Genealogy

 Chapter 8: Incorporating DNA Evidence in a Written Conclusion 1. The following test takers are identified as a match using the "One to One" tool at Gedmatch. Write a citation for this match. Gedmatch. "One-to-One Autosomal DNA Comparison," database report, v.2, Gedmatch  (https://www.gedmatch.com/ : accessed 4 May 2021), Kyle Lyons, kit A001234; Ron Gough, kit M002345; 22.5 cM total, longest block 22.3 cM on chromosome 1 (start-stop points: 222127692-236160966); 20.2 cM on chromosome 12 (start-stop points: 126612824-132276195). 2. Using the tables in question 7 of the "Incorporating DNA Testing in a Family Study" chapter, write a citation for the segments shared by Ira Smith (43) and Robert Smith (33). "Family Finder," database report, Family Tree DNA (https://familytreedna.com/ : accessed 4 May 2021), for Ira Smith and Robert Smith, predicted 2nd to 4th cousins; matches on chromosome 6 (start-stop points: 134769313-151510948), 19.33 cM, and chr...

 Chapter 4: Genealogical Applications for mtDNA Exercises. All the questions refer to diagrams in Appendix A: page 136 1. Which descendants shown inherited the mtDNA of Mary Ann (Smith) Jones (2) : 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 21, 22, 33.  Mary Smith passed her mtDNA to all her children; 3, 4, 5 . Her son 3 Albert, did not pass his mtDNA to his children. His children got their mtDNA from their mother, 6. One daughter, Mary 4 , had only a son, 11 . That son had mtDNA from 2, but did not pass it to his children. They instead got mtDNA from his wife, their mother, 15.  Her daughter Emma, 5 , passed her mtDNA to her daughter Emma, 12 . Emma 12's daughter Mandy 21 gave the mtDNA from 2 to her daughter, Mandella, 33 . Emma Crocker 12 also passed mtDNA from 2 to her son Max 22 . Max had a daughter who had the mtDNA from her mother, 28.  2. Ira Gerball 20 died in Vietnam. ... Which people on the chart share the same mtDNA as Ira for purposes of identifying his remains?  Three peop...

  Genetic Genealogy in Practice by Blaine T. Bettinger, Debbie Parker Wayne. National Genealogical Socety; 2016 Chapter 1: Basic Genetics Questions to which you will want to know the answers What are the types of nuclear DNA? Autosomal Sex: X, Y What is the other DNA which can be tested for genealogical purpose?   Mitochondrial Which test can be taken only by one sex?   Y If the mother of a family has died, which of her children can be tested for mitochondrial DNA?   Any or all of them From which parent do you get your Y dna ?  Father  Your X?   Men: mother. Women: both What are the DNA variations tested for genealogical purposes?   SNPs and STRs(Y). Both are often called "markers." What is a SNP?  S ingle nucleotide p olymorphism What is an STR?   S hort t andem r epeat How much of our DNA is identical to all other humans?   99.9% What is a DNA match?   Enough matching DNA with a person above the threshold, usually 5-10 or 20...

Given the way that autosomal DNA tests for genealogy work, there are two things that are important for success in using that DNA data to find matches: finding your ancestors back to ten generations, and finding all possible descendants from them. I came to this conclusion after reading the excellent blog post, How Much of Your Family Tree Do You Know? And Why Does That Matter?   where the author says, whenever we make a conclusion about a particular ancestor or ancestral couple based on segments of DNA shared with a relative, we absolutely must address whether we do, or could, share other ancestors with that relative. The author made a nice little chart summarizing how much he knew, so I did the same thing. Mine is not as pretty, but here it is anyway: Key:   Generation: from me; Relationship: to me; Date of Birth: roughly averaged; Matches: description; # Poss. Anc.: total number of possible ancestors in each generation; # Identified: number of ancestors identified...

* Outreach - finding cousins and other relatives * Research - answering questions and solving mysteries * Paying respect - finding and telling the stories of those who can no longer speak All of these aspects of family history research have energized my interest in the past, and I'm liking the new tools available to support that. A few years ago I was fascinated by the new use of DNA in genealogy research, and have used 23andme, Ftdna, and Gedmatch. I started using MyHeritage because 23andme chose to use that site to display family trees. When MyHeritage offered a special deal ($99) for one year of access to their research resources, I bit. One feature I particularly enjoy is that when you find a person in, say, the census, the MH software queues up the rest of the family as well. You can quite easily not just link the family together, but also attach the source attribution to each of them. Another nice feature is their software matching each person in your tree to resou...

I've loved the search for genealogy and my family's history since my children were young. I wanted to understand my roots, and why some of the difficulties my family endured happened, and how those events changed all those who were touched by them. I found young orphans, babies born before marriage, rape, and tragic death by fire among the more normal events. I've also found some family lines that are rather well-researched, which took away the challenge. For some years other projects took my time. Then, the yDNA tests became affordable, and I bought an Family Tree DNA kit for my dad for Father's Day. Because those "beginner kits" don't tell you much, and have far too many meaningless matches, I kept paying for upgrades, all the way up to 67 markers. This took his high-quality matches down to under 10, but as we followed up on these matches, we realized that this line of Cowans came from Stirling, in Scotland. The recorded part of the family went to t...

Our DNA does not fade like an ancient parchment; it is not rust in the ground like the sword of a warrior long dead. It is not eroded by wind or rain, nor reduced to ruin by fire and earthquake. It is the traveler from an antique land who lives within us all. - Dr. Bryan Sykes, in The Seven Daughters of Eve Famous DNA lists DNA Haplotypes (DNA signatures) for famous, or infamous, people: http://www.isogg.org/famousdna.htm International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) , new non-profit promoting greater understanding of the uses of DNA within genealogy, and support network for genetic genealogists. No dues, no treasury, donated web server space and donations. Side-by-side comparison charts of Y-chromosome and mtDNA testing services: http://www.isogg.org">http://www.isogg.org . Journal of Genetic Genealogy : http://www.jogg.info/ Genetealogy - Using DNA testing to learn about your genealogy and family history : http://www.genetealogy.com/ Andy's Guide to DNA in Family ...