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Y-Chromosome Adam and Mitochondrial Eve

Although Autosomal DNA is beginning to become better known as more and more people test their DNA, Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) probably still dominate the popular imagination. The reason is because of Adam and Eve.  No, I don't…

It’s Official – We’re Going to Norway Next Year!

In 2019, my wife and I are planning to realize a long-held dream - to visit Norway, one of my ancestral homelands. The entire trip will span about three weeks, beginning with a week touring Britain with another couple who are good friends. …
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Are You Sure That’s How You Spell Your Name?

The Minnesota Genealogist just published a short item in their Autumn 2018 issue about the spelling of my surname: Jonnes.  We were always one-N Joneses going back to the 17th century.  Indeed, our original patrilineal immigrant ancestor was…

Redoubt #10 at Yorktown

Okay, so here's our first sojourn over to my father's side of the family tree.  Sit up, Jonnes cousins! One of my father's favorite ancestors was Sgt. William Brown (1761-1804), arguably the most illustrious soldier in our family history. …

Ethnicity Estimates Revisited

I completely forgot about looking at the percentage ranges when I wrote my last post about the new AncestryDNA ethnicity update.  They are important because they emphasize how approximate the percentages remain, even if the updated profile…
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Applying DNA Tests to Family Trees

There are 4 types of DNA for which you can receive test results: Autosomal, Y-DNA, X-DNA, and mtDNA. To better understand the differences, it may be useful to visualize these different DNA tests and how they apply to genealogical research…

Climbing Houghton Hill

It's always cool when you discover a place named after one of your ancestors.  Manhattan has Vermilyea Ave. and Ross County, Ohio has Jones Road, for example. So, here's a new one: Houghton Hill in Homer, New York.  Homer is 30 miles due…

Neanderthal – Denisovan Hybrid Discovered

An amazing find was just published last week in Nature magazine.  Based on the DNA in a small hominin bone from about 90,000 years ago, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology were stunned to discover that it came…
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Understanding DNA Testing

Genetic genealogy is booming!  DNA testing companies like Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), AncestryDNA, MyHeritage DNA, and 23andMe, among others, are growing rapidly as more and more people are spitting into test tubes and getting their DNA examined…

Are Humans Responsible for Megafauna Extinctions?

In addition to being obsessed with genealogy, I have an abiding interest in human prehistory and the anthropological development of Homo sapiens, both biological and cultural, and especially with what DNA research and human paleontology are…