Part 501rs – Smith Robertson Genealogy – Maybe Martian?

Good Afternoon,

Isn’t genealogy fun? Who knows what may turn up in my DNA mappings, especially as the technology becomes more and more “sophisticated” and fine-tuned. With the supposed speculation of fossil life in the Martian meteorite ALH 84001, who knows what may be just around the corner in my search for that most distant ancestor?

Okay, okay, I’m not holding my breath, nor am I suggesting that I should follow my roots to Mars… Nor am I looking for that connection. (There I go again with the double or triple negatives…) I am just amazed at how quickly the genetic and genealogy technology is advancing exponentially.

Following up from Part 497, I have now included a 23andMe Autosomal DNA component into my graph/chart. And yes, this is not scientific… It is just my way of visualizing which assists me to understand what the three viewpoints, aka testings, are saying.

As you can see, the three firms: 23andMe, Ancestry By DNA, and Family Tree DNA have all concluded, from their vantage arguments, that my Autosomal DNA is above 93% European in origination. See Part 500rs,and I would presume that that is far back as they can go, up to the current day, with their present techniques.

From my comprehension, and as I try to represent in the graph/chart, I now understand that each firms’ results, as per Megan Smolenyak, “have to do with different approaches being used to do the analysis”. All three have concentrated, the oval area labeled, on “European”. My Autosomal DNA of European origins, albeit ancestry, range from 93% to 97%. Family Tree DNA and 23andMe have similar estimations, approximately 3% to 4%, regarding African origins.

Only 23andMe provides the <1% Asian results. All-things-being-equal, this may mean that Family Tree DNA either did not take that percentage into account in their reporting, or they did not test or examine the corresponding populations. They, Family Tree DNA, did report my results for Europe as 95.85% ± 0.11% and for Africa as 4.14% ± 0.10%. A question I would ask is “If they are that detailed with the result percentages, why would they not “see” any factor for Asian? These two results do add up to 99.99% ± 0.11%.

That is still pretty close to 100%. Per a Family Tree DNA FAQ – “Why don’t the percentages from each population add up to 100%?” Their corresponding response is “Your results may not add up to 100% if you have a small amount of DNA that matches a population. The Population Finder program does not report a match when it is too distant to report with confidence…” So does that mean that Family Tree DNA did or did not see, or report the population match for Asian?

The “blank space” in my graph/chart is that area in the brackets, in my own words… and maybe understanding may be, where the three firms have not analyzed based on their own techniques. Taking a wild guess this is “My Autosome Continuum”. It is in those areas which as time progresses, new and exciting technological developments will reveal more. It would be nice if these tests, and again I am only thinking out of the top of my head, would be able to tell me the “close” geographic origins of my ggg-grandfather James Smith.

Mars, maybe?

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 500rs – Smith Robertson Genealogy – 23andMe Autosomal DNA – Biparental Results

Good Morning,

And this is my 500th Posting on A Genealogy Hunt.

The first draft of my genealogy Autosomal DNA results from 23andMe has been received. And as I understand these results do not include the X and Y, or sex chromosomes. These are the 22 biparental chromosomes or autosomes that I received from my parents. The 22 autosomes are actually pairs; one set of 22 from my father, Smith, and the other set of 22 from my mother, Robertson. (I had to look up a definition of the word – biparental – “Of or derived from two parents.”)

Here is my updated Venn diagram – Smith Robertson Autosomal DNA Test Results.

The 23andMe results, rounded, specific to geographic regions, are: Europe – 97%; Africa – 3%; and Asia – <1%. And how does this compare to my other results as provided by Ancestry By DNA and Family Tree DNA?

Geographic Region	Ancestry By DNA	Family Tree DNA	23andMe
Europe	93%	96%	97%
Africa	0%	4%	3%
Asia	0%	0%	less than 1%
Indigenous American	7%	0%	0%

Remember to note that the Ancestry By DNA tests were taken in 2005, whereas both the Family Tree DNA and 23andMe tests were conducted in 2011.

My next discussion will be to try and understand what Family Tree DNA calls the “Family Finder Illumina Omniexpress Chromosome Brower” and 23andMe labels , what looks the same, as “Ancestry Painting”.

Stay tuned to a next Posting. And, AB is most definitely recovering well.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 497 - Smith Robertson Genealogy - I Am What?

Evening,

Following up to my Posting, Part 496, I was/am somewhat confused by the differences on the results of my genealogy Autosomal DNA test results.

Recapping quickly – Ancestry By DNA, in 2005, returned the results that my genetic makeup should be 93% - European and 7% - Native or Indigenous American. Family Tree DNA’s results, in 2011, suggest that my genetic makeup is 95.9% - Western European and 4.1% - African. And my first gut reaction, “What the hell happened?”

Back up a minute, I am an English Teacher, a Treasury Manager, and a Diplomat-of-sorts, by trade, (now retired), and education. But I think logically… I think. How can my “supposed” scientific and gene-technological numbers be different? How did I, within six years, change my ethnic background and makeup? Something didn’t make sense to me.

