The Single Leaf Researching individuals of the past in the context of family, community, and social
Time 2021-11-20 10:14:20Web Name: The Single Leaf Researching individuals of the past in the context of family, community, and social
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keywords: description:Researching individuals of the past in the context of family, community, and social history for the generationsIt’s Sunday, April 25th, a day that those of us in the United States have dubbed DNA Day, especially in the genealogical community. We celebrate the 25th because J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick published an article in Nature on this day in 1953. Its title is, “A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.”
In honor of the 50th anniversary of this discovery the United States Congress pass a resolution. It said,
S. CON. RES. 10
Whereas April 25, 2003, will mark the 50th anniversary of the description of the double-helix structure of DNA by James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick, considered by many to be one of the most significant scientific discoveries of the 20th Century;
Whereas, in April 2003, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium will place the essentially completed sequence of the human genome in public databases, and thereby complete all of the original goals of the Human Genome Project;
Whereas, in April 2003, the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services will unveil a new plan for the future of genomics research;
Whereas, April 2003 marks 50 years of DNA discovery during which scientists in the United States and many other countries, fueled by curiosity and armed with ingenuity, have unraveled the mysteries of human heredity and deciphered the genetic code linking one generation to the next;
Whereas, an understanding of DNA and the human genome has already fueled remarkable scientific, medical, and economic advances; and
Whereas, an understanding of DNA and the human genome hold great promise to improve the health and well being of all Americans: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That the Congress—
designates April 2003 as ‘‘Human Genome Month’’ in order to recognize and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the outstanding accomplishment of describing the structure of DNA, the essential completion of the sequence of the human genome, and the development of a plan for the future of genomics;designates April 25 as ‘‘DNA Day’’ in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of the description of the structure of DNA on April 25, 1953; andrecommends that schools, museums, cultural organizations, and other educational institutions across the nation recognize Human Genome Month and DNA Day and carry out appropriate activities centered on human genomics, using information and materials provided through the National Human Genome Research Institute and through other entities.Fast forward to 2013 when the 113th Congress passed H. Res. 180 in honor of the 60th anniversary:
H. RES. 180
Recognizing the sequencing of the human genome as one of the most significant scientific accomplishments of the past 100 years and expressing support for the designation of April 25, 2013, as “DNA Day”.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 25, 2013
Ms. Slaughter (for herself, Mr. Burgess, Ms. Schakowsky, and Ms. Speier) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the sequencing of the human genome as one of the most significant scientific accomplishments of the past 100 years and expressing support for the designation of April 25, 2013, as “DNA Day”.
Whereas April 25, 2013, is the 60th anniversary of the publication of the description of the double-helical structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the scientific journal Nature by James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick, which is considered by many to be one of the most significant scientific discoveries of the 20th century;Whereas their discovery launched a field of inquiry that explained how DNA encoded biological information and how this information is duplicated and passed from generation to generation, forming the stream of life that connects us all to our ancestors and to our descendants;Whereas this field of inquiry in turn was crucial to the founding and continued growth of the field of biotechnology and of genomics, which have led to historic scientific advances for the world, advances in which the people of the United States have played a leading role and from which they have realized significant benefits;Whereas from 1990 to 2003, genomic research centers in the United States and around the world worked together on the Human Genome Project, which elucidated the sequence of the human genome, the genetic blueprint of the human body, and made that data available publicly;Whereas April 14, 2013, marked the 10th anniversary of the Human Genome Project’s completion;Whereas the sequencing of the human genome has already fostered research discoveries that have led to advances in medicine, and as genome sequencing becomes faster and less expensive, will enable researchers to further improve human health and medical care;Whereas the cost and time needed to sequence a human genome has decreased rapidly, from $1,000,000,000 and 6 to 8 years during the Human Genome Project to less than $5,000 and 2 to 3 days in 2013;Whereas in 1990, when the Human Genome Project began, there were only 4 FDA-approved drugs with pharmacogenomic information on their labels, and then by 2013, this number had increased to over 100;Whereas a study conducted by the Battelle Institute found that for every dollar of United States Federal investment in the Human Genome Project, there was $141 in economic activity generated in return;Whereas the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health has provided an exemplary model for social responsibility in scientific research, by devoting significant resources and leadership to studying the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics research;Whereas genomic medicine will be enhanced by increasing the public’s awareness and understanding of genomics; andWhereas April 25, 2013, is an appropriate day to designate as “DNA Day” in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the publication describing the structure of DNA on April 25, 1953: Now, therefore, be itResolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) recognizes the sequencing of the human genome as one of the most significant scientific accomplishments of the past 100 years;
(2) honors the 60th anniversary of the outstanding accomplishment of describing the structure of DNA and the 10th anniversary of completing the Human Genome Project;
(3) supports the designation of “DNA Day”; and
(4) encourages schools, museums, cultural organizations, and other educational institutions in the United States to recognize “DNA Day” with appropriate programs and activities centered on human genomics.
