23andMe now legal in New York and Maryland

From Reuters:

23andMe Genetic Service Now Fully Accessible to Customers in New York and Maryland

PR Newswire

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 4, 2015

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 23andMe, Inc., the leading personal genetics company, today announced that its service is now completely available to people both in New York and Maryland.

Previously, customers in New York could not ship saliva samples from the state, while state law in Maryland prohibited direct-to-consumer genetic testing all together.

Continued:
http://www.reuters.com/article/23andme-service-ny-idUSnPn20XYqD+8d+PRN20151204

Ancestry DNA Black Friday Discount, USA and UK

30% discount.

Here is the order link for the US:

https://dna.ancestry.com/

Here is the link for the UK:

http://dna.ancestry.co.uk/

Good through 30 November 2015.

Enjoy!

FTDNA discounts through 31 December 2015

Here is a link to the Family Tree DNA  (FTDNA) discounts:

https://www.familytreedna.com/products.aspx

Enjoy!

23andME is changing on the 11th! Do these things to prepare

23andME is changing the way it works on the 11th.

Go to 23andME and login:

If you are set as Anonymous and want to have access to genealogy info, click on you Name ->Edit Profile and set it to a real name and set "Who can see this"to "All 23andme members".

Under "Account Settings", be sure Sharing Options and DNA Relatives are unchecked. Uncheck Health Options if you want to see your medical information.

DNA Relatives:

1) open your PC's browser
2) go to www.23andMe.come and log in
3) navigate through the menus: "Family and Friends" -> DNA Relatives"
4) Click on "Download" under your name
5) A CSV file (for use in a spreadsheet program) of all your matches will download to your computer.
6) Save that file.

1.      Set the matches to 100 per page
2.      Go to "Save Page As . . ."
3.      Save the page in a pre-arranged folder as “Web Page, complete” (for Mac) (or comparable under Windows) with a distinctive filename that works for you, e.g.:    23andMe DNAR MFK (profile’s initials) Page 1.html
4.      Repeat the above as you page forward through your Relative matches.
5. Save each file.

Reinvite close relatives who have not responded to invites

1) open your PC's browser
2) go to www.23andMe.com and log in
3) navigate through the menus: "Family and Friends" -> DNA Relatives"
4) Set to 100 per page
5) select "Sort:relationships" and click on "contact status"
6) page through until you get to "Invitation Sent". If the date is over 30 days ago, click on "Cancel"
and resend.

 OR

Sort DNAR by relationship and go through the first 100 entries and reinvite all who have not responded or accepted the invite but are not sharing and do not have a name.

Sort DNAR by Percent Shared and do the same.

Countries of Ancestry:

1) open your PC's browser
2) go to www.23andMe.come and log in
3) navigate through the menus: "my results -> ancestry overview -> ancestry
tools -> countries of ancestry"
4) select one of your genomes from the "show results for" drop-down menu
5) wait a minute for it to load; ignore the table and graph, and click on
the blue download button underneath the graph
6) repeat steps 4 and 5 for each of "your" known cousin matches.

I would do it for anyone who you known is related to you and for your first 100 matches in DNA Relatives.

Family Inheritance:Advanced:

1) open your PC's browser
2) go to www.23andMe.come and log in
3) navigate through the menus: "my results -> ancestry overview -> ancestry
tools -> Family Inheritance:Advanced"
4) select one of your genomes from the drop-down menu
5) wait a minute for it to load; ignore the table, and click on
the blue words "Download "your name" shared segments"
6) You will get an email from 23andme telling you the file is ready. Click the link in that email.
7) Login to 23andme and the file will download to your browser. Save the file.

Good Luck!

My 64 GGGG Grand Parents

This post will be at this blog and at my genealogy blog.

I have been doing autosomal DNA testing of my 22 non-sex chromosomes and my 2 sex-based chromosomes at Family Tree DNA, the Family Finder test; at 23andme, the Relative Finder test, and at AncestryDNA. These tests can help you find relatives related to you from the first degree, parents, siblings, grandparents, through 5 or 6th cousins.

