DNA Files & Horizontal Pedigrees

Found a great idea for helping to connect with my DNA matches and figure out where we connect - horizontal pedigrees.  Thanks to a post at Analytic Genealogy, I've been creating horizontal pedigree charts for myself, my parents, and other relatives that I've convinced to do DNA testing.  My hope is that I can use them to share with my genetic cousins in an easier way to find the common ancestors.  The blog post describing how these horizontal pedigree charts can be used is linked here.

So often my matches either don't have a family tree online or if they do, it can become unwieldy to read and figure out where the matches lie.  I find that the horizontal pedigree chart not only makes it pretty easy to see your family lines extended out, but also can show you where there are gaps in your tree without having to look at your software.

I've created a Dropbox folder for my DNA Files and am including these horizontal charts.  I might eventually include other information, but for now I will be sharing the link to the Dropbox folder with my DNA matches so they can easily see where we connect.  Since most matches are below 5th-6th cousins, they should be able to see a common surname on the chart.  

If you are interested, the link to my Dropbox folder and the charts is included here.

At the lab

Received an email today that my cousin Jim's DNA kit was received at the FamilyTreeDNA lab.  Cousin Kellie's was received two days prior at the same lab.  Hoping to have the results soon and will be interested to see how we share DNA from our grandparents and where the differences lie.

In addition, AncestryDNA received my test kit back on the 14th, so once those results are complete I will have hit the cycle and been tested at all three major providers.

This DNA data will give me enough to work on probably for thirty years! I'm still on the recruitment hunt for other descendants of my maternal 2-great grandmother to see if we can find out who her possible father might be.

DNA : Crockett connection

Made a connection through Ruby's DNA for a match (Elizabeth) who had Crockett listed in the list of surnames.  I reached out to her and heard back quickly that she is a descendant of the Joseph Crockett, who was the brother of David Crockett - the ancestor of Ruby and I.

In her email, she stated she was in contact with another Crockett researcher who I was familiar with and mentioned that DNA had tied our Alexander Crockett into the line of David Crockett the elder, the grandparents of Davy Crockett of Alamo fame.

There is a Crockett DNA project at FamilyTreeDNA, if you are male Crockett descendant, I would encourage you to join and do the Y-DNA test.

Here is how Ruby compares with Elizabeth, the largest match is on Chromosome 11.

I don't have all of Elizabeth's line yet, so the exact relationship is not known, but the prediction would be 2nd-4th cousin to Ruby.

I'm looking forward to continuing the correspondence and see what the Crockett DNA group has found out about the ancestry.

DNA : Ruby's Top Matches at FamilyTreeDNA

These are the top eight matches at FamilyTreeDNA for my maternal great-aunt Ruby's by relationship range.  I've removed the last names of the matches. Of course, I am her closest match at 998cm with a predicted relationship range of 1st cousin, half sibling, grandparent/grandchild, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew. 

The next closest match is Mildred, who matches Ruby at 272cm and is predicted to be a 1st - 3rd cousin.  Mildred is a known relative, a 1st cousin once removed with common ancestors being Mary Ellen Swafford.  Mildred comes from the Gilliland side of the family, so actually she would be a half-1st cousin once removed.

The next two matches, Judith and Thomas, are the children of Mildred and match Ruby at 173cm and 135cm respectively.  These would be Ruby's second cousins (technically half-second cousins).  Interestingly, Judith and Thomas do not share the same amount of DNA with Ruby, which just shows why you should test as many people as you can as not even brothers & sisters will share the exact same amounts of DNA.

The next match, Justin, is the son of Judith.  He shares 108cm with Ruby. He is also predicted to be a 2nd - 4th cousin, but is actually 2nd cousin once removed.

The next match, Elizabeth, shares 81cm with Ruby and is predicted to be a 2nd - 4th cousin.  She doesn't have a family tree on the site, but in the list of surnames was Crockett, the name of Ruby's 2nd-great grandmother. I've heard back from her and she descends from Alexander Crockett & Elizabeth Watkins through Joseph, the younger brother of Ruby's ancestor David Crockett of Owen County, Indiana.

The next match, Sherrol, shares 77cm with Ruby and is predicted to be a 2nd - 4th cousin.  She has a family tree on the site, but I didn't see any names that looked familiar.  Will have to reach out and see if we can compare notes for the connection.

The next match, Mark, also shares 77cm with Ruby and is predicted to be a 2nd - 4th cousin.  He has no family tree or surnames listed.

