DNA.land Initial Results

A new website, DNA.LAND, launched to advance DNA studies.  You can upload your raw autosomal DNA file from one of the three major genetic genealogy testing sites (23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA, and AncestryDNA).  At this introductory stage, your file will be processed to reveal ancestry composition and fifty relatives who share some identical DNA with you.

You can only upload one file per email address, so those of us who manage multiple kits will either not upload everyone or acquire several more email addresses.

According to the website, "DNA Land is a place where you can learn more about your genome while enabling scientists to make new genetic discoveries for the benefit of humanity."

A week ago, I uploaded three raw DNA files:  my parents and me.  At the time, the upload count on the home page was about 3,700 files.  Today, the count is over 6,000.

The ancestry results for my father and me were processed by the next day.  My mother's results are still in limbo.

My father's ancestry seems consistent with results from 23andMe and GedMatch.  About one quarter of his tree immigrated from German areas in the mid 1800s.  The rest is Colonial American with English and Dutch origins.

One relative turns up for him:  me.  The relationship prediction is correct.  More relatives should appear as more people upload their files.

My ancestry should be an average of my parents.  My mother's results at DNA.land are not available yet for this comparison.  One of the discrepancies is that DNA.land paints me as 6% Ashkenazi, while other programs find about 1/8, or 12%.  My mother is about one quarter Ashkenazi and three quarters Irish.

My relative matches were my father and a distant cousin.  This person should be related through my mother, as my father shows no relatives besides me.  This person's name does not appear in any of our matches at the testing companies, nor at GedMatch.  So she is either anonymous or using a different name, or is not calculated as a match at any other site.

This DNA cousin of unknown relation shares many segments of DNA with me; however, most are quite tiny.  DNA.land characterizes these tiny segments as "ancient."  They are not relevant in a genealogical timeframe but rather indicate shared ancestry from a common population.  The largest segment is deemed "recent" and could place our relationship anywhere from a third cousin to more distant.  We would have to figure it out.

New Jersey State Census 1905

Among the finds from my weekend trip to the Denville Historical Society and Musuem (New Jersey) were blank census pages for the New Jersey State census, year 1905.  I have never physically seen a census page from any year, federal or state.  This page seems too large and awkward to handle well.  Perhaps this is one reason for the illegible handwriting that beleaguers census images.

Below is a picture with my hand so you can have a reference for the enormity of the page.

The 1905 New Jersey State census is indexed at FamilySearch.org.  The actual images are not online anywhere that I know of.

Amanuensis Monday: Marriage record from book, 1861

This certifies

that Mr Edward C Peer and

Miss Sarah L Miller were by me

united in marriage, according to the law of God and of the State

of New Jersey at Orange,

Essex Co, N J

Augt 4, [18]61

Rev Wm D Hedden

Original at Denville Historical Society and Museum, October 3, 2015

Notes:

Edward C Peer (1837-1915)

Sarah L Miller (18??-1919)  (Gravestone has year of birth 1854.  Must be earlier if marriage date is correct.)