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The History of Genetic Genealogy and Unknown Parentage Research: an Insider’S View

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The History of Genetic Genealogy and Unknown Parentage Research: an Insider’S View Journal of Genetic Genealogy 8(1):35-37, 2016 Editorial The History of Genetic Genealogy and Unknown Parentage Research: An Insider’s View CeCe Moore http://www.TheDNADetectives.com When the last issue of JOGG was published in the A group of adoptees, traditional search angels, Fall of 2011, using genetic genealogy to identify and a genetic genealogist (myself), banded to- recent unknown parentage was in its infancy. Ge- gether to devise methods to harness the vast netic genealogists were squarely focused on using amount of genetic data generated by atDNA test- DNA to learn more about our distant ancestors ing (even with the smaller databases of the time) and conquer our genealogical brick walls. Around for unknown parentage searches. In those early that time, I became aware of a whole category of days, the matches were almost always distant, 4th people who were denied knowledge of their ge- to 6th cousins and beyond, so in most cases, seg- netic origins and the joy of building a family tree, ment triangulation made sense. at least one tied to their biological ancestors: those with unknown parentage. There were also Segment triangulation entails grouping matches a surprising number of genealogists taking DNA together who all share atDNA with one another on tests and discovering, unexpectedly, that half of the same or overlapping segment and looking for their trees, often the results of decades of re- a common ancestral line among them. All of those search, was not their true genetic pedigree. matching on the same/overlapping segment are reasoned to share an ancestral line and, so then, As a genealogist, I feel strongly that everyone has should the person of unknown parentage. When the right to explore their genetic origins, research common ancestors were successfully identified, their ancestors, and participate in the popular teams of volunteers and adoptees spent hundreds hobby of genealogy. As I learned, for many adop- or often thousands of hours combining the an- tees and others of unknown parentage, this had cestral lineages of the matches and building huge proven impossible. It seemed obvious that genetic family trees backward and forward in time, hoping genealogy could help them. to trace to the present to find a person who was in the right place at the right time to be the unknown Prior to the introduction of commercial autoso- parent. Citizen scientists created tools specifically mal DNA testing for genealogy in late 2009, to to help the search community make sense of the my knowledge, there were only a couple of men vast amounts of data at our fingertips. Those tools who had resolved their unknown paternity using ultimately benefited the entire genetic genealogy Y-DNA testing. Notably, Richard Hill was profiled community. However, the work was grueling, and in the Wall Street Journal for his discovery of his we saw few success stories. The more recent dis- biological paternal heritage in 2009 (Naik, 2009). coveries of “pile-up regions” and the true depth He later self-published the book Finding Family: of atDNA matching explain some of the difficulties My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA we unknowingly faced at the time. (Hill, 2012). But for the majority, resolving un- known parentage was an elusive goal. In 2011, It quickly became apparent to us that predicted the 23andMe and FTDNA autosomal DNA (atDNA) second cousins were the “sweet spot” for iden- databases were extremely small, and AncestryD- tifying birthparents. If two people share about NA’s had not even been created. This presented 3% (roughly 212 cM) of their atDNA, then there a challenge. How could we best use these data to is a good chance that they share a set of great help those who had no other information on their grandparents. Tracing the descendants of the roots? eight great grandparents forward in time, unsur- prisingly, leads to potential birth parents. As the 35 Journal of Genetic Genealogy 8(1):35-37, 2016 databases grew, we quickly saw more cases being ent correlate well via the Shared Ancestor Hints. solved in this way and with much less emphasis on segment triangulation and building huge, specula- In the early days of adoptee searching, we used tive family trees. to refer to it as “being struck by lightning” if an adoptee received a close family match in the da- In mid-2012, Ancestry.com launched their atD- tabases. However, with the incredible growth of NA service, which had a significant effect on the these databases over the last couple of years, this way unknown parentage searches were resolved. has become more and more common. In fact, to- What we had needed all along was more pedigree day, in the DNA Detectives Facebook