GRAVES FAMILY BULLETIN
A
Free, Occasional, Online Summary of Items of Interest to Descendants of all
Families of Graves, Greaves, Grieves, Grave, and other spelling variations
Worldwide
Vol.
13, No. 3, September 26, 2011
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Copyright
© 2011 by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves. All rights reserved.
Information
on how to start a free subscription to this bulletin and how to be removed from
the subscription list is at the end of this bulletin. If you received this bulletin directly, then you are already
subscribed.
Visit
the GFA web site at https://gravesfa.org
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CONTENTS:
**
General Comments
**
Special 36-hour Offer from Family Tree DNA
**
Updates to the Graves Family Association Website
**
African American Updates to the GFA Website, and Free Y-DNA Testing
**
More Opportunities for African American Research and DNA Testing
**
Researching Native American Ancestry
**
Sources of Online Information About Genetic Genealogy
**
ISOGG and the ISOGG Wiki
**
The 1940 U.S. Census
**
To Submit Material to this Bulletin & Other Things
===============================================
GENERAL
COMMENTS
This
issue of the Bulletin contains several articles about DNA testing, and
increased help for Graves/Greaves descendants with African ancestry.
Please
also note the first article about the 36-hour testing offer from Family Tree
DNA. We urge you to take advantage
of this if you can. Note that
financial assistance from the Graves Family Association may be available,
especially if your family is from outside North America.
===============================================
SPECIAL
36-HOUR OFFER FROM FAMILY TREE DNA
This
notice was just received from Family Tree DNA. If you have been thinking about ordering a test for yourself
or someone else, now is the time to do it. If you or a known male family member with the Graves or
Greaves surname is part of a family that has not yet had a Y-DNA test, we urge
you to order the Y-DNA37 test now.
FTDNA
wrote: Thank you for helping us reach 15,000 LIKES on our Facebook
page! To show how much we like you too, we're offering a 36-HOUR SALE!
START: Monday, September 26 (TODAY) at 12:00pm CDT
END: Tuesday, September 27 at 11:59pm CDT
For NEW customers:
Y-DNA
12 . . . $59 (was $99)
mtDNA
. . . $59 (was $99)
Y-DNA
37 . . . $129 (was $149)
Family
Finder . . . $199 (was $289)
mtFullSequence
(FGS) . . . $229 (was $299)
Y-DNA
12 + mtDNA . . . $118 (was $179)
Family
Finder + Y-DNA 12 . . . $248 (was $339)
Family
Finder + mtDNA . . . $248 (was $339)
Family
Finder + Y-DNA 37 . . . $328 (was $438)
Family
Finder + mtFullSequence . . . $398 (was $559)
Comprehensive
Genome (Family Finder + mtFullSequence + Y-DNA67) . . . $597 (was $797)
Upgrades & Add-Ons:
mtDNA
add-on $59 . . . (was $89)
mtFullSequence
upgrade (HVR1 to Mega) . . . $199 (was $269)
mtFullSequence
upgrade (HVR2 to Mega) . . . $199 (was $239)
mtFullSequence
add-on . . . $219 (was $289)
Family
Finder add-on . . . $199 (was $289)
Prices
will be automatically adjusted on the Family Tree DNA website -- no coupon code
needed! Important: Promotional orders need to be paid for by the end of this
sale. Visit us at http://www.familytreedna.com
to order now.
For
new orders you should remember to always order as part of the Graves DNA
project by going to the GFA website at www.gravesfa.org,
scrolling down to the DNA Study section, and clicking on the “How to sign up”
link, or going to the FTDNA website at www.familytreedna.com,
entering Graves in the “Search Your Last Name” box in the upper right, clicking
on the Graves link under projects, and placing your order.
===============================================
UPDATES
TO THE GRAVES FAMILY ASSOCIATION WEBSITE
The
creation of new genealogies and the updating of old ones is continuing. There has been a recent emphasis on
genealogies for African American Graves descendants, but other genealogies have
been created and changed also.
The
Charts page has been updated, with all the changes in genealogies
included. New charts have been
added and updated.
Additions
and changes will be coming soon in the areas of DNA, searching of genealogies,
ease of navigation around the website, and membership.
===============================================
AFRICAN
AMERICAN UPDATES TO THE GFA WEBSITE, AND FREE Y-DNA TESTING
A
number of genealogies for African American families have recently been added to
the GFA website, especially for those from Caswell Co., NC. A summary of the information is on the
African Ancestry page, which can be accessed by clicking on the Research tab at
the top of any page, and then clicking on the African ancestry page, or just
going directly to https://gravesfa.org/african.html. You can also see a summary of the
genealogies that are connected to Caswell Co., NC, on the Charts page of the
website at https://gravesfa.org/charts.html#Caswell.
Only
3 of these genealogies have had descendants do DNA testing. Four of the testers had African Y-DNA
ancestry, and the fifth had European ancestry, almost certainly descended from
someone in the family of John E. Brown of Caswell Co., NC. It seems likely that at
least one and probably more of the genealogies are descended from genealogy
270. Most of the families do not
yet have any descendants who have taken a DNA test.
If
you are descended from any of these families that have not been DNA tested and
are a male in a direct, all-male line of descent from any of the families that
have not yet been tested, or if you know of anyone who qualifies, you may be
eligible for a free Y-DNA test.
Also, if you are part of an African American family that has not yet
been included on the GFA website, you may also qualify for a free test. To learn more, contact Ken Graves at ken.graves@gravesfa.org.
For
new orders you should remember to always order as part of the Graves DNA
project by going to the GFA website at www.gravesfa.org,
scrolling down to the DNA Study section, and clicking on the “How to sign up”
link, or going to the FTDNA website at www.familytreedna.com,
entering Graves in the “Search Your Last Name” box in the upper right, clicking
on the Graves link under projects, and placing your order.
===============================================
MORE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN RESEARCH AND DNA TESTING
RESEARCH
The
Virginia Historical Society has recently established a website called “Unknown
No Longer”, with a database of Virginia slave names, at http://unknownnolonger.vahistorical.org/. This is “the latest step by the Society
to increase access to its varied collections relating to Virginians of African
descent.” The site has an
excellent search capability. There
is an article from the Washington Post about this database at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/house-divided/post/database-of-virginia-slave-names-made-public/2010/12/20/gIQAeWaTVK_blog.html.
AUTOSOMAL
DNA TESTING
According
to recent publicity from DNA testing company 23andMe, it may now be possible
for as many as 10,000 African Americans to get a free autosomal DNA test. The testing will be part of a program
called “Roots into the Future.”
Although the program will be primarily oriented toward health and disease,
it will also enable finding family connections on all ancestral lines for 5 or
6 generations back.
An
article on the 23and Me website states: “Our goal is to enroll 10,000
participants who self-identify as African American, Black, or African in order
to rapidly accelerate genetic research in the African American community. Roots into the Future will help
determine how genetic factors contribute to the development of disease in this
population.”
You
can see a recent article about this study in the online news magazine, The
Root, by going to www.theroot.com and putting
“Roots into the Future” in the search box at the top right. An article in 23andMe’s blog, The
Spittoon, is at http://spittoon.23andme.com/2011/07/26/roots-into-the-future/. To find out more, go to www.23andme/roots. At that site, you can sign up to be
notified when registration is available.
I
strongly recommend that all Graves descendants who qualify for this project
take advantage of it. There are
great potential medical research benefits, the price is right and, especially
if we work together, we may be able to learn much more about African American
families and their ancestries.
===============================================
RESEARCHING
NATIVE AMERICAN ANCESTRY
The
latest issue of Up Front, the National Genealogical Society newsletter, called
my attention to a new website created by the U.S. Department of the Interior to
help trace Indian ancestry. The
website, at http://www.doi.gov/tribes/trace-ancestry.cfm,
emphasizes tracing ancestry to determine eligibility for membership in a
federally recognized tribe.