As I mentioned in my presentation for RootsTech Connect, the world of genetic genealogy has collided with both medicine and law enforcement, although both of these fields have been using DNA longer than genealogists. It is the way we, as genealogists, analyze and correlate the genetic information that has become useful to these other disciplines.
But DNA’s impact continues to expand. A recent article in the New York Times (NYT) discusses the benefit to using genetic genealogy to identify fallen soldiers and bring them home. It is in line with the United States Army’s values espoused in “The Soldier’s Creed,”
“I will never leave a fallen comrade.”
Since World War II the Defense Department has sought to recover and identify America’s soldiers. From the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery to the graves labeled “Known But to God” in the 26 permanent American military cemeteries through the world, we now have a new way that these soldiers can be identified.
Currently the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) outlines the procedure as follows:
“Scientists use a variety of techniques to establish the identification of unaccounted-for individuals, including analysis of skeletal remains and sampling mitochondrial DNA. They also analyze material evidence, personal effects and life support equipment. The agency medical examiner evaluates these overlapping lines of evidence in an effort to identify the remains…”
“The lab uses mtDNA in about three-quarters of its cases…This sequence is compared with sequences from family reference samples provided by living individuals who are maternally related to the unidentified American…Generally, all persons of the same maternal line have the same mtDNA sequences. Since these sequences are rare but not unique within the general population, they cannot stand alone as evidence for identification. In addition to the factors previously mentioned, each separate line of evidence must be examined at the lab and correlated with all historical evidence. All reports undergo a thorough peer review process that includes an external review by independent experts.”
But, is there a better way? According to the NYT article, Timothy McMahon thinks so. He oversees DNA identification of the remains for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System. He is quoted as saying, “The technology is there—we just have to develop the policy to use it.”
Ed Huffine, who headed testing of remains from past wars for the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab in the 1990s added, “Right now they are doing it backward, so you have policy getting in the way of science…”
“Switching to DNA-first will be faster, cheaper and produce better results,” he said. “It just makes sense.”
Given that in 2013 Congress lauded the savings provided by the “United States Federal investment in the Human Genome Project” and that, according to Battelle Institute’s study, “there was $141 in economic activity generated in return” for every dollar invested, isn’t it time to re-evaluate methods, update procedures, and return identity to our fallen soldiers?
The NYT article highlighted a 16-year-old soldier named Private Melton Futch of the 92nd Infantry Division. His grave is marked similar to the photograph I took posted above; it might even be his grave. I’ve been to the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery multiple times and its a place of solemn education for me. There are 490 unidentified soldiers in 488 graves in this one cemetery. Then there is Normandy American Cemetery, where the average age of a soldier was 24 years. The age of my son when we visited. It was a poignant moment for this mother.
Each unidentified soldier that lay in these graves or elsewhere made the ultimate sacrifice. Can we not expedite their identification by authorizing the use of investigative genetic genealogy (IGG)?
What do you think?
© 2021 Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved
A friend asked on Twitter, “How many distinct Surnames [sic] should we have each generation in a perfect pedigree? In 10 generations we have 1024 direct ancestors with how many distinct Surnames [sic]?”
My immediate response was the classic genealogical answer, “It depends.” It still is. Contrary to an idea that circulates within the community, there is no one right way to research. There are standards and best practices. It’s also true that there is no one right answer to this question of numbers. Why?
First, the words used to form questions matter. Words have different meanings to different people dependent on known usage in culture and community. My study of English and other languages provided many opportunities to learn lessons related to miscommunication based on the nuance of words.
So, what about surnames? First, to answer her question I needed to verify what she meant by “perfect.” A basic dictionary search defined it as 1) having all the required or desired elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be, or 2) absolute, complete (used for emphasis).
