Kay, some things are what they are and not scams. Laurence ---------------------------------------- > From: nkopportunity@gorge.net > Subject: Re: [SCOT-DNA] Pictish DNA > Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 19:47:39 -0700 > To: SCOT-DNA-L@rootsweb.com > > David, > Thanks for that "heads up" on what might be a scam. I might have fallen for that one. > I have the results of a SMITH cousin in the U.S. Northeast SMITH Project; and we don't have a match at this time. FTDNA has estimated our Haplogroup to be E3b. > I have even searched Sorenson; I saw a couple fair matches at 19/22 to guys in the Mormon records. They are identified by "AFH", and "AFN" codes; but I cannot find any details for figuring out when nor where their ancestor was (might have been). > Suggestions welcome from anyone. > > Kay Chestnut > ----- Original Message ----- > From: David Rorer > To: SCOT-DNA-L@rootsweb.com > Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2006 4:33 PM > Subject: [SCOT-DNA] Pictish DNA > > > > The following came to me from another list. It was originally published in > Eastmans Online Genealogy Newsletter and I am reposting it to this list for > everyone's interest. There is a link to the original publication, from which > Eastman took his story, at the bottom of the message. > I am surprised that Eastman published this story; it comes from a source which > is on a par with supermarket tabloids and so obviously appears to be a scam. > Aside from the dubious claim of being able to identify Pickish DNA (no one has > actually been identified as a Pict for at least a millennium) and the > outrageously high test fee, anyone at all familiar with Scottish history would > know that Scottishness has far more to do with heritage than genetics. Many of > the leading families of Scotland (Comyn/Bruce/Stewart) originated in Normandy; > others, (MacDonald/MacDougall) have Norse antecedents and no one questions their > Scottishness. > It is no surprise to find that most of Orkney had Norse ancestry, since it and > the Hebrides were part of the kingdom of Norway for centuries and heavily > settled from there. > The Scots themselves came from Ireland c. 500-600 and when the various > territories that became the kingdom of Scotland finally coalesced into one > polity it included not only Picts and Scots but the Britons of Strathclyde > (which included Cambria) and the Angles of Lothian (ruled at times by > Northumbria). > After than, in the half century between 1100 and 1600, there were the numerous > foreign soldieries (Danish, Norse, French, English, Spanish, Irish, Welsh even > German and Lowlander) who were part of the various armies that fought in > Scotland and, as soldiers will, left samples of their DNA behind. > Unfortunately there will probably be a number of people who will pay this > excessive amount for an extremely dubious report. > It's too bad that Eastman ran this story and gave it, however tenuous, a touch > of legitimacy. > > David Rorer > > > /The following article is from Eastmans Online Genealogy Newsletter > > and is copyright 2006 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here > > with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is > > available at / http://www.eogn.com <http://www.eogn.com/>/./ > > * > > > > - So You Think You're Scots? > > > > * > > > > Help is at hand for the millions of people around the world who claim > > to be Scottish. A new test will be able to prove if that's just > > wishful thinking or if someone really has a Caledonian connection. A > > leading scientist has developed a "Scottishness" test that searches > > people's DNA to trace their origins. > > > > Geneticist Dr. Jim Wilson is offering the #130 ($245 US) diagnosis, > > which determines how Scottish people are. He has identified a genetic > > pattern which can determine whether a person is descended from > > Scotland's ancient inhabitants, the Picts, and can test people for > > traces of their genes. Dr. Wilson says he wants to target Americans > > eager to seek out their Scottish ancestry. > > > > You can read more about this story at http://tinyurl.com/m499n _________________________________________________________________ Get the new Windows Live Messenger! http://get.live.com/messenger/overview