Part I:      DNA & Genealogy, Basic Overview Part II:    YDNA, FamilyTreeDNA Part III:  Shenandoah Mauck/Mauk/Mock Chart

Part I:   DNA & Genealogy, Basic Overview

Background - The Mock Family Historian YDNA Project

The Mock Family Historian (MFH) is a group of researchers working the various family lines of Mauck, Mauk, Mock, and variations. The DNA project started by the members began 20 years ago when DNA for genealogy first became available. The company chosen for analyzing and hosting the samples was FamilyTreeDNA, used by the National Geographic Society for their ongoing Genograph anthropology project mapping human migration patterns.

Over the years more than 100 MFH members have submitted individual YDNA samples (for tracing male surnames) from the various Mauck, Mauk, Mock, Mawk families, and related spellings. As members have passed away the MFH as an organization has become much smaller but the samples submitted are still on file. The database these are but one small part of has hundreds of thousands of submissions from all surnames and is still growing. Including additional Mauck, Mock, Mauk, Mawk, etc. families.

Comparing the DNA submissions to one another has revealed connections that would not have been made otherwise. It has saved researchers the time normally spent sorting through volumes of records of unrelated families so they may instead spend that time on the family they are researching.

How Genealogy DNA Samples are Collected

All DNA samples for genealogy DNA testing are collected using a mouth swab. You are provided with a container with a sterile swab along with instructions. The sample is collected by rubbing the sterile swab against the inside of your cheek, then sealed in the container and submitted for testing.

Different DNA Tests for Genealogy - Which One?

Marketing by the various companies who offer DNA testing is tailored to attract customers to their particular company. Most of these companies have created a significant amount of confusion as to the information their DNA test will provide and its accuracy. Most omit what it will not and cannot provide.

Different people have different interests when submitting DNA samples to one of the various companies who offer testing. What follows is a very brief synopsis of the types of tests currently offered and what they can tell you.

Autosomal DNA (atDNA)
Autosomal DNA testing is accurate for finding siblings along with 1st and 2nd generation cousins. Most companies who offer this test also offer general information on the general vicinity our ancestors may have come from. Autosomal DNA is not capable of tracing our family DNA to our ancestors the past 2000 years. This is the only test offered by Ancestry.com. Unfortunately, they do not identify which DNA test they do along with its strengths and limitations, up front. It's in their articles. "Ancestry® offers the autosomal DNA test, which produces the most comprehensive snapshot of one's ethnicity and living relatives."

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
mtDNA are the female sex chromosomes. They are used for researching maternal genealogy lines. When our mtDNA matches that of another submitter the likelihood we are related increases significantly with each generation going back in time.

X-Chromosomal DNA (X-DNA)
Normally used in conjunction with atDNA to support relationship theories.

Y-Chromosomal DNA (Y-DNA)
YDNA are the male sex chromosomes. They are used for researching paternal genealogy lines. When our YDNA matches that of another submitter the likelihood we are related increases significantly with each generation going back in time. Given the U.S. surname protocols that carry the male surname from one generation to the next, this is the test being used for the Mauck, Mauk, Mock ancestral DNA project.

All DNA used for genealogy is simply an investigative lead for further research. None of these tests can identify parentage or the specific ancestor we connect too. Even if they could, our ancestors didn't leave us samples of their DNA for comparison.

• All DNA samples are compared to the DNA samples submitted by other descendants from all the different people of all surnames whose lines have survived over time
• Descendant DNA eliminates the descendants we do not share ancestors with
• Descendant YDNA and mtDNA identifies other descendants we do share ancestors with, along with mathematical estimates as to the number of generations back in time
• Unfortunately, DNA does not identify surnames or given names. Those are provided when we compare our research to the research of the other descendants we share DNA matches with

Genealogy research relies on documentation and knowing where to look for it. Genealogy DNA, when combined with the genealogy research of others, can tell us where to look, sometimes breaching research walls. Just as important, it can tell us where, and on who, we would be wasting our time.

Part II:   YDNA, FamilyTreeDNA

The YDNA Test & How it is Used in Genealogy

The subject of DNA can be as complicated as you would like to make it. While the advanced levels appeal to some folks most of us prefer the basics.