This alone did not define the meaning of the sentence. The answer would still be “it depends,” since “distinct” would also need to be defined, such as 1) recognizably different in nature from something else of a similar type, or 2) readily distinguishable by senses.
She followed up with an example saying that [she and I] possess “two distinct, unique surnames.” This is a fact, but many, or most, surnames have variants. “Broderick has many. I was surprised upon a quick search that her surname has at least four. I had to ask, should these varied spellings be included in the computation?
And then, what about those individuals who don’t have surnames? I’ve met people that do not have surnames even in today’s world. How would they count?
There are other factors to consider. With the advancement of DNA, is the pedigree genetic or social? Autosomal DNA reaches back about 5-6 generations and a person does not inherit DNA from each of those ancestors; yDNA can confirm male lineage or reveal an NPE, commonly known as a non-paternal event or, preferred in genetic genealogy, not the parent expect. There is also mitochondrial DNA which reaches back in time and typically, from an American point of view, the surname changes each generation?
But, what happens when a Johnson marries a Johnson, a Tanner marries a Tanner or a Smolenyak marries a Smolenyak? Megan Smolenyak, former chief family historian at Ancestry.com, the author of many books related to genealogy and so much more, married Brian Smolenyak. In a number of surname traditions she would be known as Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak or Megan Smolenyak2.
Megan shared on her YouTube channel that her deep dive into DNA helped sort out the four Smolenyak families in the village of Osturňa in Slovakia and it has “saved [her] decades of research.” In this village there were four Smolenyak families that Megan believed shared a common ancestor. She obtained yDNA samples representing each of the four households. The results showed that none of these families were related. In her words, “not even close.” She said, “You could not find four people of European origin more distantly related than the four of us.”
Later she conducted a village study that revealed that two of the four Smolenyak families aligned with two other distinct surnames—Homza and Vanecsko, one surname of which belongs to her husbands line. With this information, would the new surname be added to the generational count?
As you can see by Megan’s example, the number of surnames found in a 10-generation family tree is not as straight forward as it appears. It depends on how you want to count surnames, and let’s not be myopic. From patronymics to pedigree collapse, DNA to endogamy and more, there are a number of reasons a definitive answer cannot be given.
In my friend’s specific case, she could take all known factors into consideration and arrive at a reasonably accurate total, subject to change with further research. But, in the end, my friend received the answer she was anticipating:
Every new wife adds a new surname. Every odd number in an ahnentafel [German for “ancestor table”] is a new surname. I think this means 512 surnames in your example, all the odd numbers between 1 and 1024, which is half of the total.
As you might have noticed, there was no initial example and many assumptions must be made to create this as a textbook case. I still don’t know if its a genetic or social family tree. Or, if variant spellings count. If I were to guess I would say, “probably not”, but, then again, I could be wrong.
The human family is complicated. Genealogy is not a one-size-fits-all pursuit. Surnames are just one example. I still remember the woman I met years ago who shared how difficult it was to live in our American society without a surname. It wasn’t something she anticipated. But, in reality, we must remember that even without a surname, she counts.
If you’re interested in learning more about surnames, I wrote two posts for the RootsTech blog in 2017 that will be of interest: “What’s in a Surname?” and “What is a Surname Distribution Map?”
And, finally, the U.S. Census Bureau compiled a list of the most prolific surnames in America. The most recent data is from 2010. Are your surnames found in the top 100 on this list? Let me know.
SmithJohnsonWilliamsBrownJonesGarciaMillerDavisRodriguezMartinezHernandezLopezGonzalezWilsonAndersonThomasTaylorMooreJacksonMartinLeePerezThompsonWhiteHarrisSanchezClarkRamirezLewisRobinsonWalkerYoungAllenKingWrightScottTorresNguyenHillFloresGreenAdamsNelsonBakerHallRiveraCampbellMitchellCarterRobertsGomezPhillipsEvansTurnerDiazParkerCruzEdwardsCollinsReyesStewartMorrisMoralesMurphyCookRogersGutierrezOrtizMorganCooperPetersonBaileyReedKellyHowardRamosKimCoxWardRichardsonWatsonBrooksChavezWoodJamesBennettGrayMendozaRuizHughsPriceAlvarezCastilloSandersPatelMyersLongRossFosterJimenez© 2021 Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved.
May your blessings outnumber
The Shamrocks that grow.
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
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