My First Royal Connection....Sort Of

I've never tested at FamilyTreeDNA, but I've uploaded my Ancestry DNA results there, and I've linked to my MyHeritage profile. After seeing some posts today about the updated haplotree and newly added haplogroup reports, I went to take a peek to see if I could find any new and exciting information on FamilyTreeDNA.

I already know my maternal haplogroup is T2b4 from my 23andMe DNA results. Once I was signed in, I selected "Discover Haplogroup Reports" from my Home page. I selected the drop down for mtDNA and entered T2b4. When I submitted, I got a form asking if I was a FamilyTreeDNA customer or not. At the very bottom of the screen is a link for "Already Registered? Sign In". Clicking to sign in again (slightly annoying since I already signed in to the site) took me to the beta platform page. I had to reselect mtDNA and put my haplogroup in again to fianlly disply the mtDNA Discover page. Given this is beta, it's possible the information displayed may change or some features may become unavailable in the future if you haven't tested at the site. But for now, I was able to view information totally new to me. (Y-DNA is also an option for male testers who may have this data available.)

There's quite a bit of information displayed, but I'm a sucker for "Notable Connections", so I clicked straight away since it was the most interesting to me. While I know from 23andMe I have many historical Viking matches, I was very excited to see I'm related (through a common maternal ancestor) to Virginia Eriksdotter (1559– 1633) a Swedish noble. She was the recognized illegitimate daughter of King Erik XIV of Sweden and his official royal mistress Agda Persdotter. She was born at Kalmar Castle in Sweden. Althought I asked ChatGPT if it was able to find any paintings of Virgnia, it was unable to locate any. But I was able to find the above image of the castle (Image credit: Image By L.G.foto - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link)

I'm not sure how true it is, but this is listed as a "rare connection" at 1 in 146 people. Only 1,841 other FamilyTreeDNA customers are this closely related to her. Given how far back this is, I don't know if I'd call this "closely related", and it's unlikely I'll ever prove the connection on paper, but it's my first known match to anyone remotely royal. I should point out the following notation is given: "Her detailed mitochondrial haplogroup was determined by mtFull Sequence testing of a descendant and reported in the Sweden DNA Project. The lineage is documented at WikiTree. It has not yet been confirmed by a second test result." 

As of now, I'm not inclined to take any more DNA tests. While I'm sure there's far more to reveal in my DNA, I've thousands of matches I'll never get through as it is. For now, I'm happy with this new "sort of" royal connection. For more on the new features visit the FamilyTreeDNA Blog. 

Image By L.G.foto - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Balancing Life, Health, Work and Family Through the Generations

This past year brought unexpected challenges to my life. Lately, I've been reflecting on my ancestors and how they balanced life, health, work and family...the same challenges we each face today. How did they manage in a world where medical and techonogical advances (we often take for granted) simply didn't exist? How did they have the fortitude to survive...and even thrive?

I've wondered if they ever felt angry or frustrated as they navigated the ups and downs of life. How did so many of the early generations find the courage to leave their home country (or state) and set off in search of a new and hopefully better life? If they'd known the challenges their lives would be filled with, would they have made different choices? Or were they happy with how their lives turned out, perhaps counting their blesssing every time they saw another sunrise? My father used to say "any day you're looking down at the ground, instead of up, is a good day." 

The lives of my ancestors help me find balance in my own life. Researching them provides a sense of fulfillment, and it reminds me to be thankful for all I have. Though I've had to scale back in the recent months, I'd be devastated if I couldn't continue my genealogical journey. I'm very thankful for all the people and websites who make researching from home possible. As genealogists and family researchers, we're so fortunate to have access to so many repositories of information. It's hard to imagine how much data is sill uncataloged, patiently waiting to be revealed to us, little by little in the years to come!

This past year, Ancestry tells me I added 579 people to my tree,  All but 25 people in my tree have some kind of record attached. I reviewed thousands of hints in 2024. I was thrilled to satisfactorily confirm several new direct ancestors. And Ancestry's ThruLines even turned up a tantalizing breadcrumb...a potential sibling or half-sibling, in my search for Abijah, the ancestor who started my journey. I was also excited to see (on 23andMe) I now have 10 confirmed ancient DNA matches, all to the Viking era. 

As we approach the end of 2024, and look forward to 2025, I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. While we come from all different corners of the world, the genealogy community feels like a big extended family. I'm thankful genealogy is a part of my life. Happy Re searching!!

Image by No-longer-here from Pixabay

Maximizing your DNA Matches

AI created image using DALL-E and ChatGPT 4

If you're just starting out with DNA, you may be interested in maximizing your DNA matches. Even though your testing site may have returned hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of results, finding more matches really isn't a bad thing. Unless you're prepared to spend a lot of time researching living people and reaching out to matches (who may or may not respond), it's unlikely you'll find where every match fits in your tree...not even close. So having more matches is better when trying to trace back to those elusive ancestors. You never know when one match may break down a brick wall to solve a mystery!

Testing your DNA is always an individual decision. Only you can decide if it's the right choice for you. There are concerns over privacy, the discoveries you might make, who might gain access to your data in the future and who else might be influenced by your results and research. These are all very valid concerns and no one can tell you if DNA testing is right for you - you must decide for yourself. I struggled with all the same questions, but decided to test anyway - and I  don't regret my choice one bit. Once you've made the choice to test, the next question is where?

There are 2 of the major sites who notably do not allow uploads from other testing sites, a critical step if you want to maximize your matches. These are 23andMe and Ancestry.com. While 23andMe can be good for those interested in how their DNA results might impact their future health, it's not the easiest site to deal with as far as matches in my experience. While I have tested there (since a friend gifted me the DNA kit), I find working with matches frustrating since so little information is provided, the site isn't geared toward research and I'm not at a point where I feel compelled to reach out to individuals to figure out how we're related.  Their tree builder is simply not up to par as compared to other sites. You can however download your raw DNA to upload elsewhere, so if the health component is important, it may be the right choice for you.

Ancestry does not allow uploads from other sites either, but it's likely your best bet for a first test. They also have the largest database of testers, so in general (but not always), you'll be more likely to find the most matches on their site. Plus, you can download your raw DNA for upload elsewhere. Their DNA tools are very easy to use (although some are now behind a paywall). I strongly suggest waiting for a holiday sale to buy a kit at Ancestry. You can usually find them on sale around major holidays for as low as $59. If you have Amazon Prime, they've always had the sale price and you don't have to pay extra for shipping. If you purchase through Ancestry, they do charge shipping fee.

Once your DNA results are back, if you've decided to maximize your matches, head over and download you raw DNA file (instructions for Ancestry are here). Now, I want to tell you where you can upload your raw DNA results once you have them in hand and how to get many more matches for free. Keep in mind, if your relatives have tested or uploaded their results at multiple sites, you may find some overlap, but you'll also find lots of matches who haven't tested at Ancestry.

The followings sites allow a free upload of raw DNA files (from both Ancestry and 23andMe). While there are plenty of other sites allowing upload of raw DNA, these are all well known, reputable sites. If you choose to use another site, be sure to check their privacy policies as well as who they allow to access your DNA. Each site offers slightly different features and/or DNA tools with your free upload, but as of now, they all include matching for free. 

• MyHeritage.com
• LivingDNA.com
• FamilyTreeDNA.com**
• GEDmatch.com**

**Both FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) and GEDmatch work with law enforcement. When uploading to either of these sites, be sure to review your opt-in or opt-out settings to ensure they're set the way you prefer. Also be aware, while sites do their best to protect your DNA results to the extent they are legally allowed to do so, they may still be compelled to provide access by court order. And no site is immune to hackers, as we saw with the 23andMe breach. Sites are doing their best to beef up security in the wake of the breach, including limiting viewable information and downloads (including match lists) until sufficient security is in place. Over time, I fully expect we'll see the ability to download more data and match lists come back, but for now, using your matches may take some patience. 

After uploading to any, or all, of the sites above, sit back, relax and allow a few days for matching to occur. It's not instantaneous. After a few days (or when you receive an email your matches are ready) go ahead and login and start exploring all your new found relatives! If you choose to communicate with your matches, you may make new lifelong bonds. With others, you may communicate just long enough to figure out how you're related. And some may never respond to your requests. I've uploaded my Ancestry DNA results to all 4 of the additional sites for free. I've communicated with several matches using Ancestry, MyHeritage, GEDmatch and LivingDNA. I'm thankful for every single match I'm able to place in my tree. They help me confirm my research and in some cases, open the door to generations I have yet to explore.

Echoes of Valhalla

In addition to Ancestry, I've taken a DNA test with 23andMe. I've known for some time 23andMe showed my my maternal haplogroup is T2b4. Although my haplogroup traces back to a woman who lived more than 6000 years ago, I'm far more interested in the T2b part of it. This has been linked to a female Viking warrior from the 10th century! I find my Viking ancestry just as interesting as I did the (now debunked) Cherokee story. It's more interesting because it's linked to my DNA. There's no story here. No ambiguity. It's scientific fact - DNA doesn't lie.

