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I was thinking about this toda. Our Ancestors would not like all these online commercial DNA Tests from AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, and Myheritage because all their skeletons and secrets are coming to light.
As much as we may enjoy doing Family History and Genealogy using DNA to help out research I imagine A lot of them are probably rolling in their Graves
Last edited by NorthwestResident; 04-09-2019 at 07:54 PM..
Sometimes, I wonder if we don't worry about those things too much, and perhaps more than earlier generations may have done.
Both of my parents would have loved it. My father was fascinated by technology in any shape or form. I can remember him being blown away the first time he saw an electronic fish finder/depth finder on a fresh water fishing boat. He was like a kid in a candy store. He wouldn't have focused nearly as much on the DNA results as the science behind it.
For Mom, on the other hand, it would be today's equivalent of gossiping over the back fence. She would be the one digging for the dirt, to hail with building a family tree. A free spirit, if it happened to uncover any of her unshared secrets, she would have gotten the biggest kick of all out of it.
I have a 3rd great-grandmother who was vindicated by DNA. So if she is "rolling over in her grave" it is to thank DNA. She was single and named a married man as the father of her two children in 1828, suing him for child support (one of the children was my 2nd great-grandfather). She won, but the "legitimate" descendants always doubted he was really their father. Well, DNA testing has proven that she was correct in naming the father of her children.
I was thinking about this toda. Our Ancestors would not like all these online commercial DNA Tests from AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, and Myheritage because all their skeletons and secrets are coming to light.
As much as we may enjoy doing Family History and Genealogy using DNA to help out research I imagine A lot of them are probably rolling in their Graves
That might be true for some of them, but certainly not all. DNA did uncover that my great grandmother had an ongoing affair with a man and had two children by him. She took that secret to her grave, having successfully passed her children off as her husband's even though they later divorced so obviously she never wanted anyone to know.
However, DNA has only helped proved the entire rest of my family tree and even break down some brick walls and rediscover "lost" ancestors. I'd wager the vast majority of my ancestors would be pleased with that.
I try not true use absolutes, while some might not like it, I'm sure some could care less and might even enjoy it.
My maternal grandfather passed away in 1994 and was a very inquisitive person, never went to college, skipped a grade or two in elementary school, self-taught himself to play over half a dozen different instruments, and would probably get a kick out of the science involved in DNA genealogy!
I have a 3rd great-grandmother who was vindicated by DNA. So if she is "rolling over in her grave" it is to thank DNA. She was single and named a married man as the father of her two children in 1828, suing him for child support (one of the children was my 2nd great-grandfather). She won, but the "legitimate" descendants always doubted he was really their father. Well, DNA testing has proven that she was correct in naming the father of her children.
I have a similar situation in my tree. DNA showed that a male who is a direct descendant of a certain line is actually not related to that surname. Court records revealed that the widow of a man with that surname got pregnant after her spouse died. She named the father.
I was thinking about this toda. Our Ancestors would not like all these online commercial DNA Tests from AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, and Myheritage because all their skeletons and secrets are coming to light.
As much as we may enjoy doing Family History and Genealogy using DNA to help out research I imagine A lot of them are probably rolling in their Graves
An interesting view. Realize that statement applies to many, many technologies now in mainstream use today. Society cannot react this quickly to disruptors, but we have no choice. The printing press, cotton gin, and Galileo's observations challenging Church doctrine: all caused major upheaval economically and socially. Rough analogies only...
Social media sites are putting a lot more visibility on the interactions of relatives, friends, etc. Big disruptor.
Most people who aren't Luddites have a smartphone, almost all have some sort of cell phone. Information is instant. Access is 24 hours. Work and off-time are blurring. Most don't abuse the privilege, but some still do in business!
I hadn't thought of 23andMe and etc. as disruptors, but yes they are. Do we "want" this information? I signed up to 23andMe in the amused hope there would be a black sheep in the family tree (almost literally). Nope: 96.5% British Isles, as expected. Boring, but confirms what I knew growing up. We're as Irish as that famous clover.
But yes: if someone in the family tree was rolling the hay with someone from elsewhere, I personally would find it interesting and I'd figure it all out eventually. Others don't really feel that way, they just THINK they do as it causes family churn when you find out dad had bastard sons or mom had babies given away for adoption.
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