Barnum Family DNA Project
DNA is the Gene in Genealogy
Project Surnames:
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BARNUM BARNHAM BARNAM |
Participation in the Barnum Family DNA Project
In order to take a Y-DNA test and participate in this project, you must be a male descendant of a Barnum ancestor. The Y chromosome genetic sequence of males in your immediate family will be identical (except for rare mutations). If you are a female Barnum descendant, you can encourage a close male relation (father, brother, cousin, uncle, etc) to take the test. The male member of the family chosen to take the DNA test must personally apply for membership in this program. Ultimately, a minimum of two participants from each major branch of the Barnum family will be needed to allow for unrecorded adoptions, false paternity, etc., and also to verify and confirm each other's test results. This project is open to Barnum (or variant surname) males who purchase a Y-DNA analysis from Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). I have chosen Family Tree DNA because of its good reputation, large database for comparison purposes, and discounts for participants in the Barnum Family DNA Project. Additionally, if you or a family member has previously tested your autosomal DNA at AncestryDNA, 23andMe, or MyHeritage, you can transfer your results to FamilyTreeDNA by uploading your raw data file. To begin your participation, just click here.
The more markers included, the higher the resolution of the test will be. Higher-resolution tests have an increased ability to resolve relationships between two individuals. Tests lower than 25 markers are offered by some labs, but are not very useful for genealogy projects, and more markers are always advisable. The results of your testing will be used by Family Tree DNA for comparison on your FTDNA pages. FTDNA stores your sample for 25 years, which makes later ordering of additional tests very easy.
There are 20 lines of descent going back thousands of years and spread throughout the world that we might call the ancestral fathers. These 20 different ancient ones were the patriarchs of clans called haplogroups (labeled A through T). Here is a listing of the Y-DNA haplogroups and their origins.
Since part of our Y chromosome DNA is passed from father to son relatively unchanged for thousands of years, we can determine to what haplogroup we belong, as well as narrow down the possibility of any two persons having a common male ancestor (25-marker test). Other parts of our Y chromosome DNA can change over a few generations (additional markers, 37, 67, or higher), thus narrowing down the search even further. Since we already know that the Barnum line descends from haplogroup R1b, a 37-marker test is the minimum available from FTDNA that will provide us with useful genealogical information. More markers allow for greater accuracy.
When you receive your results, they will be in the form of four web pages. Your personal FTDNA webpage will contain links to your account information, DNA test results, maps and useful research tools.
You will be notified by email as 12, 37, 67, or higher marker matches occur and will receive a certificate with your markers and additional information.
For all those with the Barnum surname, marker matches above the first 12 will be compared with others to look for more-recent relationships. There also exists a free database, GEDmatch, that is compatible with DNA data from all major DNA testing companies. It provides advanced tools to find, analyze, and map potential relatives, trace ancestry, and explore genetic heritage.
Participants with a genetic distance of 3 or less on 37 or more markers are relatively closely related.
Non-Paternity Events
Inevitably, some participants in any DNA project will discover that their genetic heritage and their surname became connected in an unanticipated way. Two examples are adoptions and out-of-wedlock births. The risk may be as high as four to five percent per generation. In other words, if you've identified Barnum ancestors by traditional genealogical techniques, there could be a four to five percent chance that they are not really your ancestors. Non-paternity events such as unknown adoptions, conception outside of marriage, and other non-paternity reasons for assigning a surname to a child can all be explanations for this phenomenon. If your line of descent falls into that category, it will be wholly your own decision whether or not to share your data with this website.
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A Research Guide to the Genealogy of the Barnum/Barnam/Barnham Family Worldwide
The information on this site is developed and maintained by Patrick Barnum
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