Clan Curley DNA Testing

YDNA Testing Information (Males Only)

YDNA Testing This type of DNA testing is specifically for males only and it traces the paternal line going back thousands of years. It is probably the most useful and applicable type of DNA testing for surname research. There are different levels of testing available, meaning it's possible to test specific markers on the Y-Chromosome, with more markers generally equating to a higher cost for the test.

12 Marker Test This is an entry level test, generally not very valuable for learning a great deal of information about genetic connections within a genealogical time frame. The problem that can be encountered is if the results from the 12 markers match a common group, you could end up having numerous meaningless "matches". With that said, one Curley lineage has very uncommon results within the first 12 markers so it is possible to determine whether there may or may not be a connection even if only 12 markers have been tested. At this low level of testing, it is quite common to find many matches listed and many different surnames. The reason for this is that some of the STR markers found within the 12 marker test are very slow-mutating

37 Marker Test This may be a good entry level option but as with the 12 marker test you may get some irrelevant matches and you may also have matches don't show up at 37 markers, but do show up at the deeper testing levels of 67 or 111 markers. Generally the 37 marker test is enough to see if a male matches the Athlone Curley lineage or not. However, to be able to approximate when a shared ancestor actually lived, it's better to test further out because that generally provides a more accurate estimation.

67 Marker Test Generally when you have 67 marker matches showing up, these are going to be males that do share a common ancestor within a genealogical time frame but you might find some of the matches have a different surname. Depending on the genetic distance between the matches, it's possible there could be an NPE in one of the families particularly if the genetic distance is close but the surnames are different.

111 Marker Test Currently (as of July 2015) this is the maximum number of STRs tested for a Familty Tree DNA STR test. Matches showing here should be related to some degree, all relative to the genetic distance for each match that is listed. As with the other levels of STR testing listed above, you may find matches having different surnames.

NGS Testing This is a more advanced and expensive type of YDNA testing that can extrapolate the STR testing results explained above as well as another type of mutation on the Y Chromosome called SNPs (snips). An example of this type of testing is the BIG Y-500 test offered by Family Tree DNA. An new SNP mutation on the Y Chromosome is averaged to occur about every 100 to 120 years, or 3 to 4 generations. Our Curley lineage has identified most of these mutations going back many thousands of years as a result of NGS testing.

Autosomal DNA Testing

Unlike the YDNA testing that is only available for males (females do not have YDNA), autosomal DNA testing is available for both males and females. Autosomal DNA testing analyzes the DNA passed down from both the paternal and maternal side of the family. Even though autosomal testing looks at the DNA received from both sides of the family, there are limitations to its usefulness in surname research.

The main limitation for autosomal DNA is that it does not go back nearly as far as YDNA testing. The YDNA passed down can be traced back many thousands of years whereas autosomal DNA generally traces back to approximately 5 to 8 generations. In many situations a combination of YDNA testing and autosomal testing are used for advanced surname research.

A benefit of autosomal testing is that it is very useful in determining the relationship level between relatives who are related within the past 180 years or less (only an approximation). Because our Curley ancestor emigrated to America in the early 1800s, it is unlikely there will be any direct Curley relations back in Ireland that will show up under autosomal testing results as matches, at least not as a result of Curley DNA. Most likely any autosomal matches living in Ireland having Curley listed as their surname or one of their ancestral surnames is the result of some other connection. Because of this and specific to our New Jersey branch, autosomal testing is more useful for connecting descendants of Hugh Curley or more recent and YDNA testing is better at finding connections that occurred prior to Hugh Curley emigrating to America. Autosomal testing is also the type of testing being used to provide ethnicity estimates, for example what percent of a person’s DNA appears to come from a specific region or population group. From personal experience, the results from different companies that offer this type of analysis do not agree with each other, so it seems there is still quite a bit of work that needs to be done by the testing companies to provide more meaningful results when it comes to ethnicity percentages.

Some examples of companies that provide autosomal DNA testing are Family Tree DNA (Family Finder test), Ancestry.com and My Heritage, however there are others. One should keep in mind that the only way you will have matches is if someone else with shared DNA has also taken the test, through the same company. With that said, there are companies that allow you to upload your results file from another company into their system and thus identify additional matches found in their database. The bottom line, it is best to do a little research before deciding on a company or perhaps more than one company. This information is only provided for educational purposes so as always, let the buyer beware. This website has no connection or affiliation with any DNA testing company, other than as a user of their services as a customer and a volunteer project administrator.

Central Irish Cluster/British Isles YCAII 22-23

(Includes One Curley Lineage and Males of Other Surnames)

Some time back we came up with the name "Central Irish Cluster" as a way to identify and group a handful of YDNA tested males that had uncommon YDNA marker results and share a common ancestor within the past 1500 years or less. In additon to the Curley surname, there are several other males of different surnames that are part of this group. The future goal is to learn more about the origin for this group and its shared male ancestor.

Thus far no definite conclusions can be drawn except it appears the genetic group is represented most heavily in Central Ireland. Nearly all of the surnames so far have a connection to Ireland, more specifically Central Ireland but some of the surnames for this group are found throughout Ireland. Recently we've also found some matches having English surnames. For now, the group is called the Central Irish Cluster/British Isles YCAII 22-23 Cluster. It would be helpful if more Irish Curleys would consider YDNA testing since we only have a small group that have tested so far. It's a certainty that we will also continue to pick up new matches to this group/lineage having other surnames which may help with figuring out our origins. What is apparent is this group or at least part of it has been using a variation of the Curley surname, albeit in both Anglicized and Gaelic forms, since at least the mid-1500's. What prompted the founder to use this surname is still unknown. For example, two possible scenarios could be a connection to the Scottish McKerrell surname, since one of the earliest forms of what appears to be a Curley is very close to the McKerrell name. Could there be a connection to Saint Kerrill, who was located very close to where the main Curley group is found today and he is reported to be of Soghain origin, which our Curley group may descend from? These are just hypothesis with no hard evidence either way, so for now we wait for more testing and people that have an interest in this type of genetic genealogy.

Ulitmately, these questions about Clan Curleys ancient origins can only be answered with additional YDNA testing and perhaps the discovery and testing of more ancient remains, such as those found at Longniddry, East Lothian Scotland dated to approximately 1400 BCE and a viking found on the island of Oland, Sweden. Both of these sets of remains tested positive for the L1066 YDNA SNP and thus share a common paternal ancestor with our Curley lineage. That's pretty exciting in itself but we still have a long way to go.

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