The next match, Dale, shares 75cm with Ruby and is predicted to be a 2nd - 4th cousin match.  Dale is Ruby's 3rd cousin, a descendant of David & Ellen (Lambertson) Mengle.  Dale and Ruby's common ancestors are John Lambertson & Sarah A. Willson.

The last match on the first page, Vaughn, shares 74cm with Ruby and is predicted to be a 2nd-4th cousin match.  No family tree provided, but several surnames listed - none that are familiar.  Will have to reach out to see if we can make the connection.

At first blush, there are some known relatives and good potential matches in the list of the first page of highest centimorgans shared.

Wading Into the Big Pond with AncestryDNA

I finally took the plunge into the 3rd of the major players in the DNA field and submitted a test to AncestryDNA.  I'd already tested at both 23andMe and FamilytreeDNA.  Between those two, I probably have enough data to keep me busy for years, but by testing with Ancestry, I will be fishing in the pond with the largest pool of fellow testers.

For a comparison of how the various autosomal DNA testing companies break down, please see the chart at the International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki.  They rate Ancestry's DNA users as having a medium response rate and a medium level of genealogical knowledge.  The worst response rate was from 23andMe and I managed to have pretty good results before they changed their setup.  I like how FamilyTreeDNA is set up, but they only have about 150,000 testers versus the 1 million at Ancestry.  So I'm definitely stepping into the big pond.

I'm looking forward to finding even more relatives and hopefully break down some brick walls.

DNA : McMillen line

Uploaded the DNA results of Eileen's mother and brother Curt to GEDMatch and was quickly contacted by DNA researcher Retta, who noted the connection and wanted to know the relationships.  I'm worked with Retta before on the McMillen line out of Marshall County, Indiana.

Will continue to working with Retta and the other McMillen researchers to see if we can make the connections.

DNA : Aunt Ruby's Ethnicity Results

Back in November, I wrote about awaiting the DNA results from my oldest maternal relative, my great-aunt Ruby.  Her results have come back and below are the ethnicity estimates from FamilyTreeDNA.

Ruby's ethnicity came back 97% European and 2% Middle Eastern.  The Middle Eastern portion came from Asia Minor (Turkey).

I realize that these ethnicity results are dependent on the self-reporting of the data pool, I do find them interesting.  My guess is that the portion from Turkey is from her maternal grandfather - who is as yet unknown.  This could explain the dark hair, dark eyes and features that appear to resemble the "mystery man" photo.  More tests will have to be done on other family members to see where they compare.

For the European ethnicity, the Eastern Europe portion has not shown up in the known paper trail DNA, though there is much of Ruby's paternal ancestry that remains unknown.  The maternal lines include much of the British Isles.

How does this compare with my ethnicity from FamilyTreeDNA?  

A little less Middle Eastern, but overall, similar results that I would expect from being a generation removed.

I've already reached out to two of my first cousins, who come from this same line.  Will compare these results and be able to track exactly what DNA we share from our common ancestors.  Then, hopefully, I can triangulate with others who match us and find common ancestors to break down the brick walls.

DNA: Mom's Cousin Jack - Fourth Cousin

Mom's 23andMe cousin Jack matches her on two chromosomes, and matches me as well.  He is predicted to be my 3rd to 6th cousin.

Jack was quick to write back that he took a look at the family tree, and only saw one name, William Henry Summers that matched.  William Henry Summers was the husband of Margaret P. Pierce.  We traded more information, and I was able to view his family tree at Ancestry and confirm that we are fourth cousins, once removed, through the most recent common ancestors of Francis Pierce and Rebecca Page.

Francis Pierce
Rebecca Page

Margaret P. Pierce               Edmund G. Pierce
William H.H. Summers                Catherine Groenendyke

Francis P. Summers               William F. Pierce

Katie ________                     Clara A. Penisten

Glee William Summers               Edna M. Pierce
Mary J. Hunter                          Virgil Lee Wright

his parents                             my grandparents

Jack                            my mom

                               me

This is the second DNA connection through the MRCA Francis Pierce and Rebecca Page I've discovered through 23andme.  Earlier, I had made a connection with cousin Raj through Margaret Pierce and William H.H. Summers.  Raj and Jack would be 3rd cousins once removed.

Note: This post was drafted before the recent changes to the 23andMe site.

DNA: My New 23andMe Experience

Received the email yesterday that my 'new' 23andMe experience was ready, so I took the plunge and logged into the site.  After the preliminaries of making sure how my name would be displayed and opting into sharing of reports, etc. I was ready to start exploring.

