The evidence is within us! Autosomal DNA analysis: methodology suggestions Part 2

DNA match lists are not for the faint-hearted researcher. They are overwhelming. If your research question is important enough to you, whether you are adopted or missing a branch of your family pedigree chart, the end results of the analysis of those match lists are worth the many hours of work. Sometimes it comes quickly, suddenly you see a very close match that leads to the missing ancestor, but more often it takes a great deal of time and effort.

The list below makes the path look simple and easy, but the first step to working with autosomal DNA (AtDNA) matches is learning the language and how to use available tools. Watch webinars, take classes, attend lectures at genealogy conferences, read books by experts, and follow blogs. This is a new field, but there are already some genealogists who have become experts at the methods and teaching the rest of us:  Blaine Bettinger,[1] Diahan Southard,[2] and many others.  Read through the website of ISOGG.[3]

My Strategy:

Although absolutely not a genetic genealogy expert, through the kind guidance of mentors I have learned to start by creating a robust and well-sourced family tree for known branches including collateral lines if possible to help pinpoint how unknown matches relate to me.

1.     Test DNA. Strategies differ for individuals depending on the research question. Develop a testing plan if possible.[4] Many testers start with AncestryDNA which has the largest database of testers. It is possible to transfer the results to other sites that expand the match pool and increase the chances of finding close relatives.

1.     AncestryDNA test, then download RAW results file,[5] then upload to FTDna and My Heritage.[6]

2.     Upload to GEDmatch if comfortable, always read who sees results and privatize if you have concerns.[7] 

2.     Test family members. Especially helpful are 2nd cousins and half-siblings to know which DNA comes from various branches as you compare results. Get written consent that clearly states unexpected results may come to light and instructions on handling those concerns if necessary. Since testing can be expensive, I find many genealogists pay for their relatives' testing and then manage the match lists and analysis. Always include those generous relatives in the analysis of results if they are interested.

3.     Look at match lists. Begin the process of clustering or grouping matches and use-

1.     shared match tool for matches at any of the companies

2.     Genetic Affairs cluster tool,[8] or My Heritage cluster tool

3.     spreadsheets to organize

4.     Find the cluster that cannot be linked to known relationships (members of the cluster match each other, but do not match any of my known cousins).

5.     Research each member of that cluster by looking at their posted tree or building one for them using-

1.     clues in their profile

2.     a public records search company such as BeenVerified.com

3.     “US Public records Index” on Ancestry.com if you have access

4.     Google.com

5.     Newspapers.com for articles or obituaries

6.     Find overlap in the created trees to find a common ancestral couple or the most recent common ancestor (MRCA)

7.     Build a robust and well-sourced family tree for the MRCA couple with every generation as complete as possible including spouse information.

1.     Analyze the members of each branch to see if they were in the right location/time

2.     Use census, directories, and other sources to track all the members of each line

3.     Rule out any candidates for an ancestor who were too young, had died before the time frame of study or were in a remote location.

8.     Study that MRCA tree and get to know locations, surnames, and dates. 

9.     Place any matches from that unknown cluster into the created MRCA tree.

10.  Use What Are The Odds and Shared cM Project tools to form a hypothesis of how I fit into that MRCA tree.[9]  I share matches with members of that cluster and therefore DNA with them, how am I related?  Usually, the higher number of shared cMs, the closer the relationship so concentrate on the branches of the MRCA tree that I have matched with the highest number of shared cMs.

11.  Check the ethnicity of the matches to rule in/out possible candidates.

12.  Step back and look at other clusters of unknown matches and try to see if any of them overlap with a spouse from your MRCA tree. Looking at the ancestry of the spouses will narrow the list or find the candidate you seek

 Tools used in DNA analysis for genetic genealogy change over time and the best practices for using DNA results to break down brick walls in a family tree are evolving within the genealogy community, so it is best to continue learning what methods are recommended by the genetic genealogy experts. The power of knowing we carry evidence of our past in every cell within us is awe-inspiring.

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[1] Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., website:  https://thegeneticgenealogist.com/13-2/

[2] Diahan Southard website: https://www.yourdnaguide.com/about

[3] International Society of Genetic Genealogy website: https://isogg.org/.

[4] Diahan Southard, “Create a DNA testing Plan,” blog post, Your DNA Guide (https://www.yourdnaguide.com/ydgblog/dna-testing-plan : accessed 13 July 2022).

