The Genealogy Thread

[Lady Liebe]

Ancestry has done another update, so you might want to check your profile.

They are hedging their bets with the ethnicity - for instance they say my Scottish ancestry is 43%. When you click on it however, it says it may actually range from 18 -43%.

[Lady Liebe]

Hessian remains unearthed at Revolutionary War battle site:

https://apnews.com/articl...223cb24e6ccefd2ddbd680e65

The remains have been turned over to forensic anthropologists at the New Jersey State Police forensic unit to extract DNA from the bones and teeth to identify their origin. Additional studies are being conducted to examine life history, health and disease.

The scientists hope they can identify the remains and find their descendants.

“We’re hoping that eventually, perhaps, we can find some of these individuals,” Rowan University public historian Jennifer Janofsky said in a statement. “If we can extract their stories, and if we can tell their stories, it lets us put a name to a face. And that, to me, is a very powerful moment in public history.”

What fun for family members who have done the DNA analysis, to be able to link up to one of these soldiers.

Another of those Hessian soldiers deserted, married a German girl in Pennsylvania, and became my 5th great grandfather.

[cordtx]

That’s such a cool story Lady L. My husband has found out and confirmed alot of stories my grandmother told my dad growing up through DNA and finding other family members we didn’t know about

[Principessa]

One of my great-uncles, a brother of my maternal grandfather, disappeared during the battle of Grebbeberg (Netherlands) in May 1940. This was during the Nazi Germany invasion of the Netherlands. He was probably killed in action, but a body has never been identified. Only about 71 years later it became clear through DNA analysis that he was in the last 'unknown soldier' ​​grave in the war cemetery on the Grebbeberg. One of his nephews was very persistent in his search for his missing uncle. A DNA analysis had been done before, but that did not yield a match. It is suspected that DNA material from the soldier in the grave next to it was obtained at the time (apparently they are not always right in front of their tombs). His remains have been officially reburied, with a tombstone bearing his name and surname. Unfortunately, his parents and siblings couldn't live to see it. The latter had died just a few years before. Still, it was nice to be able to finish this story. Apparently it was very well known within the family, but I never actually heard about it from my maternal grandparents and my mother.

[Lady Liebe]

That's a neat story Princi, and how wonderful to have your great uncle identified.

Here is an interesting article from Stars and Stripes about DNA analysis, both what they are doing to assure identifications of remains in the future, a bit about what they have been doing presently, and some of the problems they face.

https://www.stripes.com/t...-dna-testing-3558864.html

[Principessa]

That's a neat story Princi, and how wonderful to have your great uncle identified.

Here is an interesting article from Stars and Stripes about DNA analysis, both what they are doing to assure identifications of remains in the future, a bit about what they have been doing presently, and some of the problems they face.

https://www.stripes.com/t...-dna-testing-3558864.html

Thank you for the link.

Most things about DNA and related I know from my studies early 2000s (Roughly speaking, I followed a biomedical education with a small differentiation in molecular biology.) and self study & interest.
In terms of work, I haven't really done much with my studies for years. It does have some connections sideways. But I often catch up with interesting (semi-)scientific stuff.

Nice are also the books and lectures of Adam Rutherford. He is a molecular biologist who  focusses on evolution.