I must say that I bought my first 23andMe kit the day they stopped giving health reports - a strange coincidence, so I had never had them in the first place.  I was disappointed that they wouldn't be providing those, but my main concern was genealogy and solving family mysteries, so that disappointment was quickly forgotten.

Now that I can see some of the health reports that they are providing, I'm not sure that I was really missing anything.  I realize that the types of reports they can provide is likely dictated by the FDA, but I can't see the increased value that they are providing.  If the health reports are the justification for raising their kit price to $199, all I can say is "wow".

The reports tell me information that I could find out by looking in the mirror, such as hair and eye color, as well as caffeine usage and lactose intolerance.  Not something I find too impressive.  The other reports are negative results for rare diseases, which fortunately I do not have, but if they are so rare, then why would I be worried about them?  Maybe I'm missing the point of the reports, but I'd like to know more about indicators for cancer or epilepsy or alchoholism.

The biggest changes I see at this point have to do with the DNA Relatives and how that experience will be enhanced or hindered by the new site.  It would appear that it would be hindered.  

While not an advanced user by any stretch, I have been able to find and make connections through DNA relatives, and have been tracking my results with a spreadsheet, comparing segments and finding triangulations, etc.  When it was announced that the 'old' website would be going away, I quickly went in and re-invited all the connections that hadn't responded to me in hopes that I would keep them as a connection.

Kitty Cooper's blog has a good run-down of the changes at the new site here.

I don't like the fact that you can no longer get the table view of matching segments of DNA.  That was what I was using to populate my spreadsheet and then comparing matches to each other.  

I don't understand why you can no longer sort your DNA relative matches by the most recent, either.  That was one way to find out which new matches you might have matched.  Granted, many of them were small matches, but every little bit counts when you're working with DNA.

I'm really confused by the fact that I still have anonymous matches showing - I thought one of the changes would be that everyone would be forced into sharing or they would not show in your DNA relatives.  Perhaps these folks haven't transitioned yet to the new system.  Will have to wait and see.

I've checked out the forums at 23andMe and to say that many people are unhappy would be an understatement.  Kitty's blog posts states that they have heard from the community and many of these complaints will be addressed.  We shall see.

Honestly, at this point I'm going to move my focus on to FamilyTreeDNA for any future testing.  I have tested both of my parents, my wife, my mother-in-law and brother-in-law at 23andMe, but will use the other sites in the future. There is no reason to recommend someone pay $199 for a test kit if you are wanting to use DNA for genealogical research.  The health reports do not justify the increased cost.  I'm not ready to buy into the "big pharma" conspiracy theories on the forums, as I already understood that was part of the exchange, but I question why the company appears to be trying to turn away the genealogy community.


Just my two cents worth.

Awaiting DNA results from oldest living relative

Several weeks ago I was able to pay a visit to my maternal great-aunt Ruby, and she agreed to help me with solving my greatest genealogical mystery, the origins of her maternal grandfather, by providing a DNA sample to be sent to FamilyTreeDNA.  I've received notification from the company that the results are being processed, and can't wait to hear back from the lab.

The irony that the results are expected back during the week of my birthday are not lost on me.  It would be quite a birthday gift if somehow her results will lead to a DNA match that could break down the brickwall of who my great-great-grandmother June's father actually was.

I've written about the family mystery before, and am hopeful that I will have many more chapters to write before it is over.  Ruby is my oldest living relative on this side of the family, and would be the closest DNA match that I could sample.  She is the only surviving child of June, and Pansy has no surviving children.  There are however, many cousins that I could test on both sides.

I've also recently received some commitments from other cousins on this same side that are willing to be tested, but don't have the financial means at this time to test.  I'm saving my pennies now to create my own DNA fund to build the project.

If I can get enough relatives on this side of the family to test, including some who descend from Ida's daughter Pansy, I'm hoping that through triangulation I can isolate the DNA segments that come from June's father, as well as determine if June and Pansy had the same father.

Triangulation

Made a connection with my first good case of triangulation on chromosome 15 today.  Contacted a recent match at 23andMe (Robert) and began looking at the possibilities.  What I discovered was that we matched at the same point as a known relative - and therefore we have triangulation!

Robert matches both me and my mother at the same location on chromosome 15.  23andMe rounds the start and end points to be as follows: for both my mother and me, the shared start point is 81000000, for me the end point is 89000000 and for my mother the end point is 90000000.  Not much of a difference, but Robert shares a slightly longer segment of DNA with my mother (10.4 cM) than with me (9.3 cM).