This test examines a number of YDNA markers with the cost increasing with the number of markers tested. The greater the number of markers tested the tighter the connections become to others with matching markers. Over the years FamilyTreeDNA has offered a pricing structure for 12, 25, 37, 67, 111, 500, and 700 YDNA markers. With the option of upgrading to the higher numbers at any point later in time for the price difference (using the previously submitted sample). Currently, they offer 37, 67, 111, and 500. Throughout the year these are occasionally offered "on sale".

Personally, I consider the 37 marker test a minimum. The 67 marker test is a better choice if you can afford it. 111 markers helps narrow the generations down. The 500 marker test is not necessary for our purposes and not recommended for other than YDNA experts. Pricing and additional information can be found on the FamilyTreeDNA website by clicking here.

FamilyTreeDNA generates a list of DNA matches for you that, at a minimum, includes contact information for those have submitted samples that match yours. Additional information is optional and controlled by the person who submitted the sample. You control who can see your DNA. Like any other web based service, it requires a bit of exploring and learning but it's structured for simplicity with advanced being optional.

What YDNA can do for you:

• Indicates which paternal lines, if any, are related
• Rules out Mauck/Mauk/Mock paternal lines that are not related (a few people found they are not a Mauck/Mauk/Mock - think adoptions)
• Can verify if your genealogy research on your Mauck/Mauk/Mock line is correct (remember, us humans are human)
• Can significantly reduce your research time spent on unrelated families so it can be used on definite family

What a YDNA Test Will Not and Cannot Do

• It cannot be used to establish parentage
• It is not admissible in a court of law for any legal proceedings
• It is in no way similar to the samples collected from criminals by order of a court
• It is incapable and inadequate for use in genetic cloning (except in Hollywood)
• It will not tell you exactly who your ancestors were (but can put you on the right path)

FamilyTreeDNA YDNA Matches

Again, this can be as complicated as you would like to make it. YDNA has a lot to explore. What follows stays focused on linking the Mauck, Mauk, and Mock families of Northern Virginia in the area of the Shenandoah Valley.

Within FamilyTreeDNA.com, from the top menu select myDNA, then YDNA. This will open the window to access your matches. In the Paternal Ancestry YDNA box, select Matches. You will progress to yet another window where you will be presented with your matches. If it doesn't default to the number of YDNA markers you'd like to see matches for you can change it.

Using 67 markers as an example, here's what you will see... (this example has been cropped to eliminate a couple items beyond basic). All non basic items can be researched using Help at the bottom of the FamilyTreeDNA window or use Google search.

(Given names have been changed to letters to protect the poor unfortunates in my gene pool)
Click on the name of the person who submitted your match, it may provide additional info. E-Mail opens your e-mail program to send the person a message. The CSV download, downloads your matches as an Excel file. Earliest Known Ancestor and Family Tree are options left to each submitter to decide if they want to share them, not required. However, if you chose not to share this info, should you join your ancestors your YDNA along with your research will go with you. What everyone remaining well into the future will be left with is a dead e-mail link and wondering who they connected too. Part of the concept with genealogy DNA is leaving breadcrumbs for generations of your descendants to follow. Genetic Distance indicates how closely the samples from two separate people match one another. The lower the genetic distance number the greater the likelihood of a closer relationship. Expanding on this ....
Select the TiP icon and a new window appears...
TiP= Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor
Not all YDNA markers have the same value. They are not a simple math equation. FamilyTreeDNA calculates the value of each matching YDNA marker along with the genetic distance to provide you with an idea of where you connect with your match. The TIP report above was generated by selecting the TIP icon of A Mauck, who has a genetic distance of 2 from me at 67 markers. A generation is generally defined as 20-30 years. Add in my age at the time of my submission and 6 generations would be roughly 170 - 230 years. So, we have a 70.5% probability of having a common ancestor between 1790-1850 A.D. You can download and view a FamilyTreeDNA explanation of the genetic distances at each of the YDNA test levels below. They might come in handy if you are interested in the Shenandoah Mauck info that follows.
	YDNA Genetic Distances at 111 Markers YDNA Genetic Distances at 67 Markers YDNA Genetic Distances at 37 Markers
Bringing this to Why this Page Exists.... After all this effort a 7 in 10 chance 1790-1850 may not seem like much. But we're not searching every Mauck/Mauk/Mock on the planet. Our genealogy research led us to Virginia, maybe even the vicinity of one particular Virginia valley, the Shenandoah. This narrowed our list of suspects down to the families shown on the summary page of this website and listed below. If we had YDNA samples from descendants of each of these family lines, genetic distance takes on new meaning. As does the family lines that are not a match. Sharing family trees with our matches is what breaks thru the walls if the research has been accurate.

