Newsletter - 21st November 2018
Enormous savings on DNA tests UPDATED
Which relatives should you ask to test their DNA?
When is a Y-DNA test worth considering?
The story of an RAF prisoner of war
Do you have Yorkshire ancestors?
Society of Genealogists library temporarily closed
Precisely when was the Armistice signed?
The LostCousins newsletter is usually published
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Enormous
savings on DNA tests END
SOON
As usual providers seem to
have saved their best deals for Thanksgiving Weekend - but don’t just go for
the lowest price or look for the biggest reduction. It really does make a BIG
difference who you test with!
When you test your DNA, or
that of a relative, you ideally want as many matches as possible - because each
match represents a clue that might help you knock down one of your 'brick
walls' (and unless you're an absolute novice you'll have dozens of 'brick
walls' in your tree). How many matches you get is largely a function of how
many other sets of results there are in the database of the company you test with
- and there's one company that has more results than ALL of
the others added together. Furthermore, the only way you can get access to that
massive database is by testing with that company - because unlike most other
providers they don’t accept transfers.
The company I'm referring to
is Ancestry - over 10 million people have already tested with them, and if last
year is any guide, that number will be approaching 15 million by the end of
this year. So unless you know something I don't,
there's only one autosomal DNA test worth considering - provided you live in
one of the countries they ship to.
Tip: you don't need an Ancestry subscription to view
your DNA matches or contact them (though you won’t be able to view their trees
without permission); you don't even need to upload your tree, although I'd
recommend uploading a private tree if you can as it will not only make life
easier for you, it will also signal to other users that you’re not a novice.
Please log-out from your
Ancestry account (if necessary) then click the relevant link below so that you
can support LostCousins - and note that the shipping prices
in the UK have halved since this time last year (I'm not sure about other
territories):
Ancestry.co.uk
(UK only) - SALE PRICE £49 plus shipping (ends 11.59pm London time on Monday
26th November)
Ancestry.com.au
(Australia & New Zealand only) - SALE PRICE A$88 plus shipping (ends 11.59pm
AEDT on Monday 26th November)
Ancestry.ca (Canada
only) - SALE PRICE C$69 plus shipping (ends 11.59pm EST on Monday 26th November)
Ancestry.com (US
only) - SALE PRICE US$49 plus shipping (ends 11.59pm EST on Monday 26th November)
Tip: when you order from Ancestry you don’t need to
decide who is going to test - you can figure it out at your leisure. But see
the next article as it might determine how many tests you order.
Family
Tree DNA (Worldwide) - SALE PRICE US$39 (ends Monday 26th
November)
Which relatives
should you ask to test their DNA?
Those of you who have yet to
take a DNA test might well think that once you've tested your own DNA, that's
it. But anyone who has already tested, and is faced
with thousands or - if they tested with Ancestry - tens of thousands of
matches, will know that it’s just the starting point.
There's nothing in our
autosomal DNA to tell us who it came from - you can’t even tell whether it came
from your mother or your father. So when you get a
match with a cousin, they could be connected to you through any ancestral line
in your tree (including the ones you don’t know about yet, because they're on
the other side of a 'brick wall').
Testing your brothers and
sisters will produce more matches with genetic cousins, but you still won't
know which part of your tree they come from - for that you need someone who
shares some of your tree rather than all of it. It's simple when you think
about it - if you and a known cousin of yours have a DNA match with the same
genetic cousin, you can be almost certain that the match comes from the part of
your tree that you share. All you need to do is identify the most recent common
ancestors that you and your known cousin share - the new cousin you've both
been matched with must either be descended from them, or from one of their
ancestors.
Of course, this works the
other way round too. If you're trying to crack a
particular 'brick wall' you need to figure out which cousins are going to
provide you with the best clues.
Tip: DNA tests are expensive, so start by connecting
with as many 'lost cousins' as possible - they’re also researching the
ancestors you share, and some will have tested already, others will be prepared
to test if you explain how you can both benefit. A
couple of hours spent adding relatives from 1881 to your My Ancestors page
might save you hundreds of pounds and hundreds of hours of wasted effort
- and it'll also help with your conventional research, which makes it a really smart choice!
When is a Y-DNA test
worth considering?
It's only in recent years that
autosomal DNA testing has taken over from Y-DNA testing as the most popular type
of DNA test for genealogists - and whilst there's a very good reason why this
happened, this doesn’t mean that Y-DNA tests have been superseded.
