Spiraling Down the Double Helix

I feel like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole.  I’m trying to get a handle on using DNA to find more cousins.

First  hurdle is understanding the terminology.  What defines a segment? What’s a Centimorgan; and why are all Centimorgans not the same “length”? SNPs? Phasing?

The good news is that every testing company has basic information about DNA and its use in Genealogy.  They’re very helpful. The user forums on these sites can be even more helpful.

23andme

Ancestry

Familytreedna

And there are other great online resources for learning

Beginner’s Guide to Genetic Genealogy

Contexo

Angie Bush administers a Google+ community called DNA Genetic Genealogiy Interest Community.  In August, 2015 she’ll resume doing videos and Google+ Hangouts.

23andme tested my DNA a couple of years ago when they still delivered health information gleaned from their testing. At that time, it was the health info that prompted me to test.

What’s both interesting and frustrating is that the three testing companies all use different algorithms to analyze the raw data, find matches in their database, and also show you the probable ethnic origins in your DNA. (According to 23andme, I’m 3% Neanderthal.)  You may find that a person who is high on the list of matches on one site doesn’t show up as a match on another site even though their DNA raw data is on both.

Then there’s GEDmatch which allows you to upload raw data from any of the three testing companies. You can also upload a gedcom file that will be associated with your data.  Familytreedna.com also permits you to upload your raw data from Ancestry and 23and me.

I’m on a steep learning curve trying to reconcile the analyses from three sites.

My head is spinning! I still have more questions than answers.

Quick Update to "Let's Talk About It"

Maybe it is Nature, after all.  Interesting article about genetic links to depression

I sure hope this is the start of a better understanding of this problem.

Multitasking

This is like work!!

I’m beginning to plan my next StoryPress story and also preparing a presentation for the Polish Interest Group of Indian River Genealogical Society (IRGS); and I’m awaiting the arrival of microfilms from LDS.

I committed to do a presentation on ordering and using LDS microfilms. There are quite a few people in the Polish group, but it seems that not many make use of the films from their ancestral Polish villages.  Some are comfortable viewing films from US sources but are put off by the language issues of international sources.  There are plenty of online language aids for genealogical research. My goal is to ease their anxieties and help them take advantage of these resources.  I am still in the process of finding the right balance – enough information to make them comfortable with the process; but not overwhelming the ones who are more timid.

I won’t be doing this presentation until October, but I started now to give me plenty of time to tweak it.  I work best by working intensely to get a good start then letting it sit for a while and then go back to it later with fresh eyes.

The next StoryPress project will take a look at what my ancestors faced on their voyages across the Atlantic.  From what I’ve read so far, it is difficult for us today to understand the conditions our ancestors faced traveling in steerage in the 1800’s. StoryPress is a very visual medium so I’ll have to find images to suit the story. So far I’ve been researching, and building a mind map.  Love mind maps.

And I’ve finally ordered microfilms of civil records in Poland.  There won’t be very many because Prussian Poland did not keep civil records until 1874.  Still, I’m hoping to find corroboration of some of the church records I’ve found. 

Fortunately my only deadline is a few months away and I can work at my own pace.  I love being retired.

Another Story Published

My new favorite medium for publishing family history stories is Storypress.com  It is incredibly easy to use. It’s still work to develop the story and find the right images, but it is an order of magnitude easier than doing the same thing for a Youtube video.

The biggest problem is my narration – voice, enunciation, and delivery.  I haven’t won a lottery yet, so I can’t afford to hire a professional reader. And I cannot seem to produce a narration that is more than just adequate. It eventually gets to the point where it’s either publish or go on redoing and revising forever. So it is done – for now.

This story is about my great grandparents Michael and Elizabeth Schipp in Prussian Poland.   You can find it here.  If you watch it, I’ll appreciate your comments and suggestions for improvement

On to the next project