===============================================
SOURCES
OF ONLINE INFORMATION ABOUT GENETIC GENEALOGY
There
are many sources of information online about genetic genealogy. One that was recently called to my
attention is an e-book by Blaine Bettinger at https://www.familytreedna.com/pdf-docs/Interpreting-Genetic-Genealogy-Results_web_optimized.pdf. It is titled “I Have the Results of My
Genetic Genealogy Test, Now What?”
It is basic, but its 30 pages may be helpful to novices.
Another
easy-to-read overview is Richard Hill’s Guide to DNA Testing at http://www.dna-testing-adviser.com/support-files/guide-to-dna-testing.pdf. It is titled “How to Identify Ancestors
and Confirm Relationships through DNA Testing.” It uses diagrams to describe the four basic types of DNA
tests for finding ancestry, and tells the purpose of each. His website is at http://www.dna-testing-adviser.com/.
The
FAQ (frequently asked questions) section of several websites can also answer
many questions. Good sites include
A
website that exists only for genetic genealogy is that of the International
Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) at http://www.isogg.org. This is discussed in the next article.
Blogs:
Blaine
Bettinger (mentioned at the start of this article) also publishes a blog called
Genetic Genealogist at www.thegeneticgenealogist.com. In addition, he has a list of what he
considers to be the top ten blogs for genetic genealogists at http://www.blogs.com/topten/10-great-blogs-for-genetic-genealogists/. Even more genetic genealogy blogs are
listed at http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Genetic_genealogy_blogs
on a page of the ISOGG wiki. For
those of you who would like to keep up-to-date with new developments in this
field, some of these blogs may be especially interesting and helpful.
===============================================
ISOGG
AND THE ISOGG WIKI
What is ISOGG?
The
International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) was founded in 2005. There are no dues or fees to join, and
it is entirely self-supporting by its members. It now has over 7,000 members worldwide. Its website is at www.isogg.org. Its mission is to “advocate for and educate
about the use of genetics as a tool for genealogical research, and promote a
supportive network for genetic genealogists."
What is a Wiki?
According
to Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia): “A wiki is a website that allows the
creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via
a web browser using a
simplified markup
language or a WYSIWYG
text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used
collaboratively by multiple users.
What is the ISOGG Wiki?
It
is a wiki created and maintained for the benefit and education of the genetic
genealogy community. It is at www.isogg.org/wiki/.
===============================================
THE
1940 U.S. CENSUS
On
April 2, 2012, NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) will provide
access to the images of the 1940 United States Federal Census for the first
time. Unlike previous census
years, images of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be made available as free
digital images. A consortium of
commercial and noncommercial organizations—including archives, societies,
and FamilySearch—are indexing the 1940 U.S. Federal Census with the
objective of making the index and records available for free in perpetuity. More information is available at https://familysearch.org/1940census.
FamilySearch.org
will also provide digital images to tens of thousands of volunteers to start
transcribing the records so they become searchable. Complete publication of the index will depend on how many
volunteers provide help. To
volunteer to help index the records, go to the website at the end of the above
paragraph. On that same page,
there are links to detailed articles and online courses about effectively doing
research using census records.
The
National Archives also provides help in doing genealogy research. Their records include not only census
records, but also immigration records, land records, and much more. To learn more, go to http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/index.html.
===============================================
ABOUT THIS BULLETIN:
This
bulletin is written and edited by Kenneth V. Graves, ken.graves@gravesfa.org.
TO
SUBMIT MATERIAL TO THIS BULLETIN:
Send
any material you would like to have included in this bulletin to
ken.graves@gravesfa.org. The
editor reserves the right to accept, edit or reject any material submitted.
TO
JOIN THE GRAVES FAMILY ASSOCIATION:
If
you do not already belong to the GFA, you can join by sending $20 per year to
Graves Family Association, 20 Binney Circle, Wrentham, MA 02093 (more details
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COPYRIGHTS:
Although
the contents of this bulletin are copyrighted by the Graves Family Association
and Kenneth V. Graves, you are hereby granted permission, unless otherwise
specified, to re-distribute part or all to other parties for non-commercial purposes
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