Archives for DNA
We’re All Connected
It turns out that my half siblings and a close friend and his mother and my mother are all distant cousins, at least by marriage. It wasn’t some deep dark secret the family had kept hidden. I only just stumbled on it. Sometimes I think that instead of a tree, my family works better as a spirograph or vines that twist and tangle onto themselves as they grow in all directions. READ:
George Wade Thornton
George Wade Thornton was my great grandfather Nonie’s brother. Wade (as he was called for most of life) was a little more nebulous than some of the other ;His father’s obituary in 1941 mentioned Wade living in Marion, West Virginia and I didn’t think anything of it - until I examined the 1940 census. I was startled to see he was listed as an inmate at Southwestern Mental Hospital. I was able to obtain Wade’s…
Using DNA matches to confirm distant ancestors
Several years ago I took the DNA test and attached it to my tree there. I have two separate trees - one for my father's side and one for my mom's. My mom also took the test, and I attached it to her tree. Ancestry then matches our DNA to the thousands of other testers and then shows me how it thinks we are related. They recently rolled out a new visualization tool called "Thrulines"…
23 and Me DNA results
I just got my DNA results from 23 and Me. I already took the test, which is usually what I use to connect to cousins since that's where my tree is. But the 23 and Me test looks at the MtDNA which is the direct Maternal line. The test just shows cousins, whereas the MtDNA (or Y-DNA if you're male) is much more accurate since the Y or Mtdna gets passed to son/daughter almost intact…
Are we related to Daniel Boone?
As I entered names on my Thornton side, I noticed a few Boones popping up. They weren't in my direct line, so I made a mental note and moved on. My ancestors came from Southwest Virginia, not that far from North Carolina. So I knew it was possible, even likely. But when I started entering the name Bertelot for my direct ancestors, I started paying a little more attention. Daniel Boone lived near Bertelots in…
Are we related to Richard Wagner, the composer?
Probably not. There has always been some curiosity in our family as to whether we are related to the German composer (1813 – 1883). I’ve never found any connection, and he was born after our ancestor John Wagner was born in 1805. It is possible they have common ancestors. However, Wagner is a very common German name. Richard was from Leipzig, about 300 miles to the east of where our Wagners lived in Elleringhausen. I…
Thornton DNA Update
For years, many people (including me) have assumed our Thorntons descended from William "the immigrant" or Luke (spoiler alert - we aren't). William and Luke immigrated from England in the 1600s and settled in Virginia. Their descendants were connected to some famous names - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others out of America’s history book. They owned huge plantations, and had many children. It made sense that these Thorntons were our ancestors - the time,…
DNA Testing – add yours to our tree
My mom and I took the Ancestry DNA test. Turns out I'm about as European as it gets: I was surprised by how much Irish I have, but as I do more research, I can see why. I'd been told that I had Cherokee blood from my paternal grandmother. Nope. Another cousin's DNA test on that side also showed absolutely no American Indian blood. If you'd like to add your DNA to this tree,…