Let me start by saying, I'm well aware I'm never going to find any written or oral history taking me back to the age of my Viking ancestors. Ancient DNA results are really just another type of entertainment value in genealogy for me. But since I've always been fascinated by the Vikings, I'll embrace it. When I first found this interesting tidbit, I also shelled out a few bucks and did the Viking index score at Living DNA (where I had previously uploaded my DNA results for free.)

The Viking index is a little bit convoluted. My score is 76% and showed me being most closely associated with the Vikings of Eastern Europe. The 76% is the tricky part. This simply means my DNA is more similar to Viking DNA than 76% of all Living DNA users in their database. The key here is how many users are in their database. It's not a number they actually promote. This makes the score very hard to interpret. If they have 10,000 users, it's a lot less impressive than if they have 100,000 users. None the less, I was secretly pleased when I showed 20% higher than my ex-husband. At least I know they don't give everyone the same score.... I've investigated some of the other sites who'll match your DNA to multiple ancient samples. Most are fairly pricey, and since it is just entertainment for me, I'm not going to drop hundreds of dollars to see the results. 

Today I was really excited! 23andMe announced they're providing historical DNA matches to 23andMe+ premium users. Currently, they have 335 potential historical matches. I eagerly logged in to see the secrets my DNA revealed. Historical matches can be seen by selecting Ancestry and then Ancestry Overview. There's a new section called "Meet your historical matches". I showed 7 matches. While none of them were famous people (though it would have been nice) all my matches were to Viking age individuals! They ranged in time from 652 CE to 1200 CE. 3 were seafaring warriors, the other 4 were simply listed as Viking age individuals. 

This doesn't mean I'm directly descended from these matches (in all likelihood I'm not). But it does mean we share a common ancestor. While I only shared 1 segment with 6 of the matches, I shared 2 segments with one match. Of course the match percentages were extremely low, ranging from .06% to .13%. 3 matches were from Estonia, the others Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Far from conclusive, this seems to indicate perhaps a connection to the Scandinavian Vikings is as viable as those from Eastern Europe. Since Vikings explored many regions and their range was much farther than most people generally realize, there's a huge margin for error when it comes to trying to establish locations for Viking populations.

None the less, I'm thrilled to have more proof of my ties to the Vikings. Does it change my research? Not one iota. Is it really interesting to me? Absolutely! Female Viking warriors are often depicted as Valkyries, the mythological women (often on horseback) who ushered the dead into Valhalla. For now, I'll just think about how these new DNA "historical matches" are truly the echoes of Valhalla swirling through the leaves and branches of my family tree.  

Image by HANSUAN FABREGAS from Pixabay

Distracted by DNA Part 1

It's been a particularly difficult week for me, in terms of motivation. Maybe I plowed through too much while I was on staycation....but I still want to keep moving ahead on my tree. I've picked back up my project of adding people from a well established family history book on my paternal side. It doesn't require a lot of mental energy, just time. The family history is typically very accurate and it's the fastest way to get to a point where I can figure out where to place more of my DNA matches in my tree. Why does this suddenly matter so much? Read on!

I was contacted by an Ancestry.com user who viewed the adoptee tree I'm working on for a friend. Let's call this person Sally (not her real name.) Sally was adamant there was no adoption in their family. She was sure of it!  Her husband John (not his real name) is a descendant of who we believe is the 2nd great grandfather of my friend. Based on information Sally provided, John is his 3rd cousin. Her initial contact was a little terse and I was concerned she was both put off and upset at the potential revelation.

Turned out, she was looking at a more distant relative in the tree (a 2nd cousin 1x removed), not the direct line I'm hoping to prove. There really was no adoption in the family she was familiar with. Still, I took the time to write back, and since her Ancestry.com profile shows she has many years of family history experience herself, I gently appealed to her to keep an open mind, since not all adoptions were talked about, and asked her to review what we think we've found and what we're hoping to use DNA to prove. Turns out, after reviewing what we know, she and her husband were very willing to help us try to find out more...incredibly eager actually! It was a very pleasant surprise. We've had several additional communications and she shared John's GEDmatch test kit number with me so I could do some comparisons. She also provided some additional contacts within the family we're exploring, and links to more information. As I learn more I'm looking forward to talking with Sally again! I believe there is value in communicating with any person willing to share. Maybe they have something to add to the tree...maybe not. But if I dismiss any potential research lead, I'd be doing a disservice.

With permission from my friend, I uploaded his Ancestry.com DNA results to GEDmatch. I used the one to one autosomal DNA comparison to John. This was the first time I'd actually looked at a comparison on the site, and to be honest, it was more than a little overwhelming. I'd run a few of their tools on my own DNA kit and there were lots of pretty colors, numbers, lines and charts, but it made virtually no sense to me. The results from John were no less daunting and I realized it's time for me to learn more about working with DNA details. What I think I saw was my friend matches John in several chromosome locations, and the total cM is within what would be expected for a 3rd cousin, but there was nothing spectacular. The good news is we now have many new GEDmatch DNA matches to research, using more detailed DNA information than is found on Ancestry.com.