[5] AncestryDNA (https://support.ancestry.com/s/ancestrydna : accessed 13 July 2022).

“Downloading DNA Data,” Ancestry (https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Downloading-DNA-Data : accessed 13 July 2022).

[6] FamilyTreeDNA website uploads: https://www.familytreedna.com/autosomal-transfer

MyHeritage website uploads: https://www.myheritage.com/dna/upload

[7] “GEDmatch.com Terms of Service and Privacy Policy,” GEDmatch (https://www.gedmatch.com/terms-of-service-privacy-policy : accessed 13 July 2022).

[8] Genetic Affairs website: https://geneticaffairs.com/features-autocluster.html

My Heritage Cluster tool: https://blog.myheritage.com/2019/02/introducing-autoclusters-for-dna-matches/

[9] Jonny Perl, “Frequently Asked Questions About WATO,” DNA Painter (https://dnapainter.com/help/wato-faq : accessed 13 July 2022).

Blaine T Bettinger, “The Shared cM Project 4.0 tool v4 beta,” DNA Painter (https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4-beta : accessed 13 July 2022).

 

The evidence is within us! Autosomal DNA analysis: Part 1

 

Test results from the genetic company arrive in your email inbox and the journey begins. Sometimes unexpected and unnerving results turn our world upside down, but more often we are amazed that a lab was able to link us to locations and living relatives who share segments of ancestral DNA. It is a profound moment. Genealogists currently use consumer DNA testing companies to confirm their documented family tree or use the new methods of genetic genealogy to break down brick walls and push back their pedigree charts.  

There are currently three tests consumers can take that measure different parts of the cells.   

 

Test #1: Autosomal (AtDNA) is the test advertised on TV.  That type of DNA is a mix in every individual with 50% from each parent.  Siblings have similar, but unique combinations of the parent DNA.  Half of the genes are inherited from the mother and half from the father.  That does not mean the tester received copies of all maternal genes representing all her ancestry, it means that randomly upon conception the tester received half of what maternal genes were available.  Siblings inherited half of their maternal genes, but a different selection.  The other half of maternal genetics was lost to the tester but may appear in sections of his siblings or in smaller amounts in cousins who got DNA from grandparents.  Because of the inheritance pattern and the loss over generations of DNA from ancestors, this test is best used to find or confirm ancestors for the past 4-5 generations. Submitted samples from the oldest relatives are therefore most helpful in the analysis of results as they were closest to the ancestors further back in time.

 

The AtDNA results can be used in several ways.

 

  1.  Lab results can predict your ethnicity and ancient origins. Interesting, but not always 100% accurate.  Their analysis is based on each company’s test group in countries around the world which are compared by the computer to your results.  Every company has different analyses and various sizes of sample populations for comparison.

  2.  Matching test results with others who test can help solve lineage questions.  Most of the match lists with other testers sharing some of your DNA will be unknown relatives, but some may have family photos, documents, or other information that will help illustrate or push back family lines.  

Test #2: Mitochondrial (MtDNA) testing is for men or women to show what we inherit from our mothers.  Women pass it on to all their children, so men have their mom’s MtDNA, but do not pass it to children. This might help with maternal ancestry.                     

 

 

Test #3: Y-DNA is tested only done with male subjects as females received two X chromosomes, but males received XY. Follows the male line for many generations.  This information could possibly help with paternal ancestry.

Once the results arrive from the test company there are steps for best practices suggested by professional genealogists, the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and the International Society of Genetic Genealogy who are all concerned with privacy issues, professional and ethical use of results and teaches genealogists how to use results in effective analysis. 

A picture is worth a thousand words

My family members have the photography bug. My great-grandfather took pictures with glass negatives in 1900 and set up a developing studio in his basement in Washington, DC. He left his collection of glass negatives that depict visits to the family farm of his future wife while they were courting which is a treasure for the family history.  

Great-grandmother on her father's farm while courting great-grandfather, 1904 Hugh Roberts

There are pictures of pigs and chickens and miles of white-washed fences all captured and passed down through time. Some of the photos in this wonderful collection are scenes of rural Dorchester County, Maryland giving a view of the area's rich agricultural heritage.

Farm laborers in Dorchester County, MD 1904, Hugh Roberts

His passion for capturing life onto film was passed on to his daughter who stood on the shed rooftop in 1919 to capture an image of their new home on the Chesapeake.

