I can't seem to trace my lineage past my 5x great grandfather. Which DNA test will give me the best chance of success?

Question

I have an unused test kit from Ancestry.com, do I need a Y DNA test, etc?

Comments

Do you know the first and last name of your 4th great grandfather? If so, you might want to use conventional genealogy to trace back to one more generation.

Would you have birth year, marriage year, name of  spouse for 4 g grandfather?

What about location for birth, marriage and death? That could include country, county, and or city.

---

In my case Ancesty's test told me what continent my ancestors came from.

Answer 1

Is this your Lockwood paternal line; a continuous line of Lockwood forefathers? IfI so, yes, you want a yDNA test.

If this is some other ancestral line, you can try the 23 and me, Ancestry, or FTDNA FamilyFinder tests.

See this G2G about the FTDNA Sale: http://www.wikitree.com/g2g/52547/familytreedna-com-big-holiday-sale. 

Answer 2

It's true; DNA can only confirm or eliminate pre-conceived suspicions. It's not so much which DNA test you decide to use (I went with 23andme and love the medical information!), it's what you do with the information after the test that matters. Once you have your results, the fun part begins! Join surname (or "family DNA") Projects. Here is a helpful page on what kinds of projects there are, and how they can help you! Enjoy! - http://www.worldfamilies.net/what

Note: If you hope to learn anything useful about your paternal lines, you will absolutely want to do Y chromosome testing. This is double imperitive if you are the last male in your line, like my dad!

Comments

Robin, it doesn't make any sense for a female to take a y chromosome test, though, right?

---

Jillaine, a female can't take a yDNA test.  You have to find an appropriate male to take the yDNA test for you.

---

that was my (intended) point; thanks for confirming.

Answer 3

YDNA-111 posted on Ancestry allowed my family tree to break a tree block to identify my seventh grandfather.

Ancestry has a large DNA data base. You can locate people 5 or 6 degrees from you. Build your tree out as much as you are able to ensure the best results.