Why we enjoyed DNA Down Under (genealogy conference)

If you're interested in why and how I've used DNA tests as a tool for family history, see this page (it opens in a new window).

Yesterday's DNA Down Under conference in Brisbane (which will be followed by similar events in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney) was a great success. I found it enjoyable, informative and inspiring, and I now feel even more enthusiastic about using DNA as a tool for family history. The conference also gave me a chance to chat to friends and clients... and, as a bonus, I met the wife of one of my DNA matches!

If you're going to DNA Down Under, you're in for a treat. On a scale from one to ten, Blaine Bettinger (the keynote speaker) is definitely a ten. He explains what you need to know to get started with DNA, and how to make the most of your results, but he does not overwhelm beginners with scientific details that they really don't need to know.

If any of my DNA matches were amongst the audience, I hope they were paying close attention when Blaine explained the benefits of adding a surname list and 'earliest known ancestors' in FamilyTreeDNA (under 'Account settings - Genealogy'). He also encouraged us to link at least a 'skeleton' family tree to our DNA results at each testing company. At AncestryDNA, I'd linked a tree that is private but searchable - and that does allow me to use 'Thrulines' and other features... but I now intend to link a smaller 'skeleton' tree, showing names, dates and birth places for my direct ancestors, and I will make that tree public.

This is what one of my clients (Keith) said about DNA Down Under:

The day was a real eye-opener for me. I've had DNA done - first by Ancestry and 23andMe and most recently by FamilyTreeDNA and still waiting for LivingDNA. However, I've done little with the results. Yesterday was excellent for opening my eyes to how to use DNA as part of a structured investigation of problems and hypotheses. I have also booked for the 3-day event in Sydney. Blaine is not only a great speaker but completely on top of his subject. It was a great day.

Note that the Sydney programme includes many talks that are different from those in the other five cities. Programmes and speaker profiles for each city are on the DNA Down Under web site.

(This post first appeared on https://uk-australia.blogspot.com/2019/08/why-we-enjoyed-dna-down-under-genealogy.html.)

How I Found Sarah Sheppard's Parents

Over the years I've worked long and hard to trace descendants of my direct ancestors' siblings, and my efforts have been richly rewarded. On five occasions those descendants had very old family documents that have smashed through 'brick walls' in my family history.

My most recent success was the result of a DNA test. Because I'd traced side branches of the family from about 1800 right down to the 1980s, I could see that one of my DNA matches is a third cousin once removed. I contacted John and offered to exchange information. (I'd written to his mother thirty-six years ago, but she didn't reply, and I'd lost track of that line.)

I knew that my ancestor Sarah SHEPPARD, born in 1762, married Richard GIBLETT in Frome, Somerset, England. Imagine my excitement when John sent me photos of a bible (published in 1736) in which are written SHEPPARD family names and dates, mainly from the 1700s! The bible entries show (among other things) that Sarah's father was Benjamin SHEPPARD, and that he was married on 1st October 1746.

In the magnificent London Metropolitan Archives collection, I found an image of a parish register that says Benjamin SHEPPARD married Elizabeth BEEX on 1st October 1746. [London Metropolitan Archives ref. P91/LEN/A/008/MS07498/001, Saint Leonard, Shoreditch, Middlesex.]

Ancestors whose surnames were used as middle names

I suspect that Elizabeth's surname may actually have been BECKS or BECK. My family has a document written in the late 1800s that says, 'Our maternal ancestor's maiden name was BECK.'

The family also had a habit of using ancestral surnames as middle names; and great-grandchildren of Benjamin SHEPPARD and Elizabeth BEEX include Elizabeth Beck WEBSTER, Elizabeth Sheppard WEBSTER, Richard Giblett WEBSTER, James Porter WEBSTER and George Harley WEBSTER. I had previously identified the origin of middle names Sheppard, Giblett, Porter and Harley. Perhaps this latest discovery explains Beck.

The family bible includes Benjamin's death date, and I found a burial register entry for him in Frome, Somerset.

Without the names and dates in the SHEPPARD family bible, I may never have identified the correct family. Tracing descendants of all of your direct ancestors' siblings, and contacting those descendants, is a research strategy that I highly recommend. It has worked well for me on many occasions. Give it a try!

(This post first appeared on https://uk-australia.blogspot.com/2019/07/how-i-found-sarah-sheppards-parents.html.)

Why I'm going to DNA Down Under

I've made a lot of progress since I first wrote about my plans to use DNA tests as a tool for family history research. Although I was interested in finding out whether my 'ethnicity estimates' contained any surprises, my main reasons for using DNA were (1) to confirm or disprove relationships that seemed likely (based on my traditional research), and (2) to put me in contact with others who share the same ancestry.

My parents died before DNA tests became affordable, so in 2012 my 91-year-old uncle agreed to have his Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA and autosomal DNA tested. Tests for autosomal DNA are the most popular with family historians, because they have the potential to identify descendants of all ancestral lines (maternal and paternal) within about the last six generations. Autosomal DNA is inherited (by both males and females) from mother, father, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, etc.

It was important to test my uncle, not just myself, because that gets me a generation further back when looking for ancestors in common with his matches. The more relatives who are tested, the more useful the results will be. I can now compare my uncle's DNA with that of his nephew, two nieces, and fifteen other known relatives ranging from a first cousin once removed to a fifth cousin once removed. That data has helped me to work out how some of his other DNA matches must be related. To do that, though, it is usually necessary to know the start and end points of matching chromosome segments. Annoyingly, that information is not provided by AncestryDNA - so I persuaded relatives who tested there to either test with, or transfer their AncestryDNA raw data to, FamilyTreeDNA, who provide a very useful Chromosome Browser.

I started with my uncle (who has since passed away), but I've also had my own DNA tested at FamilyTreeDNA, AncestryDNA and LivingDNA, and I've uploaded my data to MyHeritageDNA and Gedmatch. Other links that I found helpful are on my Web site.

Thanks to DNA results, I've contacted dozens of previously unknown relatives (DNA matches) who have shared their knowledge with me. Some even had letters written by my direct ancestors! Although I've already made progress, I know that I could make better use of all the tools that are now available to help us analyse our DNA data. There's lots more to learn, and that's why I'll be attending 'DNA Down Under'.

'DNA Down Under' is a world class DNA-themed conference and road show featuring respected genetic genealogist Blaine Bettinger. The August 2019 events in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney will include topics suitable for all levels (beginner to expert). The Sydney programme is almost entirely different from those in the other five cities. You can go to your city's page and book the two-city bundle at $30 off the price of booking the two cities separately. The admission cost includes a light lunch, morning tea and afternoon tea/coffee.

If you have not done a DNA test and want to know how it can help with your family history, or if you have tested but are unsure how to make the most of your results, 'DNA Down Under' is for you!

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(Disclosure: As an appointed DNA Down Under 'ambassador', I receive free admission to the one-day event in Brisbane... but I would have booked a seat even if I had not been offered a free ticket. #DNADU)

(This post first appeared on https://uk-australia.blogspot.com/2019/06/why-im-going-to-dna-down-under.html.)