Deale, Maryland home purchased in 1919, Ella Roberts Miller

Grandmother had a camera attached to her body and captured family grouping at every event we can remember. At a cousin's wedding in 1997, the new groom was thrilled when he believed the photo session was over after several poses.  All the rest of the family giggled as we knew photography would go on throughout the day. But today as I sift through the albums that she passed on to me I am no longer full of mirth but of gratitude, for she not only took the photos but labeled and organized thousands of shots which  I am in the process of digitizing to pass on through the family.

My mother inherited the photography DNA but turned her camera to stained glass windows depicting iconography and stories in churches meant to teach or inspire through symbolism and rainbows of color. She earned a master's degree at a Pennsylvania Seminary and began a lifetime of presenting slideshow lectures throughout the east coast depicting her research.

Church window photograph used to teach lessons, Doris Miller Bowman 1976

                                            

My favorite place to photograph is our ancestral home on the Chesapeake. Sunsets, sunrise, eagles, osprey, family members who visited, and of course the water are all caught on film to cherish this beautiful place and the family who abided there. 

Sunrise at Cedar Point, 2015 Carol Kehler

Whether your photographs are family group portraits, images of the family homestead, beautiful local scenery, or gorgeous artifacts like stained glass, pictures enhance our stories and are sometimes truly worth a thousand words.

Gifts from an ancestor

 My great-grandmother had a garden. I can remember her unsteady gait aided by a tall walking stick as she made her way daily to inspect the turned earth. Ever the resourceful caretaker of the family, she used her plot of ground to raise tomatoes and corn and cucumbers, and okra. Although the area she called her garden was for vegetables, there were purple iris around the shed, 

a rainbow of colored azaleas bloomed in front of the porch in May, 

and a beautiful holly tree loaded with red berries every December stood guard in the yard.

In anticipation of the sale of her house years later I dug up many Iris bulbs and brought them home.  I also clipped branches of holly heavy with berries to use on cemetery Christmas wreaths as my family had done for decades. While I couldn't keep her house, I could treasure a tiny part of her yard. I was well into adulthood and still accidentally killing house plants so there was little hope that I could keep part of Granny's garden thriving, but I planted the bulbs. Each year they have spread further and in April my front yard is covered in purple.

Encouraged to try other plants I visited the local nursery and brought home sweet-smelling alyssum and multicolor of the flowers called stock or Matthiola incana. I had some success with annuals and perennials in container gardens. For several years spring and summer I combined various scents and colors in pots around my porch.  The spring the pandemic started I did not venture out to purchase plants and fully expected it to be a barren summer. But that April the purple irises returned in force along with yellow daffodils and some purple tulips that had been in my father's garden and transplanted. In May green shoots began to surface in some of my flower pots and later blossomed into Sweet William lavender flowers with white tips that spread and filled the space. 

Even though I was sheltering in place, the earth pushed up green and colorful gifts. One day while weeding and pruning I noticed a tiny pinky-size jagged shoot of green that upon inspection looked vaguely like miniature leaves from a holly tree. Nurturing the new plant for several weeks I realized as it grew that the December before the pandemic I had placed clipped branches from my great-grandmother's beautiful holly tree in my outside flower boxes for Christmas decoration. Some of the fruit had buried down into the Earth and blossomed in spring into a new holly tree.  What a beautiful inheritance down the generations. 

Although these several years I have relied on the perennials and not added the colorful annuals from a store, my flower pots provide an Oasis of Peace and reflection and continued family traditions, a new avocation for my retirement, and some surprise gifts from an ancestor.

Hidden family history treasures in the attic

Cleaning out old boxes in my attic recently allowed me time to reflect on my life as I sorted old photos and documents attempting to distill them down to the most meaningful.  I digitized family history items for genealogy research and passed them on to descendants, sent VHS tapes out for transfer to create easy-to-use viewing files, and found my old writing from college.  In 1975 I was just finding myself and was asked to reflect on a significant place.  As I spend so much time getting to know ancestors from the past, it was meaningful to also connect with my young self. The sentiments I wrote all those years ago are still important to my mature self and were a gift...

In all my travels from Florida to Maine and west to Seattle, my very favorite place is a small wooden pier at our ancestral property in Maryland. At the end of the narrow, grey, warped dock are two ladders for climbing in and out of boats and I curl up around the extending posts, dangling my feet which just miss the crests of passing waves. 

