Author Topic: Old lock of hair  (Read 932 times)

Offline Huwcyn

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Old lock of hair
« on: Saturday 13 October 18 14:33 BST (UK) »
My mother recently found a lock of hair which she thinks might belong to her g-grandfather. Contamination being certain, is there anyway in which this hair might be tested to give DNA help in family research  ?
Owen , Parry , Pritchard, Foulkes  o Llanddeiniolen
Jones, Bellis o Sir Fflint
Williams o Beaumaris
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Rowlands o Tywyn

Offline sugarfizzle

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Re: Old lock of hair
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 13 October 18 16:41 BST (UK) »
If she is not even sure who the lock of hair belongs to, I would think it pointless to have it tested.

However, I don't know that it is possible.

https://www.homednadirect.co.uk/knowledge-base/hair-dna-testing/

"Detective and criminal investigation films are somewhat misleading especially when the police pick up the hair sample with a pair of tweezers for DNA analysis. Hair that is cut or shed does not unfortunately contain any nuclear DNA. For hair DNA testing to be successful the hairs must have the hair follicle attached. Most serious and responsible DNA testing companies will discourage strongly using a sample of cut or shed hair for paternity testing and most other tests."

Regards Margaret
STEER, mainly Surrey, Kent; PINNOCKS/HAINES, Gosport, Hants; BARKER, mainly Broadwater, Sussex; Gosport, Hampshire; LAVERSUCH, Micheldever, Hampshire; WESTALL, London, Reading, Berks; HYDE, Croydon, Surrey; BRIGDEN, Hadlow, Kent and London; TUTHILL/STEPHENS, London
WILKINSON, Leeds, Yorkshire and Liverpool; WILLIAMSON, Liverpool; BEARE, Yeovil, Somerset; ALLEN, Kent and London; GORST, Liverpool; HOYLE, mainly Leeds, Yorkshire

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Offline mgeneas

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Re: Old lock of hair
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 17 October 18 19:06 BST (UK) »
I have a lock of my mother's baby hair which has been in the same beige envelope for 100 years. Never taken out, just looked at occasionally.
I don't think there are any roots attached though.
She kept it to show how blonde she was before she became mousy.

Offline Viktoria

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Re: Old lock of hair
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 17 October 18 21:12 BST (UK) »
Hair can over a long time fade,if you see hair in brooches of over 100 years old it all seems a dull beige colour.
I have two plaits of my own hair , cut when I was 11or 12.
My hair was black/brown but some 70 years later the plaits are quite auburn.
Lovely to have something like that of an ancestor though,
When my Mum died in hospital and her belongings were returned,I kept the small amount of hair from her hair brush in a little cut glass pot with a silver lid which she had on her dressing table.
Sadly my daughter threw it away,not knowing what it was and what it meant to me.
Why I will never know,I ought to have put a note with it I suppose.
Label what you have.
Viktoria.