Roots Television | Megan's Roots World

This is an update to my earlier posting, An Avoidable DNA Error:

UPDATE:

I decided to touch base with Ann Turner about this, and I'm glad I did because she shed some new light on the situation. It appears that the article gave a sketchy version of events (and I should know enough to be on the lookout for that) -- and while there was still avoidable error, it was of a slightly different nature than what the article suggests.

Ann was aware of an article from The Journal of the Canadian Dental Association on the research and science behind this particular history mystery and brought it to my attention. According to Ann:

"I'm not sure I'd reconstruct events the way the Nova Scotia article did. I suspect they would have done the HVR2 test at the time if it were possible with the technology available back then. According to the article below, they were aware that two HVR1 results were the same, but they let the dental forensics trump the mtDNA. One sample was completely consumed by the HVR1 test."

http://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-70/issue-1/24.pdf

If you read the article, you'll see that they essentially had an mtDNA tie between two candidates, so they made the final identification based on dental forensics -- and that's where they apparently took their misstep.

I queried Ann further about the state of mtDNA testing at the time -- how viable it would have been to test HVR2 on degraded remains in 2002, and here's her response to that:

"I think it would have been possible if they'd had a sufficient sample. HVR2 is more difficult in general, though, because of the length variations with insertions and deletions around 309 and 315, and databases for comparisons are very heavily weighted toward HVR1 results, so the first step would have been HVR1 (which obviously consumed some of the sample).

In hindsight, they could have used techniques developed a few years later for identification of WTC victims, where DNA was degraded into very short fragments. If the Titanic project had tested HVR2 of the living descendants, they could have zeroed in on a short segment containing the critical difference(s). That would have a higher probability of success (but not guaranteed, of course)."

So yeah, they could have done more sophisticated testing -- but it would have been iffy based on the sufficiency of the available sample and more effort than time permitted -- and it still might have been inconclusive.

So thanks to Ann for the clarification. My bad for not delving deeper before venting, but I confess I'm happy to learn that this is an error of dental forensics, rather than genetics. Now, if only the article would correct its errors and give genetic genealogy credit for correcting a dental misjudgment!

I've always said that our roots claim us in ways we don't even know and this just goes to prove it!

Megan will be presenting "Beyond Y-DNA: Your Genetic Genealogy Options," "Find That Obituary! Online Newspaper Research," "Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones," "Trace Your Roots with DNA" and "The Quest for Ellis Island Annie" on August 15-18 at the FGS/ACPL Conference: Meeting at the Crossroads of America. The event will be held at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, 120 West Jefferson Blvd. Hope to see you there!

Hmmm . . . small survey at this point, but pretty impressive numbers regarding reactions to genetic genealogy in the U.K. If you'd like to check out the latest figures for this Ancestry.co.uk survey, just click here and scroll down on the right a bit.

I always say there's no such thing as a boring family, and here's yet more proof:

Keira's family secrets: A love triangle, bigamy and a secret adoption

How odd it must be to learn about your family history in the papers. Of course, it's also true that the best way to get your roots researched for free (or close to it) is to be a celebrity! I suppose there are many of us who would like to borrow at least this small aspect of celebrity-life.

Scotland's only too happy to claim Elvis Presley's heritage, although some aren't terribly fond of his music:

Elvis: the lost roots

P.S. You'll have to read all the way to the end of the article to learn about the bonus the journalist got while researching this article!

This is the kind of news I like to read. Five more soldiers -- shot down in a helicopter in Laos -- were identified. One of them was a particularly challenging case I worked on. You can read more here:

Soldiers Mia From Vietnam War Are Accounted For

Nancy Friedman's got a great posting in her blog with links to a handful of name-related articles and resources. As she explains, if you think you've been noticing a disproportionate number of kids running around with names that start with K, it's not your imagination: If Any Letter Defines Modern American Name Style, K Is It

But I need to warn you about the Baby Name Voyager because it's pretty darn addicting. I played with my own name, of course, and see that my plan to knock a few years off my age when I get older should work very well -- given that I was apparently one of the first with that name to walk the planet! Enjoy!

First, I spotted Randy Seaver's posting, which led me to Chris Dunham's posting, which led me to my most recent Found! article, Serial Centenarians.

I do a lot of research and crank out lots of articles, but I found this quest especially challenging and rewarding -- and I think it's a pretty good example of developing a strategy to tackle a somewhat elusive research objective (in this case, finding a pair of family members whose overlapping lives had spanned the entire 19th and 20th centuries, along with a touch of the 18th and 21st centuries -- in other words, lived through every U.S. president other than George Washington). So if you've got a few minutes to spare, I hope you'll give it a read.

