ISOGG Newsletter April 2009

Vol. 2 No. 4 Apr 2009

From the Director -
The Four-Year Anniversary of the Genographic Project
     April 2009 marks the four-year anniversary of the launch of National Geographic's Genographic Project. The project is slated for five years so its hard to believe there is only one year left! In 2010, all DNA samples that are not transferred to Family Tree DNA's (FTDNA) database will be destroyed. As of mid-March 2009, over 296,000+ Genographic kits have been sold and around 70,000 of those have been uploaded into Family Tree DNA. But this still leaves 226,000+ samples marked for destruction. Including the sample I bought for a relative and then misplaced the log-in code! I have one year to find that code - the clock is ticking!
     Once the sample has been transferred to FTDNA, the company will provide storage for 25 years and this provides the ability to upgrade the sample for new and exciting tests that become available. There is no charge for storage or for the upload from Genographic to FTDNA. If existing FTDNA customers wish to contribute their DNA results for Genographic Project research, they can do so for a nominal transfer fee.
     To transfer your results, log in to your Genographic page and scroll down to the bottom header which reads, "WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH MY RESULTS?" and then click the blue "learn more" link at the end of the paragraph. This will walk you through the process of transferring your results and then you can explore your genetic journey for an additional 25 more years!

-Katherine Borges
ISOGG Director

Free & Fun DNA Stuff

If you have not already signed up for a Facebook account, what are you waiting for? Facebook is a free social networking website which not only offers you the ability to stay in touch with family and friends, but also spend your free time playing with applications that are much more fun than solitaire!

The Genographic Project just recently launched a new application on Facebook called "Friendship DNA Match". You need to download the app to your profile to be able to use it. Once downloaded, you enter the name of one of your Facebook family or friends and a spinning double helix will appear with their photos.

Be sure to also join ISOGG's Group on Facebook!

DNA Success Stories

Brickwall Broken by the Eaves DNA Project by Lois Eaves

     Genetic genealogy in our project has transformed our knowledge of our EAVES lineage. It has not only revealed many inaccuracies of long-held published records, but has also guided us to our correct lines to research.
     For more than 25 years, I had researched my late husband’s paternal line - only finding ‘brick walls’. Whenever I went to a genealogy library, I was guided to an area in Kentucky where a famous judge had resided whose name my grandfather-in-law shared – a generation before Grandpa’s lifetime. I researched that family so thoroughly that I know more about the history and Eaves lineages of that area than most who do share ancestry with the famous judge.
     When we were introduced to the Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) project through an Eaves Family organization, I immediately saw the potential….No one in the organization seemed interested enough to want the job as administrator. So I timidly agreed. I had my son take the test as the ‘benchmark’ for our family. It came out as E1b1b1 – and very different from the haplotype of the largest segment of charter members of our Eaves Association. I then gave a kit to a man (totally uninterested in genetic genealogy, but related to all the Eaves families in the area where I had concentrated all my effort for so many years). When that report came back, I was devastated…. I felt like I had been divorced! That participant turned out to be related to the main group in our Eaves Association. I truly thought that we would be in that vast group of Non-Paternal Events (NPEs). Except for one earlier participant through the National Geographic Genographic Project that was a match to my son! That participant had graciously submitted his pedigree – and I was familiar with that line – and realized that his vast lineage had been erroneously recorded as part of the largest segment of the Eaves organization. Those records had been published and repeated so many times that they were accepted ‘gospel’. Only the Y-DNA project finally provided the proof needed to correct those errors.
     Simultaneous to that discovery, my traditional research took a new direction. I found – through an astute researcher at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) – that suggested I research Grandpa through the address of where an Eaves had applied for military pension. The enlisted name I had long since dismissed – since the given name was different. When I saw the address – I immediately knew that Grandpa had decided to change his name after leaving the military. The pension request came from the old home place that I knew well.
     From there, I was able to trace the family through traditional research – to where I found Grandpa’s parents and grandparents in Kentucky – but far from where I had originally researched. I was able to locate descendants of Grandpa’s uncle, who have never left the area for at least 7 generations. I gave a kit to a wonderful man – traced through sketchy misspelled records – would be a 4th cousin to my children. When it came back a match, it was time to celebrate! Not only had I broken through the brick wall, we now knew that our lineage is related to that of the participant that had initially taken the test through National Geographic….and all of his relatives which span the entire hemisphere – and perhaps, beyond.
     Since then, two other related DNA lineages have been found through Y-DNA testing. We are trying to find that elusive Most Recent Common Ancestor in colonial Virginia. And we have many Eaves family lines yet to supply DNA participants.
     We have a long way to go, and I shudder to think that this may be taken away from us by supposed ramifications that do not apply to our genetic genealogy testing - but being grouped with the type of testing and counseling required for medical purposes. (They’ve been around much longer than genetic genealogy). Hopefully, those great folks at FTDNA will be able to stem-the-tide – and keep the two so widely separated that even the media zealots can see the difference. DNA is here to stay – with many applications yet to be discovered…No law could possibly regulate all!

For more DNA success stories or to submit yours, visit:
http://www.isogg.org/successstories.htm

What's NEW in ISOGG

DNA in the News

Swab test confirms lineage
- Chronicle Herald - 11 Apr 2009
DNA testing: 'Roots' author Haley rooted in Scotland, too
- USA Today - 6 Apr 2009
Clues to ancient invasion in DNA
- BBC News - 2 Apr 2009

For more articles:
http://www.isogg.org/newsarchives.htm

NEW to the ISOGG Speaker's List:

Michael V. Bassett
Region: Texas
Plano
Terms: Contact

Les Sutton
Region: Texas
Houston
Terms: Contact

The ISOGG newsletter is a membership benefit of the world's first society founded for the promotion and education of genetic genealogy, ISOGG - The International Society of Genetic Genealogy. Membership is FREE! Members automatically receive the newsletter to share the latest news and happenings in the world of genetic genealogy.

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