AncestryDNA

I did it!  I got my test! 

After reading The Seven Daughters of Eve (see my review by clicking here) I dove headfirst into the idea of having my DNA tested to see what my mitochondrial DNA had to say to me about my "clan."  I began to research which company I would use and the cost and go from there.



The kit arrived after only
three days!

I didn't look far.  As I was searching on Ancestry.com for research on Cleon Moore, my husband's 5x's great-grandfather, I saw a little ad pop up for their new DNA test.  It is a much more impressive and comprehensive test than the old mitochondrial DNA test that I had been thinking of taking.  And, since it is in its beta stage, I was able to get it for half price.  To me it was a no brainer.  Not only will I find out what my mitochondrial clan line is, but I will get a comprehensive "portrait" of my genes. 



Step by step instructions.

So, I bit the bullet.  I clicked on order and lo and behold three days later my kit arrived at the post office!  I was nervous that I would mess up the process but as my photos show, the process was made super simple and easy, so even someone inexperienced in lab techniques and the like can't easily mess it up!  The process of extracting enough saliva took about 5 minutes and wasn't so bad.  The test requires more than a cheek swab so it is a little more "painful" than the DNA extraction made popular on popular TV detective shows but pretty simple over all.  


The saliva sample
containing my DNA!

After getting the sample, the kit instructs you on how to add the preservative into the test tube so that nothing is compromised during shipping.  The next step is to seal the tube, put it in the biohazard sleeve and back into the envelope to ship back.  Also at this time it instructs you to go online to Ancestry.com and activate your test with a unique activation code.  Simple!



Activating the test online
and linking to my family tree.

Unfortunately, the next step is going to be the hardest for me.  Waiting.  I am not good at waiting.  The test says to assume 6-8 weeks before getting results, but to expect closer to the 8 weeks during this beta time.  I have already logged on at least 5 times to see if some miracle has happened and my test got completed early---and it has only been 5 days!  Maybe the test will reveal where I got my impatience from.

The other part of me is kind of giddy and nervous.  Will the test show what I expect?  My guess it is going to be pretty uniform in showing European descent, but who knows, there might be a wildcard in our history somewhere! 



Where did I come from?  Am I completely
European, as I expect to find, or maybe there
is a wildcard out there somewhere.

So for now, I will continue to look in the mirror and speculate.  Where did my blue eyes come from (in an immediate family of all brown eyes)?  What about my blonde hair (in an immediate family of all brunettes)?  Did my family actually stay in the same region in Europe for the long-term like family history research has shown?  Or was there a lone wolf that came into the pack and introduced a different DNA sequence that has carried down to me today?  I am excited to find out!  And, watch out family, because I bet after I find out my results, I will be coming after yours!
Be on the look out for my results and maybe a few predictions before then---based on research I have done, specifically on my Rusyn heritage and common haplogroups found amongst the Rusyn people.  

~ Christine


























 

Tip of the Week: What You Don't See

If you have used any sort of genealogy database, such as FamilySearch.org or Ancestry.com, you will know that once you type ancestor information into the search fields and choose the "search" option, you will get a list of possible matches.  On Ancestry.com it is even easier than that; once you add a person to your tree, it gives you the "leaf hints" of possible matches, without even having to go to the search process.  It is great!

These hints or lists really are fabulous.  They take hundreds of thousands of records and sort them in a blink of an eye.  Most of the time these hints are very, very useful---and I really don't want to belittle the worth of using the hints.

My tip to you is this, however, please dig deeper.  Always dig deeper.  Look through the leaf hints, look through the first page of results, but then continue on and dig deeper.  I cannot tell you how many times I have been looking for records of any type and kept going past pages 5, 6, 7 and so forth and found incredibly useful information. 

There are many reasons these records might not show up on the first page of search lists---it could be a misspelled name, a wrong birth year or just not a very popular record.  Census records tend to be one of the first records a researcher uses to find out family information.  Census records also tend to be one of the main records linked to a search.  Every time someone attaches a census record to a specific person, it is more likely to come up as a primary record the next time that person is searched by another researcher. 

Digging deeper can help you find previously unmatched records, like tax records, wills, military activities, etc.  Each time you do this, you have the potential to unlock previously unrecorded information about your ancestor.  Some records I have found by digging deeper have been Civil War service records, wills that tie two ancestors together and proving a relationship that I had suspected and passenger lists showing when an ancestor first set foot in the United States.

So again, follow the leaf hints, look through the first page of search results, but don't take the easy way out, keep digging and you will be surprised what you might find on the 9th, 10th or 100th page of results!

Photo of the Week: Lydia Ann McNelly Miller

Lydia Ann McNelly Miller
circa 1940-1953

Lydia Ann McNelly was born in Richland County, Wisconsin on March 28, 1858.  Lydia Ann married Charles "Charley" Miller in 1883.  She lived a long and prosperous life, passing away in 1953 in Missoula, Montana at the ripe age of 95!

This photo was brought to you courtesy of my father-in-law's family photo collection.  If you are interested in other Miller family photos, please check out this gallery.  Miller Family Gallery

~Christine

For your reference, here is how Lydia Ann McNelly Miller is linked to my family:
Lydia Ann McNelly Miller--->Fred Harold Miller--->Gloria Miller (my husband's paternal grandmother

Back home!

I just wanted to give an update---last night we were able to make it back home to our house, so I should be able to get some posts going again.

I cannot say how much we appreciated the support that we received through the entire process.  It has really been amazing to see how truly blessed we are.

~Christine

Thanks for your patience!

I wanted to take a quick minute to say that I am sorry there has been a break in the posts---we are currently under mandatory evacuation orders from our house due to a wildfire!  The news we've heard has been positive and it doesn't appear at this point that there will be any structure damage.  It is on its way to being contained---but at this time we are kind of in limbo.  Thanks for your patience!

In the meantime, I have started reading a new book on genealogy---can't wait to share what I have learned!

Thanks!
~Christine

Photo of the Week: John Oschip, Pisa Turenchalk & Metro Oschip

Photo taken most likely in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, circa 1916-1920

Left to Right: John Oschip, father; Pisa (or Piza) Turenchalk Oschip, daughter-in-law & Metro Oschip, son
 

This photo was brought to you courtesy of my mother's family photo collection. Metro & Pisa Oschip were my maternal great-grandparents. If you are interested in other Oschip family photos, please check out this gallery.  Oschip Photo Gallery

~Christine

For your reference, here is how John Oschip/Pisa Turenchalk Oschip/Metro Oschip are linked to my family:
John Oschip--->Metro Oschip (m. Piza Turenchalk)--->Mary Oschip (my maternal grandmother)

Why I Share

I have been asked so many times over the years to share information or to explain a relationship that I have discovered in my research.  To me it is no big deal.

However, to some it is.  It is a huge frustration of many family researchers.  I read posts day after day from people on group message boards about how other family members have stolen "their" research and how wrong it is.  I tend to disagree. 

While I believe in giving credit where credit is due, I don't feel that a copy of a picture of the family from the early 1900s belongs to any one person, but should be shared with the entire family.  Each and every person in my family deserves to be able to learn about our family history.  It isn't mine to keep hidden, it isn't mine to lock up in a closet, it isn't mine to hold hostage.

I firmly feel that the story of my family is the story of OUR family and doesn't belong to me or anyone else.  It belonged to our ancestors and to keep their spirit and legacy alive we must be willing to share it.

I cannot tell you how many hours or dollars I have spent doing family research throughout my life.  I wrote letters when I was 10 years old trying to discover family stories.  I sent emails when I was 18 looking for more information.  I pay to subscribe to Ancestry.com and other sites so that I keep the research going constantly.  To me it doesn't matter how much I have spent or how many hours I have spent doing the research.

To me, the reward is sharing my work.  Seeing my mother-in-law's face after she met family she had never known.  Hearing the laughter from my uncle as he chuckles at the family pictures I have dug up.  Watching the amazement in my daughter's eyes when I tell her a story about how her great-great-great grandmother sailed across the sea with her baby girl to leaving her entire family behind and joining only her husband to start a new life in America.  That is what it is all about.  My goal is to keep the family history alive within each and every one of my family members and to share the stories from our ancestors so that they might live on within each of us as well.

~Christine