GRAVES FAMILY BULLETIN
Vol. 15, No. 13, Nov. 26,
2013
A
Free, Occasional, Online Summary of Items of Interest to Descendants of all
Families of Graves, Greaves, Grieves, Grave, and other spelling variations
Worldwide
===============================================
Copyright
© 2013 by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves. All rights reserved.
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CONTENTS
**
General Comments
**
Family Tree DNA Genetic Genealogy Conference 2013
** DNA
Test Sale at Family Tree DNA
**
New Product for Y-DNA at Family Tree DNA
**
Managing DNA Projects
**
Resources Available from the Guild of One Name Studies on YouTube
**
Genealogy and Genetic Genealogy Shows and Conferences Around the World
**
DNA Test Results as Evidence for NSDAR Membership
**
Full Genome Y-DNA Sequencing & Interpretation
**
23andMe Has Problems With the FDA
**
WikiTree for Consolidated Genealogies?
**
Updates to the GFA Website
**
To Submit Material to this Bulletin & Other Things
===============================================
GENERAL COMMENTS
I
had not expected to be sending the next issue of this bulletin quite this soon. However, so many things have been
happening so quickly that there was no way I could wait to share them with you.
The
biggest news for you is probably the special sale prices on DNA tests from
Family Tree DNA, and the new Big Y test they have just announced. The more general news is that it is
becoming increasingly apparent that we are going to be able to use DNA testing
to connect some of the unconnected parts of the various Graves/Greaves families
in the not-too-distant future.
===============================================
FAMILY TREE
DNA GENETIC GENEALOGY CONFERENCE 2013
The
very interesting and informative 9th Genetic Genealogy Conference
sponsored by Family Tree DNA was held in Houston, TX, two weekends ago, Nov.
8-10. Some of the announcements
and knowledge from that conference are in this issue of the bulletin, and more
may be in future issues.
Debbie
Kennett has posted information about the conference here,
pointing to most of the accounts of what happened.
===============================================
DNA TEST SALE
AT FAMILY TREE DNA
The Family
Tree DNA holiday sale has
begun and is running through Dec 31st. Any customer whose order includes a
Family Finder autosomal DNA test will receive a $100 Restaurant.com gift certificate. This sale
includes new orders, upgrades and 23andMe/AncestryDNA transfers. Click on the link at the end to order
as part of the Graves project.
You can order here.
===============================================
NEW PRODUCT
FOR Y-DNA AT FAMILY TREE DNA
Family
Tree DNA announced a new product at the end of the recent Genetic Genealogy
Conference in Houston. It is
called Big Y. This test replaces
an older test from FTDNA called Walk the Y. It is a paternal lineage Y-Chromosome
test that tests for thousands of known branch markers and also millions of
places where there may be new branch markers. Roberta Estes has an article about the Big Y and comprehensive Y-SNP
testing on her blog. Debbie Kennett also has an article
about this in her Cruwys News blog.
Note that this is a Y-DNA test, so only males are able to take it, since
only they have a Y-chromosome.
PRICE AND ORDERING
For a limited time, Family Tree DNA is offering
an introductory price of $495, which is 25% below the standard price of $695. The sale ends December 1st, 2013. To order, log into your Family Tree DNA
homepage and click on the blue “25% off BigY Presale” and click on $495 and
then on “Next”
WHY ORDER?
The
most important reason to order this test is that it has the potential to
confirm ancestries that are in question and to connect families that share a
common ancestor but where the connection is presently unknown. This would be accomplished by finding
new SNPs that are passed down though one line but not through others. The ideal situation would be for at
least two males from different parts of each major family to take this
test. As pertinent SNPs are found,
then it would be helpful for more males to be tested.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Most
of you probably think of Y-DNA tests in terms of how many markers are tested,
from 12 to 111. Those markers are
actually STRs (short tandem repeats).
STRs mutate fairly quickly, making them good for determining ancestry
within the last several hundred years, but not good for older ancestry. You can see more about that on
Wikipedia here.
The
other kind of markers most commonly tested for are SNPs (single nucleotide
polymorphisms), which almost always are one-time-only mutations, unlike STRs
which change much more frequently.
You can see some discussion of them on the ISOGG Wiki, and on Wikipedia. It was originally thought that there
were only a few SNPs and they would not be useful for near-term genealogy, but
it has since been learned that there are many thousands, and there may be an
average of one such mutation created every generations. This would make SNPs even better than
STRs for tracing and proving genealogical ancestry and connecting lineages.
