Autosomal Reports usually take two to three weeks to analyze and compose. Direct Lineage Monographs usually require between four and eight weeks to research and write. If you are ordering a Report or Monograph in the downloadable (PDF) form, the product arrives to you the day it is finished. If you are ordering a professionally printed-and-bound version, this will take another one to three business days, as well as shipping time (usually one to two weeks).
FOA Monographs and Reports make great gifts. Many people order product for themselves which is based on their own genetic test results. Others order product for themselves which uses the genetic test results of a close relative. And, many other people order products for family or friends which requires their genetic results. In some cases it is possible to keep the gift a surprise, especially if the order is for a Clarity level or Savvy level Monograph. In those cases where a gift surprise is not possible, because genetic test results must be shared with FOA, a suggestion is to surprise the intended recipient with a surprise card which mentions their present. Then, they receive that present when it is ready.
FOA Monographs explain the story of a direct female or male lineage, tracing its history and anthropology back many generations, from modern times to the deep past. This is customized research about a lineage, a line of many ancestors. In contrast, an FOA Autosomal Report (RealYou) is more about a single person or a set of siblings. This is personalized research about the full geo-ethnic ancestry (mix of ethnicity and geography) of an individual, or a group of brothers and sisters.
Yes. Even if you have a large amount of known genealogy, FOA Monographs are still relevant, useful, and interesting. For one, there is always the potential to push a lineage back even further. Our information often helps accomplish this. For another, even if a lineage cannot be ‘pushed back’ more because records have ‘run dry,’ the deeper history of this direct male or direct female lineage can still be discovered and explained, thanks to genetics. Where did your lineage live and what were they doing before your furthest known ancestor? Or, before your surname was being used? And, did your line have another surname before this? Even if a family can trace most of its ancestors back a dozen generations, one or more direct lineage Monographs is definitely worthwhile.
Yes. Even if you only know your parents’ or grandparents’ names, and you have had mtDNA (direct female lineage), Y-DNA (direct male lineage), and/or Autosomal DNA (‘regular DNA’) testing, FOA can fill in many blanks. This is enough information for us to research and compose a Monograph and/or Report for you. At the end of the process you will know much more about one or more of your family lines. And, the data, especially match explanations, can help you or others do solid genealogy.
Note that if you or a gift recipient were adopted, your mtDNA, Y-DNA, and/or Autosomal DNA still tells a story about your direct female or direct male lineage. And, this information can often assist in finding biological parents.
No, FOA is an independent company, although we often recommend testing sites such as FTDNA (Family Tree DNA).
