DNA and Ancestry

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Genealogy tip for the day: DNA and Ancestry

Back in December (2013), Ancestry had a sale on their DNA kit for Christmas. So I bought it and sent it in. Earlier this week I received notice in my email that the results were in. I wasn’t sure if I should be excited or not. I just was unsure of what kind of results I would get.

There are different lines that you can get tested for, so I didn’t know what would show up. Would it be my father’s line? That was one of my shortest line as my grandfather’s grandparents emigrated here from Germany in the early 1800’s. I had gone as far on that line as I wanted and there wasn’t much more to know that I was interested in. So was it going to be worth the cost of the test?

To do the female line also requires a special test. But I just didn’t think it would show any results from that side also. Having read articles and heard discussions on DNA results I wasn’t expecting a lot in return.

I was in for a surprise. I logged into my ancestry account and clicked on “DNA” in the menu bar. It offered the Ethnicity Estimate (one link) and Matches (second link). I clicked on the Ethnicity Estimate. Immediately it showed all the countries to which my DNA traces back. It was all Western Europe.  No surprise there. The largest single country was Great Britain. That wasn’t a surprise either.  One surprise it did give me was that, beyond Great Britain, my ancestry traces back to Scandinavia – but only because the ancestry of the people in Britain comes from there.

I don’t pursue my own ancestry further, once I find the “jumper” – the one who came to this country either as a colonist or an immigrant. (I could, I just chose not to go any further.) So this was a bit of new information for me.  Guess I will have to go bone up on my “Western Civ” notes from college!

The big surprise waiting for me was all the matches Ancestry suggested. They ranged from 3^rd cousins to possibly 8^th cousins. The closer the relationship, the more certain was the connection. I had 3 possible 3^rd cousins in that category. It turned out that two of them were really from the same family. But yes, we were definitely related. What is so cool about this connection is that we each have information the other one did not have! Interestingly these matches were from my mother’s side. The third of the three does not have their tree online. If we have a connection, it is not evident here. But it does provide a link to contact that person, if I wish.

I have several (35) in the 4^th cousin section. I have sorted this section, but so far there are only about 3 that look plausible. Next comes the 5^th to 8^th cousin category. This was the one that had about 118 pages. I have just started going through the list of names and family in that section. I have found a few that are connected, way back. These are folks that we have a common ancestor but our lines could have intermarried generations ago! After all, we can all trace back eventually to a common ancestor.

Next week we’ll go over how to navigate these pages and what they will tell you; what you can do with what you find and how that helps you in your research of your own family.

In the meantime – keep digging.

“History is who we are; Genealogy is who I am” sg

If any of these posts are helpful drop us a line in the comments section below. We just want to know if the information we provide to you is beneficial in anyway.

George Washington

Today in History

February 22

1349		Jews are expelled from Zurich, Switzerland.
1613		Mikhail Romanov is elected czar of Russia.
1732		George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
1797		The last invasion of Britain takes place when some 1,400 Frenchmen land at Fishguard in Wales.
1819		Spain signs a treaty with the United States ceding eastern Florida.
1825		Russia and Britain establish the Alaska/Canada boundary.
1862		Jefferson Davis is inaugurated president of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va. for the second time.
1864		Nathan Bedford Forrest's brother, Jeffrey, is killed at Okolona, Mississippi.
1865		Federal troops capture Wilmington, N.C.
1879		Frank Winfield Woolworth's 'nothing over five cents' shop opens at Utica, New York. It is the first chain store.
1902		A fistfight breaks out in the Senate. Senator Benjamin Tillman suffers a bloody nose for accusing Senator John McLaurin of bias on the Philippine tariff issue.
1909		The Great White Fleet returns to Norfolk, Virginia, from an around-the-world show of naval power.
1911		Canadian Parliament votes to preserve the union with the British Empire.
1920		The American Relief Administration appeals to the public to pressure Congress to aid starving European cities.
1924		Columbia University declares radio education a success.
1926		Pope Pius rejects Mussolini's offer of aid to the Vatican.
1932		Adolf Hitler is the Nazi Party candidate for the presidential elections in Germany.
1935		All plane flights over the White House are barred because they are disturbing President Roosevelt's sleep.
1942		President Franklin Roosevelt orders Gen. Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philippines.
1951		The Atomic Energy Commission discloses information about the first atom-powered airplane.
1952		French forces evacuate Hoa Binh in Indochina.
1954		U.S. is to install 60 Thor nuclear missiles in Britain.
1962		A Soviet bid for new Geneva arms talks is turned down by the U.S.
1963		Moscow warns the U.S. that an attack on Cuba would mean war.
1967		Operation Junction City becomes the largest U.S. operation in Vietnam.
1984		Britain and the U.S. send warships to the Persian Gulf following an Iranian offensive against Iraq.
Born on February 22
1403		Charles VII, King of France.
1732		George Washington, Commander-in-chief of Continental forces during the American Revolution and first U.S. President.
1778		Rembrandt Peale, American painter known for portraits of U.S. founding fathers.
1857		Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout Movement.
1857		Heinrich Hertz, German physicist, the first person to broadcast and receive radio waves.
1892		Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet.
1900		Sean O'Faolain, Irish short story writer.
1925		Edward Gorey, American writer and illustrator.
1932		Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts Senator, brother of John F. Kennedy.
1944		Jonathan Demme, film director (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia).

Edward (Ted) Kennedy

Word for the Day

quinary

PRONUNCIATION:

(KWY-nuh-ree)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Relating to five.
2. Fifth in a series.
3. Having five things or arranged in five.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin quinarius (containing five), from quini (five each), from quinque (five). Earliest documented use: 1598. If you have ever wondered what comes after primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary, here's your answer.

USAGE:

"Her eyelids were painted in a quinary array -- pearl, gunmetal, pink, midnight blue, and plum."
Avery Aster; Undressed; Ellora's Cave; 2013.

Explore "quinary" in the Visual Thesaurus.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

I and the public know. / What all schoolchildren learn. / Those to whom evil is done. / Do evil in return -W.H. Auden, poet (1907-1973)

Today’s Recipe

February - Chocolate Lover’s Month

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar 

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

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2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

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1/4 cup Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Preparation

Combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, salt, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Heat milk over medium-high heat in a small, heavy saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Gradually add hot milk to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Place the milk mixture in pan, and cook over medium heat until very thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Spoon mixture into a medium bowl, and add liqueur, vanilla, and chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts. Place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until mixture is cool, stirring occasionally.

Remove bowl from ice. Gently fold in one-third of whipped topping. Fold in remaining topping. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.

February’s Recipes:

3^rd Molten Chocolate cake

4^th Chocolate Chip cookies – Alton Brown’s

5^th Chocolate Truffles

6^th Slow Cooker Chocolate Fondue

8^th Chocolate Sheet cake

10^th Brownie Tart

11^th Gooey, Decadent Chocolate cake

12^th Chocolate Covered Strawberries

13^th Chocolate Baklava

18^th Mexican Chocolate Cream Pie

19^th Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

20^th Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread

22^nd Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

ENJOY!

Now You Know!