I apologize in advance for the not so quick quick reply.
So, I've received my results. It appears my Haplogroup is I1, and shorthand YCC is
I-M253. With this info I fumbled my way into the SNP Map. (It's like learning a foreign language!) This map didn't really tell me too much I didn't already know - mostly UK and German lineage. Where I get really turned around is on the Ancestral Origins page. There are several countries (19) which are an "exact match" at the 12 marker level. (And no matches at 25, 37, or 67 markers.) What are they a match to? I have to say I feel like a complete fool - I can't figure out what most of this really means. "Page Help" says these are "paternal countries of origin" - each with various amounts of "match totals." Is this saying that my paternal line can be traced to 19 different countries? And again, match totals? Page Help says this is the "total number of matches for a specific country." Maybe I'm just being thick here, but I don't find that explanation very helpful. I'll give the example of Germany, which has the highest Match Totals (26). Are there 26 Germans in the database that are DNA matches to me? Is it that straightforward? Eventhough I don't really know what this means, this somehow makes sense, since I know my Great-Great Grandfather was German (although I don't know from where specifically.) If any X members have any advice or insight on this process, I welcome your information and/or assistance. Perhaps I'm looking for more than is there? I was hoping I might find an answer to a genealogical stumbling block I've faced for awhile now - where in Germany was Great Great grand pappy from? And hopefully from this I could learn who were his parents and siblings. Perhaps I had wrong/unrealistic expectations of the Y-DNA 67 test. I know there are multiple, specialized tests. I thought I had chosen the best one to help me find some answers. Any suggestions on the test that would suit my search needs? Or is it a matter of allowing more data to be compiled, before more answers reveal themselves? In "Y-DNA Matches" there are 138 exact matches at the 12 marker level. And again, no matches at 25, 37, or 67 markers. Are these people distant relations? I'm sorry if I'm overcomplicating this - not sure how or why I have such a block with this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.