[Book Excerpt]: Joining a DNA surname project

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[Book Excerpt]: Joining a DNA surname project

Legg inn av Smart Book » 18 okt 2004 17:39:27

Trace Your Roots with DNA

Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree

By Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner

Published by Rodale

October 2004; $14.95US/$20.95CAN; 1-59486-006-8

Genealogy + Genetics = Genetealogy!

You're introduced to a stranger who shares your last name. Don't you always
wonder, Could we be related?

Thanks to breakthrough science in the rapidly growing world of genetics,
it's now possible to find out. Trace Your Roots with DNA is the first
comprehensive guide to this amazing new field. With genetic testing (don't
worry -- no needles, medical privacy is assured, and you don't have to dig
up your dead relatives), you'll be able to knock down genealogical brick
walls. The fascinating results can tell you:

If you're related to someone with the same or similar last name

Which region your African ancestors came from

If that family rumor of adoption is really true

Whether or not you really have a Native American ancestor -- and more!

Most important, you'll find out how the tests work, which ones to use, where
to get them, and how to read your results. Join the future of genealogy, and
learn to Trace Your Roots with DNA.

Authors

Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak has been an avid genealogist for more than three
decades and is an expert at family history research. The lead researcher for
the PBS Ancestors series, she is a contributing editor for Heritage Quest
Magazine and the author of Honoring Our Ancestors, In Search of Our
Ancestors, and They Came to America.

Ann Turner was hooked on genealogy when she learned that her parents'
ancestors had arrived in the United States on the same ship yet went their
separate ways until her parents met 300 years later. She is the founder and
list administrator for the popular Genealogy-DNA mailing list on
Rootsweb.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.writtenvoices.com.

Reviews

"Trace Your Roots is more than a first-rate how-to book -- it is a
fascinating look at the history, importance, and future of genealogical DNA
testing. Those who are new to the subject will learn everything they want to
know, and professional genealogists will find a treasure trove of new
information. This is a sensational book!"

--Andrew Carroll, editor of the New York Times bestseller War Letters:
Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars

"Inviting and informative, this work presents and easily understood yet
wonderfully detailed explanation of a complex subject. >From the
well-written text to the excellent overall presentation, Trace Your Roots
with DNA is a significant contribution to the understanding of genetic
testing for genealogical endeavors."

--Curt Witcher, Former President, National Genealogical Society

"Finally a book on DNA from a genealogist's perspective. Trace Your Roots
with DNA is very light and lively reading, and it explores the many
surprising uses of genetic testing for roots-tracing. If you want to
understand how to use DNA for genealogy, this is the book for you."

--Tony Burroughs, author of Black Roots: A Beginners Guide to Tracing the
African American Family Tree

Excerpt

The following is an excerpt from the book Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using
Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree

by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner

Published by Rodale; October 2004; $14.95US/$20.95CAN; 1-59486-006-8

Copyright © 2004 Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner

The Joys of Joining

Back in the dark ages of genetic DNA testing -- way back in 2001 or 2002 --
the answer would have been to launch your own study. And depending on your
circumstances, that might still be appropriate. But for more and more of us,
simply joining an existing project is becoming a viable option.

As we mentioned in the opening chapter, genetealogy has reached the tipping
point, the phrase Malcolm Gladwell coined for when a concept "crosses a
threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire." And that's good news --
especially for newcomers. With the proliferation of surname projects over
the past few years, there's a reasonable chance that you'll be able to find
one or more projects already in full swing that conveniently focus on names
that appear on some branch or other of your family tree. In such cases,
rather than start from scratch, you can simply jump into the Johnson,
Kincaid, or [Insert your own name here!] project.

Finding a Surname Project

There are well over a thousand surname projects under way. And if you sport
an especially common name, such as the U.S.'s current top five -- Smith,
Johnson, Williams, Jones, and Brown -- you may well have several projects
from which to choose. In fact, new projects have begun to sprout so quickly
that one of us has been able to join projects for two branches of her family
tree -- Shields and Reynolds -- in just the past month. And don't think that
just because you have an unusual name, there's no hope. Surnames already
under study include Blueglass, Janita, Mockensturm, Quiden, Tuxhom, and
Zuraff.

