DNA - How and Why it is Important with Heraldry

All men (and only men) have a Y-DNA chromosome. This particular chromosome is handed down from father to son intact - exactly the same, generation after generation, over thousands of generations. We hope to identify the Y-DNA profile of each of the Jam?son men who have been granted Arms, by finding and testing their established direct male descendants, so that a Y-DNA profile can be associated with each person who has an armorial standing. By doing this, any living Jam?son male can then test his own Y-DNA and determine if he is or is not connected in any way, to one of these Armorial Jam?sons.

The rules of heraldry are strict and they vary from place to place in how it can be used and possibly reused from generation to generation, or not. It is therefore important to determine your connection to someone who has been awarded arms and respect the legality and traditions of the rights of usage. It is wrong and perhaps embarrassing to use or even incorrectly reference the use of arms for which one has no rights or connections to a particular person or family. Y-DNA testing is the perfect way to determine if you are related to any of the Jam?sons included on this website.

So, if the Y-DNA profile of any of the Jam?son men listed on this website can be determined, say by testing a known descendant, direct or collateral, you or anyone else can then compare your own Y-DNA test results to see of you match. If you do match, you are related, even if you are unable to determine exactly how and something that will need be done through more traditional methods.

We hope to persuade all Jam?son males to get involved with Y-DNA testing. This will establish your personal Y-DNA profile and show you if you are related to any of those Jam?sons listed on this website who themselves have had their Y-DNA profiled. It will also help both you and the rest of us, better understand the many Jam?son family groupings. This type of genetic testing is the perfect way to bring our different Jam?son families together.

Getting a Y-DNA test done is a simple matter. Basically, you go on line, fill out an order form, pay some money, wait for a 'kit' to arrive by mail, execute a simple cheek swab, return the kit by mail, and wait for your results.

Results usually take from six to eight weeks and come back in the form of a confusing series of numbers, filled in to an appropriate data area of your online account.

Most people are expecting some sort of life changing event when these results are finally in. The truth is almost nothing happens. Basically, all you get for all that money and time, is a series of numbers that collectively is your Y-DNA fingerprint. The individual series of numbers are essentially the equivalent of individual squiggles within a fingerprint, and the overall series of numbers are the equivalent of the entire fingerprint. The larger and more expensive the test, the better detailed the fingerprint. We feel a 37 marker test is the best value for most people.

However, unlike fingerprints, your particular Y-DNA version is not uniquely different than everybody else's. In fact the more it is identical to someone else's, the better it is for you. When in comes to Y-DNA testing, if you match someone else you are related, if you don't, you're not. Y-DNA testing when used with genealogy is mostly about comparative analysis. Your test results, compared against someone else's test, or perhaps to some well established norms, is where Y-DNA results becomes most useful.

"All the hullabaloo, and this is all you get?" Well, not exactly. Yes, you get your Y-DNA profile, and if you match other people already in the database, you may end up as part of a much larger family you may not have even known about. If you don't match anyone yet, you eventually will, when more people test. You will also discover your Haplogroup, from which you will then know a lot more about your basic patriarchal ancestral history. If you sign up as part of a 'project,' which we strongly recommend you do, you become part of a group which studies and promotes a like minded collection of other people with your Y-DNA interests, be it a surname or perhaps other special interests. And you get free, life time notifications of new "matches" and other Y-DNA news.

We recommend you use FTDNA's laboratory for Y-DNA testing. They seem to be well organized and have a large and active database of already tested people from all around the world. They also have a large group of surname and other specialty projects. Including the Jamison Family DNA Project. If you join starting from the Jamison Project itself, you automatically become part of the project with no further effort and can sometimes take advantage of special offers of discount prices, offered several times each year. The Jamieson Project is more then just a place for Jam?son results .It includes other user feedback, an interactive discussion forum about everything to do with Jam?son DNA and much more. Definitely a useful support group on an involved and sometimes confusing subject.

to join the Jamieson Family YDNA Project and order your Y-DNA test - we recommend the Y-DNA37 test.

Or you can contact us for more information and help.

Please get involved and join our effort to better understand how our family, or any Jam?son family, fits genetically. The more people tested the better we will all know about our individual families.