SAN GERALDO AND I had DNA testing done at the end of the summer. I had chosen a lab to do tests at a cost of under $200 per person. San Geraldo knew better and selected two reputable labs, Family Tree DNA and Living DNA, to do thorough tests that would tell in intricate detail our genetic history as well as enable us to find living relatives (although I'm still not convinced I want to find more living relatives). That was not under $200. But, results are still coming in from all the tests being run and I've had some interesting results. Who knows? I just might be less than 1 percent Bayaka Pygmy of the Western Congo Basin. It could explain why my maternal grandmother and her family were so short in stature (and special in so many ways). It's exciting for me to learn I'm more of a mixture than I realized.
SAN GERALDO Y yo hicimos pruebas de ADN al final del verano. Elegí un laboratorio para hacer pruebas a un costo de menos de $200 por persona. San Geraldo sabía mejor y seleccionó dos prestigiosos laboratorios. Family Tree DNA y Living DNA, para hacer pruebas minuciosas que contaría con detalles complejos de nuestra historia genética y nos permitiría encontrar parientes vivos (aunque todavía no estoy convencido de que quiera encontrar más parientes vivos). Eso no fue menos de $200. Pero, los resultados siguen llegando de todas las pruebas que se están ejecutando y he tenido algunos resultados interesantes. ¿Quién sabe? Podría ser aproximadamente menos que 1 por ciento de Bayaka Pigmeo de la Cuenca Del Oeste del Congo. Podría explicar por qué mi abuela materna y su familia tenían tan poca estatura (y especial de muchas maneras). Es emocionante para mí saber que soy más una mezcla de lo que me di cuenta.
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| THIS PORTRAIT FROM 1923 HUNG OVER MY GRANDPARENTS' BED. ESTE RETRATO DE 1923 COLGABA SOBRE LA CAMA DE MIS ABUELOS. |
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| I KNEW MY GRANDMOTHER ALWAYS WORE HEELS; IT TOOK YEARS BEFORE I NOTICED SHE STOOD ON A BOX FOR THE PORTRAIT. YO SABÍA QUE MI ABUELA SIEMPRE LLEVANDO TACONES; TOMÓ AÑOS ANTES DE DARME CUENTA DE QUE ESTABA PARADA EN UNA CAJA PARA EL RETRATO. |
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| DUDO: ANY BIRD DNA IN THE FAMILY? ... WELL, HELLO, COUSIN! COME ON IN! DUDO: ¿CUALQUIER ADN DE AVES EN LA FAMILIA? ... ¡BUENO, HOLA, PRIMO!" ¡VENGA! |
Very interesting combinations; At best it is to be happy in your skin :-)
ReplyDeleteHeron:
DeleteYou're so right. Some days I am.
Ancestry DNA is probably the best bet to find living realtives, a 2nd cousin once removed on my dad's side reached out to me on there
ReplyDeleteAdam:
DeleteJerry is an avid and experienced genealogist and did a lot of research on what would work for us. I think one that he used was connected with Ancestry.com, which I think is what you're referring to. Getting lots of possible connections.
pygmy?
ReplyDeleteanne marie:
DeleteYep. Very early history. I also love the Austronesian ancestry, which appears as 1 or 2 percent in a number of results. More modern breakdown is almost all Eastern European.
I'm with you about finding more living relatives.
ReplyDeleteI mean, especially the pygmy ones! =)
Bob:
DeleteJerry thinks finding more relatives is the most fascinating part... But then he knows so much about his ancestry going back through the Plantegenets. We had a friend in Palm Springs who had escaped his Southern Baptist family for good and couldn't understand why Jerry even bothered with genealogy research. "You wanna fahnd mo-wer?!?" he would ask incredulously.
Sarah was actually very tall, but she shrunk one inch every year after she turned 70.
ReplyDeleteKenosha:
DeleteIf by "actually very tall" you mean under 5 feet, I agree. I was 10 when she was 70 and I was already taller than she was. But your annual loss estimate would fit with how tall she was when she died. Jerry said she could have stood in front of him and he could have eaten a bowl of soup off the top of her head... I've never quite understand why that image ever even popped into his head.
