The Delano Kindred Y-Chromosome DNA Tests

by Maria A. Dering and Floyd Smith Sanford, III

Introduction

Philippe Delano (deLanoy), the founder of the American House of Delano, has thousands of descendants throughout the United States. Some descendants might not be sure of their own link to Philippe. At this time, one scientific way to establish these connections in the male line is through Y-Chromosome DNA testing. Other tests are available, but the Y-DNA test was thought to be the most relevant, since the Kindred's immediate goal is to establish that Philip, Samuel, Jonathan, and Thomas Delano are all sons of Philippe Delano (deLanoy).

After careful research and discussion, the Delano Kindred voted to allocate an amount from the Memorial Fund not to exceed $600.00 for the possible use in establishing the DELANO KINDRED Y-DNA Program. (See the minutes of the 15th Annual Delano Kindred meeting, June 2006, Burlington, VT, which are printed in the July-August 2006 edition of Bonnes Nouvelles.)

Acting quickly on the Kindred's vote, four male Kindred members with the surname Delano, each a descendant of a different son of Philippe deLanoy, took the Y-DNA Chromosome test during the summer. Note that this is a simple swab test of the inside of the mouth and is completely non-invasive. It is not a urine or blood test.

What is DNA?

The acronym DNA is short for the molecule DeoxyriboNucleicAcid, which carries the genetic information that determines how we look and how our bodies function. DNA can also determine a person's susceptibility to certain diseases, allergies, and other medical conditions -- but the Y-DNA test does not analyze these types of factors.

Since DNA carries critical genetic information, it is now possible through advanced technology to compare the DNA of groups of related individuals. Varying degrees of matching (up to 99%) indicate the probability of connection of family members tested to each other and to a common ancestor.

A Common Misconception

Perhaps a common misunderstanding is that DNA can tell you exactly who your ancestors are. This is not true -- that is, unless you have a verifiable sample of their DNA, which might be centuries-old. But DNA testing can tell you to whom you are related if those persons take the appropriate test.

An excellent summary called DNA 101 appears on the website designed by a member of the Blair family.

What makes the Y-DNA test so important to the Delano Kindred?

The Y-Chromosome has certain unique features:

It is these unique features that make the Y-Chromosome useful to genealogists.

What kinds of tests are available?

Companies such as Family Tree DNA (Houston, Texas), which the Kindred uses, offer a variety of testing services (including Y-DNA) to their clients. Our tests, the 25-marker Y-DNA studies, cost $148.00 each, the discounted family group rate.

Examples of other DNA tests are:

Later in this article, we will discuss how (and if) you are eligible to participate in the Y-DNA test.

The balance of this article will address several additional questions in a way that we hope will be informative and educational. Your DNA project administrator contacts are listed at the end of this article. We welcome your comments and questions after you read through this article.

What can the Y-DNA test reveal?

In brief, this test proves the blood connections (or lack of them) among male descendants of a common male ancestor. There are percentages of matching among different lines (explained below). The higher the match percentage, the greater the proof of a blood connection. A match of 99% is definitive. Definitions of the items found in the test results follow later, as we take you through the charted results of the Kindred's Y-DNA testing so far.

Here is an example of how Y-DNA testing can be used in genealogy:

  1. Scholarly research and documents have proven that one Kindred member is a descendant of Philippe Delano through Philippe's son Jonathan.
  2. Scholarly research and documents have proven that another Kindred member is a descendant of Philippe Delano through Philippe's son Thomas.
  3. Vital records prove that these two Kindred members are cousins.
  4. DNA testing takes the proofs one major step forward by proving that both of these Kindred members have a common ancestor (Philippe), which had already been proven by documents and records. Now we have the biological (scientific) proof as well.

How are the test results presented?

Results are presented in the form of a chart that, at first, may seem difficult to interpret. But with some patience, you will see that the results are quite clear and comprehensible. For reasons of privacy, we will not name the test participants here, but will refer to them as Philip descendant, Samuel descendant, Thomas descendant, and Jonathan descendant. Results from all four tests were received by the end of September 2006.

Take a moment to read through these brief definitions as you prepare to read the chart.

Definitions

Marker

A marker is a definable segment of DNA with known genetic characteristics. The majority of current DNA tests offer analysis of 12, 25, or 37 markers. (There is also a Super DNA test - offered by Family Tree DNA -- that compares 67 markers. However, the more markers tested, the higher the cost.) The 25-marker test is considered an effective analytical tool for establishing blood relationships.

The Y-Chromosome test chosen by the Delano Kindred compares 25 segments of the DNA molecule. Each marker is designated by an internationally-accepted number, called a "DYS#." You will see the DYS# at the top of each column of 2-5 digit or digit/letter designations; the DYS# are written vertically in each column. Examples in the following chart are 393, 390, and 19 (the first three in the Delano chart, reading left to right). At this time, we do not have explanations of what each of the many numeric codes signifies.

There are 25 columns of numbers in the chart, showing that this Y-chromosome test studies 25 markers. Some charts number the columns 1-25 for quicker reference, but you will not see the digits 1-25 at the top of this particular chart. You can either print the chart and number each DYS column 1-25 for your own reference, or just count across on your computer screen later in this discussion.

Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Marker

DNA tests examine various types of markers. In the Kindred study, the Marker used is a Short Tandem Repeat (STR). These are short sequences of DNA, (usually 2, 3, 4, or 5 base pairs long), that are repeated numerous times in a head-tail manner.

Allele

An Allele is a repeat, in this case, a Short Tandem Repeat (STR) sequence of DNA. The number of repeats found at each Marker are written in vertical columns in the results charts under each DYS# (Marker designation). According to www.blairgenealogy.com, the variation of the number of repeats of each marker enables discrimination among individuals.

Haplogroup

This is the broad population group to which study participants belong. In our case, the designation R1b, which you will see in the 3rd column of the chart, designates the Western Europe haplogroup. The designation R1b means that all participants in this study have a common Western European ancestor. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of subgroups already delineated. For more information, please visit here.

Now let's take a look at the Delano Kindred Results Chart!

  1. The title: Family Tree DNA (the testing company) Y-DNA (the type of test, Y-chromosome) Alleles (DNA repeat sequences) for Delano Surname Project
  2. Column One: Kit number - the individual kit number assigned to a specific participant. This is only for tracking. For example, the Philippe descendant used kit number 69654 to do his swab test.
  3. Column Two: Participant's name (not included here for reasons of privacy), followed by the name of the son of Philippe from whom the living participant is descended.
  4. Column Three: Haplogroup: The broad population group to which the study participant belongs, based on the DNA test results. All three participants belong to the Western European haplogroup.
  5. Columns 4-29: Alleles (repeat sequences). Each column has a distinct Marker number, such as 393, 390, and 19. For more information on alleles, we encourage you to visit the website of the study provider Family Tree DNA.

  6. Examining the Alleles: This is the fun part! Let's look at column 4, the first of the Alleles studied. The column is headed 393. Reading from top to bottom, you will see that each participant had an identical number of repeats, 13, in this study. Most significantly, they all match each other. Looking at this column alone, it doesn't mean much, other than all four men match in this single allele. However, reading across the chart you will see findings that make this test very significant.

    Let's look at column five, DYS# 390. Reading down the column, you will see that Philip descendant has 23 repeats of allele 390, both Samuel and Thomas descendants have 23 each, and Jonathan descendant, 23. Again, a four-way match.

    Keep reading across the columns. In column seven, you will see one of two deviations from perfect matches. Look at DYS# 391. There you will see that Philip descendant, with 10 repeats, does not match exactly Samuel and Thomas descendants, who each have 11 matches of this allele. This is a slight deviation, referred to as a mutation.

    Continue across the chart and, until you reach column 25, you will see exact matches among all three cousins tested. The key is the match, and not whether the number of repeats seems low or high. When you reach column 25, DYS# 449, you will see the second, and only other, deviation from a perfect match. In DYS# 449, Philip descendant has 29 repeats, Samuel and Thomas descendants have 29 each, but Jonathan descendant has 30. The remaining columns are perfect matches among all three cousins.

  7. The Bottom Line: exciting results! Out of 25 markers, the four participants match 23 times. According to the statistics provided by Family Tree DNA, 23, 24, or 25 matches out of a total of 25 show that there is a 99% probability that all three participants have a common ancestor. Hence, we can safely conclude that the ancestor of each cousin is the same. Since each cousin represents a different son of Philippe Delano, we can further conclude that Philip, Samuel, Thomas, and Jonathan Delano were, indeed, brothers.

Can I participate?

Yes - and no.

YES! If you are a male with the surname DELANO, you are most welcome (and encouraged) to participate in the Family Tree Y-DNA study. Please visit the Delano Kindred Webpage for more information on testing and costs.

Please request the Y-DNA25 (marker) test for the discounted group price of $148.00. You will need to pay for the test yourself, as the Kindred Board voted only to underwrite $600.00, which covered the cost of the first four tests (descendants of four different sons of Philippe). You will need to deal directly with Family Tree, the testing company. Your results will be posted on the Kindred's DNA page, to which visitors can link through the logo on the main page of the public site. You will be identified only by the number of your test kit, not by your name.

YES! If you are a male with a non-DELANO surname and your non-DELANO surnamed ancestors (and YOU) are direct male DELANO descendents even though the surname has changed over the years, you are most welcome (and encouraged) to participate in the Family Tree Y-DNA study.

No. If you are a woman who is descended from one of Philippe Delano's sons, you yourself will not be able to participate in the current Y-DNA test, since it analyzes and shows results relating only to the Y (male) chromosome. However, we suggest that you ask a brother, cousin, or another male relative with the surname Delano to take the Y-DNA test. You and your family will then have a valuable, interesting source of information about how you fit into the Delano family.

There are other tests available to women (notably the mtDNA test), but they are not part of this study.

If you have questions about this article or about the DELANO Y-DNA testing project, contact:

Maria Dering

For future reference

Your Delano Kindred DNA Project Administrator is:

Maria Dering

Your Delano Kindred DNA Project Co-Administrator is:

Muriel Curtis Cushing (Kindred Vice President and Kindred Genealogist)

The more Y-DNA male study participants we have, the more interesting and comprehensive the results will be. Please do let us know if you have any questions about the test itself or the published results. We look forward to hearing from you.

For more information: