Jerry, I don't believe that it will be of any value in locating individual ancestors either. If that is what someone is expecting they need not participate. Or, if anyone is worried about their privacy, although I don't believe there is any problem there, don't do it. I personally see it as a wonderful tool to learn and to contribute to the study of our humanity, and, in the long run, believe it will be priceless information, once we get past all of the issues that will present themselves in the beginning as happens with any new technology. Perhaps with enough grouping, it will become easier to trace our lines or to at least come to understand who we are and why we are as we are. The more knowledge there is available the more knowledge we can all have about each other, and some of our prejudices can we wiped out. Sometimes we do not do something for what we get out of it but for what we can contribute. I personally am a big believer in the value of DNA studies, and hope to see some of the effects in the near future. To me is is another door God has opened up to us to help us learn more about ourselves, and to improve life on earth. Thanks for sharing your opinion with us, its good to look at all possibilities before we make such a decision. Winnie Minson ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jerry Hodge" <[email protected]> To: "Winnie" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 01, 2000 10:55 AM Subject: Re: [VAFRANKL] DNA-BYU > Winnie, I fail to see how this study will ever be of value in locating > individual ancestors. Judy Phillips has hit on perhaps the only value to > those searching for their family trees. (see below). If one reads the BYU > study completely they will notice that no individual relationships will be > studied or information transmitted to those taking part in the study. > Rather, they will be looking at group similarities in DNA makeup. > > At some future time, their literature states, there will be a database > available showing ones relationship to a particular group of people in an > area. Since an individual receives no data from his DNA contribution I am > not sure how one would get any information from this database (especially > free information). > > I am sure they could build a database with names of contributors and show > relationships of other contributors to them but how they connect them to > people not contributing is not stated. They could also print your name > showing how you fit into the local ethnic groups by DNA types. > > Beyond that one encounters all kinds of privacy issues and sticky liability > problems. > > This could be a great boon to class studies of migration and immigration and > is certainly of value to social scientists. As long as the contributors do > not think of it as a way of finally finding GGGrandfather George after all > these years of searching, then by all means contribute. The study may show > that many of the contributors from Franklin County had DNA similar to people > from Scotland and Germany. Remember, though ,that you must submit a > pedigree chart for 4 generations back stating your ancestors home country if > known. For those that do not already know which country their ancestor came > from the database may give them a good idea;as long as enough contributors > have DNA that tie all of them together. > Jerry Hodge > > > > Anyway, I was very interested because my grandmother would not talk > > about our Indian heritage. I want to do this to see if I have any Indian > > blood or not. I checked to see how I could participate in this study. I > > was told if I could get 100 + people, they could be here in about 3 > > months. > > ==== VAFRANKL Mailing List ==== > > The Franklin Co VAGenWeb "Books" page is located at URL: > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~vafrankl/fran-lup.htm > > > > > >