Testing, Testing: My DNA Results from National Geographic's Geneographic Project

There weren't any surprises when I looked at the results from my Geno 2.0 Next Generation test: 99% European divided into 40% Northwestern Europe, 32% Southwestern Europe and 26% Eastern Europe. Their regions are larger and less well defined than those in my other tests but overall the results track with what I already knew based on my known pedigree and had confirmed by AncestryDNA and 23andMe. (Oh, and I'm 1.5% Neanderthal according to this test, less than predicted by 23andMe but still higher than the average of this test's 834,322 participants.*)

Through what they're calling "Genius Matches" I'm informed that I share direct maternal ancestors with the Italian renaissance poet Petrarch (perhaps as recently as 25,000 years ago) and Abraham Lincoln (maybe as far as 65,000 years back). What value does this information have to me? If it's intended to make me feel a closer connection to these two historic figures, it's not working.**

[Portrait of Francesco Petrarca from Wikimedia Commons]

Because I participated in Nat Geo's earlier mitochondrial DNA test I already knew that my maternal haplogroup is J1C2. Those of you who have still to find out their own*** may find the section explaining the development of the various haplogroups useful.

The major problem I have with this test is illustrated in this quote from the Project's FAQ in response to a query about the availability of the raw data:

For Geno 2.0 Next Gen Participants (but not Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix co-branded kits) the raw analytical output from your DNA sample is available for purchase through our partner, Family Tree DNA. Go to My Profile, select the My Results tab and scroll down till you see Transfer my Results on the right hand side. 

For Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix co-branded kit Participants, we are currently exploring options to be able to make this available to you.

As someone who used the Helix-branded kit not only can't I see my raw data now, it's clear from the first sentence above that if/when it will be available, I would have to pay extra for it.

In retrospect I'm not sure what I was expecting from this DNA test when I sent my little tube across town (literally, as Helix is a San Diego based company) but I'm underwhelmed by the results and looking around on the internet I see that I'm not alone.


*According to the website that's the number to date.
**I'm not sure whether I'm more irked than amused by these matches.
***To discover your haplogroup might be the only reason I would recommend this product to anyone.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Celebrations: Presidents' Day

Whenever I see this early portrait of Abraham Lincoln I always wonder if the suit he's wearing was made by my paternal 3rd great grandfather, Benjamin Robert "B. R." Biddle (1808-1882).

[Abraham Lincoln, Congressman-elect from Illinois. Three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing front. This daguerreotype is the earliest-known photograph of Abraham Lincoln, taken at age 37. (digital file from b&w film copy neg. pre-1992, after 1959 cleaning and restoration?) Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.]

Records* indicate that in 1843 Lincoln ordered at least one suit at a local store to be made by B.R. Biddle.

"On May 16, 1843 his largest single day's purchase at Irwin's was made. The $45.37 total included $32.50 for cloth, $3.87 for trimmings and $9 to tailor Benjamin R. Biddle for making a suit for Mr. Lincoln. The suiting is described as two yards of superior black cloth at $11 a yard, and three yards of cassimere, a medium-weight woolen cloth of soft texture, at $3.50. Six months later Lincoln had a second suit made from two and three-fourths yards of beaver cloth (a heavy fabric of felted wool) and three yards of cassimere. More expensive trimmings were used in this suit. As Lincoln had recently returned from his fall trip around the Eighth Judicial Circuit and was busy in the second week of the fall term of the Sangamon Circuit Court, he was available for fittings. On December 30, 1843 his account was charged with $9.50, and Biddle probably was paid in cash by Irwin & Co.**"

B.R. and several partners left Springfield for California in 1849 so it's highly unlikely that anything worn by Lincoln much past that date would have been tailored by him. But it's clear that Lincoln remembered his neighbor and former tailor (now living in Oregon with his family) after he was elected president.

[Journal of the Senate, Including the Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate, Volume 35, Issues 2-37. Source: Google Books]

(Alas, B.R.'s actions during his shortened tenure as Indian agent led to a blot on his reputation, but that's a story for another day.)


*The Lincoln Log: A Daily Chronology of the Life of Abraham Lincoln allows you to "stalk" Mr. Lincoln.
**Pratt, Harry E. editor, “The Lincoln’s go Shopping.” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 48 (Spring 1955): 66.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.