Who Do You Think You Are? Live in London

Although attendance at the Fifth Annual Who Do You Think You Are? Live conference in London at the end of February was not the record-breaking venue of 2010, there was a steady stream of attendees.

Family Tree DNA had a larger lecture hall and filled it with three days of presentations. Each day at the opening presentation, Max Blankfeld asked the group who had tested. The vast majority had not which shows the interest as well as the work to still be done on getting more people from the UK to test.

It has been said by some friends I know in England that one reason the English are not as enthusiastic about DNA testing is because they know from where they came. Although it tends to be true that most English have not ventured as far and wide as their counterparts in American, I have found that in the last three years that I have attended that the interest in DNA testing focuses greatly on learning if perceived cousins are truly cousins, if uncles and nephews are related by blood and all sorts of relationship issues. There are also cases of a person with a unique surname wishing to know if he or she is related to a person in another country with the same unique name. Those issues surfaced in people I tested both last year and this year.

Whatever the case may be, the majority of helpers at the booth this year felt that the level of knowledge among those electing to test had risen since last year. I had two people who had flyers from last year as they were hesitant then to test, but needed no convincing this year. I also noticed that I swabbed more people requesting the Family Finder test than any of the others.

There were many, many presentations (149 in three days!) on various aspects of genealogy geared to the novice as well as for the well-seasoned researcher. Many addressed a range of topics on DNA. Besides Bennett Greenspan and Max Blankfeld of Family Tree DNA providing information on the basics of DNA testing for genealogy, the National Geographic’s DNA project, how we have migrated around the world, and the new frontiers of DNA with the Family Finder test, the following presentations were given.

Geoff Swinfield, Professional Genealogist and Family History Researcher, provided insight into finding our ancestors with his presentation I’m stuck! How can I find my lost ancestors?

Chris Pomery, published author, addressed the use of DNA for genealogy in his presentation Combining traditional and genetic genealogy: lessons from leading surname projects.

Brian Swann, the European Coordinator for England and Wales for the International Society of Genetic Genealogists (ISOGG), covered DNA recruiting and testing on both sides of the Pond and 21st century tools for the genealogist.

Katherine Borges, director of the International Society of Genetic Genealogists, covered DNA Success Stories.


Dr. Turi King, from the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester, spoke on Surnames, DNA and Family History, addressing, among other things, the Viking influence upon the genetic make-up of the British Isles.
..............................................................................................Dr. Turi King


Most of the handouts can be downloaded from the Society of Genealogist (SoG)’s site.


The booths numbered 138 and included some major UK groups such as the Society of Genealogists (SoG), FindMyPast, Ancestry.com, the Public Record Office (PRO) of Northern Ireland, the Irish Family History Foundation, Association of Family History Societies of Wales, Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB) and other ethnic groups, various county societies, used books, photograph services. Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective (left), teamed with James Morley of What’s That Picture to provided photo dating and identification services. Their wonderful timeline display of photographs form the 1840s to the early twentieth century was a delight.


(Courtesy of Maureen Taylor)

This year, a smaller group from the US attended, but we all enjoyed spending some time with our British friends and seeing more of the sights of London. As usually, our group arrived at various times on Wednesday and after checking into our B&B which is in walking distances of Olympia (Kensington) where the convention is held, we hit the road running. As usual some of the group went one direction while others another. Often we would meet up for a common adventure.

Since I did not wish to repeat some of the same tourist attractions that I had seen in past years, Thursday a few of us visited the local Family History Society where I was able to glean data for my Ogan One-Name Study and my Talley DNA Project. The group split up and some went to the Science Museum to see the DNA display for a couple of our members’ DNA in their Who Am I? exhibit which will be displayed for the next ten years. Others visited the London Museum and learned more about the archeology of the area, the Great London Fire, and more.

On Friday, the conference opened at 10:00 and this year we did not stand in the long queue outside, but were able to go through the vendors’ door, thanks to passed from Family Tree DNA and ISOGG since all of us were helping at one booth or the other. As usual, some of us helped swab testers at the Family Tree DNA booth while others manned the ISOGG booth (International Society of Genetic Genealogy). Again this year, the ISOGG booth organized free testing for males with a specific surname. Family Tree DNA administrators who wished to test people for their projects were willingly pay for a 12 or 37 marker test for men who have the surname that fit their project. This year 115 surnames were made available which was many more than last year. Free tests were given to males with the surnames SPEARMAN, PHILLIPS, TOWNSEND, AND 2 (two) MCDONALDs thanks to the administrators of those projects. I was pleased to find the Townsend tester who was much surprised when I asked him his name and told him to wait a minute while I checked with ISOGG (just across the aisle) as I thought that name was among the list. I was beaming from ear to ear when I returned.