Financial Assistance may be Available

If a "YDNA Needed" message is at the top of a family page on this website it is a family I am interested in having a YDNA sample submitted by a male descendant for the purpose of the research I have done on these Mauck, Mauk, Mock families in Northern Virginia. My line is included in this bunch, but my research has been much broader.

I am not a financially wealthy person. I live on a retirement pension, month to month. On the other hand, I am a dedicated researcher committed to furthering the research of our ancestors. If I can verify through documentation the person willing to submit the sample is descended from one of these Northern Virginia Mock, Mauck, Mauk families we do not have a YDNA sample for yet, financial assistance may be available. Those interested may contact me by clicking here.

Part III Shenandoah Mauck/Mauk/Mock Families YDNA Chart

In keeping with the goal of practical use of YDNA for identifying ancestral lines and the Mauck/Mauk/Mock families of the Shenandoah, what follows is oversimplified for the sake of simplicity but conveys the concept as well as the results. This website hosts a hybrid YDNA chart for the Mock Family Historian. Hybrid in that the charts on FamilyTreeDNA are limited in a number of ways. The hybrid chart is a working chart for all the Mauck, Mock, Mauk, etc families who have had descendants who have submitted YDNA samples to FamilyTreeDNA. The chart that follows below was constructed to limit the data to the families of the Shenandoah Valley area, in a format different but complementary to the hybrid chart to assist with understanding a subject that does not have to be difficult. The groups shown below are separated by one or two generations age wise. Group A are the early Mauck/Mauk/Mock settlers in the Shenandoah area of Northern Virginia. Obviously, these folks came from somewhere YDNA may yet lead us. Good chance some will be family in PA. The ages of Group C would be equivalent to grandchildren or great grandchildren. The YDNA column indicates the number of markers compared to each match along with their genetic distance.

Footnotes

Mock Family Historian
The website of the Mock Family Historian is still available. Not everything works as it should but there is a lot of data and info. One caution, when you see the "Working Charts" those were works in progress that did not include documentation to support the connections. Please do not use the info as your family tree. It is an investigative lead for your research, nothing more.
The Mock Family Historian Website courtesy of Gene Andert

Internet Archives historical captures of the MFH website over time

The Mock Family Historian on Facebook

Me
Growing up my immediate family called me JP. This is the name I used with the MFH. They're family. I'm also known as Jim. My genealogy work started about 1991 and ran strong until about 2003. Since then I've been involved in other projects and on the peripheral of genealogy research. My background since 1975 has been and continues to be investigative in nature. I continue to do it because I enjoy doing it. I'm not now nor have I ever been a professional genealogist. I'm not available for hire. While I do try to help others the amount of time involved became consistently overwhelming.

Personally, why research it if I'm just gonna let it die with me? So far death hasn't been in the headlights but given the nature of the roadway the best time to share is always yesterday.

With a very special heartfelt thanks to four very special people:

• Ron Moore (1929-2006) - He was the catalyst that held the Mock Family Historian together for most of its years.
• Ron Ingram (1947-2001) - My genealogy mentor, research partner, and a close friend.
• Barb Dittig - Where Ron Moore was the MFH catalyst, Barb was the one who organized it all, shared it, and made things happen. Editor, but far more.
• Doug "Jake" Mauck - Doug has been the brains behind the Mock YDNA project since the beginning. He's had to put up with the rest of us who have not been able to grasp the intricacies and depth of YDNA. He's been our pioneer. After years of research on his Mauck line his YDNA was one of our earliest Mauck/Mauk/Mock submissions. It told him he is not a Mauck. Having made so many friends, he stayed on afterwards.

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26 Mar 2022

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