I'm heading out on a road trip with my sister to Fort Wayne, Indiana for this year's FGS conference, and I hope to meet plenty of you there!

I'll be doing 5 talks including Friday night's banquet:

* Trace Your Roots with DNA
* Beyond Y-DNA: Your Genetic Genealogy Options
* Find that Obituary! Online Newspaper Research
* Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones
* The Quest for Ellis Island Annie

I'll also be doing a book signing at the Ancestry.com booth from 3:30-4:30 on the 16th.

That will keep me busy most of the time, but in between these times, I'll mostly be at the Roots Television exhibit booths (318 and 320). You might want to stop by to learn about our Societies & Libraries contest ($1,000 prize to the winning organization!) and to watch Dick Eastman (Friday) and a special surprise guest (on Thursday) conduct interviews.

Probably won't do much if any blogging while I'm in Indiana, so I hope to see you there!

Just learned that Spencer Wells of National Geographic's Genographic Project is going to be on the Colbert Report tonight. One more step in terms of genetic genealogy hitting the mainstream!

Just got into Ft. Wayne a short while ago, and not to say that Curt Witcher has the whole town welcoming us, but check out this sign!

Finally catching my breath from FGS. What a conference! I had a blast! Perfect place, terrific exhibits, wonderful talks and lots of great folks. I took a tour of the Allen County Public Library and am about ready to move to Fort Wayne. Incredible!

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to give a talk at the banquet. I had been asked to speak about Annie Moore, the first immigrant through Ellis Island, and the quest to find her true story. Coincidentally, just leading up to the conference, there had been both a play and a film produced about Annie, so I shared previews of both. The reaction? Folks were blown away by the reality of a genealogical play (long overdue!) and many of us (yeah, me too) got choked up after viewing the movie made entirely by Irish youngsters. But don't worry if you're disappointed that you missed them, because both are now available at Roots Television! Here's a press release that went out yesterday:

Roots Television Presents a Pair of Tributes to Ellis Island's First Arrival

What were you doing when you were 11-years-old? Jumping rope – playing dodge ball? The 5th Year students at Scoil Oilibhéir in Cork, Ireland were writing, producing, directing, and starring in their own motion picture. Their short film "From Cork to New York: The Annie Moore Story" documents Annie's life in Cork and her journey to America. Before they even began filming, the students did their homework, discovering Annie's birth records and locating several sites important to Annie's life, including St. Patrick's Church where she was baptized.

Click here to see a preview.

In another tribute, "Making up History: The Search for Annie Moore" playwright Alia Faith Williams tells the compelling story of Annie Moore's journey to America, paralleled with the efforts of Megan Smolenyak and other avid genealogists to uncover Annie's true identity.

Click here to see a preview.

In addition to these new programs, you can also see the original press conference held at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society in September 2006, announcing the discovery of the "real" Annie Moore. Learn about how Annie's story was lost and another Annie Moore assumed her place in history, as well as how the detective work of Smolenyak and fellow genealogists revealed what became of the true Ellis Island Annie and her family, including her present day descendants.

Click here to view.

All of these programs – and 24 channels of history and heritage-oriented programming -- are available online, on-demand 24/7, and for FREE at www.rootstelevision.com, a pioneering online television network. To view the Annie Moore productions, just tune in to our Irish Roots Channel. Please contact us at info@rootstelevision.com for inquiries.

Megan recently scheduled two new events for 2008:

February 3, 2008 - Morristown, NJ - Morristown Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution - "Trace Your Roots with DNA"

May 2-3, 2008 - Lincoln, NE - Nebraska State Genealogical Society - "Cases That Made My Brain Hurt," "Trace Your Roots with DNA," "Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones," "Jump-Starting Your Eastern European Research" and "Remembering Our Ancestors" - Southeast Community College, 8800 O Street

Hope to see you there!

08/17/07

NOTED AUTHORITY ON GENEALOGY AND DNA
TO SPEAK AT " RELIC AFTER DARK"

The Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center (RELIC) will host the third annual " RELIC After Dark," Saturday, September 29, 2007, from 7 to 11 p.m. at Bull Run Regional Library in Manassas. RELIC is Prince William County's special collection for genealogy and local history. This event will allow our patrons after-hours access to the library's resources, as well as the opportunity to hear a celebrated author in the field of genealogy.

Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, will speak on "Trace Your Roots with DNA," the title of her best known work. She will tell how to use DNA tests to solve your own history mysteries. Ms. Smolenyak is chief family historian at Ancestry.com, has been a consultant for PBS television programs, and is a frequent speaker at national and regional genealogical conferences. 