I love to sit there all alone and think or cry or sing but mostly pray. It's easy to become close to God there because His beautiful works envelop me. If I don't look back to land it feels like I'm completely surrounded by water. Boats go by that pier all day in the summer to get from the secure marinas on the creek into the Chesapeake. I especially loved the sailboats with colored sails that whipped wildly as the boats rounded the stone jetty and headed for deep water. Whitecaps would crash into the rocks shooting spray and seaweed. The opposite shore looks like a Mediterranean dream, with narrow winding streets climbing up a hill and close-set white houses hugging the land. 

The pier runs parallel to a long stone jetty that separates the mouth of our wide creek from the white-capped swells of the Chesapeake Bay. At sunset, the blues, golds, and pinks of the sky reflect on the rolling water and lights appear from boats and houses that twinkle like stars. I could sit on those old rotting boards forever, but mosquitos or a chilling wind, or a voice from the house calls me back to land and away from my special place.  

Teachers over the years would ask for essays about a favorite place and I always wrote about the peace of sitting on that pier feeling close to nature, watching the sunsets, and praying. Many times, I have gone back to visit and never leave without a walk to the pier which is where I established a relationship with God and go back to reconnect.

View from my Pier at Cedar Point on the Chesapeake Bay

When History goes up in Smoke

At 5:34 pm last night my phone lit up with the message "your house is on fire." My heart stopped, I opened the attached picture and started to cry. I knew the sender of the message who now lives in Texas and recognized the picture, not of the house where I was eating dinner, but the site of my ancestral home I sold several years ago. It was on fire. Friends saw the black smoke rising over the trees, realized the location, and took out their phones for photos.  The pictures bounced from Maryland to Texas to Pennsylvania to New York and then Washington State. Calls, emails, and more texts poured in throughout the evening as my children and old family friends realized I would feel profound sadness as a part of my family history was destroyed.  I soaked up all the bits of news as the flames were put out so many miles away.

Fire in Deale, Maryland 21 August 2022 - Kathleen Flanagan

Sorrow swept through the family as one by one we realized that the home our family had owned for 100 years was in crisis. Gratitude that the members of the family who have passed away would be spared today's trauma overshadowed the regrets that the vessel of the memories of so many family events was disappearing. The gabled house on the point of land where Rockhold Creek merges with Herring Bay has stood guard since 1850 and through the thoughtless actions of teens on a lark was to be no more.

House at Cedar Point in flames - Knopps

                

We are so grateful for the Herculean efforts of the volunteer fire department who had over the years many times visited the property to rescue weekend sailors who had crashed their boats on the rocks coming back into port, and once in 1957 when my great grandfather, fighting dementia, had wandered out in a snowstorm and was lost. But last night those brave firefighters poured water on the old attic trying to diminish the flames and then searched for hot spots until dusk.

Aftermath - Kathleen Flanagan

  

As we honor our family's heritage in this age of climate change, natural catastrophes, and sometimes deliberate damage, it is important to document with story and photos the artifacts and properties of our ancestors to savor all that they have meant to our family and share with those yet to come.

House shell from the water - Peggy L'Hommedieu

Tonight I am reminded that community comes together to mourn the loss of history and support, even virtually, during times when others feel loss. I researched the property over the years, lectured on the history of the area, published a BOOKLET sold by the local Historical Society, and crafted house history essays in this blog. Now my EULOGY for a house is truly a sad song saying goodbye to a piece of history that last night went up in smoke.

House at Cedar Point, 1919 - Ella Roberts

A Serendipitous Genealogy discovery

Sometimes the most important documents, photos, or artifacts in our family history come to us from distant family who kindly passes on wonderful treasures like the family bible or a photo of a long-lost relative.  As the extended family all know that I have a passion for genealogy, often envelopes or boxes of items get passed on to the nutty family historian.  Sometimes the treasures are right under our noses, and we had them all along.

