Family Treedition

When opportunities come knocking, your near and dear ones may answer by settling down in a remote corner of the world. In a few years time when their grandkids present questions such as ‘Who am I’ or ‘Where do I come from’? Genetree.com and Ancestry.com would provide answers. Genealogy studies are no longer restricted to a few names on a white sheet of paper.

Some people pass through your life and you forget them. There are some you think about and wonder what happened to them. And there are some you wish you never had to think about again. But you do. Growing up in a joint family comes with its share of quarrels and some happy moments. Grand parents leave behind a few pearls of wisdom, aunts disappear, uncles move away, sisters change address, brothers live a few houses down the road, parents become indifferent… Yet, something makes you remember all of them. Something makes you talk about them fondly to the next generation. The thought of drawing a family tree must have occurred to you. Since we are no longer content to stay put in the country, let alone our state or city, of our birth, family members are dispersing to remote corners and they keep on changing address ~ postal or email. So, how do you draw the family tree? Even till a few months ago, the answer would have been ~ ‘Go online’. Genealogy social networking sites are in plenty ~ MyFamily. com, Geni.com, FamilyLink, FamilyRelatives.com, Famillion.com, etc. Anything digital becomes food for hackers. They are out to crack codes and make life miserable. Then there are mischievous minds who are eager to play with data, simply to confuse you. This is where Genetree.com and Ancestry.com come in. The two companies have introduced genealogy study through DNA testing.
“In many cases, traditional genealogy that relies on written documents is lacking in depth, and can’t extend beyond the level of the great-grandparent. DNA allows us to identify individuals with whom we share a common ancestor on levels much deeper, back many centuries. In addition, DNA allows us to confirm or refute possible genetic/genealogical relationships,” says Peggy Hayes of Sorenson Companies on behalf of Genetree.com, which utilises the expertise of The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), a non-profit organisation building the world’s foremost collection of DNA samples correlated with genealogical information, gathered from individuals in more than 170 nations. DNA testing is performed by Sorenson Genomics.
As for Ancestry. com, it launched DNA Ancestry on 16 October. The new service combines the precision of DNA testing with Ancestry. com’s large collection of five billion names in historical records. This DNA testing service provides the company’s network of more than 15 million users a tool to keep track of family members. All you have to do is take a simple cheek-swab test, the results of which is compared with other records. This helps individuals to extend the branches of their family trees and prove (or disprove) family legends.
“DNA testing allows us to determine whether there are common ancestors. It may not give us the name of that shared ancestor, but it does provide a fairly reliable estimate of the time this relative lived. One unique facet of the database GeneTree uses is the fact its broad genealogical information provides useful information about the likely geographical region where that common ancestor lived at the time,” adds Hayes.
Genetree, as already mentioned, takes the help of SMGF. The foundation has already collected approximately 100,000 samples from people in more than 170 nations. This database, from which GeneTree identifies potential genetic connections for participants, continues to grow through SMGF’s ongoing global collection efforts.
Megan Smolenyak, chief family historian for Ancestry.com and co-author of Tracing Your Roots with DNA, says already many people have taken a simple DNA test to uncover genetic cousins and tap into their research, gathering names, dates, places and stories for their own family tree. DNA Ancestry offers Y-DNA and mtDNA tests ~ the two types of DNA tests most useful in family history, ranging in price from $149 to $199. “The Y-DNA test analyses the DNA in the Y chromosome, which is passed virtually unchanged from father to son. Test results can help users identify living individuals who share Y-DNA as well as predict ancient ancestors’ origins. Women can benefit from Y-DNA by having their father or other related male take the test. The mtDNA test analyses DNA in an individual’s mitochondrial DNA, which passes from a mother to her children. Test results predict ancient ancestors’ origins and migration route from Africa and can aid in identifying living cousins.”
Once DNA samples are collected, the information is kept in the database long after the user has passed away. The Genetree.com representative says, “The intention is to keep the DNA samples and genealogical data in the database and available in perpetuity, so future generations may have access and benefit from this information. There are no fees for information to be kept in the database… Only people who submit their data and consent to its inclusion in the database will be included. Individuals who choose to participate in the SMGF database need not subscribe to GeneTree.”
All this is great. But what is being done to keep the information secure. And, most importantly, can insurance companies access the data to get an idea of diseases the user carries, thus refusing policies?
“Participants on the GeneTree site are empowered to determine their own privacy and collaboration settings. They may choose whether or not to reply to and/or share information with individuals who wish to contact them,” says Hayes. “We do not analyse the portions of the DNA that could be used to provide this information (which insurance companies seek). Further, GeneTree does not share this information with insurance companies and/or medical organisations, or any other outside organisations.”
The process by which Genetree.com collects DNA samples is similar to that followed by Ancestry.com.
The cost of a mitochondrial DNA test (genetic information passed on from mothers to all their children) is $99 or $149, depending on the comprehensiveness of the analysis provided.
The latter provides more genetic information, and hence will provide greater chances for matches in the database. When an individual places an order for DNA testing at GeneTree.com, the organisation sends a DNA kit with a simple mouthwash, information to fill out, directions and return labels. Upon the return of the properly completed sample kit, participants will generally receive their information back within four weeks or earlier.
The service is not restricted to the US. Even you can avail of it.
-- Mathures Paul