For several years, I\u00c2\u00a0had attended lectures on genetic genealogy and I read articles on the subject, but I balked at having\u00c2\u00a0a genealogical test performed on my own DNA because I really didn’t have a\u00c2\u00a0compelling reason to do so.<\/p>\n
After thinking about the possible uses of genetic genealogy, I realized that DNA could provide the answer to a nagging question about my Niedzia\u0142kowski ancestors. Over the years, I had obtained convincing evidence to consrtuct a pedigree for\u00c2\u00a0Franciszek Niedzialkoski extending as far back\u00c2\u00a0as 1718, but I had couldn’t find documents to\u00c2\u00a0convincingly connect my own Niedzialkowski ancestors\u00c2\u00a0with Franciszek’s line. At best, I had anecdotal evidence from my uncles, a single reference on my grandfather’s immigrant passenger manifest to his uncle Franciszek, and evidence that my ancestors resided in a house owned by Franciszek Niedzialkoski. I have still not been able to find sources of primary information that could prove the relationship. Specifically, I have not found\u00c2\u00a0my grandfather’s birth record, my great-grandparents’ marriage record,\u00a0or my great-grandfather’s birth record.<\/p>\n
Three of my Niedzialkowski\/Niedzialkoski cousins agreed to take the DNA test, and the results prove that our families are all closely related.<\/p>\n
And so, with the great success I had with the Niedzialkowski\u00c2\u00a0DNA project,\u00a0I decided to have\u00c2\u00a0our own (Danko) Y-DNA tested. My Y-DNA belongs to haplogroup R1b1b2a1a and, while it was\u00c2\u00a0very interesting to see the migration patterns of my forefathers, the results of my own Y-DNA test had not led me to any great discoveries about my family.<\/p>\n
Until now.<\/p>\n
In this past week, I\u00c2\u00a0discovered that my DNA matches the DNA of two other persons on 24\/25\u00c2\u00a0markers. According to Y-Search, this close a match indicates that the probability of a close relationship is very high.<\/p>\n
Here’s what’s interesting, though. Neither of my matches knows anything about their patrilineal ancestors, each carries the surname of a matrilineal ancestor, and\u00c2\u00a0both live\u00c2\u00a0in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Additional DNA tests may help the three of us determine whether or not we really are all related. Proof of a genetic relationship among the three of us may help my matches discover more about their own ancestry. Perhaps they will discover that they, too, are members of the Da\u0144ko family.<\/p>\n
Oh, and by the way, I’ve seen a photo of one of my matches. From the facial resemblance in the photo, we could well be related.<\/p>\n
Written for the 65th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy – Happy Dance.<\/p>\n
Copyright \u00a9 2009 by Stephen J. Danko<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For several years, I had attended lectures on genetic genealogy and I read articles on the subject, but I balked at having a genealogical test performed on my own DNA because I really didn’t have a compelling reason to do so. Continue reading