...............................................................................Mr. Thompson

Friday was a busy day, and I recall the same last year. Every year we spend Friday night dinner together at the Pizza Express, attached to the convention center.

Saturday and Sunday was more of the same. I find it very hard to get away to view the convention as meeting the potential testers is a great joy for me.

Saturday night many of our group attended the play We Will Rock You, music of Queen, organized by Brian Swann. Sunday night many of us had dinner across from the Olympia hall at a Persian restaurant.

Monday many of us took a taxi to Hampton Court Palace, the home of many kings including Henry VIII. Monday night I and Katherine Borges and Linda Magellan had dinner at the home of a distant cousin on my Talley line. They live in a condo that used to be Bryant and May Match Factory, the oldest and largest match factory in London, a beautiful complex of brick buildings. We had a lovely time sharing dinner and our lives with each other.

Tuesday found us at the Society of Genealogists with our personal guide for the second year in a row, Geoff Swinfield, where we explored three floors of genealogy records. At least this year we found the place easily and didn’t get lost!

About 3:00 p.m. we took the tube to meet Chris Pomery at St. John’s Woods as I wanted to recreate the Beatles' Abbey Road album cover, complete with similar clothing. Chris was to be our photographer. Katherine Borges was John, Cynthia Wells was Ringo, Linda Magellan was George, and Emily was Paul. It was getting late and was cold (at least my bare feet told me that!), so after the second shot, we called it good. It was amazing to see how many people were constantly crossing the street for a photo and the poses they did. We were the only ones like the album cover. Naturally, we all took a shot in front of the Abbey Roads Studio and wrote our names on the wall. It’s traditional and white-washed from time to time so we took a photo of our graffiti!

Linda, Emily, Cynthia, and Katherine
(Thank you ladies...and Chris!)

There were more events and adventures, but you now understand how much some of us try to cram into our week. Each year, many of us go our own ways in small groups and my goal is to always do a couple of things (or more) different from the previous year. There is so much to see and do in London!

Hopefully, by now you are looking forward to next year’s production of Who Do You Think You Are? Live and are vowing to join the group for a week of wonderful genealogical opportunities, great fun, and camaraderie. We have made many friends among the genealogists in the UK and look forward to visiting with them every year. After all, NETWORKING is the buzz word of the twenty-first century!

I look forward to seeing you there!

Remember to see the American version of Who Do You Think You Are? Friday nights on NBC

Emily
copyright 11 Mar 2011

Y Chromosome Phylogenetic Tree Update

The following was sent today by Family Tree DNA to all their administrators. If you notice that your Y-DNA haplogroup (twig on the world family tree) has been altered on your personal webpages, this is the reason. Note that haplogroups will be changed over time as more and more people test and the branches and twigs of the phylogenetic tree (world's family tree) is updated.


Dear Group Administrator,


We are excited to announce that we have updated our Y Chromosome Phylogenetic Tree to reflect new haplogroup sub-branches!

Family Tree DNA, in partnership with the YCC, periodically reviews known SNPs in order to evaluate those that meet the requirements to be added to the haplotree. The SNPs that passed this review are now included in the haplotree and considered for deep clade testing.

Along with this update to the tree, we have implemented some changes in the ordering process for deep clade and SNP testing:

We now offer a universal deep clade test for $89. This will identify a customer’s terminal SNP for any haplogroup.
If a customer has pending results for a deep clade test, they will automatically be tested according to the new tree.
If a customer has never ordered a deep clade test, they will have the option either to order the universal deep clade for $89 or order individual SNPs from the tree.

We will no longer be offering a deep clade extension product. For customers interested in upgrading to the new tree, it may be more economical to order the universal deep clade for $89 if there are 4 or more new SNPs available to them (each SNP is $29 individually). If there are less than 4 new SNPs available for a customer, they will not be offered the universal deep clade test and should order the SNPs individually from the tree since this is the most cost-effective option. Newly available SNPs are shown on the haplotree in orange.

Family Tree DNA

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Family Tree DNA Sale - Walk Through the Y

Another SALE at Family Tree DNA.....

This message was sent to all the Haplogroup Administrators today....♠



Dear Haplogroup Project Administrator,

Family Tree DNA is excited to announce our Walk Through the Y sale! Based on recent improvements in our testing capabilities, and in order to spearhead further research in our field, we are pleased to offer our first discount on Walk Through the Y.

This test will be offered for a very limited time to approved applicants for $500 (normally $750). Please note, this special pricing will only be available to customers who elect to have their results made public.

Walk Through the Y is an advanced sequencing test focused on the discovery of new haplogroup-defining SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) on the Y chromosome. Walk Through the Y goes beyond the scope of deep clade testing, offering customers the opportunity to participate in testing at the forefront of Y chromosome DNA research. This research can expedite the discovery of SNPs that help subdivide haplogroups, information that is fundamental to the continued success of our Y-DNA haplogroup projects.

