
I grew up in the Charlotte area and am an alumna of UNC-Chapel Hill (go heels!). In addition to my professional work, I have a range of personal research experience, specializing in breaking down “brick walls” and navigating paper trails across the United States.
Silly question. In your opinion, would a historian be more or less likely to get their dna tested? What if they were pretty sure of roots? I just read a book and it made me ponder this question
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Not a silly question! Hm…ok, I could see this hypothetical historian in particular deciding not to take a DNA test. If you’re sure of your roots/documentation, and you are only concerned with the “ethnicity estimates,” then why spend the money? The estimates differ between companies, too, and their distribution of reference populations is…well, a problem, to say the least.
But the real value is in the cousin matching and shared DNA segments! You can help others solve adoption mysteries (or solve your own that you didn’t even know about!) by taking a DNA test. You can track the DNA segments you’ve inherited from different sets of ancestors, and you can “paint” those segments onto your chromosomes using DNA Painter. (Not to mention all of the health data on 23&Me.) Depends on the historian’s interest/knowledge of DNA testing and its applications, I guess, but I’d say that your historian would be less likely to get their DNA tested, as you’ve described them.
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Ok. I wasn’t sure about the realistic aspects of something but what you say makes sense! Thanks!
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I’ve never really thought about it–sounds like a really good book!
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Interesting idea!
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Picnic?
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No clue, but that’d be my guess. Maybe a family reunion? Celebrating someone’s birthday? Celebrating an anniversary?
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I wish people left notes.
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My guess would be 50th anniversary of the seated couple, based on his boutonniere an her corsage.
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That’s what I was hoping! But I’m AWFUL at dating photos and figuring out people’s ages–not one of my skills when it comes to family history.
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They look like a happy family!
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Beaumont sounds so aristocratic!
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I know right–not many of my surnames do. I love this one!
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