We are into Genes and Genealogy
On Saturday June 3rd at 3:00PM EDT, Please Join Mags and Julie for a live chat with our own Forest Elf, Eowyn Langholf . We’ll be talking about the Ambassadors Project and social media sharing.
On Saturday June 3rd at 3:00PM EDT, Please Join Mags and Julie for a live chat with our own Forest Elf, Eowyn Langholf . We’ll be talking about the Ambassadors Project and social media sharing.
Sutton Hoo is the site of an East Anglian, AD 600 burial. When discovered this burial revealed large quantities of lavish grave goods belonging to a person of high status. But other than the assumption the person is most likely male, and given the large mustache in the design of the helmet, there is little evidence about who this person really was – no DNA.
Based on the grave goods and the size of the ship, could this burial have been for an East Anglian Chief or King and could someone be related to him?
This question came up in the WikiTree G2G Forum today, Sutton Hoo Connections. The poster ran down a quick pedigree…”descent from King Alfred of England. By a little digging round, I found that he descends from AEthelwulf of Wessex, Ecgbert III of Wessex, his mother, an unnamed Anglian princess and daughter of AEthelbert II of Kent, son of Wihtred of Kent, son of Egbert I of Kent, son of Sexburga of East-Anglia (princess), daughter of Anna, King of East Anglia , who was son of Eni of East Anglia, brother of Redwald, King of East Anglia, who was almost certainly the gentleman buried at Sutton Hoo!!!!!!”
I answered honestly albeit a bit tongue in cheek, “I can supposedly go back to Harold. The fella who lost to William and lay the land open for the Normans. I am waiting for John Smeeckle (one of our great WikiTree Researchers) to find the break in my lines and disprove it.
My suggestion? Get male line descendants to do YDNA tests and try to get information on any DNA work/studies being done on the Pre-Norman Royal Chiefs/Kings. Be a real bummer to do all the DNA testing only to find that the burial belonged to a Woman, a Chieftess or Queen (we can ignore the big mustache on the helmet).”
My suggestion to do male line DNA tests is an honest suggestion. There is, however, a slight problem with the pedigree given, “his mother, an unnamed Anglian princess and daughter of AEthelbert II of Kent…” If there is a female in this line of descent no amount of Y-DNA testing will confirm a connection. If this pedigree is correct we can’t do a Y-DNA line directly back to Redwald.
Yes. According to Dr Stephan Schiffels, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridgeshire and the Max Plank Institute in Germany, “38% of the ancestors of the English were Anglo-Saxons. This information was derived “By sequencing the DNA from ten skeletons from the late Iron Age and the Anglo-Saxon period, we obtained the first complete ancient genomes from Great Britain…”PhysOrg
Other information on this:
BBC – English DNA ‘one-third’ Anglo-Saxon
The Charlotte Observer – Sutton Hoo? Home of buried ancient treasure, “
Q. But no DNA?
A. No. That’s a problem at Sutton Hoo.”
There is also a great forum discussion on Eupedia. This discussion breaks out some of the finer points of the DNA (it is a forum, read with a mind to that).
Finding DNA at Sutton Hoo would have been the nail in the …er ship? But no DNA at this time.
Of course someone over at FTDNA has an Anglo Saxon DNA Study on the go!
“The project was created to find a common ancestor among those who have surnames of an Anglo Saxon origin or those who live or have ancestry in the lands once occupied by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Frisians andFranks.” and “will accept only those people that have tested with a SNP associated with Germanic origins.”
Interesting.
I still say grab a few of your Male cousins and jump in to the Gene pool on this one.
If you have taken a DNA test for genealogy and you have matches, and you have added your limbs to WikiTree you may be able to mark some of your ancestors as “Confirmed with DNA” . We’ll tell you how to work with WikiTree to follow the paper trail and the genetic trail to DNA confirmation.
If you have taken a DNA test for genealogy and you have matches, and you have added your limbs to WikiTree you may be able to mark some of your ancestors as “Confirmed with DNA” . We’ll tell you how to work with WikiTree to follow the paper trail and the genetic trail to DNA confirmation.
On Saturday May 13th at 3:00PM EDT, please join me (Mags), our DNA Project Coordinator, Emma McBeth, Peter Roberts and the Julie Ricketts for a live chat on “WikiTree and DNA – DNA Confirmation on WikiTree”.
We will also be running down the Saturday Sourcing Sprint numbers and WikiPeeps who are involved in the sprints.
Pull up a chair to watch or ask questions in the LiveCast chat, either way we promise an hour of WikiTree fun! If you want to see a complete list of past and future LiveCasts click the graphic below or follow this link.
Mags, Emma, Peter and Julie
P.S. Do you have someone you would like us to interview? Post some answers with your picks for LiveCast Guests – it can even be yourself!
Had a busy couple of weeks which have included many visits with your Grandma! Besides the hugs and profound elder knowledge, you also got your very own serving of hot blueberry pie, straight from the oven. You missed the pie? The pie was there, I promise.
Grandma’s Genes had a great WikiTree LiveCast on Saturday covering Getting Started with DNA on WikiTree. We had our biggest live audience so far for this livecast and the recorded version views are growing.
This weeks WikiTree LiveCast will be with Doug Lockwood who leads the One Name Studies Project. One Name Studies are something I use a good bit to help me break down brickwalls. If you have some time, drop by and learn about One Name Studies and the One Name Study Project on WikiTree. The LiveCast will be at 3:00 PM EDT on this coming Saturday. Here is the link: WikiTree LiveCast, Doug Lockwood and the One Name Study Project
The Ottawa Public Library let your grandma into the Carlingwood Branch to present “Forensic Genealogy and Adoption, Tracking Down Your Living Limbs.” Once the massive crowd (millions I tell ya) settled into their seats they were introduced to the concepts and strategies behind Forensic Genealogy and how those strategies can help with adoption searches.
Since I tend towards the Genetic side of things we delved deeply into my Cousin Betty Jean’s adoption search and the use of Genetic Genealogy. After all Betty Jean’s Genes helped us find one of her birth parents so far (and possibly the other – soon…the test is in processing).
This was one of the biggest points of the presentation – It takes time. I know. You and everyone else in the world has watched these shows where one instance they are sitting at a table with a Genealogist in Philadelphia and the next they magically appear in Paris talking to their newly found 3rd cousin. It’s TV folks and slow just don’t sell the sponsors DNA test kits.
Adoption searches can be a roller coaster emotionally. Bolster your support group with more than just friends and family. Get involved in a local support group and even get some professional help.
This was another big point and a big talking point for questions during the presentation. As someone who is researching to find the birth family of an adoptee or the adoptee for a birth family, you do not have the right to willy nilly spread someone else’s story all over the internet. If you know your surname? Post the surname, but don’t go about saying that Jane Smith had a baby in 1955. Especially if it hasn’t been proven in the least yet. Be respectful and only tell the parts of the story that you have permission to tell.
Whatever avenue you use to put yourself “out there”, whether it be a Facebook page about your adoption, an adopted and a birth family tree on WikiTree, an instagram feed of photographs of yourself and likenesses between you and people you have proven to be your kin, do so with caution.
I myself, personally, don’t know anyone who has been the target of Genealogical Identity theft, but be vigilant with your own personal information.
I am very much so “out there”. Being “out there” is a part of my business model, so I hope I am ahead of the game and in charge of my own narrative. You? You have to decide how much or how little you want to make public. Take care of yourself.
Judy G. Russell, the Legal Genealogist, covers some of the privacy issues in a posting online in her December of 2016 Blog, The opt-in default.
Your Grandma is working away making afghans for all of you. You know, the ones with the big holes that never really keep you warm? The ones you throw over the back of the sofa just when your Grandma comes to visit? They will arrive with blueberry pie stains all over them too. It is, after all, hard to crochet and eat blueberry pie at the same time.
The Scottish Project with Doug Straiton. We will discuss the Scottish Project and throw in a good measure of all things UK while we have him. Doug is Also a Military Guru too, so bring your questions and we will see if he can answer them all.
April 1, 2017 – 3:00PM EDT: WATCH LIVE – The Profile Improvement Project with Bob Kenniston and award winning author and editor, the Book Doctor, Bobbie Christmas.
The Profile Improvement Project with Bob Kenniston & the Book Doctor. We will chat about the Project and some of the nuts and bolts of Profile improvement on WikiTree. Then we will throw in a bit of Professional Writing help from the Book Doctor herself, award winning writer and editor, Bobbie Christmas.
March 25th, 2017 – 3:00 PM EDT: WATCH LIVE – One Name Studies and All things Doug Lockwood.
Doug will join us to talk about all the things he does on WikiTree, but most importantly he’ll discuss his one Name Studies. How are One Name Studies on WikiTree different than anywhere else? How to set up a One Name Study, where to find people to help with your One Name Study and How to tie-in the ever important Surname DNA Study.
March 18th, 2017 – 3:00 PM EDT: WATCH LIVE – Getting Started with DNA with Peter Roberts.
Why should I get me DNA tested? Where should I get my DNA tested? What kind of DNA test should I take? We will answer all of those questions for you during this WikiTree LiveCast. Information you need to know before jumping into the Gene Pool with the rest of your DNA Cousins.
March 11th, 2017 – 3:00 PM EDT: WATCH LIVE – Chat with Greeter Co-Leaders Julie Ricketts and Carole Partidge.
Join us as we turn the tables on our LiveCast Co-Host and Chat Moderator Julie Ricketts as we discuss the Greeters Project with Julie and Co-Leader Carole Partridge.
