The first thing to notice here is the Haplogroups of our mtDNA participants. We're predominantly of the H Haplogroup which originated in Western Europe like our Y-DNA R1b Haplogroup.

Note in the chart below the number of Haplogroup H participants we have. About one half of Europeans are of mtDNA haplogroup H. The haplogroup is also common in North Africa and the Middle East. According to FamilyTreeDNA, approximately 32% of the their database is haplogroup H. Of those H results, approximately 21% of them has a 519C mutation, which is volatile and generally not useful in characterizing subclades. The majority of our H participants show this mutation. 

Haplogroup K is part of the larger haplogroup U. It is a mostly Eurasian haplotype, and is believed to have first appeared when human populations expanded through Europe after the last glacial maximum in 16,000 BC. About 32% of the haplotypes of modern people with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry are in haplogroup K.

Haplogroup T is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia or Anatolia approximately 10,000 years before present, and to have moved northwards. It is found with particularly high concentrations around the eastern Baltic Sea, and the Urals. Haplogroup T derives from the haplogroup JT, which also gave rise to Haplogroup J

Steve's maternal line shows the U Haplogroup, which has been in the UK for over 9,000 years.Cheddar Man, a male from 7150 BC whose remains were found in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England was shown to belong to haplogroup U.

Haplogroup V is believed to have originated approximately 12,000 years before present, possibly in Iberia. It is found with particularly high concentrations in the Saami population of northern Scandinavia, as well as the Basque people. Haplogroup V derives from the Haplogroup HV, which also gave rise to Haplogroup H.

We currently have no strong linkages between our mtDNA participants.