PLEASE TAKE THIS OFF LIST. THANK YOU. Nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric James" <ericjames@ericjames.org> To: <JAMES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 2:30 PM Subject: RE: [JAMES-L] Re: DNA results & the Need to Produce Matches > Certainly genealogy should be fun. However, when one plunks down $200-$500 > for dna testing it's reasonable to assume an individual does so with a > different expectation other than just having fun. > > Without breaching any confidentiality in our own James dna test study, it > repeatedly has shown that where the genealogy exists the dna has proven > consistent. Where the genealogy doesn't exist, the dna is proved not to be > consistent with the results of others. Then again, our study is more > narrowly focused on specific objectives. It is not broad based, shot gun > approach of dna collection by the commercial testing companies. > > The biggest disappointment in any dna test is not to match with anyone at > all. All of a sudden one is defined publicly as being alone in the world. > An > outsider. At least until someone else can come along with matching dna. I > wonder, how does that makes one feel? How demoralizing it that for the > individual? Is it like becoming an orphan? Does it inhibit or erase the > desire to research further to establish one's authentic genealogy? How > stigmatized does when become when one doesn't match anyone else? > > I imagine the result is akin to the old days when one was found to be > orphan > and no one talked further about it. In dna testing, when one is found to > be > an orphan, no one addresses the issue of why or how, except to make an > effort to find other prospective orphans to join in. > > When there follows no explanation or no further investigation or no > further > research as to why one stands alone or with very few others, then it's > easy > to become cynical in ascribing other motives to the testing program, be it > defined for fun or profit. That's when dna testing ceases to serve the > purposes of genealogy. > > Since dna is one's most personal identifier, it seems the subject would > deserve more respect, more analysis, more reporting, and more > investigation. > Instead, promoters simply move on to getting the next test subject to sign > up. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Susan Rosine [mailto:S.JAMES.CLARK@prodigy.net] > Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:01 PM > To: JAMES-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [JAMES-L] Re: DNA results & the Need to Produce Matches > > The plea for more James men to take the test is to HELP everyone. I will > give one example. Three men match who have traced their line back to David > James > 1669-1739 using traditional genealogical research methods. The DNA > testing > basically proved scientifically that these men all share a common > ancestor--most likely David James, since they all independently traced > their > lineage back to him. Now, a fourth man came along and matched those three > men. > He has not yet traced his line back as far as David James, yet obviously > because of his perfect DNA match, he comes from the same line of James. > How > WONDERFUL FOR HIM THAT HE HAS THREE MATCHES!!!! Now he has a direction to > go in his research--he was "stuck" before- -now he has ideas about where > to > search for the "missing links". The whole concept of the DNA project is > to > find matches. It's worthless if you don't match anyone. > > I've already discussed before on this List the FUN of finding new cousins > and SHARING your information with each other. The FTDNA project is yet > another way to do that. Genealogy is supposed to be FUN, it's a HOBBY. If > you don't enjoy it, don't do it!!! > > As Linda mentioned, the JAMES name is very common and has many origins. I > would expect a wide variety of origins to show up via the DNA project, > just > as it does in standard research methods. Many surnames should have a > variety of DNA results. Even Luter/Lewter, an uncommon name except in the > Southern United States, should have several different origins, since many > black slaves took the name Lewter after they were freed. The Luter/Lewter > name has several different origins in Europe as well. And that is just > ONE > example. We won't even go into Smith or Jones!! > > If you MATCH someone with a JAMES Welsh origin, and you have not yet > traced > your line back to Wales, then you have now benefited from MATCHING > someone's > DNA results. You can now confirm through your own research that your line > came from Wales. > > Eric, you asked "Why is there such a wide variety? Is the wide variety of > results for the James surname appearing in the tests of one company only, > or > in results of other testing companies as well? How many more varieties of > James dna exist?" > > Why don't you share the results of the testing company you use, and then > we > would all know the answers to some of the questions you ask. > Sorry, but I've heard your side about "commercialism" > many times in the past, and I just don't buy it. Let us have our fun with > our FTDNA project, and you can have your fun with your project. Maybe we > should all stop attacking each other; it's not getting us anywhere. > > IT'S A HOBBY, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!!! > > Susan > > > > ==== JAMES Mailing List ==== > The JAMES Surname homepage! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~daisy/jameskin.htm > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/358 - Release Date: 6/7/2006 >