The Genetic Genealogist

Earlier this week I posted about my rare surname and the genetic bottleneck my particular branch of the family tree is experiencing. Later that day a visitor stopped by and left their own story (as a comment) relating to family trees and genetic genealogy, and it was so interesting that I thought I’d share it:

“Blaine said:
“You would think that after 193 years there should be hundreds of us, but that’s not how genealogy or genetics works.”

I was shocked when I realized that my brothers are at the end state of our yDNA.
Lorenzo P. (our gr-grandfather)from Italy had three sons. Two “daughtered out.” Our grandfather Agostino had two sons. One son had a son, the other son had two sons. None of those sons have had children. One had died, and the others are no longer married, and not likely to do so again. That is the end of Lorenzo’s line in the US. Perhaps he had brothers in Italy that we have yet to find, and the yDNA line continues.

We are at the end of our mtDNA too. The oldest gr gr gr grandmother from Switzerland passed her DNA down to me through her daughters. My grandmother’s sisters either had no daughters, or they did not marry. My grandmother had two daughters, my mother and her sister.(My aunt.) They each had one daughter. My Aunt’s daughter had two daughters and my mother had me. My Aunt’s granddaughters had only sons, or died before having children. I have a daughter who is at the end of her childbearing years, and is not likely to conceive due to a medical condition.

So why have we had our DNA tested? Curiosity, desire to add to the genetic knowledge, and it is one way of leaving a trace of our family behind.”

Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving this heartfelt comment. Yet more proof that DNA is “worth all the hype.”