DNA Testing Companies for Genealogy
There are several testing companies out there that do DNA testing for genealogy now. At this point, I am recommending Family Tree DNA as my company of choice. Their website infrastructure, notification system and large database puts them a step above the rest.
Because of the difficulties associated with comparing results, if you should decide to use a different test company than FTDNA, you should consider it a requirement that you'll need to enter your results in Family Tree DNA's public Y-DNA database Y-search at http://www.ysearch.org. There is no cost do this, and Y-search will allow you (and me) to detect matches with other Gilberts in the database without having to do manual marker-by-marker comparisons.
At this point, I don't recommend any tests lower than the 37 or 33 marker tests you see below. Lower marker tests have proven to be inconclusive on to many occasions. There are some exceptions to this rule, however, usually involving when you're trying prove a connection to a well-tested line. Sometimes a lower marker test will suffice for this purpose, but if you shouldn't match as expected, you could be left with too few markers to determine other matches reliably. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Below is information on the testing companies where Gilbert "projects" have been established for organizational and/or discount purposes.
Test Pricing
Y-DNA 37 Marker Test - $189* + $2 shipping (matches 32 of the other labs' 43 marker test)
Y-DNA 67 Marker Test - $269 + $2 shipping (matches 34 of the other labs' 43 marker test)
Join the Family Tree DNA Gilbert Project Here
Full 43 Marker Panel - $189* (matches 32 of Family Tree DNA's 37 markers)
Join the DNA Heritage Gilbert Project Here
33 Marker Test - $149 + shipping and tax
46 Marker Test - $199 + shipping and tax
* Project Discount Price