New Genealogy Series – Follow Your Past

March 23, 2016 4 Comments

I have just started watching a new TV series on the Travel Channel called ” Follow Your Past”. It is a great example of “putting meat onto the bones” of your ancestors.

In each episode, the host meets the guests and then identifies at least two ancestors from their family history.  The next step goes beyond telling the story, but they have to live it. Guests have been asked to sleep overnight in a cave to experience where their ancestor lived after they first arrived. Another quest had to skydive to experience some of the fears their grandfather had when he was a paratrooper during the D-Day invasion. What better way to know your ancestor then to try to experience what they did.

It may be hard for some of us to physically actually have the same experiences. Try to read detailed accounts that cover critical events similar experiences and then ask yourself questions that they may have had and describe what they may have seen. This will help make their lives come alive.

Watch a few episodes and then try to envision what your ancestors felt at critical events in their history.

Filed under Culture and customs, Genealogy Research, Writing Family History

Comparing My Autosmal DNA Test Results

March 14, 2016 Leave a comment

Autosomal DNA tests differ from the Y-DNA and mtDNA because it analyzes all of our DNA and it can be taken by both males and females. The results will not be as specific as the Y-DNA and mtDNA but the results try to project the geographic origins of our ancestors and provide matches with possible cousins.

The projections for our origins are based on studies of DNA samples over large populations from all over the world. The research tries to find markers on specific DNA segments that are unique to people in specific parts of the world and ethnic populations. The ads marketing this test promise to scientifically identify our origins. I am very dissatisfied with the apparent inaccuracies in my results. This seems to be a developing science because the results for the origins of my ancestors differed significantly between the three companies – Ancestry, 23andme, and FamilytreeDNA.

Below is a chart showing my Autosomal DNA results from the three different companies.

  Ancestry 23andme FamilyTreeDNA Estimate from Family Tree Research
     European 99.9%        99.8 %     99.0% 100%
·     British & Irish 40.0%        12.7%       24.0% 0.0%
·     French & German 14.0%       10.4%         6.0% 12 to 20%
·    Northern European 9.0%        36.2%        31.0% 50.0%
·     Eastern European 35.0%        30.6%        38.0% 30 to 38%
·     Broadly European            9.9%   0.0%
      Other 2.0%           .2%         1.0% 0.0%
 

The composition shown above is difficult to interpret for my ancestry. The European lines (Northern, Eastern, and Broadly) seem to represent my Polish and Hungarian ancestors which should be about 75 percent.  FamilyTreeDNA at 69% and 23andMe at 77% seems to be more accurate than Ancestry at 58 percent. The French and German portion can be explained by my grandfather Erwin’s German father and this section should be from 10 to 15 percent and the results from Ancestry at 14% and 23andMe 10% fall within that range although FamilyTreeDNA at 6% is slightly out of this range.

However, the British and Irish portion of the chart is very difficult for me to understand. I have found no documents that identify any British or Irish ancestors. One explanation for the British and Irish section in my results may be due to mutations that were inherited from the Germanic peoples who migrated to Great Britain early in history and may be found in my ancestors due to marriages and migrations of Germanic people into Poland and Hungary. Although this explanation may sound probable, I’m disappointed with all three companies and their inability to properly classify these DNA markers. Also, the Ancestry.com results seem to be very questionable for my DNA, because at 40% for the British Isles, they are a significant portion of my DNA and point to an origin that should not be part of my DNA.

I downloaded and compared the raw data from each of the samples that I submitted to the three companies and they matched 100%. This means that the origins shown above were based on how each company interpreted the data and not differences in the samples. Each interpretation was based on historical data that the companies have collected from various studies and research. However, the variations in my results show me that the companies need to refine their reference databases to provide better accuracy of the results that companies sell to us.

 

Filed under DNA, Genealogy Research

Insure the accuracy of your information

March 3, 2016 Leave a comment

Compiling your family history is very important to you. It should also be important that the information should be accurate for your children and grandchildren to read. Following a process to ensure accuracy should not be ominous and  it should not detract from the fun of finding your family history.

Analyze and evaluate your documents for accuracy and relevance. Determine if your sources are original or derivative documents. Do they contain primary or secondary information?  Always try to obtain a copy of the original document. Document your sources to ensure you can properly analyze your information.

The credibility of each piece of information needs to be determined because some records may contain confusing and misleading information. Resolve any conflicts in the information. The conclusions you use in your family history should represent the best possible scenario based on the evidence you have after a thorough and exhaustive search. If your conclusion does not give a definitive answer, you should state in some way that more research is needed. Someone reviewing your work in the future should be able to benefit from your work if you clearly state the information that you find and accurately state your sources.

Filed under Genealogy Research, Writing Family History