So how do you find out if there's a project for you to jump into? You have
several options, most of which involve the Internet, so if you don't have a
computer at home, you'll probably want to visit the local library. If you
happen to be an avid genealogist, chances are that you will soon stumble
across mentions of projects involving names of interest in the magazines and
newsletters you read. Each issue of the National Genealogical Society's
NewsMagazine, for instance, includes announcements of assorted projects
seeking participants. If your name is Hill, Shugart, Sisson, Taliaferro, or
Stiddem, you could have recently tripped across a project this way.
Publications of societies and family associations -- and increasingly, even
"regular" periodicals ranging from Newsweek magazine and The Wall Street
Journal to your local paper -- contain more and more articles about the
launch or progress of DNA studies. Wells, Howery, Glennon, Johnson, Rice,
Clough, and Surdival are just a few of the names you could have discovered
by flipping the pages of a magazine or newspaper. If you haven't already
seen such announcements or articles, you can expect to find them in your
mailbox in the not-too-distant future.

Even if you subscribe to several family history publications, you'll want to
go surfing on the Internet as well. Many surname projects have their own Web
sites, so a "surname DNA" query (replace "surname" with the name of
interest) at your favorite search engine will frequently pop up exactly what
you're looking for in the top listing or two. For example, if you search on
"Blair DNA at http://www.google.com, you'll be presented with several links to a
Web site with all the details you need. Even if you don't find immediate
links to such a site, you'll usually discover a few messages about the
project. Click on these, and then simply e-mail the person who made the
posting or the project manager, who will often be identified within the
message.

You might also want to peruse the project listings such as those provided at
http://www.dnalist.net. Public access databases that are searchable by surname and
provide contact information for submitters (http://www.ysearch.org and
http://www.ybase.org) offer another alternative. If you still find no obvious links
to an existing project, you'll want to go to the Web sites of the testing
companies, and use their search functionality. For instance,
http://www.familytreedna.com, http://www.relativegenetics.com, and http://www.dnaheritage.com all
have a search-by-surname option on their home pages. By entering a name
here, you will learn how many individuals of that name have already been
tested by that company. This is especially helpful for finding small,
private studies or recently initiated projects that may not have been
publicized or don't have their own Web sites yet. Be sure to try variations
of your name (e.g., Strickland, Stricklin, Strickling) or entering just the
first few letters to get a more complete list of names that may be close to
your own. Because the spelling of our names has often been slightly tweaked
over the centuries, it may be worth joining a project based on a name
similar to your own, even if it's a letter or two off from what you consider
to be the "correct" spelling. Just because you and some fellow in New
Zealand spell your name a little differently doesn't mean you didn't have
the same great-great-great-great-great-grandfather!

Joining a Project

Let's say you've poked around a bit and found a project you'd like to join.
If it's a well-established one with a Web site, all the information you'll
need will usually be on the site. You'll be able to learn about the scope of
the project -- all Taylors or just the ones from certain states? -- have a
look at results to date and how they're shared, see if the administrator has
any special requirements, and of course, join the study. (Incidentally, this
might be a good time to mention that project administrators use a variety of
terms for themselves, so we use the words administrator, coordinator, and
manager interchangeably.)

Almost all such Web sites will include a link for ordering your kit directly
from the testing company. This is especially convenient because much of the
coordination has already been handled for you. By using the link provided,
you're automatically included in that particular study, and the
administrator will be notified of your participation, even if you don't
contact him directly. Another possible advantage of joining an existing
group is a price break! Some companies offer those testing through a project
prices that are about 25 to 40 percent less than those testing on their own.

If you've decided to participate, it's simply a matter of following the link
and typing in your name, contact, and payment information. Most companies
accept online credit card payment, and some will give you the option of
being invoiced, so you can wait until returning the kit to part with your
money.

