DNA testing question

[lorisarvendu]

Can anyone knowledgeable advise me on DNA testing? Google is no good because all I get is adverts for companies.

I suspect a connection between two families in the 19th Century, but there is only circumstantial evidence. I am wondering whether a DNA comparison between two individuals who are alive today would prove or disprove it either way.

Here is my relevent tree:

Mary = unknown father
|
Charles Herbert (born 1882)
|
John Norman
|
Robert
|
Me

As you can see, my great-great-grandfather is an unknown individual, and there is an unbroken male line from him down 4 generations to me.

Now, the "other" family tree runs thus:

Richard
|
John (born 1897)
|
Stephen
|
Matthew

Richard is whom I suspect of being the "unknown" individual in my tree. Since this family tended to have children later in life than my ancestors, there are only 3 generations between then and now, and hence both myself and Matthew are still alive (and approximately the same age).

Can anyone advise me if a DNA comparison between myself and Matthew (who may therefore be my 2nd cousin once removed) is likely to be of any value? Since we are both descended through unbroken male lines (and barring any "naughtiness" along the way) we should have the same Y Chromosome if we are related.

I hasten to add that the names of the "other" tree have been changed to protect the innocent, although the relationships are accurate!

Cheers

Dave

[gardener]

I don't see why it wouldn't work fine.

"Application to Genealogy. One approach is to use y-chromosome testing to focus on certain well-defined puzzles or hypotheses. Several ancestral Bachmans lived in the same area of the same village in 17th century Switzerland. A reasonable supposition would be that they might share a common ancestor from which they inherited their surnames. By comparing the y-chromosomes of descendants of each of the ancestral Bachmans, we should be able to substantiate or disprove the hypothesis of a common Bachman ancestor. This approach requires two or more people to submit samples together. "

http://www.stanford.edu/~philr/Bachman/DNABachman3.html