An
excellent discussion of Y-DNA testing and comprehensive Y-SNP testing is on
Kelly Wheaton’s Wheaton Surname blog here. This blog also features a series of 15
lessons in a “Beginner’s Guide to Genetic Genealogy” which you might find
helpful
MORE REASONS TO TAKE THE
TEST (from
FTDNA website)
Explore.
Most
Y SNPs Available
Discover.
New
SNPs Unique to You
Contribute.
Advanced
Genetic Anthropology
===============================================
MANAGING DNA
PROJECTS
The
management of DNA projects for Y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA is part of the
solution to our research and quest for our Graves/Greaves ancestry. One source of information on how to do
this is in information in the Wiki of ISOGG. Links to the pertinent pages there and additional sources
elsewhere are listed below.
·
Pages on the ISOGG Wiki:
Ø Online
resources for project administrators
Ø ISOGG
Project Administrator Guidelines
·
The treatise
by James M. (“Jim”) Owston.
·
Some of the videos on the YouTube page of the Guild of One-Name Studies
(mentioned in the next article).
===============================================
RESOURCES
AVAILABLE FROM THE GUILD OF ONE-NAME STUDIES ON YOUTUBE
The
surname study for the Graves, Greaves, and related names is registered with the
Guild of One-Name Studies (GOONS). The Guild offers many benefits,
including a page
on YouTube, where a number of helpful videos are provided. These include how to set up and run a
DNA project, monthly “hangouts” where various subjects of interest to GOONS
members are discussed, family gatherings, record searching, etc. Other videos and aids are available on
the GOONS website.
If
you or anyone you know would like to help me with our one-name study, please
let me know, and I can tell you more about the opportunities and the resources
available.
===============================================
GENEALOGY AND
GENETIC GENEALOGY SHOWS AND CONFERENCES AROUND THE WORLD
Genealogy
and especially genetic genealogy is becoming more popular everywhere.
·
I recently attended Family Tree DNA’s 9th genetic genealogy
conference for group administrators in Houston, TX, Nov. 8-10, 2013. Anyone who would like to help with our
Graves/Greaves DNA project will be welcome to attend this conference next year.
·
The International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) and the Southern
California Genealogical Society (SCGS) held a one-day
conference on June 6, 2013, titled “Family History and
DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013”, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank, in
conjunction with the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.
·
New Zealand’s Family
History Fair was held at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, Auckland,
NZ, on Aug. 2-4, 2013. Both
Ancestry.com and Family Tree DNA exhibited at the fair.
·
The first ever Genetic Genealogy Ireland conference took place at the Back To Our Past show
in Dublin, Ireland, Oct. 18-20, 2013.
For one review of this event, click here. For another review, click here.
·
“Who Do You Think You
Are? Live” will be held Feb. 20-22, 2014, at the Olympia in London,
England. This is the largest
family history and genealogy event in the world, and it includes a significant
genetic genealogy content.
===============================================
DNA TEST
RESULTS AS EVIDENCE FOR NSDAR MEMBERSHIP
In
the last issue of this bulletin, there was some mention of the policy of the
Jamestowne Society concerning DNA evidence. The National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution
(NSDAR) is also of interest to many people. Below is a summary of the important features
of the new NSDAR Policy on the Use of Y-DNA Evidence for DAR Membership
Applications, as
provided by Kathy Johns on the ISOGG list. The full policy can be seen on the DAR
website here.
"Genealogical
Use
The current accuracy of the 37 marker Y-DNA test
does not allow for positively identifying descent from a specific
ancestor, but does provide a high degree of certainty (95%) that
two living men share a common ancestor at more than 150 years but less
than 200 years, if they match at all 37 marker locations. Based on this
increased accuracy of the 37 marker Y-DNA test, we are proposing a
structured procedure by which DAR applicants may use DNA evidence in an
analysis submitted with an application or supplemental application.
Structured
Presentation
To submit DNA evidence on a DAR application an
applicant will have to meet all the below listed criteria. Although these
criteria are restrictive, they acknowledge the current level of the
science, respect DAR’s existing standards, protect the reputation of its
verified lineages, address the difficult to prove child or grandchild of
the patriot link, allow the verification of a paper without the need for a
degree in genetics, save the genealogy staff from a potential tidal wave
of paperwork.
The applicant will have to address all eight of
the criteria that follow to submit Y-DNA.
1. The applicant will have to submit
documentation to complete the lineage on her application in normal fashion
with one exception. There will be one unproven father-son link for which
she is submitting the Y-DNA evidence.
2. At the point where the applicant cannot prove
the father-son link, one of her tested males will have a lineage with a
previously proven link between the same father and a different son. The
birth date of this father will have to be more than 150 years but less than 200
years earlier than the birth date of the younger of the two tested males.
This time frame requirement is based on the statistics of the test. Given
the expected ages of the two tested males choosing the younger or the
older will have little consequence. However, this 150-200 year time frame
coincides well with the ages of the children and grandchildren of
the patriot—consistently the hardest generational links to prove on
an application. This test should not be used in an attempt to prove the
fathers, grandfathers, or great grandfathers of the applicant.
3. This process cannot be used for new ancestors
at this time because they would have no proven lineage with which to
compare the Y-DNA supported lineage.
4. The Y-DNA test results will be submitted as
part of an analysis. Overall, an analysis is a last resort. The applicant
or her proxies should have conducted a reasonably exhaustive search to
find direct evidence of the needed relationship. The applicant will have to
list everywhere she has searched as part of the structured presentation. A
search of online sources only is not a reasonably exhaustive search.
Traditional direct evidence of the generational link is always better and
preferred to analysis with or without Y-DNA evidence.
5. The surnames of the two tested males and the
maiden name of the applicant or her mother will have to be the same (with
obvious spelling variations understood).
6. One of the two males tested will have to be a
close male relative of the applicant. Usually this male will be her
father, brother, grandfather, uncle or grandfather’s brother. This man will
then have the same direct lineage to the patriot as the applicant. The
applicant will have to submit the results of this man’s 37 marker Y-DNA
test and potentially a document of two to connect this man to her lineage.
7. The second male tested will have to have a
different, but still direct lineage to the patriot—that has been
previously proven to the DAR. This second male would likely be
the brother, father or grandfather of a previous applicant or any of their
male offspring. The lineage of this second male cannot include any
analyses, and if necessary must be brought up to current DAR standards
with additional documentation. The applicant will also have to submit the
results of this second male’s 37 marker Y-DNA test, a signed statement from
the man indicating his acknowledgement of participation in the application
process, documentation linking him to this previously proven lineage. This
is the most difficult criteria of the analysis and the one most pivotal to
its success.
8. The applicant’s two submitted 37 marker Y-DNA
tests will have to have identical results. The 37 markers we require are
the 37 markers specified on the member’s website. If the males were tested
at more than 37 markers we only need the results of the specified 37
markers. If the males were tested at less than 37 markers or not the specified
markers, they will have to upgrade their existing test or be re-tested. In
all cases the two tested males will have to have identical results at all
37 specified markers."
COMMENTS
James
Owston’s comments on these requirements are below. I agree with him that Y-DNA test results with 37 STR markers
can only show descent from a common male ancestor and not a specific ancestor
in that line. The test results by
themselves may show a high likelihood of having a specific common ancestor, but
without other evidence, they should not be considered proof. The NSDAR comments in the “Genealogical
Use” section above suggest that submitting 37-marker Y-DNA test results in
support of an application is desirable if there is an exact match, but the
results shouldn’t be submitted if the match is not exact.
“I understand their reasoning and that a
reasonable standard must be set, but I think that determining that having a
100% match at 37 levels being an indication of a certain lineage may have some
flaws. Just from personal experience, I have such a match with three
people that I share no common ancestors until circa 1470 - far older than
colonial times.
Two of these gentlemen with whom I have a 100%
match also have a two marker difference with a third gentleman that shares a
common ancestor with them who was born in 1752 (i.e., colonial times). By
this standard, a 14th cousin looks more closely related than a fifth
cousin.
Although my study is small (21 tested individuals
with four in the process), I have come to realize the utter randomness of STR
mutations. Many of my closer relatives appear to be more distantly related than
those who actually are the most distant.”
===============================================
FULL GENOME
Y-DNA SEQUENCING & INTERPRETATION
FULL GENOMES CORP.
Full
genome sequencing of Y-DNA is now available from Full Genomes Corporation, Inc.,
Rockville, MD. This is one of the
new capabilities that will be of great help is tracing all-male ancestral lines
and connecting the various parts of families that are descended from a common
Graves/Greaves ancestor. A summary
of some of the advances and the present status of this is in a blog
article in Your Genetic Genealogist (by
CeCe Moore) for 3 Nov. 2013. This test
(like autosomal DNA testing) mostly tests for SNPs (single nucleotide
polymorphisms, that are relatively stable) rather than STRs (short tandem
repeats, that mutate frequently) as with traditional Y-DNA testing (although it
does test for over 300 Y chromosome STRs also). The present price of $1,250 and the lack of complete and
easy-to-understand analytical tools will probably limit the near-term sales of
this product.
Y-DNA INTERPRETATION SERVICE
A
new Y-DNA interpretation service is now available from YFull.com.