I then decided to see a quick question to some of my respected mentors. My question was “Do you know of a specific reason why there is a difference between the Family Tree DNA and the Ancestry By DNA results?”

Here are their answers -

From Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak –

The Ancestry By DNA “were the best available at the time, but the new ones would be more reliable. The differences have to do with different approaches being used to do the analysis.”

From Drew Smith –

“Different companies use different methods to test the autosomal DNA. They may look at different parts of the DNA. And ethnicity is identified by saying which ethnic groups are ‘most’ likely to have particular values at particular points in the DNA. In other words, you could test a particular point in the DNA, and say ‘the value you get is most commonly found among African populations’ (which is not the same as saying that it’s never found in European populations.)”

From Katherine Borges –

“One big reason that the results differ is because the two companies are using different databases and data sets to compare your results to. Even if you purchased your Ancestry by DNA test back when Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) was a reseller of the test, your results were still only compared to DNA Print’s database which does not have proprietary access to.”

And with those responses, and further reading in mind, I created the above inserted chart. I am an extremely visual person, albeit logical and I needed a “picture” to help me to understand. This basic Chart represents, in my mind, the different vantage points and testing factors of the two firms; Ancestry by DNA and Family Tree DNA. I have included, in green, a label representing 23andMe; I am waiting for their testing results.

This conversation will continue. Stay-tuned for more… as I pound my thick skull trying to make heads, (no pun intended), or tails of all the information.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Searching A Genealogy Hunt - DNA Updates

Evening,

It’s been a hectic couple of past days… and between each breathing moment I try to work on my genealogy and ancestry. Yes I am obsessed with genealogy.

I have received a number of emails asking questions regarding inter-connections and possible links regarding all eight branches of my Family Tree. I welcome the inquiries, questions, and requests. I try to answer all, and I mean all of the questions and your comments, as soon as I can.

For anyone with questions regarding a surname or some word reference that I may have included in my Postings, I have provided the “Search This Blog” box in the right-hand column. A surname can be typed into the “Search This Blog” box and the “Search” button can be pressed or clicked on. All-things-being-equal, the Goggle Blogger’s functionality searches through the Postings on A Genealogy Hunt and should return the number of Postings that may include that which has been typed into the “Search This Blog” box.

In the center column is my “Most Recent 20 Postings” list of links. The number 1 link should be the immediate previous Posting to the current one that shows up initially and at the Home position of A Genealogy Hunt. I attempt to update the “Most Recent 20 Postings” almost immediately after entering and displaying a brand new Post. I try to ensure that a live link is in place, so that a reader can click on the link and be immediately transported to the Post that is being referenced and titled.

Please be aware that I do not post or provide any gedcom files of my database in A Genealogy Hunt. In this wise I can almost guarantee that I am not providing any information or details concerning or about any living relatives or family members. I am sure that you will appreciate the confidentiality.

I invite comments, questions, thoughts, and ideas to my genealogy work and research. I am also open to suggestions on how others may believe that I can always improve A Genealogy Hunt.

Apart from the main thrust of the ancestral search and research, I am continuing with my Transcription Project of the Grenada Registers of Records. This of course has an explicit desired outcome of which is the search and scrutiny of any hint or clue to the origins of my 3-times great-grandfather James Smith.

The other work is my DNA Project of which I am currently stumbling through trying to understand the detailed results provided and offered by the relevant vendors. I am now awaiting the results of the extended Family Tree DNA Y-DNA111 Marker Tests for the Smith, Robertson, and Brunhammer paternal lines.

I have received the first wave of test results from the Family Tree DNA Family Finder and Walk Through The Y products. I will state categorically that I, in no way, am a geneticist nor a DNA expert. There is a ton of technical, theoretical, and scientific data that would take me eons to read and comprehend. This exercise is elementary and at the throes of the beginnings of the sciences. If there are any experts, or perceived experts – pro or con, I certainly would appreciate the layman’s version of the techno-jargon.

Regarding Autosomal DNA I am now in the process of comparing the results of two of the three firms that I have received testing. I have received the results from Ancestry by DNA and Family Tree DNA. The third, 23andMe has proposed that their results will be available in about a month and a half.

As a note, I am fully aware that all the genealogy DNA results are based on conjecture, theory, and applicable databases as well as previous scientific study and documentation. I rest on the fact that the information of the results received in no wise will definitively provide me with a fixed and unchanging ancestral result of matching ancestors. I stand by the statement that the result information MAY provide a POSSIBILTY of a PROBABILITY of a common ancestor between two test results. The information, details and the results are certainly food for thought that is something to keep my grey matter functioning.

Oh and I just discovered a new tool, Panopreter Plus that is available as a free download in Microsoft at the 2003 level. This product/tool allows my PC to read back, that is, it converts text to speech. This is a good tool especially when I am proofing and working on a Posting or a document.

Enjoy your spring, in the snow or by the pool.

Jim

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