Special Requirements

Back in the early days of genetic genealogy, taking and paying for a test
was usually all that was required to join a project, and in many cases,
that's still true. Every additional test moves a study forward so project
managers are usually more than happy to welcome new participants. But as
with any practice that becomes more established and verges on entering the
mainstream, the world of genetealogy has developed some formalities. Some
administrators now have additional requirements for joining. And while you
might grumble at the extra paperwork and think it smacks of bureaucracy,
it's actually beneficial, even if it takes a little more time.

The two most typical extra requirements make a lot of sense. One is
information about your earliest known ancestor and how you (or the person
being tested, if it's not you) connect to this person generation by
generation. This is frequently provided in the form of a pedigree or
descendancy chart, although many project coordinators will take it in any
form it's offered. Requesting this information allows the administrator to
make sure that would-be participants understand all the necessary nuances --
a woman expecting to represent her line in a surname project would quickly
be advised to find an appropriate male relative to take the test instead.

It also provides more value to everyone in the study. Think about it. If
your test matches someone else's, what's the first thing you'll want to do?
More than likely, you'll want to find out as much about this other person
and his ancestors as possible. At a minimum, you'll have found a new cluster
of cousins, and in an ideal situation, you'll be fortunate enough to match
someone who has their family tree traced back a century or two further than
you have, so you can benefit from his research!

Most administrators who gather such information from their project's
participants also post it on their Web sites. This means that you won't have
to wait for your newly discovered cousin to return from his vacation to
exchange e-mails and explore possible connections. It will already be
available for viewing on the Internet, which leads us to the second frequent
requirement -- the consent form.

When you take a test, you'll have the option of signing a brief consent form
for the testing company. Not signing it almost defeats the purpose of
testing, as this release allows the company to notify you of any matches in
their database. It's innocuous, and without it, you'll severely restrict the
potential to gain insight into your roots, so it's best to simply sign this
one. The secondary consent form requested by some administrators is intended
to give them permission to post some of your family data on the Internet,
but don't let this alarm you. If you read it closely (and most consents are
a page or less), you'll discover that the administrators usually restrict
themselves in terms of what they're allowed to share, meaning that your data
will only appear disguised under a code of some sort or perhaps the name of
your earliest known ancestor. In this way, your privacy is protected.

Additional clauses are generally designed to avoid misunderstandings and may
cover such issues as these:

participants being appropriate for the study (e.g., having the right surname
or line of descent)

acknowledgment that there may or may not be any matches, especially in the
project's early stages (to avoid possible disappointment when the results
are returned)

who pays

timely response (so the coordinator doesn't have to chase down stray kits).

Many now also include an indemnification clause to protect the project
manager from any claims of harm. To date, we know of no such claims ever
having been made, but in our litigious society, it's not unreasonable for
administrators to take this measure.

Reprinted from: Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore
Your Family Tree by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner © 2004 by Megan
Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc.,
Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the
publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their website at
http://www.rodalestore.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.genetealogy.com or
http://www.writtenvoices.com.

Hugh Watkins

Advertising no thanks - was Re: [Book Excerpt]: Joining a DN

Legg inn av Hugh Watkins » 18 okt 2004 18:30:02

"Smart Book" <smart_book2001@yahoo.com> wrote

Trace Your Roots with DNA

Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree

By Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner

Published by Rodale

October 2004; $14.95US/$20.95CAN; 1-59486-006-8

Genealogy + Genetics = Genetealogy!

You're introduced to a stranger who shares your last name. Don't you
always
wonder, Could we be related?

snip
unless you both come from a county with a burnt court house
don't even think of it until you have exhausted traditional methods.

If you are of colour you may find that direct male line back to Europe
instead of Africa :-(

basically this is a $$$$ project for all concerned in its promotion.

such studies as I have come across for big patronymic names like Morgan or
Jones or Watkins are almost guaranteed NOT to find a connection.
The projects are poorly designed when you consider that there are hundreds
of thousands, if not millions, of people having those names, and the
project "managers" have no idea about organising a one-name study or the
amount of hours needed to do the work.

Don't buy the book .
Only join in a study after careful consideration of the numbers and how it
is organised

Hugh W

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