DNA Tutorial for Genealogy

I came across terrific online explanations of DNA from the University of Utah.  The short videos plainly explain four types of genetic inheritance:  autosomal, X chromosome, Y chromosome, and mitochondrial DNA, and their applicability to genealogical research.

The testing that I write about from 23andMe is autosomal.  The kit that I ordered from Ancestry a few days ago is autosomal testing.  The surname projects at FamilyTreeDNA (which I have not done yet) are Y chromosome DNA testing.

Mystery Civil War Photographs

I came across this news article from Yahoo and thought it was interesting.  The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia houses thousands of photographs carried by dead soldiers in the Civil War and seeks to identify family of the people in the photographs.  As I have previously written, unlabeled old photographs are rather sad.  There is hope for some of these photographs.  The locations of discovery, sometimes on battlefields themselves, is often recorded.  Although the museum staff has limited resources for tracking down possible descendants, I think that some modern-day genealogists might help identify a few photographs.  If you have family who served in the Civil War, track down what you can about their service.  Then contact the Museum (or stop by if you live in the area) to see what kind of a search they can offer you.  I see from their website that the Museum is in the process of digitizing various collections.

Siblings

Death certificates can provide you with names of parents.  If possible, obtain the death certificates for all children of an ancestor, even though the siblings are not your direct line.  Compare the names of parents on the certificates of all siblings.

Sisters Sarah and Mary Cook died of pneumonia in Whippany 10 days apart in 1885.  Their death certificates are consecutive.  Although they were in their 70s, the informant was able to provide the full names of both parents.  This information is consistent on both death certificates.

Sisters Elizabeth Terry and Sarah Scott died ten years apart in Jersey City in 1886 and 1896.  On the death certificates, the names of their parents are not identical.  The names of the parents on Sarah's death certificate are consistent with other documentation.