Megaw / McGaw DNA Project
Results Report as of 23 February 2010
Onlymales can test Y-DNA because it is the gene that makes a male a male. It ispassed directly from father to son. Haplogroups are DNA signatures that areused to look at migrations of man. A resource on this topic is Spencer Wells, DeepAncestry.
To learn more about the haplogroups and to see research and graphics of theY-DNA tree,
go to ISOGG YSNP Tree
. Additionalinformation can be found by searching the internet for the haplogroup you areinterested in. Be sure to specify Y-DNA Haplogroup.
The test kits have been sorted into their respective haplogroups. Thosehaplogroups listed in red are estimated by FTDNA. Those listed in green havebeen SNP tested to confirm the haplotype. More people are doing SNP testsbecause it can further refine what part of the haplogroup they come from. Thisis particularly true in Haplogroups E, G, I, J, and R. A few people do not haveassigned haplogroups because their haplotype numbers are somewhat unusual. Onlya SNP test can confirm the haplogroup when a haplotype (set of scores shown inDYS Values) is rare. When this happens, FTDNA performs a free “backbone” testto confirm the haplogroup.
•Y-DNA Haplogroup R1b is the most prolific haplogroup in Europe and its frequency changes in a cline from west (where it reaches a saturation point of almost 100% in areas of Western Ireland) to east (where it becomes uncommon in parts of Eastern Europe and virtually disappears beyond the Middle East.
--OGAP 1 - is closest to the R1b modal which is also the most common signature in the MacKenzie clan.
--OGAP 4- Scotland 1 group has the DNA signature of the Dalriada group which exists both in Scotland and in Ireland. The Dalriada DNA signature was first identified by Mark MacDonald of Clan Donald. A number of clans have a variant of this DNA signature. This group is descended from the genetic family of Erc, the king of the Irish Dal Riata in Antrim (Ulster) until 474. His sons Fergus Mor, Angus, and Loarn established the Scottish kingdom of Dalriada in 470.
--OGAP 20 - The Barron (80495, NZ) is most like the population found in Tayside and Central England.
--OGAP 24- Isles/Irish - A Megaw (37799) family in Australia has been found to have common ancestry with a Megaw (37927) family in the United States about 600 years ago. Both lines can trace their families to Northern Ireland and have family stories of Scottish heritage. This type of lineage seems to have moved back and forth between Scotland and Ireland and is found in the western Scottish isles. Tester 143086 comes from Newry as does 37799. Tester 158783 traces to Ayrshire and then to Northern Ireland.
mtDNA test kits are also arranged by mtdnaHaplogroups. mtDNA is passed from the female to all of her children, so bothfemales and males have mtDNA, but males cannot pass it to succeedinggenerations. mtDNA Haplogroups with the same name as Y-DNA Haplogroups have norelationship with each other. An example is that mtDNA Haplogroup K has adifferent history from Y-DNA Haplogroup K. mtDNA Haplogroups show the deepancestry of the tester and are described in Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestry.Descriptions are also available on the tester's personal page under mtDNA -Results. Additional information can be found by searching the internet for thehaplogroup you are interested in. Be sure to specify mtDNA Haplogroup.
•mtDNA Haplogroup H (also known as Helena) comprises 40 to 60 % of the mtDNAgene pool in Western Europe and as such is considered the most successful ofthe mtDNA haplogroups in reproducing itself. It also comprises about 20 % ofsouthwest Asian lineages, 15 % of central Asian lineages and 5 % of northernAsian lineages.
•mtDNA Haplogroup K (also known as Katrine) has a wide distribution includingareas of Europe, northern Africa, India, Arabia, the northern CaucasusMountains and throughout the near East.
•mtDNA Haplogroup V (also known as Velda) tends to be restricted to western,central, and northern Europe. It is found in 12% of Basques and is thought tohave been established within the European refuge during the last Ice Age.