Yes, you're a real Heinz 57!
ReplyDeleteDebra:
DeleteIf you go back far enough. Go back 4 generations and it's all pretty boring.
I should get that done, we have no clue where my mother's family is from.
ReplyDeleteTravel:
DeleteIt really is fascinating and will be interesting to see what more we learn. Jerry knows so much about his entire family, but there are still some holes he's hoping to fill. I, on the other hand, know just a bit beyond my grandparents. But, as I've mentioned, these results are very difficult to understand and require a whole bunch of work and research to interpret. The pie chart I've shared is the simplest part of the entire stream of information.
A few days ago I sent my saliva in to the National Geographic Genome Project. They have partnered with the DNA sequencing company Helix. Not sure what I will learn, but it is set up so that you can have additional analyses done as they become available. That is a beautiful photo of your Grandmother and her family. I think Dudo must have some Paleo-Siberian, too; he just has that look about him.
ReplyDeleteWilma:
DeleteNational Graphic's is supposed to be very good. We would have done that except that Jerry wanted multiple levels of info and to find possible living relatives. I look forward to hearing what you discover. That photo was with the first 3 of 7 children. The original is a huge portrait. I have no idea who got it when my grandmother died, but I hope it's got a place of honor.
Lots of ladies used to stand on a box to look taller. Times have changed. That's why I just wear heels now. Never leave home without them.
ReplyDeletemistress maddie:
DeleteAt 6'2", I always hated heels. I could never blend in. (I never really did wear heels, but in 1974 when platforms shoes were all you could find, I had to go to a friend's wedding and that's what I wore. 6'2", 135 pounds. Moss green suit with wide-legged pants. Brown platform shoes. I looked like I was on stilts!
My stepson did that a couple of years ago when they first came out with the kits, his dad and mom are both Ukrainian descendents. He learned that he was 90% North European lol. I would do it if interested in Ancestry though. What did you think you are?
ReplyDeleteCheapchick:
DeleteIf I had done a more straightforward test, it would have given me only more contemporary ancestry, which would have given me similar results to your stepson. I had some second cousins who did and "discovered" they were Ashkenazi Jews. Big whoop!
In my family you are born into a genealogy quite well-researched. We know our DNA. Kind of ruins the fun of looking for it.
ReplyDeleteSpo:
DeleteThe DNA is different from the knowledge of family history, which makes this interesting for Jerry. I always envied people like you and him. My mother knew two grandparents, and there were stories about one other. That's as far as I could go. Jerry, an exceptional researcher, has been able to go back a couple more generations on one side of my family. We're hoping this might open the door to more.
Thought about doing this but couldn't decide on which service to chose based on reviews and independent reports. Each had their advantages and shortcomings. I'm not sure how meaningful it would be to know that 5,000 years ago one ancestor came from somewhere far from where more recent ancestors lived. And what specifically is Atlantic-Mediterranean-Neolithic? That sounds vague. I suspect that my ancestors were of the ancient Italic variety and Greek (Greco-Roman?) and possibly some North African-Croatian-Albanian. Someday I'll send in a sample. Who knows, I may be one of the relatives you'd rather not know about!
ReplyDeleteFrank:
DeleteThese results DO require a lot of work to understand. There are sites that explain what the designations mean. They're all very specific and, once you find that out, the terms become much more interesting. If YOU were one of my relatives, I'd be very happy! When we lived in Santa Barbara, we had good friends, one of whom shared similar Yankee history with Jerry. They discovered, they had a common ancestor on the Mayflower. After Jerry researched it, he found out they were 9th or 10th cousins. Family!
How fun for you to find out as much as you can about your ancestry. I already know too much about mine; our family tree is a weed.
ReplyDeleteStephen:
DeleteMy family knows very little beyond my grandparents' generation. I was simply curious to know where they had been before Russia and Poland. I think we'll have to go back many generations to get there!