By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams
I spent a bit of
time this week looking into the latest information in the field of genetic
genealogy. Tracing my family’s roots and my husband’s family’s roots has become
a passion of mine. I became interested when I was in my teens, but I had no clue
where to begin. It wasn’t until the 1990s that I immersed myself into figuring
out our roots. I try to stay in touch with the latest innovations available for
my searches.
Two of my
ancestors had done an excellent job of tracing my Daddy’s DuPree side and his
mother’s Burdeshaw side. Let me tell you, I admire these women more than I can
say as their research was done years ago, back in the 1960s, perhaps some of
the work on the Burdeshaw line, in the 1950s. This meant trips to libraries or
to track down relatives unfamiliar to them. Emimae Pritchard
Langley compiled the two-volume set of books titled, The DuPre Trail, and Rhoda
Burdeshaw, missionary to China, wrote the genealogies of my Burdeshaw
relatives.
Like a Foreign Language
To be honest, I
had no clue what I was doing when I first began this journey. There were no
books—I did have the DuPree Trail given to me by my Uncle Bill when I was
sixteen, but it was like reading any foreign language. When you open volume
one, there is a foreword, followed by a list of DuPree research sponsors, and an
index. Page one lists dates beginning with 1677-1739.
The book about
the Burdeshaw family, compiled by Aunt Rhoda, was just about the same. Names I’d
never heard, and dates long before my time. You can imagine just how interested
a sixteen-year-old young lady was in learning about that.
Fast forward
about 25 years or so and I became much more interested in the books I had at my
fingertips. My sister and I delved into learning what we could, and off we
went. We packed up my baby boy and our Daddy and we headed to our roots. South
Alabama. We’ve learned many things since that first trip to courthouses,
libraries, and more cemeteries than one can imagine. And since that time,
research has changed dramatically with the creation of Ancestry, Rootsweb,
Family Search, and Family Tree just to name a few.
And now, there is
DNA. Who would have ever considered that we would one day be able to trace our
ancient roots through our DNA? Perhaps Watson and Crick had an inkling, but I
doubt too many others gave it more than a passing thought, if that.
Another confession,
I don’t understand all the DNA lingo and how it works. As I’ve said many
times, I know just enough to be dangerous. I must say, I'm thankful for
the applications it has to genealogy. I know some are skeptical and want no
part of it. But, it has been a useful tool for me and many of my family members.
Without DNA, I would never have known of my mother’s connection to The
Nansemond Indian Nation and possibly other nearby Tribes. Without DNA and
Ancestry and other genealogy sites, we would not have met so many of our
cousins who are also searching for their roots.
Today as I looked
for the latest news in the world of DNA I came upon three articles I found to
be of interest.
One
The first deals with how to find one’s Norwegian ancestors. Here’s
the thing—without DNA, I would never have known I have Norwegian ancestry—something
like 3-5%. Now, don’t ask me names. I have no clue, but this latest news could
help. The Norwegian Computing Center has been working on compiling a registry
of names from various sources from the years about 1800 to 1964. They’ve
included censuses, parish registries, and emigration records. They hope to be able
to provide up to seven generations for genealogical research. Access to this new
registry is free for those seeking relatives. I wouldn’t know where to begin as
I know no names, but I would imagine that eventually, my DNA will lead me
there.
Two
The second thing
I came across today deals with teaching forensic genetics to law enforcement
agencies. I think we all heard about DNA leading to the arrest of the Golden
State Killer. I’m sure there are many opinions regarding such, but if your
loved one had been missing or murdered, I think you’d want to find the
perpetrator. You form your own opinion. There are many things to consider here
that I won’t go into. I just wanted to let you know that classes are being
taught all over the nation in DNA forensics.
Three
Lastly, I found
an article about people hacking into online genealogy accounts. This was far
too complicated to go into in this short post, but I did want to make you aware
of the risk. Personally, I’m not too worried about it. Perhaps I should be, but I
can’t think of any reason someone would want to pretend they are me. Too much
time on their hands? Perhaps. Malicious intent? Maybe. Now that you know this
is possible, you must be the one to decide if you’re willing to take that risk.
Have you taken a
DNA test? Have you found it to be helpful? Are you worried about your DNA being
stolen? Share your thoughts with us.
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