group alone data for those sharing DNA. Matching segment (https://www.facebook.com/groups/DNADetec- data without the family trees of the matches was tives/), we see such matches every day. When virtually useless, so the founding members of the large batches of new AncestryDNA matches load, search community had spent much of our time we will often see multiple half-sibling, aunt/uncle, tracking down or building those trees. Since An- and first-cousin matches among the members of cestry.com had long been in the business of col- the group. Supporting my anecdotal experience, lecting family tree data, they had a unique oppor- a recent survey of people who DNA tested to find tunity to correlate the pedigrees directly with the birth family found that 90% were matched to a atDNA data they were quickly accumulating. In 3rd cousin or closer immediately upon receiving many cases, it was no longer even necessary to their results (Bettinger, 2016). Thus, I believe that contact the match, making the work considerably our genetic genealogy databases have hit critical faster and simpler. Triangulating family tree data, mass, at least for those with deep roots in the rather than segment data, was much more attain- United States, and even for those whose great able and very successful in identifying shared an- grandparents were not all immigrants. It is difficult cestors. to fathom how this could be true since the total number of testers is only roughly 1% of the U.S. Later, AncestryDNA’s “Shared Ancestor Hints” population, but what we are witnessing with our automated identification of common ancestors, own eyes cannot be denied. giving us a new, extremely valuable tool in our pursuit. Instead of spending many hours manu- Experienced genetic genealogists have often ally searching for common ancestors among the joked that some people are under the miscon- subject’s matches, “mirror trees” could be creat- ception that they will take a DNA test and their ed and attached to the DNA results of a person family tree will automatically generate. In the not of unknown parentage to automatically search for too distant future, this is very likely to become a common ancestors in the family trees of their DNA reality, at least to a moderate extent. The databas- matches. es are currently growing at breakneck speed and, before long, successful birth-family searches and What is a mirror tree? A mirror tree is built based immediate family reunions made possible through on the pedigree of a DNA match to the person DNA testing will be as commonplace as taking a searching. Recreating it, or even better, being DNA test and matching to a second or third cousin invited to editor status by the owner, allows the is now. The experts in unknown parentage work searcher to attach their DNA results, as if the trees will have to find another area on which to focus was their own. When it works, the Shared An- because, thankfully, the answers long-sought by cestor Hints can quickly identify which branch of those of unknown parentage will be easy to come the match’s tree is in common with the subject of by and these mysteries will take little special skill unknown parentage by finding third parties who to unravel. share both DNA with the adoptee and ancestors with the mirrored match. Speculative trees are The development of genetic genealogy methods also a very useful for unknown parentage work. for unknown parentage searches has been an im- By building out the family tree of a candidate birth portant and productive effort for our community. parent as deeply as possible on all ancestral lines, This work and the tools created to support it have one can usually determine whether the DNA of the benefited those searching for immediate biologi- searcher and the tree of the prospective birth par- cal family as well the genetic genealogy communi- 36 Journal of Genetic Genealogy 8(1):35-37, 2016 ty as a whole. Further, the media coverage of these References types of cases has significantly increased public in- terest in our industry, attracted multitudes of new Bettinger, Blaine. 2016. Preliminary Results of testers, and inspired new genetic genealogists. “Adoptee Testing 2016” Survey. https:// Undoubtedly, the process has reinforced the con- www.facebook.com/groups/DNADetec- cept that learning about one’s family history is a tives/permalink/1200136676724114/?- valuable and worthy endeavor for all. match=YmV0dGluZ2VyLGJsYWlu- ZQ%3D%3D&__mref=message_bubble. About the Author Hill, Richard. 2012. Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA. Self-pub- CeCe Moore is an independent genetic genealo- lished through CreateSpace Independent gist, an innovator in the field of unknown parent- Publishing Platform, https://www.cre- age searches, and an educator in the genetic ge- atespace.com/. nealogy community. She is the genetic genealogy consultant and scriptwriter for Finding Your Roots, Naik, Gautam.
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