In order to do that more easily it is a good idea to have an extensive pedigree of your direct ancestors and of their descendants. People who share a GGGGG Grandparent with you are 5th cousins. So in order to alert my 5th cousins to our possible DNA match, here is a list of my known GGGGG Grandparents:

• FNU=first name unknown
• LNU=last name unknown
• ?=uncertain of that element

32. Timothy Perkins, b New Haven, CT died during the Revolutionary War in VA or NC or SC. He and his brother Joseph were Loyalists (Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War by Murtie June Clark).
33. Miriam Sperry, b 1743 in Wallingford, New Haven Co, Connecticut, died after 1780 in North Carolina.
34. Unknown
35. Unknown
36. William Shepard, b ???, d before 1790 in Virginia or North Carolina.
37. Elizabeth, LNU,
38. James Smith, 1752, VA, d 1833, Holston, Scott Co., VA.
39. Nancy Mulkey, d after 1795, VA or Sauta Cave, Alabama?
40. Robert Creekmore, b 1760, Norfolk, VA, d 1824, Whitley Co., KY (Will Bk 1, p 10).
41. Elizabeth Batchelor, b 1761, VA, d Nov 1829, Whitley Co., KY (Will Bk 1, pp 29-30 Probate Sale).
42. Henry Porch, b 1758, Abingdon, Gloucester Co., VA, d 1849, Whitley Co., KY (Served in Revolutionary War, 1778-79 Capt. Wm Allen Green; 1781 Capt Sharp's Co., NC Service. Pension, W9234, BLWt 57777-160-55).
43. Rebecca P. Denton or Benton, before 1755, NC, d 1866, Pulaski Co., KY.
44. James Campbell, b 1763, NC, d 1829-1831, Whitley Co., KY (Will Bk 1, pp 37-38).
45. Anna Osburn, b 1764, PA, d 1852, Whitley Co., KY.
46. Unknown.
47. Unknown.
48. Renelder Walker, b about 1748, probably Frederick Co.,MD, d after 1826 in Knox or Whitley Co., KY or MO (Renalder was named nearest of kin in his [father's estate] inventory, 16 June 1766, Frederick County, Md. Prerogative Court, MD, (Inventories) 90, pp. 148-150). Marriage bond 27 Nov 1778, Wilkes Co., NC.
49. Mary Wilcoxon, b 1760 Rowan Co., NC, d 1830, Lafayette Co., MO. (Niece of Daniel Boone. Daughter of his elder sister, Sarah.).
50. William Bishop, b 1755-1760, PA, d 1834 Whitley Co., KY (Will Bk 1, p 54, Inventory)Served in Rev War, Capt John Rice's Co., Col Adam Stephens' Rgmt, Gen Daniel Morgan's Brigade. Was at Battles of the Brandywine and Germantown. Discharged at White Marsh, Pension Application, Whitley Co., KY Circuit Court Order Book A-B-C, p. 54, 18 July 1820.
51. Jane Tuggle, b d 1840?, Whitley Co., KY (Buried Wolf Creek Baptist Church Cemetery)
52. Samuel Wiatt, b about 1745 VA, d 1835 Knox Co., KY (Rev. War veteran, N.C. Militia Species pay Certificate No. 603, dated 12 Jun. 1783). (Will Knox Co., KY 1835).
53. Rebecca Bennett, b 1763 Greenbrier Co., VA, d 1837 Knox Co., KY.
54. Rev James Sullivan, b before 1765 Northumberland Co., VA d 1817-18, Williamsburg, Knox Co., KY (Whitley Co., KY, Will Bk 1, p25, made 9 Feb 1817 or 18? Nuncupative will on deathbed recorded July 20,1818, Book 1 Page 25). Served in 1st VA State Rgmt., Rev War. In Yellow Springs Hospital at Valley Forge, 4 Apr 1778. Methodist Minister. Ordained by Bishop Asberry in Knoxville, TN in 1793. School teacher at Carrol School on Cumberland River and Clear Fork Creek.
55. Eleanor Wilson, b 1769, d 1834, Williamsburg, Knox Co., KY.
56. William Manning, b 1775 VA d 1867 Whitley Co., KY. He was a blacksmith.
