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From: Alan Savin <>
Subject: [DNA] Re: " Deep " Ancestry
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2000 18:07:50 +0000
In-Reply-To: <ca.ca0e0ba.273dc2ca@aol.com>


Dear Group,

I personally use the terms "documentary genealogy" and "genetic genealogy".
The last term perhaps should only be used when
utilising genetics to discover a common ancestry of a few hundred years
ago, e.g. the classic Jefferson study. It must be remembered that genealogy
is meant to be the study of researching your family tree by tracing your
ancestry back EACH GENERATION.

There is already a recognised term for studies like the 10 European
Forefathers, of tens of thousands of years ago and that is the science of
"population genetics".

I believe it is an important distinction as some family historians are put
off taking genetics seriously and treat it in the same way as someones
pedigree that starts with Adam and Eve.


Does anyone agree or disagree with me?

Alan Savin
(Author of "DNA for Family Historians")


>The phrase ,'deep' genealogy, is descriptive and I understood what it was
>referring to. However an average person doesn't understand what the word
>genealogy means without an explanation. I admit I couldn't even spell
>genealogy when I started.
>
> I imagine we will all someday have both a *recordable ancestry* and an
>ancient *genetic ancestry* beyond recorded history. Is that simple
>enough?
>
> ~Paula ~ Virginia


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