A blog
article by Debbie Kennett discusses the results from this service, and also
mentions other Y-DNA tests that are available. According to YFull, there are 41,828 known Y-SNPs and 478
Y-STRs (short tandem repeats).
YFull is based in Moscow, Russia, and their service is free for a
limited time. They are able to use data for any Y-chromosome test which has
been sequenced at a minimum 25X coverage and with a read length of at least 100
base pairs. This applies to the Big Y test as well as the Full Genomes test
mentioned above. Data needs to be provided in the form of a BAM file.
===============================================
23ANDME HAS
PROBLEMS WITH THE FDA
The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has ordered 23andMe to stop marketing
their DNA analysis service immediately.
See today’s article
in the New York Times. Some
discussion of this and what it might mean for the providers and users of DNA
testing is here. Although the FDA’s action targets the
claims and actions of 23andMe’s health and medical activities, the genealogy
activities of 23andMe and other companies may also be affected.
This
development is a bit of a shock to many of us who weren’t aware of the conflict
between 23andMe and the FDA, especially after the recent publication of the
statement by Anne Wojcicki (co-founder and CEO of 23andMe) that the company
would be going from having tested 475,000 people today to a million in the
first quarter of 2014.
COMMENTS AND REACTION
The importance of 23andMe to genetic genealogy was
stated by a member of the ISOGG list who said that if it wasn't for the 23andMe
test, we would not have the Family Finder test from FTDNA nor would Ancestry,
Genographic and Britain’s DNA be selling chip tests.
It was also pointed out that FTDNA has sister
companies that do medical testing, so any regulation of medical testing and it’s
marketing will affect them also.
A further comment was that if the health tests end
up being regulated away from us (no longer able to purchase direct-to-consumer)
that the ancestry tests will be next on the regulatory chopping block.
There are many people out there who are in powerful positions that feel
we should not have direct access to our own DNA data without a gatekeeper to
interpret the results for us.
PETITIONS
Many
people feel that the U.S. government is trying to regulate areas that shouldn’t
be regulated, impeding scientific and medical progress, and infringing on
personal liberties. As a result, a
petition
drive has been initiated today on a government website to overrule the
FDA’s decision. A second petition
has been started here.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Pertinent
to the preceding discussion is an
article published today in Genome
Biology entitled “Rumors of the death of consumer genomics are greatly
exaggerated”.
===============================================
WIKITREE FOR
CONSOLIDATED GENEALOGIES?
In
the March 11 issue of this bulletin, I mentioned WikiTree as a genealogy wiki that is one of
the leaders in consolidating and correcting genealogical information. Now Roberta Estes has posted an article in
her DNAeXplained blog about this site and how DNA testing results have been
incorporated into it to provide additional verification.
When
I looked at WikiTree, it was interesting to see that Graves was the 17th
most active surname for Nov. 3, 2013.
However, neither Graves nor Greaves was among the featured surnames for
the month of October. As of Nov.
4, the number of names in WikiTree for Graves was 3135, Greaves 351, Greve 142,
Grave 50, and Grieves 34. WikiTree
claims to have 6.1 million profiles from 110,000 contributors. It appears that our Graves/Greaves
families are underrepresented.
WeRelate is another genealogy
wiki mentioned in my previous article.
They claim to be the world’s largest wiki with pages for over 2.5
million people. However, it looks
to me that WikiTree is probably larger.
As of Nov. 4, my search on WeRelate for an exact match for Graves gave
2506 records, Greaves 121, Greve 49, Grave 91, and Grieves 16. However, they seem to function in an
entirely different manner, searching outside their own database and not
concentrating on the same kind of consolidated tree as WikiTree.
===============================================
UPDATES TO THE
GFA WEBSITE
Additions
and updates made since the last summary in the Sept. 17 bulletin include the
following genealogies. A few other
changes have also been made to some of the website pages and charts.
Revised
Genealogies
28
– Greaves Family of Stepney, London, England, and Rear Adm. Thomas Graves
of Charlestown, MA
85
– Thomas Graves of New Castle Co., DE
187
– Richard Greaves and Thomas Greaves of Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
406
– Elizabeth Graves and Edward Randolph of England and VA
470
– John Greaves and Sarah Cooper of Nottinghamshire, England
851
– Archibald Graves and Patience ------ of Marion Co., SC
===============================================
ABOUT
THIS BULLETIN:
This
bulletin is written and edited by Kenneth V. Graves, ken.graves@gravesfa.org.
TO SUBMIT MATERIAL TO THIS
BULLETIN:
Send
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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 to gfa@gravesfa.org via PayPal.
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.