Y-chromosome SNPs in the historical era: discovering cascading hierarchies of SNPs (Graham Holton)

Until recently, Y-chromosome SNPs were regarded as only useful for ancient ancestry. This presentation will look at the increasing importance of SNPs for genealogy in the historical era, giving examples of branch markers which can now identify male line descendants of family lineages established between the 13th and 16th centuries. Some proposals will be put forward for a methodology to advance the discovery of SNPs from this and even more recent periods. As the boundary of SNP discovery moves closer in time, more and more people will have the chance to use DNA testing to link themselves to major branches of families and even named historical individuals.
Graham Holton
After long experience as a librarian, Graham began teaching family history as a tutor of evening classes at the University of Strathclyde. He has been a tutor on the University’s Postgraduate Programme in Genealogical Studies since it commenced in 2007 and is now Principal Tutor. He is author of Discover your Scottish ancestry (2nd ed. 2009) and has an interest in genetic genealogy research, leading the Battle of Bannockburn Family History Project, with a focus on tracing early descents using documentary and genetic evidence. He is keen to promote the importance of using male line descendants with reliable documentary evidence as reference points around which genetic groupings can be built.
This lecture was presented at Who Do You Think You Are? - Live! 2017. Please note that these videos are copyrighted to the presenter and should only be used for personal study. They are not to be used for any other purpose without the presenter's express permission. Also, please note that because this is a rapidly advancing field, the content may quickly become outdated.
The DNA Lectures were sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA (www.ftdna.com) and organised by volunteers from ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy, www.isogg.org). ISOGG volunteers also provided free DNA advice and support for members of the public at the conference.