57. Nancy Whitecotton, b 1780-1785 VA, d 1852 Whitley Co., KY. (2nd wife).
58. Jacob Anderson, b about 1779 VA, d 1850-1860, Whitely Co., KY.
59. Nancy Anne Richardson, b about 1771, d between 1820-25, Whitley Co., KY.
60. Rev John Moses, b about 1772, NC d after 1860, McNairy Co., TN (Old Style Baptist Minister).
61. Mary "Polly" Richmond.
62. John Richardson, b 1765 VA? d 1840, Whitley Co., KY.
63. Elizabeth Davis. b 1778 d after 1860, Whitley Co., KY.
64. George Ball, b 1751-52, Fairfax Co., VA d 1825, Russell Co., VA
65. Elizabeth Tunnell, b 1756, Stafford Co., VA, d Russell Co., VA?
66. James Harvey May,b 1739, England d between 1830 and 1840 Pike Co., KY. Transported as a prisoner from Middlesex Gaol, 1774 on the Ship Justitia, to Baltimore, MD. Alias of Emmanuel Mills. He may have been a Loyalist in Rev War. (Buried in John Runyan Cemetery, Pike Co., KY).
67. Elizabeth "Betsy" King, d before 1840 Pike Co., KY. (Buried in John Runyan Cemetery, Pike Co., KY).
68. Joshua Phipps, b about 1765, VA d after 1850, Cheriton, Randolph Co., MO?
69. Elizabeth Rice, b 1790 VA, D 1830 Green Co., KY.
70. John Davenport, b 1770 VA d unknown. 1830 dismissal from Concord Baptist Church, Wayne Co., KY. May have gone to Indiana. Married in 1796 in Patrick Co., VA. Maybe a son of Elisha Davenport, aged 80-90 in 1830 Wayne Co., KY Census.
71. Nancy Burnett, b 1772 VA, d unknown. 1830 dismissal from Concord Baptist Church, Wayne Co., KY.
72. Daniel Strunk, abt 1775, PA, MD, VA? d 1852 Whitley Co., KY. Constable of Ashe Co., NC 1806 and 1814. Moved to Whitley Co., KY by 1820 Census. At least four wives and 30+ children.
73. Margaret "Peggy" Williams?, abt 1780, NC d aft 1860 Census Cumberland Co., KY. Granted divorce from Daniel 1821 in Whitley Co., KY. Named as Margareta in Divorce Decree.
74. FNU Pennington, unknown father of Abigail Pennington, 2nd wife of Abraham Strunk. See Abraham Strunk Divorce.
75. Unknown mother of Abigail Pennington, 2nd wife of Abraham Strunk. See above.
76. FNU Davis, unknown father of John Davis
77. Unknown, unknown mother of John Davis
78. Ballentine Creekmore, b 1750-60 d between 1830 and 1840 Whitley Co., KY. In Nash Co., NC in 1790 and 1800 Censuses, in Knox Co., KY in 1810 Census and in Whitley Co., KY in 1820 and 1830 Censuses. Age recorded as between 60 and 69 in 1830.
79. Barsheba Batchelor, b 1766 Norfolk, Norfolk, VA or Nash Co., NC, d bef 1840 Whitley Co., KY.
80. FNU Swain, unknown father of John DeSwain or John D. Swain from VA to Whitley Co., KY. 
81. Unknown
82. Unknown
83. Unknown
84. George Ball, See above #64.
85. Elizabeth Tunnel/l, See above #65.
86. James Harvey May, See above #66.
87. Elizabeth "Betsy" King, See above #67.
88. William Kidd, b aft 1737, VA? d between 1801 and 1821, Tazewell Co., VA or Wayne Co., KY (date of brother Samuel Kidd's estate in Fluvanna Co., VA) William was sometime of Albemarle Co., VA. Named in his father Aaron Kidd's will in Albemarle Co., VA in 1775.
89. Unknown
90. FNU Bagley or Begley, possibly of Tazewell Co., VA.
91. Unknown
92. Thomas Stephens, b abt 1750 (VA or NC) d abt 1836, Fentress Co., TN. Rev War.
93. Sarah Miller, b 12 March 1747 or 57 (possibly in England) d bef 1836, Fentress Co., TN.
94. FNU Hays or Hayes
95. Unknown

