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) or it might not, depending on several factors. The number of markers tested is important, since close relatives should see a near perfect match at 12 markers, but that same near match could also mean the two people only share a common ancestor who lived thousands of years ago. This might seem contradictory at first, but DNA must be used in concert with other data to help us know it belongs to our group and not to another. Moreover, a close match using more markers increases the possibility the two people share a recent common ancestor. The presence of other proofs is required to be certain the match is not one of perhaps many from the larger world family. A common surname is the indicator, when combined with a DNA match which is the clue to a possible close relationship and other traditional genealogical proofs that also increase the probability of a close relationship.

How many markers should I test? The current number of markers that can be tested is 12, 25, 37 and 67. The 37 marker test has proven to be the most useful for the Hull DNA Research Project.

·         A 12-marker test is best suited to tell you whether you are NOT related to another family. If you do not match at 12 markers, you can be assured there is no recent common ancestor. On the other hand, it is common for people to match at 12 markers and not be recently related. This is because we are all so closely related. More markers will give a better idea of whether a recent relationship exists, i.e., within a reasonable genealogical time frame of 1,000 years or less.

·         The 25 marker test can be a good indicator whether a recent relationship exists.The 67 marker test, at least for our group, appears to be most useful for sorting out very recent relationships.

Sometimes a DNA sample markers are too far apart from another person for us to be related. Is this possible? Great care must be exercised when interpreting DNA matches and mismatches.

·         A close match indicates you have a high probability of sharing a recent common ancestor, but it could also mean your family group's DNA signature "drifted" in the same direction as another group.

·         Though not very likely, it could mean your common ancestor might have lived thousands of years ago and not recently. A distant match usually means you're not related within a genealogical time frame of interest, but the possibility always exists that you are related. This rare circumstance can occur when one or both branches experienced a large number of mutations. Both a close match and a mismatch require work. The close match is usually easier to confirm than a mismatch which is a challenge to find supporting evidence of a relationship to reconcile the apparent mismatch.

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·         If Y-DNA only traces the paternal line, and mtDNA only traces the maternal line, how do I find out about my ancestors in the other lines? Search your other family lines in the same way you are researching your surname line and find a male from that line and have him tested.

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·         I am a woman. May I participate in the Project? We really want your contribution and help with the Hull DNA Research Project. The Project uses yDNA, which only men have. However, you can contribute to the effort by helping us recruit surname Hull men to the Project. You can contribute to the Project for your branch by getting your father or an uncle or your brother or cousin to submit a test sample.

·         You can also submit a sample of your own DNA with  Hull mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test. If you purchase it through our Project you will receive our group discount. The mtDNA test results will not be used in our Project analyses, but it should be of interest to you if you want to research your maternal lineage.

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·         I know I was adopted. Is there any benefit in my joining the Project? You would do this if you wanted to prove or locate a Hull line from which you believe you are genetically descended. If you know the surname of your biological father, which may be different than yours, then you would be best served by joining that surname yDNA project. After the test has been completed you may join whichever surname project is applicable. If you don't know, you are welcome to join the Hull DNA Research Project. Once your results are returned from the lab (FTDNA) they can be uploaded to FTDNA’s worldwide Y-Search database. You will find information there on others who share similar signatures as you.

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·         How do I get my relatives to join the Project?

• You can tell them this is important to you
• You can offer to pay for the test
• You can suggest that their data will help other people who are trying to see how they fit into the family.
• Share with them the information and DNA results knowledge that has been gathered already and tell them this is not a whimsical endeavor, but that the Hull Project consists of a group of people seriously trying to preserve our heritage.

What if I am told that I don't match other members of the Project? Does this mean I'm not a Hull? A surname is an artificial and arbitrary designation. Your surname is simply an identifier for your family group. Surnames did not exist in the middle ages and before. If someone settled on using the Hull (variants) surname, it does not matter an iota whether it was adopted 500 years ago or 50 years ago. It is still your surname and it is valid. We suspect there are many unrelated families with the surname Hull (variants). There are records of Hulls coming from many countries of origin. There are English Irish, Scottish, and German and Swiss and so on. Also Native American people took the Hull surname. These are all distinct family groups that are not related to each other, but they are Hulls.

How do I join the Project? You will purchase a test for 12, 25, 37 or 67 markers from our testing company FTDNA. You will need to submit to the administrator (not FTDNA) whatever information you know about your pedigree. When you receive the test kit in the mail, you will use the two swabs provided to collect samples from the inside of your cheek. Then you will return only the samples to the testing company (the Pedigree information goes separately to the administrator of the [Hull DNA Research Project]. If you would like to review the sample process please click here.

How will my DNA information be used? Your DNA test results will be compared with the results of other participants in the Hull DNA Research Project to see if there is a possible match. If there is a match, your pedigree information will be compared to others to find any common factors. This will give you and those other researchers the clues on where to look to resolve the broken links.

HULL DNA RESEARCH (HDR) IS ABOUT HELP; NOT CONTROL