Due to the advanced nature of this test, Walk Through the Y is by application only. Interested members can fill out application form here.

To read more about Walk Through the Y, including information about who to test, please read through our frequently asked questions.

See: Family Tree DNA


© 2011 Genealogy by Genetics.

Family Tree DNA Announces New Illumina Omni Platform!

Family Tree DNA just announced:


Dear Customer,

Family Tree DNA is pleased to announce a new and exciting development!

Family Tree DNA is changing our Family Finder test to the Illumina Omni platform.

This new platform will allow us better opportunities for upgrades in the future. For this platform change to occur, we must retest your sample using our new Illumina OmniExpress system.

Because your kit 175114, has previously tested with Family Finder, you are eligible for a FREE early Family Finder conversion to the new system. Beginning with those who sign up first, the entire Family Finder database will be converted. Follow these steps to sign up now:


1. Go to www.familytreedna.com
2. Log in to your personal page with your kit number and password
3. Click on the alert box at the top of the page
4. Follow the "Click here" link to sign up


Those who sign up by Wednesday, February 16th, can expect results from the conversion within 2 to 3 weeks. We expect our entire Family Finder database to be converted in approximately 6 to 8 weeks. Your existing Family Finder results will continue to be available in your account until the everyone has been converted.



Do I need to submit more DNA? In most cases, we have enough DNA remaining from your initial Family Finder test. If we do not, we will send you a new collection kit.

How will this affect my Family Finder results? There will be little to no effect on the results of your Family Finder test. The testing platform change will allow us to offer more options for future testing.

What if I don't sign up? Your results will still be rerun using the new Illumina platform. However, you will be retested only after those who have signed up for the conversion.

What if my results have not come in yet? If your results are pending then your test is already being run using the new Illumina platform.

May I sign up for someone else? Yes, if you are the primary account manager for the kit. However, project administrators may not sign up on behalf of a project member without the member's permission.


For other questions or more details about the Family Finder test, please see our Family Finder FAQ





© 2011 Genealogy by Genetics. Privacy Unsubscribe

Brick Wall Success with 67 marker Y-DNA Test

Randy Majors recently shared his website and this story with me. It's a wonderful story that shows the qualities of good genealogical research, perseverance, and how together with DNA testing you can break those brick walls. I urge you to read the entire journey on his website as this is only a summary. Congratulations Randy and thank you for sharing with all of us!


He writes:

I recently wrote a narrative about how I broke through a long-time brick wall using a combination of traditional genealogical research methods and genetic genealogy. It's about my great great-grandfather John Charles Brown, or at least that's who we thought he was...

For 130 years – from 1880 to 2010 – John Charles Brown’s past was hidden in veils of secrecy. John’s children and grandchildren didn’t know who his parents or siblings were. It was the proverbial genealogical brick wall. Therefore, since this was one of my most difficult family lines I could research, I researched it.

The basic problem is that we didn't have any confirmed record of John's existence for the first 28 years of his life...from his birth in December 1858 to his marriage in April 1887. Birth certificates were not required in Illinois in 1858, so that simpler approach to determining his parents was not possible. But in that time-frame, John should have appeared in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 census at a minimum, as well as perhaps a state census or two...and that could have led to whom his parents were. And it did, eventually, but not how you might expect!

In summary, the steps I took over the last few years are these:

--- I researched all the traditional genealogical resources I could find (e.g. census records, vital records, church records, newspapers, and so on)

--- I talked with family members to find any information they had on John, and importantly, any stories or memories they recalled. I found it was critical to talk with the older living relatives who were alive at the time when John was still alive; he died in 1928, so there were still at least a couple of grandchildren living.

--- After hitting a brick wall on anybody knowing who John's parents or siblings were, I then dug deeper on trying to find additional sources including church records from where he was born, land and legal records from around the time of his marriage, newspaper clippings, and so on.

--- After uncovering plenty records since the 1887 marriage, but lots of nothing before that, I went back to the basics of what I knew or thought I knew. There were a few clues in the oral traditions from older family members so, on a hunch, I reduced the name searches in census records to first names and did some wildcard clues that used elements of the locations, occupations, birthplace of parents, etc., previously found. This led me to a specific family that I suspected could be John's family. (There is much more detail on this in my full narrative.)


The problem was that the family I found in 1860 and 1870 census records had a totally different surname. So continuing, I tried to disprove that this candidate-family with the different surname was in fact John and his family, but I couldn't disprove it. This compelled me that much more to try to turn my hypothesis into a certainty. I recalled that there was a direct male descendant of John Charles Brown whom I had made contact with earlier that year. He too knew nothing of John's parents or siblings and was equally baffled. After some time, he decided to have a 67-marker y-DNA test performed at Family Tree DNA. And the rest is history.

