Be An Intelligent Consumer of Genealogical Information

Some of you may have seen Dick Eastman and/or read his genealogy newsletter. Dick is particularly knowledgeable about gadgets and technology that may be useful to genealogists. However, he covers all kinds of genealogical issues. In his newsletter today he includes an article that is a timely reminder to all of us that we need to critically examine each source of information where we find potentially useful sources of information. I encourage you to read the article that is linked from his post today and then also read some to the thoughtful comments posted on Dick's site: "Mormon Web site handy, but be sure to examine details" by Sharon Tate Moody which was published in Sunday's Tampa Tribune.

Noah and "Papa"

The past 3 days Dave concentrated on the other end of his family tree---grandson Noah Dowell who was visiting from Nashville, TN. Noah is scheduled to become a big brother in about two months.

Family Researchers BEWARE! --New Study Warns

According to new research just published in the UK, one in eight of you may dig up something traumatic or at least embarrassing if you investigate your family history. "Genealogy can open 'Pandora's box'" of family secrets" published in the Daily Telegraph These results reflect the remnants of a Victorian and class conscious culture.

Wonder what the results would have been if it had been conducted on this side of the Atlantic? Perhaps; but personally, I've never found found the horse thief I was promised when I started researching my family four decades ago. However, I have found convicted forgers, murderers, suicides, witches and bastards -- some with official bastardy bonds. I've also found connections to inventors, authors, Presidents and more traditional Royalty. I guess if you dig up enough ancestors, you will get the whole range of characters who make up humankind. For me, that's what keeps me researching. But I guess if one has a carefully constructed conception of one's self, maybe one should tread lightly.

Blog Posts -- The "Underbrush"

I am learning about the logistics of this blog as I go. Today, I realized that when I posted a comment about a previous post, that comment does not show up directly. Rather it shows up as a link "1 comments", etc. Yes, "1 comments". Here all this time I thought 1 was singular. Oh well.

Check out the "underbrush" of the blog posts. You can give "click reactions", see how many others have reacted, and view comments. All of these features are at the end of each post. The "click reactions" are "funny","interesting" and "cool". These leave sort of "hash marks" -- actually they increment a counter of similar reactions.

L-AGS---Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society

A fellow researcher, Shirley Terry, with whom I share an interest in families buried in a cemetery in Daviess County, Mo, sent me a link that I would like to share with you: http://l-ags.org/ It will be of particular interest if you have ancestors in the Bay Area. Be sure to check the links which include one to a digital collection posted by the U of California – Berkeley on the 1906 Earthquake. Others include various topics of genealogical interest including Genealogy for Students "An Introduction"

Livescribe pen

My livescribe pen is due via UPS tomorrow. Cathy you got me hooked and Amazon had a 1 GB pen for $80 last Sunday. Now I just need to learn how to use it.

Adding DNA Testing To Your Genealogical Tool Kit—Part 1, y-Chromosome Testing

You have just employed the latest genealogical tool to research your genome to find new branches of your family tree. Your get an impressive looking chart back from the lab that looks suitable for framing but what does it all mean. On the surface it tells you nothing about your family history. Were you under the impression that if you swabbed the inside of you cheek and sent the sample to the lab, they would be able to tell you your entire family history.

DNA is an important new tool for 21st Century genealogists. Someone has said DNA testing has put the "gene: back in genealogy". However, it is a supplement to and not a replacement for traditional family history research.

There are several separate and distinct kinds of DNA research. Some of them are as follows:

1. CSI type identification of a specific individual.

2. Medical testing for specific genes that may have an impact on various health risks.

3. Paternity testing to establish the father and/or mother of a specific individual.

4. Haplotype testing for deep ancestry which may have sociological value in identifying one's ancient clan or tribe.

5. Genealogical testing to establish or eliminate possible family relationships.

It is the latter two types of testing that will be discussed in this series.

Test results for an individual are meaningless for family history purposes when seen in isolation. They take on meaning only when they are compared with databases containing the results of many people. In this case big is definitely better. The larger the database against which you can compare your results, the more likely you will be able learn something useful about your family history.

Genetics is a relatively young field; and it is currently one of the most dynamic areas of scientific research. New discoveries are made constantly. What one thinks one knows today is like to have changed within a few months as more is discovered in the labs.

For the first decade of the 21st Century, the most potent use of DNA in genealogy research has been for y-chromosome comparisons. Only males have y-chromosomes. Therefore, only males can be tested for y-chromosome DNA. Men pass a copy of their y-chromosome genes to each of their male offspring. In a vast majority of these intergenerational transfers, the markers on the y-chromosome genes are copies exactly. This allows researchers to follow lines of ascent backward in time. However, in a very small percentage of transmissions, mistake or mutation is made in the marker copying process. This small number of mutations is what allows us to differentiate between different family lines. While y-chromosome results are useful, the test results only apply to a small part of a male's family tree.

In the following illustration, note that the y-chromosome test result only give information about one of the eight great-grandparents. This decreases with each preceding generation to one of sixteen great great-grandparents and one of thirty-two great-great-great-grandparents, etc.

Southern California Jamboree Coming in June

If you need a genealogy "fix" this summer, the 2010 Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree may be just the thing for you. It provides three days of nationally known speakers, many vendors of genealogy related items and networking opportunities. Last year's Jamboree was great and this one promises to be just as good. It is held at the Marriott Hotel that is just across from the entrance to the Burbank Airport on Friday through Sunday, June 11-13, 2010. For detailed information, including a list of speakers, exhibitors, schedule and online registration, click on the following link: http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/2010jam-home.htm.

Unfortunately, I'll miss Jamboree 2010. I'll be in Nashville, TN that weekend for the Bris of a new grandson. Sometimes that end of the family tree takes priority! However, I hope some of you can attend at least one day or more.

My First Post

I'm sitting at Denise's table learning how to do posts. She's being incredibly helpful with everything. If you haven't had an opportunity to take advantage of her wonderful class, you should.

WDYTYA? Renewed for a Second Season

Megan Smolenyak has announced that NBC will be renewing Who Do You Think You Are? for next year. This is good news and builds on anecdotal reports that activity has been picking up in libraries as increased interest in family history appears to be building.