Price of admission, $25, includes a buffet dinner. We suggest dressy casual wear. This is an opportunity to become familiar with and use the library's research facilities and resources after normal hours, with the assistance of library staff. Those resources include books, serials, microfilm, electronic databases and internet services. Free printing will be offered from library resources. Door prizes will be drawn. To register for this event, please contact RELIC at 703-792-4540, (TTY) 703-792-4524, or RELIC2@pwcgov.org. Proceeds will support collection development and preservation.

I had the opportunity to see Chris Haley speak a few years ago, so I knew he'd be good, but Chris knocked everyone's socks off last week at FGS when he strode into the opening session belting out, "Day-o! Daaaaay-o! Daylight come and me . . ." Not what most folks were expecting shortly after 8 in the morning, but his energy and enthusiasm were contagious. Smiles all around -- especially from those Chris sang to individually, including FGS President, Wendy Bebout Elliott! If you'd like to see for yourself, watch the video here.

Roots Television invited Chris to speak at FGS partly because it's the 30th anniversary of the much-beloved Roots book and mini-series and Chris happens to be Alex Haley's nephew. But Chris is much more than that. He's also Director of the Legacy of Slavery department of the Maryland State Archives, consultant to the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, a radio host, an accomplished actor and singer (watch the video -- you'll hear he's got some powerful pipes!), and a popular speaker. And I suspect he's about to become even more popular as a speaker and performer. In fact, I know it for a fact since I've already had several inquiries asking where we discovered Chris and how to get in touch with him (if you're interested, please email me privately for his contact info at smolenyak@att.net).

Fortunately, Chris was kind enough to spend the day with us interviewing folks at the FGS conference about the impression Roots made on them, their favorite ancestors, and the like, so keep an eye out for these interviews on Roots Television in the near future. He was also interviewed by Dick Eastman, so you're sure to enjoy that as well.

If you have an upcoming event even tangentially related to genealogy or history, please consider inviting Chris. I promise, your attendees will be charmed, revitalized and inspired -- and you'll look brilliant and get far more kudos than you deserve!

P.S. His presence caused such a stir that Chris was also interviewed by the local media. Here's a clipping:

I just learned about this and would like to invite as many people as possible to help -- especially those who are skilled at finding living folks in Canada. In a nutshell, a terminally ill man -- Andy Brouwer -- would like to meet two of his sisters before it's too late. He and seven of his siblings were put up for adoption by child care services back in 1962. Six of them have found each other, but with Andy's pancreatic cancer, they're racing against time to find their last two siblings so they can have a reunion with all present. Please help if you can --either by researching or spreading the word. Thanks so much.

http://immigrantships.net/joanne.html

I woke up this morning to an email requesting access to a private Member Tree I have at Ancestry.com. Nothing unusual about that. But what caught my eye is that the request was in Italian. Why? Because Ancestry.com recently launched Ancestry.it -- and it appears that Italians, including a distant cousin of my husband, are into genealogy too! Actually I already knew this because some of his Italian cousins interact frequently with the extended clan at a MyFamily.com site I set up for them, but this was a real kick to wake up to. I love that it's becoming easier and easier for all of us to find our scattered cousins!

After a long spell tending to other business, I finally "got back to my roots" a bit and wrote an article for Ancestry.com's 24/7 Family History Circle. It's about my long, but finally successful search for a photo of one of my great-grandfathers, David Shields, an immigrant from Northern Ireland. Those of you who haven't played with passport application records yet might find a fresh idea.

What's especially nice for me is reading the remarks -- some sharing their own experiences of finally discovering a photo and some warmly congratulating me. And by the way, I also received an email from a distant cousin. One of the perks of being a genealogical writer!

If you're curious, you can read the article here.

Blaine Bettinger, aka The Genetic Genealogist, has a two-part discussion on his blog about the ethics of DNA banking.

Part 1

Part 2

Personally, I'm for it. You might think that's because of my borderline obsession with genetic genealogy -- and that's definitely a factor. But I'm more interested in what might be possible medically in the not-too-distant future -- and how having access to our DNA samples from today might be able to help future generations with health issues.

Yes, there's a matter of ethics. I was confronted with this situation last year when we learned my mother was terminally ill. Fortunately, she consented to providing a DNA sample which I then banked.

Blaine's discussion focuses more on the recently departed -- banking services offered by funeral homes and so forth. But what his postings really bring home to me is that I should bank my own DNA sample (along with information about where it's being kept) so that survivors are not left to wrestle with this ethical issue. I've got a will and my husband and I are in the midst of trying to purchase a cemetery plot (an activity I'm hoping proves to be wildly premature) -- so now there's one more item for the to-do list.