 

I was in charge of the care of my mother's house in Pennsylvania during the summers when she stayed at the ancestral home on the Chesapeake. One hot July day in 1997 early in my family history journey I was doing the weekly chores sorting mail and watering plants when I remembered a scene as a young girl talking to my father in my parent's basement when he pulled out an old photo of his puppy and one of his mother who had died in 1912.  It occurred to me that the photos were still in the house, and I poured over every box I could find without success.  Discouraged, I sat in Daddy's easy chair to think and spoke out loud my frustration and plea for guidance. Suddenly I had an idea for a hideaway in the basement, zoomed down the stairs, and within minutes had two old wooden trunks filled with documents, photos, jewelry, locks of hair, tin types, albums, newspapers, and more.  I was crying so hard that when I called my mother in Maryland I couldn't make myself understood and frightened her.  It took some time to convince her they were tears of joy.

 

Inside the wooden box were documents from the family including a legal-size sheet that described a 1920 family reunion of the Eisenberg/Jones family.[1]  It gave some history that led me to research our connection, and all at once I was related to a family that settled in Pennsylvania before William Penn! I spent the summer learning all about "New Sweden" along the Delaware River that was settled starting in 1638. On 27 September 1997, the descendants of the Swedish colonists held several events in Pennsylvania and Delaware to celebrate their heritage. I attended the annual Mans Jones Day in Berks County at the house owned by one of my ancestors in 1701.[2]   The Historical Preservation Trust of Berks County had people dressed in colonial garb and I ate lunch in the nearby colonial tavern. The next day the state of Delaware sponsored the launch of a replica of a Swedish ship, the Kalmar Nyckel, which brought many of the Swedish colonists to America. It is to be the official "tall ship" of Delaware because the first landing of the original Kalmar Nyckel was near present-day Wilmington.[3] 

 

One of the most prized treasures coming from one of the wooden trunks was a letter. Dad's aunt Mary had written the letter to her uncle who was living in  Delaware County in 1895. The letter was a description of the birth of my dad who weighed ten pounds. His exhausted mother allowed her mother to choose the family name, Joseph. What a wonderful document this letter is! Many baby pictures and unlabeled family photos were also part of the trunk's treasures.[4]  

 

It is such a wonderful gift to be able to honor those who came before us and understand ourselves a little better as a result of getting to know them.  Knowing that sometimes we are lucky to stumble over artifacts to illuminate their lives makes the journey that much more special and aids in honoring our ancestors.

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[1]. George E. Fry, "History of the Eisenberg-Jones Reunion," 15 July 1922. This legal size paper was stored in a wooden

trunk found in the home of Joseph R. Bowman, the grandson of Philip Eisenberg Heavner. Joseph was raised in Philip's 

home and inherited many family documents and photos when his mother, then grandparents died. Philip's wife 

Catherine attended several family reunions as shown in photos also found in the trunks. The 1922 document seems 

to be a brochure handed out at a family reunion.

"Eisenberg-Jones family record," digital image, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/eisenbergjonesfa00unse : 

accessed 16 July 2022); originally published by the Historical Committee of the Eisenberg-Jones Family Association, 

Philadelphia, 1923.

[2]. "Mouns Jones House," database, Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County 

(http://historicpreservationtrust.org/historic-properties/morlatton-village/mouns-jones-house/ : accessed 16 July 2022).

[3]. "Our History," database, Kalmar Nyckel (https://www.kalmarnyckel.org/our-history : accessed 16 July 2022).

[4]. Two wooden trunks holding various family papers and photos, ca. 1880-30; privately held by Carol Bowman Kehler,

[ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Pennsylvania, 1997. Found in the basement workshop of Joseph R. Bowman at his home in 

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania ca. 1997. Daughters Carol and Elizabeth cataloged, labeled when possible, and reviewed items.

Daughter Carol remembers her father viewing pictures of his mother in the workshop ca. 1965, probably taken out of the 

trunks to view.

Why create a family tree: The Psychology of Genealogy Research

Type the query “Psychology of Genealogy” into a search engine and scores of articles both scholarly journals and popular magazines appear as results. I had done such a search many years ago to prepare for a  basic family history lecture, but many new books and articles have been written about the topic in recent years spanning the globe.[1] The premise in the writings differs from work to work as some authors look at the psychology of the researchers and attempt to explain the attraction of family history, others look at the emotional benefits or problems attributed to the research of ancestors, sometimes the reference to Genealogy simply means a lineal history of a subject as seen in new articles that have appeared in the past decade that speak to Academic Genealogy.

