Archive for February, 2012

FOX 21, Colorado Springs:

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Blue eyes, brown hair, freckles.

We all have unique features, a combination of our relatives past and present.

But the way we look is just the tip of the iceberg, as who we are is written in our DNA.

A complex set of instructions that we inherit from our parents.

With the help of GeneTree, a genealogy research company, I set out on a journey to find my roots, and the origin of my family tree.

Getting started was easy.

I received a DNA kit in the mail from GeneTree.

Inside was a set of instructions, mouthwash, and a baggie.

After swishing for several minutes, I spit my DNA into the cup and sent it on its way, back to GeneTree for processing.

Then, after eight weeks, my results arrived.

Of course, I already had an idea of who, and where my ancestors were from, but the results were still surprising.

“You, out of all the ones (reporters) we have done so far, show two major extremes,” Scott Woodward said.

To help me break it all down, I enlisted the help of Woodward, a genealogy expert and founding member of GeneTree.

We began by looking at my mother, and her family.

“When we put your mitochondria DNA into the database, we literally found a thousand people that connect to you,” Woodward said.

One of 12 kids, my mom’s roots extend back to Europe, the birthplace of many of her ancient relatives.

“If we look at the world today we find people that share your DNA almost exactly, and we find them in the United States, in Switzerland, in Russia, in Yugoslavia, and in Mexico,” Woodward said.

And what about famous relatives?

Woodward said I share an ancient maternal ancestor with Marie Antoinette.

“You have a line that goes back to an ancestor, she (Antoinette) has a line that goes back to an ancestor, and they meet somewhere back in the past,” he said.

Now for my dad, Richard Regalado (my maiden name).

Where are his predecessors from?

“On your father’s side you belong to a group this is called O-3, and O-3 is an Asian type, and we see a lot of people with O-3 in the Philippines,” Woodward said.

Which is exactly where my grandfather, Eduardo Regalado, was born and raised.

From there, his roots extend all the way to South East Asia.

“The DNA type is actually older than the use of surnames,” Woodward said. “We really did not use surnames until relatively recent, the past 400 to 600 years.”

In other words, Regalado is most likely a surname.

An important fact, because Woodward said I have a close connection to a person with the last name Espinoza in Peru.

“There are a lot of interesting possibilities there, and that is where DNA and genealogy can lead to very interesting stories,” Woodward said.

So now it is up to me to continue my journey back in time, armed with the knowledge given to me by GeneTree.

If you are wondering how it all works, basically the founders of the company spent years gathering DNA samples from around the world.

DNA helps in finding, learning about family history

By: Diana Watson

http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/16684922/dna-helps-in-finding-family

There is a new approach to adding more branches to your family tree.  It is called genetic genealogy.

The idea is that a company collects DNA and matches genetic profiles with people who lived many generations ago.

The research is available to people around the world.  Genetree has developed a database of 112,000 people in more than 170 countries.  Those who agree to sign up for the service are able to log on to a website and make connections with people who share genetic information.

Those who sign up for the service, pay a fee of more than $100 to take part.  They agree to send a sample of mouthwash to the company, where the DNA information is analyzed and added to the database.

It is then compared to other participants and the information is made available to those who have taken part.

The president of Genetree told FOX Carolina, the system improves as more people agree to add their DNA.  Efforts have been made to visit people on every continent, to collect samples and add those to the database as well.

FOX Carolina’s Diana Watson agreed to send her DNA to the company.  It was analyzed and she was given information about her paternal and maternal family lines.

She was given more detailed information about her father’s side of the family.  She knew they were from Poland, but was able to get other family names that include DNA similarities.  She also found out more about her mother’s side of the family, who live mainly in Marion County, South Carolina.

Genetree led her to other states and as far away as England, where it is believed her ancestors originated.

GeneTree Introduces New Test, Consultation Service
Posted by Diane Haddad and the Family Tree magazine staff

Genetic genealogy company GeneTree.com has introduced a new consultation service and test for getting in-depth genealogical information from your DNA.

The Family Consultation Service (starting at $49.99) is an in-depth examination of your genealogical data and DNA test results. It’s designed for avid genealogists using DNA testing to identify ancestors in specific family lines.

Similarly, the Y-19 test ($94.99) is intended for those who’ve already done some DNA testing and know their haplogroups. “These 19 [markers] are very fast-mutating markers,” says GeneTree CEO Scott Woodward.

That makes them useful for identifying more-specific family relationships, especially when several members of a family group have been tested.

The test is best used in association with a consultation, says Woodward. “Many genealogists don’t know how to get the most out of the interpretation. For instance, there is a lot you can learn by one single little mutation that two people share. There are a lot of people who need someone to look at their genealogical DNA data and tell them what it means.”

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the past and present achievements of African Americans. Today, let’s  celebrate the memory of a woman who courageously helped to change our nation and make it a better, more equal place– Rosa Parks.

On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus. Her refusal was the spark that lit a firestorm of change. It resulted in the Montgomery bus boycott, a controversial protest which lasted a year and ended when segregation on buses was deemed unconstitutional. The civil rights movement rapidly became a subject of national attention, and Rosa became a central figure in the struggle for equality in America.

From Rosa’s autobiography, “Rosa Parks – My Story”:

People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.

Rosa Parks with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (c. 1955)

Among her personal papers a recipe was found, scribbled on the back of an envelope, for “Featherlite Pancakes.” While we can’t be 100% sure that Rosa used this recipe, it seems quite probable that she did, given that it was found within her personal items and written in her own handwriting.

Rosa’s handwritten recipe for Featherlite Pancakes

http://www.guernseys.com/Guernseys%20New/rosaparks.html

Here is the recipe as it appears on the envelope:

Featherlite Pancakes

Sift together

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons  baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Mix

1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon shortening, melted, or oil

Combine with dry ingredients

Cook at 275 degrees F on griddle

We hope  you enjoyed this departure from the DNA information normally posted here..and remember, those wonderful pancakes do have peanut butter – for anyone with nut allergies!

*from:http://theshiksa.com/2012/02/03/rosa-parks-featherlite-peanut-butter-pancakes/