mt DNA results

[gilmore]

Ok, question then. Never met my father. I am Corey MacLeod, taking my mother's maiden name. My grandparents were both MacLeods when they met. Haven't found a common ancestor for the two yet. Anyway, what does that mean for me?

Y DNA traces one's patrilineal ancestry, one's father's father's father, etc.

mt DNA traces matrilineal ancestry, one's mother's mother's mother's mother, etc.

Either can be useful, depending on what you want to know. They are mostly a supplement to doing genealogical research tracing the paper trail backward in time.