Return to Mark & Cyndi's Family TreeA version of this article first appeared in the January/February 2000 issue of Ancestry Magazine
At a recent national genealogical conference, online columnist Dick Eastman gave a keynote address in which he discussed the impact of genetic science on genealogy. I am indebted to Dick for the graphic image which he placed in the minds of his audience. Dick postulated that in the not-too-distance future, one of the standard tools which family historians might take with them on a visit to a cemetery along with a notebook and camera may be a soil auger. He speculated that taking "core samples" from graves may allow genealogists to obtain samples of their ancestors' DNA for further analysis.
Will soil sampling become one of our standard tools for graveyard studies? In the future, will our research be furthered only by clandestine visits to cemeteries? Will caretakers learn of our visits only from the bore holes we leave behind in the night? Are we doomed to become the equivalents of Igor, the mad scientist's assistant in those black & white horror movies, interrupting the peaceful rest of the dead?
This somewhat ghoulish view of the future has its solid foundation in the advances in identification technology which have occurred in the genetic sciences. Humor aside, modern use of DNA identification techniques holds the possibility of greatly enhancing our genealogical understanding in the future. There is even the possibility that DNA analysis might make traditional genealogical research irrelevant. This article will examine some recent high-profile cases of the use of DNA in the identification of remains and examine their impact on future genealogical research.
Even the two "missing children" who were not discovered in the original find seem to have now been located. In the original find of remains, neither Crown Prince Alexis nor one of his sisters (either Anastasia of legend or Maria) were identified. It is interesting to note that the identification of one of the "missing children" as either Anastasia or Maria was dependent on finding topaz jewelry in association with her remains. Maria was known to have received topaz jewelry each year for her birthdays. DNA analysis can show who is related to whom but can not identify which sister is which.
The case of the Romanovs introduces us to a few of the limitations of current DNA identification techniques used on old remains. Genetic comparisons can determine if a person's remains are related to others, both living and dead, but can not yet determine the degree of the blood relationship. Yes, the person in the grave is related, but science can not yet tell us how. Positive identification is also problematic with old remains. The Czar's family was identified because of eyewitness accounts of their execution and burial along with physical evidence found with the remains. DNA analysis confirmed only that the remains were related to other relations of the Imperial Russian house. Because there was no method of banking DNA samples in 1917 and no bodily remnants (locks of hair, blood samples, etc.) of unquestioned provenance remained from the Romanov family, DNA analysis alone could not identify the individual Romanovs beyond a reasonable doubt.
Another Father of Our Country
Recent results published in Nature magazine used DNA testing to support the probability that Thomas Jefferson fathered Sally Hemming's last child. This testing generated much media attention and Jefferson's ideals as a political thinker and his relationships with his slaves were re-examined in the process Lost in the controversy over the author of the Declaration of Independence's liaison with one of his slaves was the DNA testing's ability to disprove an ancestry.
One of lines of descent from Thomas Woodson (Sally Hemming's first son) showed that there was likely an illegitimacy in the line – meaning that at some point in the line's history, a non-Woodson fathered the line of descent. The evidential record of who one of the fathers in the Woodson line was supposed to be was incorrect. DNA analysis showed after the ancestor known as "W42" in the study, descendants no longer displayed the genetic marker indicating direct descent from Thomas Woodson. Rather, the genetic markers indicated a father with characteristics most often found in sub-Saharan Africa rather than the European characteristics found in the rest of the Woodson line.
Woodson family genealogists descended from individual "W42" are perhaps the first of our fellows to be forced to deal with genetic studies which negate traditional research sources. As the genetic sciences advance and are focused on the less noteworthy of our ancestors, more of us will face the same issue. Technology can now prove the old adage "Mommy's baby - Daddy's maybe". However, this has profound implications for the genealogy of the future. Not only might we be able to prove descent, but we may also find ourselves disproving what the paper trail claims to be "true". Hold on to your cherished family traditions, folks, the future may hold some surprises.
Because of advances in DNA identification techniques, the Pentagon has announced that the Tomb will never again contain a symbolic victim from the Vietnam War. Theoretically, all of the over 2,000 America servicemen listed as "Missing In Action" from Vietnam could eventually be identified. The empty Tomb of the Unknown for Vietnam now bears the inscription "Honoring and Keeping Faith with America's Missing Servicemen". Note that it was a clerical error which originally led to the inability to identify Blassie's remains. I wonder how many other such clerical errors await discovery by genealogical researchers utilizing the DNA identification techniques of the future?
Perhaps as the future sees the completion of the current Human Genome Project which is mapping the entirety of human DNA, we may be able to determine not only whether we are related to a distant ancestor but also how. Computer simulations and our improved understanding of how mutations change DNA sequences between the generations may allow us to add to our pedigrees in detail with improvements in the genetic sciences.
Currently, most American states require DNA identification of sex offenders and some other violent criminals. Both the Governor of New York and the Attorney General of Wisconsin have called for an increase in their state's ability to bank the DNA data of all felons. Meanwhile, since 1994, the Department of Defense's DNA Registry has been banking the DNA identifications of all newly enlisted service personal. The Registry receives 4,000 new samples per day. Both the FBI and United Kingdom are creating national DNA databases. Ironic how those organizations which made such excellent records of our early ancestors – the military and the criminal justice system – may again lead the way on this new frontier of genealogically-relevant information.
Obviously, the genealogists of the future with access to the information currently being stored in our modern DNA banks will be able to learn a great deal about our genetic health. Unfortunately, only a few lucky genealogists of our time may have a similar research venue open to them. In Victorian times, a tradition of saving a lock of hair from a recently passed away family member developed. The September/October issue of Ancestry magazine described this custom in Victorian Death Rituals. Often made into jewelry or decorated in display boxes or picture frames, hairwork became an art form by which to remember lost loved ones. These highly collectible pieces of art (see the Victorian Hairwork Society) may actually contain valuable research information for some lucky genealogists. Imagine if a family keepsake such as a loved one's lock of hair had been maintained and handed down in a family. Using the DNA locked inside these physical remains of our ancestors, a genealogist might be able to determine what genetic diseases they suffered from, if any. Thus a old-fashioned mourning custom may lead to future genealogical discoveries in the hands of genetic science.
Genetic science will take up a supportive role in genealogy very much like the study of local history helps us better understand the times our ancestors lived in. Without major advances, however, DNA analysis is unlikely to completely replace paper-based genealogy anymore than the Internet has replaced traditional methods. It will simply add an additional tool to our toolbox. Perhaps literally. "Igor, get the auger. We're going to visit the cemetery tonight!"
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