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DNA Analysis Proving Helpful With Genealogy
Posted: Dec 1, 2011 7:00 PM by Bart Bedsole - bbedsole@kristv.com
Updated: Dec 1, 2011 7:15 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI - It is an exciting time for anyone who's ever asked themselves "Who am I?"
There is better technology and DNA databases available than ever before to help answer that question.
Quite a few companies are now able to analyze your DNA, for a fee, and tell you what you may have never known, or never been able to find out before.
We recently tested out one of those companies, and the test subject was me.
When it comes to genealogy, I generally feel like I know more than most, thanks to the hard work of a handful of relatives who dedicated a lot of time and money into researching the origins of our family.
But tombstones and title records hardly compete with modern day technology.
Genetree.com is a relatively new company that uses DNA testing to help people reconnect with family or find information about their ancestry.
My personal journey through history began with a small cup of mouthwash provided by the company.
Following the included instructions, I put it in my mouth and swished it around for about a minute, to collect DNA cells from the inside of my cheeks.
Then I spit it back into the cup, tightened the lid, placed it inside the box, sealed it, and mailed it back to the company.
A few weeks later, I received a 51-page email filled with maps, codes, and even a list of possible relatives in the DNA database for me to potentially track down.
It was all then interpretted over the phone by a company technician.
The results were interesting, and maybe even a little unsettling, because it revealed I may not be a blood Bedsole after all.
Ugo Perego with Genetree explained, "The closest matches we found, which are very close, within I'd say 7-8 generations in the past, is with people whose last name is Hall."
According to Perego, there may have been an adoption, or even an act of infidelity on my father's side of the family somewhere along the line that blended the Bedsole and Hall bloodlines.
"You share 42 out of 43 of the markers we test with individuals whose last name is Hall," Perego said.
On my mother's side, the results indicated my ancestors came from eastern Europe, maybe Germany, something I also didn't know.
It's doubtful Genetree or any DNA analysis company could ever fill out your family tree, so there will always be a place for researching tombstones and title records.
But for anyone just starting out, or maybe at a dead end, a quick shot of mouthwash may be just the jumpstart you need.
You never know what'll come out of your mouth.
So what does it cost?
The two DNA tests (maternal and paternal), plus the phone consultation, comes out to about $500.
Click here to read more about DNA testing on the company's website.
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