Ancestry may have another sale soon, though, but at the time of this update (14 July 2009) the Ancestry Y-Chromosome DNA test ranges in price from $79 to $149. The good news is that the price has gone down since Ancestry first introduced Y-Chromosome tests. Hoorah.

By the way, I recommend taking the $149 test, because if you get a match, you’ll want to purchase more markers anyway, so you might as well do them up front!

And now back to the old post….

Here is a little “push” for those of you who are sitting on the fence about taking a Y-chromosome DNA test.

Exclusive offer for Ancestry.com Members:
Save 50% on Ancestry.com DNA Testing
FOR A LIMITED TIME

This is an incredible deal. Normally prices are $199 for the 46 marker test, and $149 for the less-helpful (but no less valid) 33 marker test. But if you get in on this deal, it will only cost you:

$99.50 for the 46 marker test and $74.50 for the 33 marker test.

Please consider taking this test! The more results we have, the more useful each result will be not only for us, but for all future W(R)en(n)s looking for their roots.

UPDATE 1 August 2008:

Someone just told me they believed they were not eligible for this discount because they are not a member of Ancestry.com. This is not true.

Ancestry offers a free membership option. You may purchase the test using the link above, and then create a free account with Ancestry. Or you may create the free account first, and then purchase the test, whichever you prefer.

Ancestry will not charge you for membership unless you opt to upgrade. They will, however, charge you for the cost of the test.

You can read more at the DNA Ancestry FAQ: “Will I have to become a paying Ancestry.com subscriber to view my results?”

But we’re in a transition time, which means that if you want to take the DNA test this month, then there’s a special little procedure we have to follow (I’ve outlined it below.)

To make up for this inconvenience, Ancestry is giving us a 15% coupon off the DNA test. Normally prices are:

$149 for the 33 chromosome Paternal Lineage Test
$199 for the 46 chromosome Paternal Lineage Test

These prices are a little better than those at Relative Genetics — and 15% off means you can save a little over $22 on the 33 chromosome test and a little over $29 for the 46 chromosome test. (Go for the 46 chromosome test! Go for the 46 chromosome test! Goodness… did I just say that out loud?)

PLEASE NOTE: We are only working with the Paternal Lineage Test. The Maternal Lineage Test (Mitochondrial DNA) is of no use to our W(R)en(n) DNA surname project (although you may still want to take it for other genealogical purposes).

Instructions for Ordering a DNA test:

1. You may order by phone. If so, use this toll free number 1-800-958-9124 and skip to step 3 , or…
2. Go to www.DNA.Ancestry.Com
3. Click on the “Get Started” button, or the “Order” button, or use this link.
4. Make sure to use the Wren 15% discount coupon below. (Enter this in the coupon box before you check out, or tell the Ancestry associate if you are doing this by phone.)
   Project Wren
   Code 49HXVLX
   Expires 03/31/2008
5. FINAL AND MOST IMPORTANT STEP: When you receive your DNA results in the mail, send me a copy, and I will manually enter the data into my project at Relative Genetics.

After March 31 they’ll merge all data over to Ancestry.com, but for now this is how we’ll have to do it.

On June 18, we announced an exciting new partnership with the online genealogy leader, Ancestry.com, by way of our parent company, Sorenson Genomics. This new partnership will combine Ancestry.com’s unrivaled collection of online family trees and historical documents with Sorenson Genomics’ precision ancestral DNA testing. For more information about the benefits of this exclusive partnership and to view our FAQs, please visit www.relativegenetics.com/news.*

DNA testing and select genetic genealogy services formerly provided by Relative Genetics will soon be offered exclusively through Ancestry.com. At that time, your Relative Genetics information will migrate to Ancestry.com.

*Link updated 7/30/07 as Relative Genetics moved it.

The letter goes on to say that Sorenson will no longer offer the coupon discount I wrote about here, but it will redeem unused, unexpired coupon codes if you have them.

The good news is that Sorenson Genomics will still be the laboratory conducting the DNA analysis. Sorenson’s excellent reputation puts it head and shoulders above the many other DNA labs out there.

The bad news (if this IS really bad news) is that results of the testing will be stored and managed by Ancestry.com.

On one hand, Ancestry.com is indeed the “online genealogy leader” with perhaps the largest collection of online databases available to subscribers. I spent the first four years of my genealogy research using sources like Heritage Quest, and when I finally broke down and bought a membership with Ancestry.com I felt it was money well-spent because of those multiple databases, not to mention the “every name” indexing.

(And also because I happened to chance on a sale that gave me the annual World Deluxe membership for only $99. Since then it’s gone up to $300 or so.)

On the other hand, Ancestry.com’s customer service reputation is less than stellar, although I have no complaints so far.

So how will this change affect our DNA data mangement? I’m not sure.

Perhaps this move will provide us with more exposure to fellow W(R)en(n) researchers; after all, almost every genealogist has a subscription to Ancestry, or at least uses the library version of Ancestry. That’s got to be good, right?

If you have an opinion on this topic you’d like to share, please do so in the comment section below. I would love to hear what someone else thinks about it.