23andMe Segment matches with Robert, I'm green, mom's is blue

Robert also has his results uploaded at GEDMatch, and I was able to confirm the results, the start and end locations for matches with me are as follows:

Robert's results for the start and end location of the match with mom was nearly the same :

But what really got me excited was Robert's match with a known relative on my mother's side, Mildred.  The results for Robert's match with Mildred :

Mildred is my maternal 1st cousin 3 times removed.  Her grandmother was the half-sister of my 2nd-great grandmother, Ida Davis.  The common ancestor between Mildred and myself is Mary Ellen Swafford (1854-1932).

This is how I match with Mildred (note chromosome 15) :

My mother matches Mildred even more (note chromosome 15) :

Because Robert matches on the exact same chromosome in the exact same location to not only me, my mother and Mildred, we have triangulation on this spot, indicating that the match is Identical by Descent, rather than Identical by Segment.  Anyone that matches all of us at this same chromosome and segment must be related through the same line.  Because the common ancestry between myself and Mildred is Mary Ellen Swafford, so the DNA either came from her or one of her ancestors.

Robert is predicted by 23andMe to be a 3rd to distant cousin.  We share just one segment and 0.13% of our DNA.  GEDMatch predicted that the estimated number of generations to the MRCA is 5.2 generations.

One of the surname's in Robert's ancestry is Thacker, and there is a Thacker-Swafford connection, but in the correspondence so far, the names do not match up.  Robert's tree is just getting started, and I hope that by sending my contact an outline of Swafford ancestry we can find a common name. My thought is that the connection is further up line from Mary Ellen Swafford.  She has several female ancestors with unknown maiden names.


The DNA game is an exciting one to play around in, and I appreciate any suggestions or tips.

Geeking Out on Genetic Genealogy

Spent today combining my love of genealogy with interest in DNA by attending a great workshop put on by the Jay County Historical Society by Dr. Michael Lacopo.  Dr. Lacopo's presentation was split into two parts, with the introduction being hosted at the Jay County Public Library and the conclusion being held at the historical society.  Dad came with me, so I was able to spend some quality time with him as well and hear family history stories.

The fact that genetic genealogy has revolutionized genealogy research and brought about the marriage of science and family history is without dispute. Yet DNA testing is a tool that many have either not utilized or have been unsure of the science behind it.  You need not be "geeked out" on the science, but a basic understanding of the biology behind your chromosomes and genetic inheritance is essential to understanding how DNA testing can help with your research.

The presentation was well attended, with a diverse group of genealogists, some of whom had done DNA testing and others had not.  Dr. Lacopo did a good job of explaining the science behind DNA testing and what the various companies that provide the testing offer without losing the audience with the science.  Based on the question and answer period, he also did a good job of relating what types of genealogical problems that DNA test can and cannot solve.

Though I have already tested my DNA at two of the three major providers and was familiar with triangulation, I was able to glean some ideas from this presentation.

I was particularly interested to hear him describe his method's of using DNA testing to solve brick wall problems.  I was familiar with his blog, but it was nice to hear him in person.  I kept hoping I would recognize one of the family names he would mention.

The best quote I heard from him was the maxim that "human beings are not renewable resources" in relationship to the fact that we need to gather DNA from older living relatives now before they are gone.  Their DNA might hold the keys to unlocking family mysteries you are trying to solve.  Dr. Lacopo stressed that genetic genealogy is a numbers game, the more people with known relationships you have tested the better.

Key takeaways from the presentation were:

• DNA testing is a numbers game; the higher the % of matching DNA, the more definitive the relationship
• Size does matter; the larger the segment of DNA you share with a match, the more likely you received the segment from a common ancestor
• More is better; the more people you test with a known relationship the better
• Triangulate and map; once you identify your most recent common ancestor (MRCA) and confirm with another that match on a particular segment

Dr. Lacopo gave some tips regarding the numbers game of DNA testing - that any match over 0.3% is a big deal and that any matching segment longer than 10 cM (centimorgans) has a 99% change of being identical-by-descent, meaning a definite match.  He suggested that you focus on those matches rather than the smaller matches, even thought the DNA testing companies pull in results as low as 7 cM.

The presentation inspired me to work anew on my DNA genealogy, and strive to map out the research plan for the problems I want to solve and seek out cousins to have tested.  I have started compiling my own spreadsheets of DNA matches, and was impressed to see his color-coded DNA segments that he had identified as belonging to certain family names.

