DNA Why I urge caution

[davidft]

I guess I am living proof that DNA is not bunkum or malarkey.

There are very few people if any on here who think DNA is bunkum or a malarkey. Where criticism is raised about DNA on here it is about the fantastical and unsupported claims made for geographical or ethnicity DNA testing.


Your story is a good one and similar to ones shared by others over the years on here. This very month in The Genealogist magazine (magazine of the Society of Genealogists) there was a very interesting article by John Tittereton who has been researching the Titterton name for 40 years and how autosomal DNA has helped him prove what was previously just theories. There is a very shortened version on his website

http://www.titterton.org.uk/dna-proof-of-john-of-apesfords-family/

So no DNA is not bunkum but the claims made for some aspects of it most definitely are, in my opinion.

[Andrea Holycross Burke]

Hello;
I am new to this DNA thing. I've talked to several people in my sphere of genealogy researchers and we agree that DNA is yet a baby science in the world of research. I do not want to submit my own sample yet, as I believe there are those who will get the data and use it unwisely. I am leary of the consequences: i.e., maybe the result will find it's way into some area of science that will affect me in adverse ways. Maybe not. But it's still too soon to get wrapped up in something so controversial. Those of my friends who have already sent in their samples say it is still very loose in the interpretation--with a 1% Africa or other continent that seems very improbable given the Western Europe heritage most of them have. I will take that caution and wait. I hope that the government stays out of DNA genealogy, and leave our branch of the human family alone!

[Eric Hatfield]

Hi Andrea,

Each of us has to make a decision about how private we want to be. Even sending an email or commenting on a forum is making information about ourselves public. Doing a DNA test is giving out a little more information, and many people feel cautious about it, as you do. I have made a different choice, but each of us will assess things differently.

But it is worth pointing out that, as far as I am aware, most people who have some experience with DNA testing believe that determining our ethnic background (such as the 1% African that you mention) is a very inexact science at this stage, and can only really be trusted at the level of differentiating  continental background. So it is not particularly helpful for most people, although it will always be interesting. But it is another way for testing companies (or one of them) to sell tests, so ethnic background testing will be advertised.

But the science of finding DNA matches between two people is much more reliable, and so can be used to give quite definite and useful information about our recent ancestors. It is often the only way for adoptees to find their birth parents and for those interested in family history to resolve an unknown in their family tree. This is a very different use of the DNA information from the much less reliable ethnicity testing.

And so adoptees and family historians are often quite willing to take what we hope is the small extra risk of private information becoming public because DNA is so useful for them.

So it is really up to each of us to assess our needs and concerns and make the appropriate decision. For me, I couldn't have identified my grandfather and found additional relatives without DNA, so I am well pleased.

[Andrea Holycross Burke]

Dear bridigmac; your mums' cousin told her about some ancestors who went to America to set up a Mormon colony (from England?) in 1600. We had no such colony in 1600. The church was restored in 1830 by Joseph Smith. No one came to America to join the Mormons until 1837; because no Missionaries were in England until then to make the church known and to start an immigration. I understand there is much misinformation about many things that happened in the past, but if you are looking for ancestors in America who came from the British Isles to join the Mormons, please look in the correct time period. On the other hand, perhaps you are referring to Quakers. They were interested in immigration to America starting in the 1600's because there was no freedom to practice their beliefs. Or also the Huguenots, who came from France and areas nearby to gain freedom of religion as well. They came to America beginning from what I can remember in the
1600's. Please feel free to correct me.

Thank you.

[BushInn1746]

Dear bridigmac; your mums' cousin told her about some ancestors who went to America to set up a Mormon colony (from England?) in 1600. We had no such colony in 1600. ...
They came to America beginning from what I can remember in the 1600's.

Hello

If brigidmac has been told this, it would be interesting to track down the passenger list * of the Mayflower which sailed from England in 1620. Just a thought for research.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mayflower_passengers

ADDED: * See also 'The Mayflower Compact' signed by the male passengers after landing.

Those who sailed on the Mayflower (sometimes called the Mayflower Pilgrims) in 1620 were made up of Dissenters (Nonconformists) and Puritans, those opposing some of the beliefs of the State Church of England and Adventurers. I am told some of them were Quakers.

ADDED: We are only two years away from the 400th Anniversary in 2020, so watch out for news stories and accounts in the news.

The later Act of Toleration (1689) granted limited freedom for Nonconformists (although not absolute freedom). I say limited because further Acts very late in the 18th Century / early 19th Century gave Catholics and Nonconformists more freedoms, including being able to marry in their own places of worship and transfer property easily.

Some Nonconformist Registers were either not maintained (no records kept), or possibly destroyed because they were not totally free of restriction and this is why some of us are having terrible difficulty confirming our family history before the England and Wales Census and pre- Registrar General BMD Registers.

 ----------

A possible Father, John Hood, Mariner of Selby, late of Scarborough, Yorkshire (of my Ancestor George Hood of Selby, born about 1785 to 1787, died 1845) was living in a property owned by a John Turner who was connected with the local Presbyterian Chapel. For all I know John Turner the Landlord may had dissuaded John Hood from having George baptised C of E, hence no local C of E baptism. Another possible Father suggestion can't be proven either.

The Presbyterian Chapel at Selby had been built by 1690, but no baptisms survive until 1697.
The Wesleyans were established at Selby, built their Chapel 1785-1786, but no Registers until the next Century.

Mark

[brigidmac]

Thanks Andrea I may have misremembered but it wasn't quakers it may have been.later church
Of latter day a saints sorry wi ad to. no list of.things of check

[Skoosh]

NHS England is to routinely introduce patient DNA tests this back-end so eventually it will be universal & no big deal.

Skoosh.

[BushInn1746]

The Presbyterian Chapel at Selby had been built by 1690, but no baptisms survive until 1697.
The Wesleyans were established at Selby, built their Chapel 1785-1786, but no Registers until the next Century.

Mark

Hello

Sorry, I made a mistake - **correction** ...

The Presbyterian Chapel at Selby had been built by 1690, but no Baptisms survive until 1797.

So in some cases a 100 years or more, of Baptisms are missing.

Mark

[Mansfield Gal]

I have spent 15 years of my life, not to mention the amounts of money I have thrown at my "roots" using all sorts of information available and at times even getting it wrong -  just to find out that like the hints in the tree others are using DNA because it's easier.

But then, after reading some of the social media, I take heart from those that have uncovered missing chapters from their life, the adoptees, the estranged, the brick walls - and I hope that I too can uncover one or two of my brick walls -

My fence sitting days are over - come Christmas in my stocking will be a DNA testing kit.