I’ve been looking for ways to lower the cost of DNA testing for the Wren Family Association DNA Surname Project. The test we recommend costs $155, which might be too expensive for some.

The best price-reduction option so far seems to be through the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Project. In exchange for donating your DNA sample to this non-profit DNA database, Sorenson will provide you with a promo code that takes $60 off the cost of a $155 Y-chromosome DNA test at Relative Genetics (where our surname project is registered).

I’m all for saving money, so I sent away for the participation kit. Actually, I sent away for two: one for me and one for my Wren husband. Both kits arrived within two days.

Here’s what they looked like:

I ripped them open and found all this inside:

Top left is a booklet containing information about the SMGF. Top right is a piece of tape included for sealing up the box again for shipping. Bottom left is the paperwork containing instructions, the consent form and a pedigree chart. At bottom right is a plastic bag containing a plastic jar of mouthwash and a small, absorbent pad.

My husband wasn’t available to take the test, so I proceeded to experiment with me.

The instructions were straightforward: I had to wait until I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for at least an hour before I took the test, which consists of swishing the green mouthwash in your mouth for about a minute. The instructions warn of a possible tingling sensation, but it felt just like gargling with minty fresh Scope.

When the timer went off, I spit the mouthwash back into the container, put the lid back on and tightened it. The instructions asked me to put the absorbent pad in the bag with the jar, apparently to absorb any mouthwash that might leak out of the jar.

As instructed, I pressed the bag as I zipped it shut to remove extra air. Then I turned to the provided pedigree chart.

According to Sorenson, I could fill their pedigree chart out by hand, print one out from my genealogy software, or send Sorenson a GEDCOM file. I decided to print out our pedigree chart from my genealogy software.

You can see how Sorenson uses this information here. At the time of this writing, there was just one W(R)en(n) participating in the project (soon to be two, when they get my husband’s sample).

As you can see, this Wren surname started in Virginia, migrated to Arkansas and then Texas. More detail may be seen by clicking on the pedigree button:

Hopefully this Wren will join our DNA surname project, too!

But back to my kit. After I signed the consent form I folded it and the pedigree chart into quarters and put it into the little pocket that was separate from the zipped area containing the mouthwash.

My completed kit looked like this:

Note that there’s a place on the bag to write your name and indicate your gender. You might want to do that BEFORE you put the jar in the bag.

At this point I realized I needed to a little work on the box to prepare it for its return trip. Here’s the “before” picture.

I needed to cut off the cardboard along the scoring marks. It was easy enough to do without scissors.

I said goodbye to my DNA sample, tucked it into the box and sealed it up. Please note that this is all free: you don’t even have to pay postage—just drop the package in the mail.

It wasn’t until a few days later when I packed up my husband’s DNA sample that I realized I was supposed to tuck the overhanging part INSIDE the box. (Yes. Well. I’m bad at wrapping birthday presents, too.)

My package arrived safely despite my poor wrapping job because I soon received an email from Sorenson thanking me for my participation and giving me my promo code, which I’ll use to reduce the cost of my husband’s DNA test to $95. (I’ll write about that experience in another post.)

If money is not an issue or you’d rather not deal with Sorenson and mouthwash and promo codes, visit our site at Relative Genetics and sign up for the “q-tip” Y-chromosome DNA test for $155. (Details on the procedure are here.)

Here are the two main goals for the W(R)en(n) Family Association DNA Surname Project:

1. To understand and connect the relationships of Wren/Wrenn/Ren/Renn surnames in the U.S. and possibly tie them to Old World families.
2. To prove or disprove the connection so very many Wren genealogies state as fact: that the Wrens of early Virginia were related to Sir Christopher Wren.

…Her mother’s grandfather, Vincent Wren, was in the Wars of the Revolution and 1812. He was a direct descendant of Sir Christopher Wren, architect of St. Paul’s, London.
—”Edward S. Dickson,” Portrait and Biographical Records of Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Counties, Iowa. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1894.

Old Vincent Wren wasn’t the only great-grandfather believed to have been a direct descendant of Christopher Wren! All of us W(R)en(n) researchers have heard this refrain at least once: “We are descended from Sir Christopher Wren!” or perhaps, “We are related to Sir Christopher Wren—Gramps said so!”

While Sir Christopher Wren has no documented living descendants, there are descendants of his ancestors who carry on the Wren surname. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could compare DNA? Let’s use science to settle this question once and for all.

And while we’re putting one of our oldest traditions under the microscope, we’ll be collecting valuable information on W(R)en(n) family lines that will help all of us in our genealogical research. If you’re not quite sure what DNA testing can do, read some of these reports from a few family associations who’ve used DNA testing to solve long-standing genealogical mysteries:

Dodge Family Association DNA Project
Winslow Family Association DNA Project
Bassett Family Association DNA Project
Whiteside DNA Project

Other family associations have had some wonderful success with their DNA testing, and now it’s our turn!

I’ve set up a special information page about our DNA surname project here, and you can join our DNA surname project here.