This was my first interaction with one of the "rock star" genealogists, and I must say that I was impressed.  I would highly recommend attending one of Dr. Lacopo's presentations if you have the opportunity, and this was a great program put on on by the historical society.

A bonus was that one of the members of the society brought their pedigree fan chart to the presentation and by glancing at it, I noticed we have several points of connection on my mother's side.  I handed him my business card and hope we can begin corresponding soon.

DNA: Mom's Cousin Rita

Mom's cousin Rita is a predicted 3rd to 6th cousin match at 23andMe, matching both mom and I on chromosome 1.

One of the surnames listed on Rita's profile is Osborn. I have maternal Quaker relatives Osborn(e) in North Carolina.  I've written to Rita to see if she has a family tree and we can explore the connections.

DNA: Dad's Cousin Jason

One of my dad's distant matches at 23andme, Jason, shares no DNA with me.  He matches dad on chromosome 10, and is predicted to be a 3rd to distant cousin.  He shares 0.26% with dad and only 1 segment.

Jason has an extensive list of family surnames on his profile, but none that appear to match.  Hopefully he and I can compare family trees and make the connection.

DNA: Mom's Cousin Stephanie

Another 23andme match for my mom, Stephanie, was predicted to be a 3rd to distant cousin, but doesn't share any DNA with me.  She matches mom on chromosome 16, 1 segment, with 0.22% shared.

Stephanie had a small family tree online, but I didn't see any connection just yet.  She has a lot of early Massachusetts ancestors, as does my mother.

DNA: Dad's Cousin Jonelle

Another recent match at 23andMe that had a nice family tree prepared was dad's cousin Jonelle, who was predicted to be 3rd to distant cousin, with 0.22% DNA shared on only 1 segment.

Jonelle has a pretty extensive tree linked to her profile from MyHeritage, but I was not able to find any surname matches.  She did have quite a bit of Dutch ancestry, and dad has some Dutch that hasn't been fully researched.  Will continue the conversation with Jonelle to see if we can find a connection.

Jonelle does not share any DNA with me.

DNA: Dad's Cousin William

Another recent 23andMe match that was added to my spreadsheet was dad's cousin William, who also matched me on chromosome 12.

Once again, William is predicted to be a 3rd to distant cousin match, so the connection must be pretty distant.

One good clue is that on his profile, he listed the surname Burdick.  I descend through Robert Burdick in two different ways.

I've reached out to William and hopefully we can discover the connection soon.

DNA : Mom's Cousin Dennis

Another recent 23andMe match that I've added to my atDNA spreadsheet was mom's cousin Dennis S., who also matched me on chromosome 2.

Dennis is predicted to be a 3rd cousin to distant cousin match, with only 0.12% DNA shared with just this one segment.

Will reach out to him to see if he has a family tree somewhere so that we can compare.  His family tree at 23andme did not include anything other than his name.

DNA: Dad's cousin Sarah

Working on following up with the recent matches at 23andMe and adding them to my atDNA spreadsheets for tracking.

Dad's DNA match with cousin Sarah is predicted to be 3rd to 6th cousin, a pretty distant match.  The percentage shared is only 0.23% on two segments.  However, Sarah and I share no DNA.

I do not see any surnames on her list that match, and she did not share a family tree to compare.  Will have to triangulate and hope that we can find a match at a later date.

DNA : Fishing in a Different Pond

I went fishing recently in a different pond for my DNA genealogy by ordering a kit from FamilyTreeDNA.  I've found the whole experience in DNA genealogy fascinating, and I've heard so many good things about their service.  Plus, I've heard fellow researchers indicate that FTDNA has more folks who test there who are genealogists, and therefore would be more likely to have a paper trail genealogy.  In order to find as many relatives, I'm fishing in as many ponds as possible.

One of the first things I noticed that was different about FTDNA versus 23andMe was that my matches who are listed all have names and links to send emails and contacts.  So many times, matches at 23andMe were anonymous and so you really didn't know who you were reaching out to.  I also like the "in common with" feature, where I can see all the matches who I share with that match.

One difference I noticed was the ethnic makeup.  Below is how my ethnic makeup appears at FTDNA:

My closest match is predicted to be a 2nd to 3rd cousin.  I happen to know who this person is, and she was actually a 1st cousin 3 times removed on my mother's side.  She is part of my Swafford family line.  It was nice to see the confirmation.

This new source of DNA genealogy information will give me even more work to do - enough to keep me busy for years to come.