Descendants of Sephardic Jews may be eligible for Spanish or Portuguese citizenship. * Article originally published in May 2017; requirements for this law are in flux Spanish and Portuguese Citizenship for Sephardic Jews Within the last three years, Spain and Portugal have begun to offer citizenship to the descendants of Sephardic Jews who were exiled during the religious persecutions of the late 15th century. As a result of these new laws, we’ve received many requests for research into … [Read more...]
Going Beyond Ethnicity Estimates in DNA Testing
As a specialist in genetic genealogy, one of the most frequent topics I address in my conversation with others is ethnicity estimates. Someone might say something like: “I’m not really sure how much to trust those genetic tests since my grandmother was Italian, and I only came back with 15% Italian in my results. If they can’t even get the ethnicity right, then what use are they?” In reality, there are two parts of genetic genealogy test results: ethnicity admixture and genetic matches. … [Read more...]
Pursuing a Career in Genetic Genealogy
Pursuing a career in genetic genealogy was a path I largely had to forge myself. Today I share what I've learned, what I would do differently, and advice for those interested in pursuing a similar career path. Person I just met: “What do you do for work?” Me: "I’m a genetic genealogist.” Person I just met: “Wow! I didn’t even know that job existed. How did you get into that?” I probably have this same conversation (or variations on the same theme) every other day. Since … [Read more...]
Before It’s Too Late: DNA Testing Older Relatives NOW
As genealogists we have been encouraged to treat DNA as we would other genealogical records. We are invited to incorporate DNA tests and DNA results as part of proof arguments, we are urged to properly cite DNA evidence and discuss it, analyze it and draw conclusions with it in conjunction with other genealogical records. Increasingly, DNA evidence is becoming part of reasonably exhaustive research under the requirements of the Genealogical Proof Standard. While we have seen major progress in … [Read more...]
Dealing with Endogamy, Part II: Test Multiple Relatives
In a recent blog post, Dealing with Endogamy: Part I, we explored the unique challenges of interpreting autosomal DNA test results for individuals from endogamous populations. Endogamy is the custom of marrying only within the limits of a local community, clan, or tribe over the course of many generations. Pedigree collapse, a related concept, occurs when two related individuals produce offspring. As a result, the number of unique individuals occupying locations in a pedigree … [Read more...]
Dealing with Endogamy, Part I: Exploring Amounts of Shared DNA
Autosomal DNA testing is a valuable resource for genealogists seeking to overcome recent brick walls in their family history, particularly in instances where traditional historical research is limited or unavailing. At Legacy Tree Genealogists, we frequently use autosomal DNA test results to answer questions regarding adoption, unknown paternity, or difficult to trace ancestors. To learn more about autosomal DNA testing see our previous blog post on the basics. Endogamy is the custom of … [Read more...]
How to Prepare for a Family History Trip
After identifying and documenting your ancestry (including the crucial step of determining your family’s foreign hometown), a natural next goal might be to visit the sites, scenes, and places where your ancestors lived and died. Genealogy and research tours can be exciting and enlightening, but require ample preparation. Paul Woodbury, Legacy Tree’s Outreach Manager and genetic genealogist, has made several such trips of his own. Below, he shares some tips both from his personal experience and … [Read more...]
How the X-Chromosome Solved a 100-Year-Old Adoption Mystery
We frequently receive requests from adoptees, foundlings, individuals with unknown paternity, and their descendants to assist in identifying biological ancestors. In a recent case we performed, we were able to use DNA test results to identify the biological parents of a client’s mother. Analysis of the X-chromosome held the key to determining the correct ancestral couple. Here we share their story. (In order to protect privacy, names have been changed.) Lauren is the daughter of a woman named … [Read more...]