My DNA Journey ... Bringing Together the atDNA and the mtDNA

I have written about my frustration trying to figure out DNA test results, but not the full story.  This is how my journey has been going.

We had my cousin do her mtDNA through Ancestry.com.  She was our best hope to go through the mtDNA to reach our objective as it was my dad’s sister. Even his YDNA, if he was alive would not have helped.   I, being inexperienced, was clueless what to do with it when it came back.  The only thing I found on Ancestry was a sparse Origin evaluation and matches somewhat based on the origins and somewhat on our family trees.  It did confirm several times a connection with our David Burleson and Ursula Weatherford ancestor line.  Which was the one with the family lore of Native American that appears to be based on a cousin who was ½ Creek, but not the same mothers or related mothers. It was HIS mother who was Creek. 

I talked with a few friends that done DNA testing and they suggested I do the Family Tree DNA autosomal test.  It would me by having a spectrum of my DNA from both the paternal and maternal sides.  It was a long wait to get the results. First there was human error in the lab, the results were thrown out and I had to redo it again, resulting in a 5 month wait.  I will praise Family Tree though, they gave me the test free since it was their fault and the wait was so long, and I love their tools.

When my results came back, once again, I had the 95.33% Western Europe (basically the British Isles) and 4.6% Middle East. both with a disclaimer of +/- 1.38%  and no Native American shown.  The Middle East included populations in Palestine, Bedouin, Iran, and Jewish and Mazobite areas that matched my DNA... Now that I have done the full sequence mtDNA also, that looks like my mom's side which matches Sephardic, Ashkenazim, German, Mizrachi in Vienna, and Armenian populations among others.

I reached out to Heather our Board Member at Montgomery County Historical Commission and Genealogy and Local History Librarian at Montgomery County Memorial Library System.  She also has a blog, The Geneabrarian Reference Desk.  She suggested that I try utilizing Gedmatch.com and try their admix utilities, as well as others.  Her husband’s DNA had not shown Native American on FTDNA, but she found it on there.  I was game.  Gedmatch, I said, “Here I come!” 

I downloaded the raw data for both my cousin and myself.  Then uploaded to Gedmatch.  I was able to compare her DNA and mine. The results were Largest segment = 55.7 cM Total of segments > 3 cM = 796.6 cM Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 2.1… That was good, we are definitely cousins. J  Now, I needed to figure out which admix to use, and how.

I began looking closer at Roberta Jestes blog DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy.  I found her autosomal series and began there.  Part 7 – “The Autosomal Me – Start, Stop, Go – Identifying Native Chromosomal Segments” had some great helps.  I tried the same chromosome 2 she had.  On the comparison she used, my cousin and I had Native American segments at the same place, 10M and 160M.  It appears we match as cousins for Native American which would be for my dad’s side.  Now, I have to find the family connection on paper and with others to prove it.

Admixture Eurogenes EUtest V2 K15 - Compare a single chromosome

The light lavender is American Indian. They are layered because I could not get the whole thing together. The top is myself, second my cousin, and so forth. 

I also did the oracle for both.

Our major Ethnicity is North Atlantic, but we both have a trace amount of Native American.  Janice’s is a little larger than mine but it is to be expected since we were looking down the maternal line which we did for her and mine test is autosomal just picking up part of my dad’s DNA.  Surprising how much came through.

admixture Eurogenes K13

I am not as knowledgeable nor am I a skilled as Roberta at creating examples, but I hope you can see what I am trying to show.  I will share with you any successes I experience, as well any failures too.  

Post Christmas Whew... Finally Some DNA Responses.

This year was another hard one.  You would think after 5 years it would be easier at Christmas not having the Hero with me. I guess not, because I really wasn't motivated to put up the tree. On the other hand I had fun Christmas Eve putting the tree up and decorating it when my son came over.  I have to wonder how my grandmothers felt each year after the death of their spouses. Especially my mom's mom who still had 6 children to raise at home and had a need to make holidays as normal as possible.

                                                                                                                                         

Mattie Roberts Whitson 1930

Lenorah Gildon Langley 1958

There were a couple of unexpected Christmas presents.  Two responses to my DNA tests.  
One was from Gedmatch.com that still has me wondering.  "I notice on Gedmatch that your DNA matches my three kits (F#, F#, and F#) on Chromosome 14 between about 69 and 80.  The segment is of particular interest to me because the admixture tool Dodecad World9 shows that it contains Native American ethnicity."  I can not find the person on Gedmatch myself, nor any information about this statement.
This has been a hope of mine to prove Native American ancestry or disprove it. This is my William B and Mary Burleson Self line.  Mary's father is Moses Burleson and his mother's line Weatherford are supposed to of Native American ancestry.  Some debate going on here.  Then there is William B Self''s mother who is said to be of Native American Indian ancestry... No proofs found here, that I can see.  Wish a gene Fairy would come along with real source.  Sigh.
The second response was much clearer. A solid match for William Hatcher b 1680 in Virginia .
Both are on my dad's side.  Hmmm looks like DNA maybe heavier on the dad's side... or just no one doing my mom's side; time will tell.
Learning about the searches, and different areas of DNA research is a Big learning curve.
Let you know if anything comes forth.

Blog Caroling -- "While Shepherd Watch Their Flocks"

This year I am learning.  I have picked a hymn to share in a version I had not heard before.  I just learned my Gildon family came from the Yorkshire area of England.  In my search for a hymn about the Shepherds, I remembered a hymn often sung at our LDS ward meetings at Christmas time, and discovered it has a 300 year history of being sung in Yorkshire... 'While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks'.  The words are attributed to words attributed to Irish hymnist, lyricist and England's Poet Laureate, Nahum Tate (1652-1715). The Music is an Yorkshire carol (ca. 1800).

It has been set to numerous other tunes, but I have chose the YouTube English version from Yorkshire.
"While Shepherds Watched - The Yorkshire Version by Stamford Bridge Singers"
They make it an exciting time. The Wikipedia has more information if you would like to read.

This is a meme that Footnote Maven does every year.  She has been a wonderful example of hope, and joy in the midst of her own challenges this year. I can't say enough to praise for her magazine, "Shaded of the Departed" and her personal outlook on life. Thanks Footnote Maven for being the kind of person you are.
If you want to participate hurry on over to her blog for the instructions. http://www.footnotemaven.com/2013/12/fms-tradition-of-blog-caroling.html

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas Trees

 One year, our story was not so much about the decorating of the tree it was more about the change it made in what kind of tree we would get in future years.

We had obtained a pine tree from the local store this time.  The kids had had wonderful time with the Hero decorating and playing while decorating.  It was a beautiful tree. 

It had been a cool year and we had the fireplace going.  When it was time to take the tree down, the Hero decided to be efficient and burn the limbs in the fireplace. Sounded good.

When he put the first branch in the fireplace (it was a large stone fireplace), there was a loud roar, and the whole house shook. We all came running to see what had happened.  The Hero looked pale, but it was not because of the house shaking, it was because he had thought of where the tree had been sitting.  The first words out of his mouth were “It was sitting under the girls’ bedroom.  If it had caught fire, we would not have been able to save them, if this is what one branch will do.”  He disposed of the rest of the tree outside.

In the coming years, we had an artificial tree that was flame retardant, underlined by the fact that we moved to a house we heated with a wood stove. 

The new artificial tree.

We missed the smell of the fresh cut trees, but it was worth the sacrifice to have a tree we felt would keep our children safe.