Intellectual or Academic Genealogy is now used in various disciplines to trace the links from one scholar to another back in time often concentrating on the study of mentors for graduate degrees. A contemporary researcher in any discipline is thought to be influenced by his academic opportunities and mentors who in turn were influenced by their teachers that can be depicted in a pedigree form which allows evaluation of the credibility of works produced and bias of contemporary scholars.[2]  If it is true that academic scholarship is influenced by the history of the researcher, it can be argued that the personality of an individual has been influenced by their ancestors. Whether genetics plays a greater role in human development or if it is believed that environment influences an individual to a larger degree, nature and nurture can both be studied in family history to develop a snapshot of the individuals under study since our ancestors influence their descendants could be passed on both through the genes determining health and eye color or the environment they created around their offspring which shaped personalities.

The descriptions in published works of the personality of family history researchers or what makes a genealogist tick are often based on feedback and study of serious historical researchers who love the various aspects of genealogy such as organizational charts and color-coded notebooks, detective work long into the night, curiosity about individuals and what influenced their lives, passion for documentation and source citations and continuing education in evolving research methods and best practices. These personality traits of course do not describe the vast majority of individuals who crave some basic ancestral facts or have a curiosity about their ethnicity or perhaps are searching for answers as a result of adoption questions but do not have the time, resources, or skill set to research their questions in depth. So, it is unreasonable to believe that there is a particular psychology to those who have family history questions.

©

It seems the emphasis in the Psychology of Genealogy should be not on what drives those to partake in what is often seen as a popular fad but instead, should be on the benefits or cautions to individuals who explore their ancestry. There are a few simple advantages to researchers creating family trees. In a world much separated by distance and busy schedules and most recently the pandemic, socialization takes place online between researchers working on a common family line. Long-lost extended family can reconnect. I had an unknown grandparent ancestry that took deep digging and hours of analysis to piece together, then a distant cousin met online sent me a large box of original family photos giving me the opportunity in middle age to see my ancestors on that line for the first time. The collaboration with newly discovered cousins is heartwarming as I discovered having tea in Devonshire, UK with a previously unknown cousin of my grandmother who took me on a car tour of the ancestral village after I connected with her friend online.

Priceless memories can be made including some with immediate family as my children each in turn traveled and researched with me on our shared family history. They trudged through cemeteries looking for names on headstones, sat in libraries and archives, and patiently listen to my latest findings. My daughter can remember the day I ran to her school to let her know she was related to Daniel Boone, she was there when the Kalmar Nyckel ship was launched 25 years ago in Delaware as a replica of the one on which her Colonial Swedish ancestors journeyed to North America, and the children were beside me when I touched the ancient wall in Germany where their ancestors were baptized. The shared experiences of travel, new cultures, and academic research made history come alive for each of us and I am so grateful for them beside me through the experience.

The mental stimulation of constructing a family puzzle with some stubborn pieces taking much effort to place in the big picture is as rewarding to fighting off aging as Sudoku or Crosswords. Family researchers find they must keep up with the latest innovations in technology to access records and sometimes need to utilize educational opportunities such as conferences or formal classes to understand research tools and analysis methods to break through brick walls in research.[3] Continuing education keeps minds sharp and gives new depths to interesting aspects of personality. New vocabulary is acquired and thought processes and communication skills can deepen.

Analytical Literature on family trees and their impact on health is abundant. Familial Health history is often required before medical treatment. Famously the family tree of Ernest Hemingway has been studied, researched, and depicted in detailed family charts showing the impact of the genetic ancestral connection to bipolar disease and suicide in his family.[4]  Sometimes the knowledge of family medical history allows patients to mitigate risk. Recent studies in Emotional Genealogy and how the last few generations of ancestors influence contemporary individuals are important for mental health practitioners to review in their efforts to give counseling to suffering patients.[5]

It is easy to imagine the good feelings generated in individuals who find their place in a story of a family. A sense of belonging could result and personal links to past and future would be felt by those discovering their ancestry. Sometimes there are sad, unexpected, or scary tales within a family history that can be jolting. There are ancestors who inspire pride and some for which we feel shame, but their victories or sins are not ours. Family history should not be ancestor worship, but the discovery of the cultures and historical circumstances that shaped those who raised us who were in turn raised by humans who had significant stories.