First let's remind ourselves
what the key differences are. When a child is conceived it will have inherited a
set of 22 autosomes from each parents, an X chromosome
from its mother, and either an X or a Y chromosome from its father. The key point
is that it’s the single X or Y chromosome inherited from the father that
determines the child's gender - an embryo with two X chromosomes will become a girl,
whilst an embryo with one X and one Y chromosome will become a boy. This means
that Y DNA is only ever passed from father to son.
In most countries surnames
also pass from father to son, so there tends to be a correlation between Y DNA
and surnames. So when a male takes a Y-DNA test there's
a good chance that some of his closest matches will be with other males bearing
the same surname. However, so-called non-paternal events (NPE) such as
illegitimacy or adoption generally break the link - because children who are
adopted usually take the surname of their adoptive parents, and children who
are illegitimate usually take their mother's surname (and might later take
their stepfather's surname).
Because autosomal DNA is inherited
by all children from both of their parents, taking an autosomal test (such as
Ancestry DNA, 23andMe, Family Finder etc) can provide genetic matches from any
ancestral line, not just the direct male line. Go back 8 generations and you've
got 256 6G grandparents, but whilst you will have inherited autosomal DNA from
most of them, you'll only have inherited Y-DNA from one (and even that depends
on you being male - if you're female you can’t even take the test yourself, you
would have to ask a male relative).
When writing about the
differences between Y-DNA and autosomal DNA testing I used to say that an autosomal
test would provide 1000 times as many matches - but now it's more like 10000
times as many. So why would anyone take a Y-DNA test - considering that they actually cost more than autosomal tests?
As anyone who has taken an
autosomal test will know - you might get lots of matches, but there's little to
tell you which of your ancestral lines each cousin shares. By contrast, because
a Y-DNA test only provides evidence about one line - your direct paternal line (the
one that starts with your father, and continues with his father, his father,
his father and so on) - when you do get a match you know exactly which
ancestral line it’s on.
Furthermore, whilst the reach
of autosomal DNA is limited - for example, there's only 1 chance in 3 of
matching with a specific 5th cousin, and less than one chance in 30 of matching
with a 7th cousin - the reach of Y-DNA is almost unlimited. So
testing your Y-DNA will give you a good idea whether there is a NPE in your
direct paternal line - if most of your matches are with people who have the
same surname then you probably don't, whilst if most of your matches are with
people who share a different surname you probably do. It can also tell you whether
two families with the same surname are related, and
might even enable you to conclude that the surname has a single origin.
Even the fact that Y-DNA only
tells you about one line isn’t as much of a limitation as it first appears - because
you can invite male cousins who bear the surname of one of your ancestors to
test. For example, testing the Y-DNA of a 1st cousin who is the son of one of
your mother's brothers will tell you about your maternal grandfather's direct
male line - and you needn't worry if your mother didn't have any brothers
because it could be a 2nd, 3rd, or even more distant cousin who takes the test
(the key indicator is their surname).
Of course, taking any DNA
test involves a small risk that you'll discover something unexpected - but as a
reader of this newsletter I'm sure you knew that already! The good news is that
when it comes to Y-DNA testing there's only one company worth considering -
Family Tree DNA, who have the biggest database, and are the only major provider
still offering Y-DNA tests.
Until Thursday 22nd November you can buy Y-DNA tests
at the cheapest price I've ever seen, just $99 plus shipping for a 37-marker
test (perfectly adequate for most purposes) - the normal price is $169 plus
shipping, so this is an offer not to be missed! Please use the link below so
that you can support LostCousins at the same time:
Family
Tree DNA - SAVE $70 on Y-DNA until 26th November
I've included a table below which
has prices for other tests that are reduced until Cyber Monday.
If you test with Family Tree DNA they will store your sample for potential use in future
tests - most other providers won’t do this. For example, earlier this year I
was able to arrange a Y-DNA test for a deceased cousin in order to further explore
one of the lines that we shared.
See Family Tree DNA's Terms of Service
- item 19 is the one that's relevant.
The story of an
RAF prisoner of war
On Monday 4th September 1939, the day after Britain
declared war on Germany, Walter Henry Layne volunteered for the RAF - and the website
Wally's War tells his story from
beginning to end.
It starts, naturally with
extensive training, followed by tours of duty with 50 Squadron and 97 Squadron which
are described in some detail (the log books are fascinating).
Then on 23rd September 1943 Wally
was forced to bale out from a blazing Lancaster bomber
over Germany - three of his fellow crew members also made a safe landing, but
were captured after 2 days on the run, however Wally managed to evade the enemy
until 2nd October. Interrogation followed, and at one point they threatened to
shoot him as a spy; later he was questioned by the traitor Raymond Hughes, who
was purporting to be acting for the Red Cross.
Even if your ancestors didn't
serve with the RAF I'd recommend taking a look at the
site - it's beautifully put together and lavishly illustrated with (mostly)
contemporary photographs. On the right you can see Wally in a photograph taken
by the security services at the time of his repatriation on 8th May 1945, but
for me the highlight was Wally's 'Wartime Log', which is reproduced page by page.
For some lucky readers the
website will prove be a wonderful surprise - because it lists around 50 fellow PoWs who Wally encountered, often including photographs and
biographical information.
No doubt some of you will be
able to add to information shown - and if you are, I'd encourage you to contact
David Layne, Wally's son, and the curator of the site (you'll find an email
link below the Introduction).
In the last issue I featured
a birth mother who was forbidden by her own parents from telling the father of
her child about the pregnancy; the next story is a little different, because
the birth parents eventually married - but again it seems to have been the
grandparents who made all the decisions.....
"Your
discussion on adopted matters has interested me greatly. In my mind it is a
subject of two halves, those who were forced to give their babies away in the
50’s and 60’s and I am one, and those who are adopted now in order to give
young people a better chance in life away from their natural parents who for
some reason can’t cope. Nowadays it isn’t unusual for adopted people to
maintain a level of relationship with their birth family, if it is acceptable
to all concerned.
"As
the children of the 50’s and 60’s are of an age where
their parents are dying, we hear more of searches and reunions with their birth
parents, there are television programmes which cover these reunions. They are extremely
emotional, because almost without exception, the birth parents, usually an
unmarried mother, were obliged by society and family to rid themselves of the 'shame'
as quickly as possible. The memory was always there and often regrets about having no say in what happened.
"In
my case, my middle-class family, professionals in education, feared for their
jobs if news of my condition became public. So my baby
went via my family doctor to some friend of hers, who didn’t really need
another child as they had a boy and a girl of their own, and expressly against
my wishes for the child to go to someone who was childless. It was just another
example of showing the erring mother that things were out of her control.
"But,
you see, I only just found this out because in the last two years I have been
in contact with my birth daughter. I always knew that I would never try to seek
her out, because I felt that, as heart breaking as it is, you relinquished your
child and that was that. Even though eventually I had married her birth father
and gone on to have further children, to my mind it seemed the only sensible
way was to leave the adoptive family alone. And so it
remained for 53 years until one odd day I googled her birth name. It came up on
a site reuniting both sides of adoption situations, and it was right beside my maiden
name!
"Amazing,
unexpected - and I was unprepared. She had waited until her parents had died
before searching. My husband and I are delighted, but the reunion is never easy, no one can predict how they will feel or act.
We very much feel birth parents, but most importantly, we do not feel like
parents. Our experience with her is so different from the experience of having
brought up the other children. Our relationship with her is an adult to adult
one, she speaks fondly of her parents and her upbringing, we can never be those
people. I know we are truly fortunate, and surprise, surprise, she wants to
know all of her family history, and as a Lost Cousins
member, I can help with that.
"I
wrote this because as my heart ached at the time of adoption, I know there are
many adoptive parents who fear that their child will want to seek their
origins. This is what all Lost Cousins members are doing. It is natural for
some folk to want to know who came before them. But I know most adoptive
parents did their very best, don’t be afraid, be bold, and be there to support.
I don’t think many adopted kids have changed their parental allegiance. Knowing
a birth parent may just enhance their lives, that’s all."
The next story, from an
adoptive parent one the other side of the world has an interesting twist - one that
I know will appeal to LostCousins members:
"Forty
years ago my husband and I were lucky to adopt a 13
day old baby boy who over the years has brought the usual joy, frustration and
sorrow into our lives.
"When
he was in his 20's he and I had a reunion with his birth mother
but nothing more came of that meeting and they didn't keep corresponding with each
other. In his words he just wanted to find somebody he looked like.
"He
eventually left home and did some travelling arriving in the UK and it was
during this stage in his life I was advised to purchase a book that had been
compiled for a family reunion as some of my family were in the book. Being an ardent genealogist I did in the hopes that I might uncover
more of the family that arrived here in 1841 and I certainly did. I learnt that
our adopted son was actually a cousin through his
birth mother who was my 3rd cousin. My son, his birth mother, and I are all descended
from the same ancestor who arrived here in 1841!"
I'm going to end this instalment
in the Adoption Matters with a contribution
from Frances Lake, a long-time LostCousins member who
is the Founder and Co-Ordinator of the Descendants of Deceased Adopted Persons
Group:
"I
have been following with interest your articles on adoption reunions. This
matter was of primary concern to the Descendants of Deceased Adopted Persons
Group when we were campaigning for a change in the law to allow us access to
original birth records.
"Now
that the Regulations are in place it can be frustrating for prescribed
relatives when they have to go through an intermediary adoption agent when
seeking access to their relatives, and many people ask why this is necessary,
but, as your stories tell us, the reunion does not always go to plan and using
a qualified intermediary counsellor can ease the way forward. I would like to
draw your attention to a letter written by Lynda Grange, published in the
December issue of Who Do You Think You
Are? magazine. Lynda warns about the impact of discovering that a parent
was 'not as expected' after DNA testing and directs us to a website that helps people come to
terms with their situation.
"I
visited this site and discovered that much of the potential dilemma or trauma
suffered by these people is very similar to that experienced by adopted people
and that we have a lot to learn from each other about the way we handle the
ethical and emotional side of discovery.
"The
NPE (Not Parent Expected) website states: 'We understand it was a different era
50-70 years ago, and no one ever imagined these secrets could ever be revealed
so easily scientifically. Yet, we are now feeling the impact of the trauma of
these revelations. We hope that with this new and easily accessible technology,
cultural attitudes will continue to improve, and the stigma of illegitimacy
will disappear'.
"I
agree with this statement. I personally know how exciting it is to discover a
new relative through adoption, but can also remember
the uncertainty and suspicion. Therefore, may I remind your readers to please
respect other people's rights to privacy when making contact either because of
adoption or discovery by DNA testing. Wishing you all happy reunions,
but be prepared in case they are not."
Thanks to everybody who has
written in already - there will be more wonderful stories in the next issue.
Do you have
Yorkshire ancestors?
Mary sent me a link to this
wonderful BBC recording
at YouTube of her great-great aunt Tamar Hoggarth
(nee Fletcher) - it was made in 1936, when she was 75. I had great difficulty understanding
it the first time I listened, not because the recording isn’t clear, but
because my ear wasn't attuned to the dialect (even though I was in York a month
ago).
It seems I'm not the only
one. Mary tells me that she remembers visiting her great-great uncle and aunt
during long summer holidays in Yorkshire, but "As a child aged seven or
eight, I picked up the accent quite easily and could converse; now it's a
struggle to tune my ear!"
See this 2017 newsletter article
for more about accents and dialects.
Society of
Genealogists library temporarily closed
Problems with the heating
system at the Society of Genealogists London premises, together with a forecast
of cold weather, have led to the closure of the library - possibly for a week
or more.
However, if you're planning
to attend a course or lecture you'll be glad to hear
that these will be going ahead - the room will be electrically heated.
I commented
in a recent newsletter that there are two sides to every argument and, quite coincidentally,
at the very same time a LostCousins member was finalising
a submission for the official Petitions site operated by the UK Government -
you could describe it as the petition to end all petitions!
If you believe that better
decisions are likely to be reached when all of the relevant considerations are
taken into account I hope you'll join me in signing this petition.
Note: please don’t take this as a cue to send me your own
petition - no matter how worthy the cause I can’t sign it, for the reasons
previously stated.
Precisely when
was the Armistice signed?
In the last newsletter I posed
a conundrum - the Armistice was signed in France and came into effect at the 11th hour of the 11th
day of the 11th month, but was it French time or
British time? Anyone who has been to France recently will know that they're an
hour ahead of us.
I got just two correct answers,
one from LostCousins member Hugh, and the other from
the broadcaster Dan Snow (who you'd expect to know, given that his Twitter
handle is @thehistoryguy). I'll be reviewing Dan's
book On
This Day In History in a forthcoming issue.
Well, was it
British time or French time? The answer is BOTH! From 1911 until the German occupation
in 1940 France was in the same time zone as Britain.
Note: an interesting fact about the 1940 armistice between
France and Germany is that Hitler insisted it was signed in the same place, in
the same railway carriage, as the 1918 agreement - this meant hauling the carriage
out of the museum in which it was preserved.
There's a book sale at the
National Archives - you'll find it here.
I'll be updating this article
over the next few days with news of offers which I feel might be of particular interest - so you might want to bookmark this
page in your browser.
This is where any
major updates and corrections will be highlighted - if you think you've spotted
an error first reload the newsletter (press Ctrl-F5) then check again before writing to me, in case someone else has
beaten you to it......
Peter Calver
Founder,
LostCousins
© Copyright 2018
Peter Calver
Please do NOT copy or
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