GENEALOGY-DNA-L Archives

Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2001-07 > 0994082961


From: Orin Wells <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] Wells Surname DNA Project
Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2001 07:09:21 -0700
References: <2449F3F867FBD211936600C04F68569EA3C392@smhrimsx.mhri.med.u mich.edu><3.0.6.32.20010702090456.007a1b80@pop.nbnet.nb.ca>
In-Reply-To: <3B40651C.78CE2256@localnet.com>


At 08:12 AM 7/2/01 -0400, Seth and/or BJ Hinshaw wrote:

>I'm hoping that I'll someday be able to use DNA evidence to track down the
father of my greatgrandmother, listed in her 1864 birth record as
'illegimate' instead of with his name.....<<

This is EXACTLY what the BYU Molecular Genealogy Project may enable you to
do when it is "finished". Once they have the 100,000 sample base collected
from around the world (in another 4 or 5 years), as I understand it,
researchers will then be able to submit samples to BYU to be matched
against the database. You will receive a report showing what surname(s)
your sample connects with. The hitch may be that if your tree has branched
off a few times from the base, you may have a challenge trying to figure
out what surname links in at the point of interest. Since they are
collecting 4 generation information (and more in some cases) your
great-grandfather is potentially in the lot somewhere if he went on to sire
other children and surely some of his relatives will be there. The trick
will be for BYU to ascertain what in your DNA links back to that fellow.
Since it is your great-grandmother, the mtDNA would be easier to follow
than the y-chromosome DNA from your great-grandfather but it only leads to
the female contribution. Thus what you may be reduced to is determining
the surname of the bloke's mother due to the X-chromosome contribution from
her through him to your great-grandmother and then trying to figure out who
the likely men were at the time. It might not yield the precise answer in
your case, but it could considerably reduce the haystack. Nice little mystery.





Orin R. Wells
Wells Family Research Association
P. O. Box 5427
Kent, Washington 98064-5427
<>
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wellsfam/wfrahome.html
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