Decisions made along the way by ancestors in a family tale impact the present from the choice to move to an urban or rural area, financial and occupational selections, choice of spouse, or abandonment of children can all change the opportunities and feelings of self-worth for contemporary individuals. Some emotional turmoil follows them into adulthood and changes the way they respond to their own descendants. Understanding the stories of those who came before sometimes gives room for compassion for family members who suffered or inspiration by trials they suffered and may have overcome. It can aid in us feeling I am not in this alone nor am I the only one who has dealt with joy or grief.

I knew a person who was universally thought to be negative and stern. The cold personality put a damper on social gatherings and was stressful. A short time before death they reached out to me and explained the abandonment by a parent and abuse by another family member caused mistrust as a young person which was never resolved. Knowing the story allowed for forgiveness and understanding. Another acquaintance lost their house in the depression and their car was put up on blocks by the bank, they lost two businesses and then their spouse died young. Empathy for those touched by such events goes a long way to an appreciation of the blessings we do have or may give us space to forgive ourselves for regretted decisions.

Perhaps unique to a few genealogists, there is a passion for the past and a feeling of responsibility to honor those who came before even outside our own immediate family. Sometimes it is a touchstone to reflect on their impact on our lives, sometimes they have no family to remember them. Often when I lose a friend I put together a basic family tree to teach me something about how and where they were raised, the occupations of the family members, where they went to school, and what activities interested them. Reading obituaries, leafing through online yearbooks, looking at extended family online trees, and finding old photos brings them closer to me, gives me an understanding of the robust lives they led, allows for grieving then healing, and celebrates their lives.

Since May 2000 DNA test kits have been publicly available and have increased in accuracy and types of genetic testing. Various DNA test results at multiple companies together with analysis of overlaps in family trees have resulted in startling results, sometimes just having a test result confirm what you believed about your family connections creates a wow moment that is empowering. Increasingly stories of unexpected results end in emotional trauma for testers.[6] But the most heart welling consequence of the widespread DNA testing seems to be the profound realization that we are all related.... all humans share 99.9% identical genetic makeup.[7] The difference is 0.1%...

One of my genealogy methodology mentors is the genetic genealogist, Diahan Southard who is a fantastic scientist and expert family historian who cheerleads her students through the maze of DNA analysis. She taught middle school students in Atlanta about their DNA test results to promote racial healing as she showed the young people how related they were, how diverse their backgrounds, and yet share identity with all those around us.[8] A 2016 study by a travel company to promote worldwide cultural acceptance followed 67 diverse individuals who found they had much in common.[9] Genealogy and DNA studies can be used by devoted researchers to make a difference in the world, promoting kindness and racial healing.  

Although anyone regardless of their passions, gifts and occupation can give back and support others, I have seen the work of “genealogy angels” over the past few decades unselfishly guide those who have holes in their hearts from empty spaces on their family trees.[10] Hugs from library staff at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City when a brick wall comes down, Archivists who photocopy and mail birth or death records on their own time and cost, online volunteers who find the long-lost siblings separated by adoption all done with energy and joy that celebrates the newly found connections for others is heart swelling. I sat quietly in a small German town archive beside my youngest son attempting to read old German Script and struggling to discern the location of an ancestral home. The archivist realized my dilemma and in broken English explained he would escort us to the spot which was a few blocks away. My broken German did not do justice to my gratitude for his kindness. Often family historians sense profound moments in others and share willingly in celebration of connection.

 I have a bad habit of watching sappy Hallmark movies and keep the box of tissues nearby, but I also use those to stem the tide of tears when I watch Henry Louis Gates, Jr. interact with guests on his “Finding Your Roots” PBS series.[11] With a gentle spirit, he gifts family ties to those seeking a sense of their heritage, good or bad and they are profoundly changed. Not all people need the journey into their past as they find their lives fulfilled with busy schedules and a good support system in the present. But many find at least some time in their lives the need for connection to their family history which may provide comfort or answers, forgiveness or understanding of those in the past and who we are today.

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[1] Susan Moore, Doreen Rosenthal, Rebecca Robinson, The Psychology of Family History (Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2020). Australian authors S. Moore a social psychologist and professor, D. Rosenthal a developmental social psychologist, and R. Robinson a computer scientist and theologian together study why genealogists research and the effect on self-identity.

Susan M Moore, “How Ancestor Research Affects Self-Understanding and Well-Being,” Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, Basel, Switzerland (https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/6/1/20/htm :  accessed 10 July 2022); original publication, Genealogy, Vol. 6, no. 1:20, published 1 March 2022. The author references scholarly articles and journals.