Number of 23andme matches of my 29 known GGG Grandparent surnames

I currently have 3108 matches at 23andme. I decided to look at the known surnames of my 32 GGGGrandparents, pedigree numbers 32-63, to see how many matches I have for each surname:

pedigree # Surname number of matches 
32 Perkins 30
33 Unknown 
34 Shepard 145
35 Smith 164
36 Creekmore 13
37 Porch 1
38 Campbell 35
39 Unknown
40 Walker 38
41 Bishop 18
42 Wiatt/Wyatt 4
43 Sullivan 12
44 Manning 18
45 Anderson 50
46 Moses 9
47 Richardson 15
48 Ball 67
49 May 69
50 Phipps 5
51 Davenport 9
52 Strunk 15
53 Pennington 15
54 Davis 80
55 Creekmore 13
56 Swain 8
57 Unknown
58 Ball 67
59 May 69
60 Kidd 9
61 Bagley/Begley 4
62 Stephens 38
63 Hayes/Hays 22

Not Irish but Native American DNA

From KUHF Houston:

Y-DNA test reveals ‘Irish-American’ is actually Native American
6 April 2012


Amateur genealogist Steve Woodall believed that his direct male-line ancestors, and carriers of the Woodall surname, descended from Irish stock. But, despite years of research, he could not reach further back than his 3 x great-grandfather, William Wagner Woodall, born in 1818 in North Carolina.

To get past the dead end, Steve turned to DNA testing – and got an unexpected result. He told KUHF Houston Public Radio, “We got the DNA test that says that it appears that we’re Native Americans and we’re like what? We’re what?”

Steve’s European appearance gave no hint of Native American heritage, yet Family Tree DNA confirmed his Y-DNA haplogroup as Q1a3a1. This haplogroup is strictly associated with the indigenous peoples of the Americas and is defined by the genetic marker M3, which occurred on the Q lineage roughly 10-15 thousand years ago as the migration from Siberia into the Americas was in progress. Steve is now searching for Y-DNA matches with other Q1a3a1 males through FTDNA and ysearch, to enable him to track his Native American lineage before William Wagner Woodall. He has already discovered 4 other Woodalls whose markers match.

Continued: 

http://www.abroadintheyard.com/y-dna-test-reveals-irish-american-is-actually-native-american/

So you think an ancestor was a Native American?

Many Americans whose families have been in the Anglo USA since the 1600s think they have a Native American ancestor. Photos of my Mother seem to show someone of possible Native American ancestry. Several people in my ancestry are supposed to be NA. However, my DNA analysis at 2 of 4 ancestry DNA companies does not find it. One former consumer DNA company did give me a small amount of NA DNA and one gives me a small amount of East Asian DNA.

This post from Barking Up the Wrong Tree should prove of interest to those of us told someone "looks native" High cheekbones and straight black hair

New Subscription prices at Ancestry.com

New subscription pricing at U.S. Ancestry.com probably will not meet with approval:

From Barking Up the Wrong Tree http://buwt.blogspot.com/2015/06/subscription-switcheroo.html

US Discovery            = $19.99 month or $99 for 6 months
World Explorer         = $34.99 month or $149 for 6 months
World Explorer Plus = $44.99 month or $199 for 6 months

See the link above for details on what materials are included at each level.

Posts by Judy Russell on the closing of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation DNA database

See these posts by Judy Russell at http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/ :

Of Babies and Bathwater and Facts Matter! on the closing of the SMGF DNA database based on an factually incorrect sensationalist post on police use of the database to clear an accused person of a crime.

Hopefully, Ancestry.com will open the database to people who are in it to retrieve their information and matches.

2015 DNA Day Big Y $100.00 discount through 30 April 2015

Have you taken a Y DNA test at Family Tree DNA?

Family Tree DNA is looking forward to offering many exciting deals beginning summer 2015.  This DNA Day, use coupon code DNADayBigY to take $100 off Big Y.  This coupon is valid from 12:00 AM 4/25/2015 through 11:59 PM 4/30/2015.
www.familytreedna.com/

2015 DNA Day sale at AncestryDNA

The AncestryDNA autosomal DNA test is $79.00 through the 27th of April, 2015. The announcement is here http://dna.ancestry.com/?o_xid=57463&o_lid=57463&o_sch=Social

AncestryDNA new features: New Ancestor Discoveries and DNA Circles

Ancestry has a new feature called "New Ancestor Discoveries (NAD)". This is a misnomer since the NAD can be an ancestor or a relative. 

