Graves Family Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 3, Sept. 26, 2011

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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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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/.

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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.

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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 on GFA website). Payment may also be sent electronically via PayPal by going to www.paypal.com and sending payment to gfa@gravesfa.org.

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 only.

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