Jurai Darongkamas and Louise Lorenc, "Going Back to Our Roots," The Psychologist, publication of the British Psychological Society (https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-21/edition-12/going-back-our-roots : accessed 7 July 2022), Vol. 21, December 2008, pp. 1022-1025. The UK.

Paula Nicholson, Genealogy, Psychology, and Identity: Tales from a family tree (1st ed.) (London: Routledge, 2016). Explores psychosocial factors run across generations.

Nathan H. Lents, "The Meaning and Meaninglessness of Genealogy," Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beastly-behavior/201801/the-meaning-and-meaninglessness-genealogy  : accessed 7 July 2022), Online U.S. magazine post 29 January 2018.

Penny Walters, Ph.D., The Psychology of Searching (Author: United Kingdom, 2020); Search my Past (https://www.searchmypast.co.uk/ : accessed 22 August 2022).

[2] Hortense Le Ferrand,  “Academic Genealogy to Follow the Evolution of Materials Research,” Cambridge University (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/mrs-bulletin/article/academic-genealogy-to-follow-the-evolution-of-materials-research/06462C93B217E8A8D377A1A3013A5FB9 : accessed 8 July 2022) Materials Research Society at Cambridge University Press, MRS Bulletin 45, no. 8 (2020): 675–76. doi:10.1557/mrs.2020.228.

[3] Arnon Hershkovitz and Sharon Hardof-Jaffe, "Genealogy as a lifelong learning endeavor," Leisure/loisir 41, no. 4 (2017): 535-560. Canadian researchers analysis of lifelong learning in genealogy.

[4] Dean F. Mackinnon, M.D., “A family tree filled with mental illness,” journal article, National Library of Medicine (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3574759/ : accessed 9 July 2022), Cerebrum, 30 May 2012. A physician review of the family research by Victoria Costello: a lethal inheritance: a mother uncovers the science behind three generations of mental illness.

Neel Burton, M.D., “The Many Names of Bipolar Disorder,” online article, Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/ie/blog/hide-and-seek/201509/the-many-names-bipolar-disorder : accessed 8 July 2022), posted 16 September 2015. While this example is from a popular magazine, many scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles can be found on this subject with in-depth analysis.

[5] Judith Fein, “What is Emotional Genealogy?,” website, Emotional Genealogy (emotionalgenealogy.org : accessed 9 July 2022). Also described by the author “What is your Emotional Genealogy?,” online article, Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/life-is-trip/201401/what-is-your-emotional-genealogy : accessed 9 July 2022), posted 26 January 2014.

Helen Parker-Drabble, “How key psychological theories can enrich our understanding of our ancestors and help improve mental health for present and future generations: A family historian’s perspective,” Genealogy, 6: 4, viewed at Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/)

[6] David R. Topher, Ph.D., MS-HPed, “Genealogy testing: Prepare for the emotional reaction, blog post, Harvard (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/genealogy-testing-prepare-for-the-emotional-reaction-2018060613990 : accessed 9 July 2022), posted 6 June 2018.

Library of Congress (https://guides.loc.gov/family-secrets : accessed 9 July 2022).

[7] James F. Crow, “Unequal by Nature: A Geneticist’s Perspective on Human Differences,” Daedalus 131, no. 1 (2002): 81–88; JSTOR (http://www.jstor.org/stable/20027739 : accessed 10 July 2022).

[8] Diahan Southard, “DNA Ethnicity Results Connect Us, Not Divide Us,” undated Blogpost, your DNA Guide (https://www.yourdnaguide.com/ydgblog/dna-ethnicity-results-can-connect-not-divide-us : accessed 8 July 2022).

[9] Jeppe Rønde, director "Momondo-the DNA Journey," video, Momondo-Let’s Open our World (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyaEQEmt5ls : accessed 7 July 2022), video post 2 June 2016. 67 culturally diverse individuals find common ground with their DNA results.

[10] Oscar Schwartz, “DNA search angels: the Facebook 'detectives' who help reunite families,” online news article, The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/apr/29/dna-search-angels-adoption-facebook-detectives-reunite-families : accessed 9 July 2022), 29 April 2019 from New York City.

[11] “Finding Your Roots,” database, Public Broadcast System (https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/about/about-series : accessed 9 July 2022). “Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr….stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion.”