Check out the full narrative and what was ultimately discovered here:
http://randymajors.com/2010/12/man-who-wasnt-john-charles-brown.html


Hopefully, this story offers some ideas that others may try on their brick wall ancestors!

mtDNA Success Story at Family Tree DNA

Any DNA success story is a success for all of us! Each one shows us a way to use testing to help our brick walls. Each step in discovering how we can test to get beyond those blocked paper trails is one for our side: Score one for the genealogists!

Thank you Joy for your story...

mtDNA SUCCESS STORY

My genealogy interest began in my single-digit years. Grandpapa Eldred Lowe would come from the island of Abaco, Bahamas to the capital city Nassau on business. He stayed with us. After supper my parents sat with him to relax and converse. I’d hide behind the sofa, shy and out of sight, to listen. Even though I did not know the persons they spoke of, the fact that they were our family intrigued me.

In my teen years, I visited Abaco and met our family. I liked them, and wanted to learn more. Life opened a distant trail to me. After marriage to an Oregonian, there I transplanted. The move in 1964 motivated the start of a paper collection of my people in the Bahamas. Dad lived 90 years, sharp to the end. After mother died, I began to record the historical family stories that poured from him. The collection grew to an enjoyable hobby for a senior—genealogy and writing dad’s family stories for our grandchildren.

A genealogy program on the computer manages the data, while the internet links the Bahamas Genealogy Group researchers. Here I learned of the Bahamas DNA Project. Peter J. Roberts is the volunteer leader. I wrote to Peter, provided my maternal ancestry for four generations, then an unknown blank, a mother who had lived in Abaco, Bahamas about 1800.

For Christmas 2006, I gave myself the gift of doing the mtDNA test. I had no expectation, no idea what this might reveal.

What a surprise when the results came. I MATCHED Anita Laurie Albury, who still lives at Abaco, Bahamas. Anita, and I had NO knowledge that our maternal families connected. Peter pointed us to the uncommon name of both grandmothers: Anita’s Amana Roberts, and my Amana Russell, both born at Cherokee Sound, Abaco. Plus the fact that I wear the middle name Amana.

I never knew my maternal grandmother. She died four years before my birth. But I did know Anita’s grandmother, Ms. Mana. A widow, she worked in Nassau during the 1950s. We have the paper trail for both AMANA grandmothers, and back to their grandmothers, a Lenora Pinder for Anita’s line, and her sister Frances Pinder of my line.

A recent—2009—mtDNA test has a third match with us—another sister of Lenora and Frances—Sarah Jane, who moved to Key West, Florida after marriage. So far, we do not know their parents’ names. A clue may come from a note in my mother’s journal that speaks of “Grandma Charity”. We watch and wait for verification.

The small girl no longer hides—she sits comfortable and confident in an interview. Still intrigued, and curious, she listens and shares in order to learn.

©Joy A Lowe Jossi, 202 SW 14^th St, Gresham OR 97080 joyjos@juno.com 3 Apr 2009

Family Finder Success Story For Pitts DNA Project

For the next few posts, I will include various success stories that have been shared with me by the administrators of a DNA project. They varying in nature and will allow the reader to see how DNA testing can help with genealogy.

Posting success stories can lead others interested in the same surname to your project. If you have other stories you would like posted, please email me at: aulicino@hevanet.com

Family Finder is an autosomal test taken through Family Tree DNA. This test allows both males and females to find matches with each other back four generations, at least. Read my previous posts on this test for more detail.


Family Finder Success Story for Group 1 on the Pitts DNA Project


We had long suspected that Mary Lenora Pitts was a daughter of Pitman Pitts and Mary C. Andrews. This was, in part, due to the 1860 census showing Mary and another girl (we think granddaughters) living with Mary C. Andrews Pitts. We had tried for several years to figure out a way to test this hypothesis using mtDNA by testing the descendants of Mary Lenora Pitts to a living person was a direct female line. But the other two daughters of Mary C. did not produce a viable direct female line.

The autosomal Family Finder test, however, made testing this hypothesis easy since the lines could be mixtures of males and females. We matched on chromosome 3 and my sister matched on a slightly larger segment in the same area on chromosome 3. My 3rd cousin once removed (verified by both Family Finder and Y-DNA 67 markers exact) matched the descendant of Mary Lenora on Chromosome 5. My 1st cousin once removed, however, did not match. But failure to match with autosomal DNA does not preclude a relationship. We believe that three out of four possible matches is sufficient. We are fourth cousins.


David Pitts
Pitts DNA Project co-admin

If you are a male Pitts or have the Pitts surname in your lineage, contact the Pitts DNA Project.