Quest for a Small Group

The latest word from FTDNA regarding SNP P66+ and marker DYF399X is that although Jim McKown and I, both being P66+ could be tested for marker DYF399X.  We have been encouraged to
put together a small group to also be tested because that will give the interpreters more sight angles at the results and could, perhaps, identify how long ago P66+ came into our family line.  My hope is that it will not only do that but also show others with Maguire DNA who may be related to us.

Barry McCain, administrator of the FTDNA Ulster Heritage Group, believes that our McCown/McKown connection with the Maguire DNA came about sometime in the 1600's AD.  Barry
also sent a list of five or six other men that he has identified at 67 markers to William Roulston to study and if possible, find if they, indeed, did live near to each other, were Protestant and had other relatedness among the families.

All of this may sound like we are trying to avoid FTDNA's recently developed test that has the capability to identify cousins going back five generations.  That is not the case, because that test was not offered when Barry first contacted William Roulston, Jim McKown had not been tested at all, and few people other than John McEwan had even heard of P66+ or DYF399X.  John had as far back as at least 2005 and has written about it.

The FTDNA test for cousins is more far reaching and costs much more than what we plan to do.  What we are trying to do could be money down the drain or a spectaculor success---with a wee bit o' the luck of the Irish.

New Haplogroup Explained

Brad McGuire and Pat Meguire both are group administrators and both replied to my emails regarding the change in haplogroup.

It is not a mistake and represents new sub branches to established trees.  More to follow as the smoke clears.

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet, Wilder than the Evening News

FTDNA has just changed the haplogroups of a whole passel of men without blinking an eye.  The change involves all of the men whose haplogroups have been tested in the Ulster Heritage Group Mag Uidhir I and Mag Uidhir II.  It generally changed many more men than that because R1b1b2a1b5 is one of the most common haplogroups on the west coast of Scotland, the western Isles and Northern Ireland.

It changed for all of those mentioned above from R1b1b2a1b5 to R1b1a2a1a1b4, which you will all agree is one heck of a change.  Jim McKown and I have a letter c suffix following the 4.  This haplogroup change may be another lab goof or a posting goof, because the underlying SNP results did not change a whit.  It may be because their chief scientist at the Houston lab has left on vacation, that the people at the con have made a mistake.  Whatever, I have contacted FTDNA and should receive an reply
next week.  One other possibility is that FTDNA is initiating the change to the most recent NIST standards.  When FTDNA replies, I will print the answer here.