Subj: [RowanRoots] DNA Testing in Phila.
Date: 5/29/2001 11:32:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: b.silfies2(a)worldnet.att.net (Betty I Silfies)
To: ROWANROOTS-L(a)rootsweb.com
Last month several of us genealogy buffs went to a conference on the future
of DNA in regards to genealogy in Philadelphia. It was sponsored by the
PA Genealogical Society, and the Africqan American Genealogical Society.
We also contributed our DNA and would have been given $10 but we took the
option of donating it to the PA Society. We had to give a 4 generation
pedigree chart, but they said they would be happy if we would also send
them a gedcom file. They said they were aiming at DNA for 100,000 people
from all over the world. The people who are collecting are from a
privately funded study sponsored by Brigham Young University, not the LDS,
and being bankrolled by two wealthy men. They needed our names for the
pedigree charts, but they also said that later on the names would not be on
the samples, they would be anonymous. That part I did not understand. It
was interesting that a man whose pedigree chart showed that he was adopted
was told that his DNA would not be useful for the purpose of this study.
One of the speakers explained that the purpose of this test was to track
ethnic groups and their migrations. After they had worldwide samples they
would hopefully be able to take a persons DNA and be able to tell where in
the world a persons ancestors had come from. If they get enough samples
they would be able to pinpoint the village etc. They would have a small
charge for this service.
Betty Silfies