Two new Australian Projects

From Gail Riddell (via NZDNA project and Rootsweb Genealogy-DNA list):
"I write to advise (with much pleasure) that FTDNA have given their approval to me to pioneer two new Australian Projects.

They are both categorised as Dual Y DNA and mtDNA Geographical projects and the only person currently within either of them is me.  :~)

Consequently, I need to broadcast this far and wide as I am aware we have many Australian testers within our ranks.  (Even if you have ONLY tested atDNA (Family Finder) to date, it matters not.  Just join.

The "Australian Convicts" project is primarily aimed at those poor sods (male and female) who faced the tribulations of that unknown sea journey in the late 18th century.  It will also welcome those who were later transferred to Norfolk Island.

The "Australian Settlers" project is aimed at anyone whoever entered the land as a settler or traversed the rigours of the Convict status and became bone fide settlers.

If you are interested in joining, the Convicts project is at    http://www.familytreedna.com/public/AustralianConvicts/
The Settlers Project is at      http://www.familytreedna.com/public/AustralianSettlers/
Very little in the way of blurb has been prepared at this time, although it will come. 

If you join, you will need to supply me with either the Fleet and the ship on which your ancestor(s) arrived (for the former) and the port(s) of arrival of your most distant Australian immigrants (both direct male lineage and direct female lineage).  If you have only tested atDNA (FF), then that information is unnecessary. 

If you do NOT know on which ship your convict ancestor arrived, please do NOT join the Convict project and opt only for the Australian Settlers project.

Kind regards
Gail Riddell"

mtDNA 4 day sale

Family Tree DNA have announced the following:

Savings

mtDNAFullSequence Addon and New Kits - Was $199 US Now $139 US

mtHVR1toMEGA Upgrade - Was $149 US Now $99 US

mtHVR2toMEGA Upgrade - Was $159 US Now $89 US

Orders need to be placed and paid for before 11:59 PM Central Time April 1, 2014.

To order an upgrade to an existing kit, log into your account at FamilyTreeDNA.
If not already tested at FamilyTreeDNA, simply order a new kit.


If you have a specific problem able to be solved by testing two matrilineal descendants, now is the time to be in.
Alternately you may simply be interested in your deep maternal ancestry, thousands of years ago, or wish to contribute to the overall knowledge of womankind.
For general genealogical timeframes however, mtDNA isn't all that useful unless you have a full sequence match and a good maternal line papertrail.

Haplogroup R1 tree

Chromo 2 results received for a descendant of Archibald HENDERSON have allowed a few more branches to be added to the Haplogroup R1 tree (which is by no means complete, only showing those on the site who have agreed for the DNA results to be shown, and is using a mix of old and new terminology for the branches).

Many thanks to those on the FamilyTree DNA R-L21 project who analyse such things to help us place our ancestors on the overall trees.

So far we know that there is at least one other person on the same branch (terminal SNP concerned is S7361).
Even though this branch of the Y-tree is still (presumably) well back from genealogical timeframes it would be good to hear from others down the same branch of L1335 > L1065>S744>S691>S7361 to compare notes on our respective ancestry.

If all this terminology is bewildering, check out the ISOGG Wiki, and join an appropriate message board or mailing list, eg the RootsWeb Genealogy-DNA list