I have one NAD, with the surname of Walker, who married a James Ball. I have James as a 1st cousin 4 times removed and the NAD is listed in my program as his wife but without parents. I'll build this out to see if she and I are related. What I have found is her Walker family was in VA/WVa while mine are from MD to NC to TN and KY.

Earlier Ancestry rolled out DNA Circles consisting of people with DNA connections leading back to the same ancestor or couple. Not everyone in a Circle will have a DNA connection to each other but everyone will connect to someone else in the Circle. I have 24 circles, 5 for GGGps, 10 for GGGGPs, and 9 for GGGGGPs, with the earliest born in 1743; 291 green hints; 502 4th cousins or closer; and 179 pages of matches.

What I would like to do, is to confirm the maiden names and parents of some of my 16 GGGGmothers in Whitley and Pike Co.s, KY; Campbell and Fentress Co.s TN: 

Nancy Ann was wife of Jabez Perkins according to a deed and to the recorded renunciation of his will. Often named as a Creekmore or a White; 

Elizabeth S. was the wife of William Campbell according to the census; 

Who were the parents of Abigail Pennington named as the "consort" of Abraham Strunk in the 1826 divorce of Lucy Strunk and Abraham Strunk. Some call her Abigail Daugherty. Some think she was a sister or daughter of Wells Pennington. Abraham Strunk and Wells Pennington came to Whitley Co., KY together from Ashe Co., NC; 

What is the maiden name of Isabell/a "Nancy", wife of John D. Swain?; 

Who are the parents of Margaret Bagley or Begley, wife of Elias Kidd, married in Tazewell Co., VA?; 

and who are the parents of Susan Hayes, wife of Zorababel Stephens?. So far, none of them have Circles although two of the husbands do. 

In the GGGGGmothers, who are the parents of Elizabeth King, wife of James Harvey May, aka as "Emanuel Mills", in Records of Trials in the Old Bailey; James Harvey May is my most recent know European immigrant ancestor, coming to America from Middlesex Gaol in 1771 on the prisoner ship Justitia. James Harvey May has a Circle.

And I'll repeat myself, AncestryDNA needs a Chromosome Browser!

23andMe hires former Genentech executive Richard Scheller

From Forbes Magazine, Matthew Herper:



In Big Shift, 23andMe Will Invent Drugs Using Customer Data

23andMe, the Google GOOGL +1%-backed personal genetics startup, will no longer just sell tests to consumers, or genetic data to pharmaceutical companies. This morning, it announced that it plans to start inventing medicines itself.

It’s not just talk. The company has hired Richard Scheller, who led drug discovery at biotech icon Genentech for 14 years before announcing he would retire in December, and who has won some of science’s top awards, including the Lasker Prize, often referred to as “America’s Nobel,” and the Kavli Prize.

“I wanted a new challenge, I wanted a new area of science to learn more about, I wanted to see if we could really take advantage of the full potential of the human genome and thought that this is the best place to do that,” Scheller says. He will start next month with the title of Chief Scientific Officer and head of therapeutics, and could eventually have a staff of dozens.

Why Native Americans are concerned about potential exploitation of their DNA

From the Genetic Literacy Project:

Why Native Americans are concerned about potential exploitation of their DNA
Arvind Suresh | February 2, 2015 | Genetic Literacy Project

Image via Boston Public Library (Creative Commons)Image via Boston Public Library (Creative Commons)

Until the advent of genetic genealogy, knowing your ancestry meant combing through old records, decoding the meaning of family heirlooms and listening to your parents and grandparents tell you about the ‘good old days’. For anthropologists and archaeologists interested in going back even further in time, the only reliable means of understanding human history were trying to interpret ruins or remnants of skeletons or other information uncovered at the site of remains.

DNA testing has changed all that, allowing us to delve far deeper into our past than before and with a much higher degree of accuracy. Although there are many issues stirred by DNA testing, none is more provocative than interpreting our family and tribal ancestries.

Nowhere is this more apparent than among the Native American tribes in the United States. I recently wrote about a large scale genetic analysiss among the American population by personal genetics and genealogy company 23andMe, using its extensive database to begin to decipher the ancestral origins of various ethnic groups in the United States.

(Continued at the link above)