I'm a Genetic Genealogist

[SnackBitch2020]

I've been a genealogist for 15 years, and branched into genetic genealogy a few years ago. Now it's my main area of research.

For want of a less "cringe" expression genealogy is my side hustle, but with COVID I'm thinking of taking the plunge into doing it professionally.

I've worked on many people's family histories as well as my own, and solved some dna mysteries.

This sounds really interesting, but I don’t know what to ask you :/

Have you done any abandoned baby cases?
I find them fascinating.
Also how reliable is DNA testing for more distant generations? My great grandfather's father is a mystery and part of me would like to know more but I don't want any other surprises!

Actually I’ll ask this, but it’s a bit long and boring so feel free to ignore!

We have a minor family mystery whereby my ex’s great-grandfather (so, the g-g-grandfather of our DC) — his name was William, b 1881 — did not know who his father was. Some of his family members at the time apparently knew, but refused to tell him.

William died long before our time but out of curiosity, we traced the records in a basic way online and found that at the time of his birth, his mother was a young live-in servant to a middle-class family of three — parents and their young child. The man of the house, her employer, was named William. It crossed my mind that he could have been the father of her baby. I know William is an extremely common name but the fact she chose it, combined with the fact she was in what looks to modern eyes like a vulnerable position in that home ... I dunno. Obviously it could equally be the case that she simply had a boyfriend, and we’d have no way of knowing.

But I know that older William, the possible father, has other descendants. So I’m wondering if there’s any way, theoretically via genetic stuff, we could ever confirm this connection or rule it out.

Do you know anything about the genetics surrounding blood types and how it’s passed onto children? My DM is convinced that her father is not her biological dad due to having a different blood type but I don’t think it’s as simple as that due to dominant and recessive genes.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

Have you done any abandoned baby cases? I find them fascinating. Also how reliable is DNA testing for more distant generations? My great grandfather's father is a mystery and part of me would like to know more but I don't want any other surprises!

@PastMyBestBeforeDate Thanks for your questions. No, I haven't. When handled by individuals who are not trained in this sort of thing, with all the emotions involved, the situation can turn out very badly. I have seen via Facebook groups I used to be part of, people finding and practically harassing bio family members and then receiving some very hostile responses from them. Ethically, my belief is that these cases should be handled by an experienced intermediary or an organisation such as the Salvation Army. I would not advise adopted people to contact bio relatives directly via e.g. Facebook without using an intermediary to avoid harm to themselves or others. Whilst there are some success stories, these sadly aren't the norm.

Autosomal DNA testing is accurate (the type offered by Ancestry, 23andMe, My Heritage, Family Tree DNA and Living DNA). However the more distantly you are related to someone, the less DNA you share with them, and also the possibility that you do not share DNA with them (despite being related) increases. For instance, first cousins share DNA 100% of the time. Fourth cousins share DNA 71% of the time, but fifth cousins share DNA only 32% of the time.

Depending on the quality of your DNA matches (assuming you have taken a test), it would certainly be possible to find out who your Great Great Grandfather was. You would share 6.25% of your DNA with him on average.

Re surprises - definitely don't do a DNA test if you don't want surprises!

Hmm ok I have a query, possibly more to do with chromosomes than genes but I’m sure you’ll be able to help!

I have a woman, also I have a dodgy X chromosome and a good X chromosome, for want of a better description. The dodgy one contains a genetic disease (incontinentia pigmenti, but it’s a bit of a rare one, so don’t know if it’s something everyone comes across!)

Dd1 was born and she has IP so I know that her chromosomes are dodgy X from me and X from Dh.

Dd2 was born and she doesn’t have IP so I know that her chromosomes are good X from me and X from Dh

Then I had a miscarriage of a boy due to the IP (which is fatal in boys that have it) so I know that baby had dodgy X from me and Y From DH.

Now I am pregnant with a boy and it has gone past the ‘danger zone’ for miscarriage, which is about 22 weeks. So as this baby is developing normally, I know that it has my good X and Dh’s Y.

Does this affect the genes of the baby? So will the fact it has a completely different set of chromosomes mean that it has a completely different set of genes to dd1? And therefore share no similarities?

Thanks

@ShortSilence

Actually I’ll ask this, but it’s a bit long and boring so feel free to ignore!

We have a minor family mystery whereby my ex’s great-grandfather (so, the g-g-grandfather of our DC) — his name was William, b 1881 — did not know who his father was. Some of his family members at the time apparently knew, but refused to tell him.

William died long before our time but out of curiosity, we traced the records in a basic way online and found that at the time of his birth, his mother was a young live-in servant to a middle-class family of three — parents and their young child. The man of the house, her employer, was named William. It crossed my mind that he could have been the father of her baby. I know William is an extremely common name but the fact she chose it, combined with the fact she was in what looks to modern eyes like a vulnerable position in that home ... I dunno. Obviously it could equally be the case that she simply had a boyfriend, and we’d have no way of knowing.

But I know that older William, the possible father, has other descendants. So I’m wondering if there’s any way, theoretically via genetic stuff, we could ever confirm this connection or rule it out.

Hi @ShortSilence, thanks for your question.

I think my reply to PastMyBestBeforeDate will also be helpful to you. If your ex, or even better, the relevant one of his/her parents took a test (as they would be more closely related to William), depending on the quality of the matches, you would absolutely be able to find out for sure who William's father was. The theory you have given sounds very possible.

I'm not sure if you are male or female, but if your ex is male and William is related to him via the paternal line e.g. father's father's father etc. then a Y DNA test may help.

When I say quality of DNA matches, I should clarify what I actually mean. I would class a quality DNA match in this case as a person who is related to you on a third cousin level or closer - who is related via the specific line you are investigating. If you are lucky, these matches might have family trees. And if you are really lucky, those trees might be accurate!

Essentially it's a process of elimination to find mystery relatives. Identifying DNA matches with known branches and seeing who is left, then working out how they might be related to you (massively long process shortened here!).

Your reply to PastMyBestBeforeDate is interesting. My mum has a missing relative on her father's side of her family. If she did a DNA test, would there be a chance that she might be able to find a connection to him?

@IHaveAGreyLamp

Do you know anything about the genetics surrounding blood types and how it’s passed onto children? My DM is convinced that her father is not her biological dad due to having a different blood type but I don’t think it’s as simple as that due to dominant and recessive genes.

Hi @IHaveAGreyLamp thanks for your question.

Autosomal DNA testing does not involve blood types, it is based around the amount of DNA you share with relatives. It is not correct for her to say that he cannot be her Dad because he has a different blood type. The only way to conclusively prove whether or not she and her Dad are related would be for both of them to take DNA tests. If her Dad has passed on, if she has any siblings, the next best thing would be for her and a sibling to test.

As this is such a close relationship, if your Mum decided to test, I would advise caution and to prepare herself for unexpected results, including finding possible close relatives such as half siblings, aunts and uncles etc. She would need to think about how she would feel about and deal with this, particularly if they contact her first.

DNA companies are great at selling tests but do not provide sufficient after care to people who receive unexpected results in my view. Hope this helps!

Do you do aDNA or just modern?

I have always wanted to do this.
I only know my mum and her mum (unknown father) , and my dad and his mum (again unknown father). So a missing grandparent on each side and I know no further back.

My question is: how much would you charge to help someone build their family tree a few generations back? How much can typically be done via research and how often do you use genetic testing?

What a fantastic thread! I’m very excited for your side hustle to become the main hustle 😀

I’ve been stuck for a long long time trying to trace my maternal grandmother’s line - she was British (English I thought) and my only ancestral link to the UK yet I have virtually no British DNA matches across: ancestry.com, 23andme, myheritage, ftdna, GEDmatch.

How much does it cost to have someone look into this? Got a great paper trail thanks to rootschat or rootsweb (something like that) but no DNA matches with anyone who has ancestors in common.

What’s the best DNA test to find someone’s regional origins? DH is very olive skinned (Scottish, Cornish, Breton heritage) and we’ve always wondered why!

@TheGirlWhoLived

Hmm ok I have a query, possibly more to do with chromosomes than genes but I’m sure you’ll be able to help!

I have a woman, also I have a dodgy X chromosome and a good X chromosome, for want of a better description. The dodgy one contains a genetic disease (incontinentia pigmenti, but it’s a bit of a rare one, so don’t know if it’s something everyone comes across!)

Dd1 was born and she has IP so I know that her chromosomes are dodgy X from me and X from Dh.

Dd2 was born and she doesn’t have IP so I know that her chromosomes are good X from me and X from Dh

Then I had a miscarriage of a boy due to the IP (which is fatal in boys that have it) so I know that baby had dodgy X from me and Y From DH.

Now I am pregnant with a boy and it has gone past the ‘danger zone’ for miscarriage, which is about 22 weeks. So as this baby is developing normally, I know that it has my good X and Dh’s Y.

Does this affect the genes of the baby? So will the fact it has a completely different set of chromosomes mean that it has a completely different set of genes to dd1? And therefore share no similarities?

Thanks

Hi @TheGirlWhoLived, thanks for your question.

I'm very sorry to hear about your condition and loss. I am pleased to hear that your pregnancy is going well and wish you a safe and healthy delivery.

Health testing is not my area of expertise, but I can answer your question in general terms of how DNA is passed on and shared between siblings.

All female children have two x chromosomes, and all male children have a x and a y chromosome. The Y chromosome remains virtually unchanged passed down from male to male etc. The x chromosome is more susceptible to recombination (in basic terms, how the mother and father's DNA mixes and combines at conception to create a child).

As your daughters have different x chromosomes this will mean some of the DNA they have inherited is different. However, regardless of this your children as full siblings will share between 1,613 - 3,488 centimorgans (approximately 50% of their DNA), they will not each have a totally different set of genes. Your children will randomly inherit 50% each from you and your husband. Hope this clarifies!

How successful are genealogists at tracing cases of adoption?
My father was adopted at or around birth & as it wasn't the done thing to discuss at the time (1940s) I've never known any more than that. I tried to find his birth certificate but it wasn't there so assume it is in his birth name which must have been changed upon his adoption. Consequently I have no knowledge of my paternal grandparents.
I contacted an intermediary organisation & asked for advice but they were very negative & basically said that as I wasn't the adoptee I'd have no hope of getting any information.

@SaskiaRembrandt

Your reply to PastMyBestBeforeDate is interesting. My mum has a missing relative on her father's side of her family. If she did a DNA test, would there be a chance that she might be able to find a connection to him?

Hi @SaskiaRembrandt, thanks for your question.

Yes. If the relative is fifth cousin level or closer. Of course with all the caveats mentioned upthread about preparing yourself for unexpected outcomes

@Mytholmroyd

Do you do aDNA or just modern?

Hi @Mytholmroyd, thanks for your question.

Sorry I'm not quite sure what you mean by modern? I work with autosomal DNA testing.

Thanks for all your questions. I have to go and do boring non DNA stuff now so I will reply to any further questions tomorrow!

@SnackBitch2020 thanks!

Sorry if i have misunderstood, I was wondering if you only worked on modern samples or if you did any aDNA work - if getting samples from skeletons of known ancestors can extend it back further. Also, if you had an opinion on how secure the Richard III DNA work was given the potential for false paternity incidences. I'm an archaeologist!

SnackBitch2020 Thank you! That's really helpful :)

So I did 23 and Me and found the countries your genes link to very interesting. I was mostly European (loss of places though) but did have a few % Egyptian. My cousins on there were very similar to my results but without the Egyptian. As far as we're aware my family are English/Scottish for several generations. Could this have come from hundreds of years back in my ancestry?

I have dark hair and olive skin. My older relatives say we have Spanish genes from shipwrecked sailors washing up in West Cornwall and fathering children with love women. Have you any idea from your study of genes if this is true?

*local women

I have two questions (I’m greedy!)

1. How do you train to do this?

2 This may be outside your expertise, but how reliable is ethnicity testing and which companies are best for this?