Since it's easier for me to work with known DNA as I learn, I decided to jump over to my own tree and set out to learn more about working with DNA. I wanted to fill out as much of my paternal branch as quickly as I can to add new DNA matches, but I still like to have some documentation to support who I'm adding. Enter the family history book. I've been slowly using it to add to my tree over the last couple of years, but with no real sense of urgency. It seemed like a perfect time to hunker down and finish the project. (On my maternal line, where my biggest brick wall is, I don't have the luxury of a verified family history, only the research done by one family member. I'd prefer to continue to do my own research on the maternal line. Adding DNA matches there takes significantly more time).

I will definitely spend more time checking out GEDmatch (both for myself and my friend) but I decided maybe it's time for me to dig a little deeper and do some reading on working with DNA, so I can be more effective in my research. There are many wonderful free tutorials and I'm starting to dive in. It was an unexpected and wonderful surprise to be contacted by Sally. It just goes to show how open and kind some people in the genealogy community are. Even on social media, genealogy fans are some of the most wonderful people I've met and I value them all, whether they're related to me or not! In my next post, I'll update on what I'm learning using my own DNA matches.

Image by 652234 from Pixabay

For a Friend Adoptee Search

 

The father (now deceased) of a friend of mine was adopted. My friend desperately wanted to know more about his ancestors. He was able to get minimal information about his paternal grandfather and grandmother through a court order to view the adoption records. Even then, they contained little useful information. There was a name for his grandparents, but they both had the same surname. They were listed as living in Ohio (but no information on where). His father was born in West Virginia. Not a lot to work with!

My friend tested at 23andMe, and while he reached out to many DNA matches, few responded. I suggested he take a test at Ancestry.com since they have the largest database of testers (and working with the DNA matches is much friendlier on Ancestry.com ) and I offered to help him with the results. I wanted to see if all the learning I've been doing could help him solve his mystery. I'm the first to admit, I'm a novice when it comes to DNA, but I was up to the task.

After using the Leeds method with Ancestry.com's colored dots, and knowing just one maternal cousin, I was able to develop a list of paternal matches. From there, I created several quick and dirty trees for some of his matches. In just a few days, I was able to work back to his 2nd great grandfather (with a high level of certainty, since there are 10 DNA matches to him). Then, working forward again, I was able to find a match for his grandfather's name as shown in the adoption records! I was thrilled (and so was my friend)! 

It's very important to note, there are no DNA matches from his potential grandfather or great grandfather, so there is room for error. Unfortunately, this grandfather and all his children, except one, have already passed. The one living son is 87 years old, and if he is indeed the correct person, may not know he had another brother, and definitely wouldn't know about his potential nephew.

His grandmother has been more of a challenge. It would appear, from census records, his grandfather was married with several children (2 of whom , twins, were born about 15 months before his father - one of them is the uncle I mentioned above.). The mother listed in the 1930 and 1940 census did not have the same given name as the mother in the adoption records. It's certainly possible the name was recorded incorrectly (or intentionally given wrong). There is a possibility the family just couldn't support another child (they had 7 known children)...but it could just as easily have been a dalliance on his grandfather's part...there's just no way to know for sure. At this point, she remains unconfirmed. 

I've actually just determined the one lone uncle appears to still be living. It's a tricky situation! First off, I could always have made a mistake in my research, or perhaps the records just don't paint a complete picture of all the ancestors. How do you reach out to tell an 87 year old man he may have had a brother he never knew...and how to ask if he'll take a DNA test to confirm? Using a website based on public records, I've been able to come up with a potential phone number and email address for his uncle. 

As a researcher, my job is to find information, not to decide what to do with it. This may be the last chance for my friend to get any firsthand information (if indeed the match turns out to be correct and truly is still living). It could just as easily be a false lead. I plan on talking to my friend to explain just how life changing, or life shattering, this could be if it turns out to be true. He will need to proceed with caution and compassion and hope he can initiate contact. If he's lucky, perhaps the gentleman will be willing to talk, and perhaps even do a DNA test. If luck isn't on his side, he may get no response, or the person may shut down communication. On my end, passing on the information is oddly and decidedly disconcerting. I didn't expect it to weigh so heavily on me. So much of my research is on those no longer with us. When it comes to potentially impacting the life of a living person, it adds a completely different and complex dimension - one I'm not entirely comfortable with yet.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay