Two more swabs ordered!

I just ordered two more PETKAU/KLASSEN swabs!  :)

So, this means that we now have three PETKAU/KLASSEN swabs in the pipeline, in addition to one LOEWEN/FRANZ swab.  I've been in contact with another LOEWEN/FRANZ sibling, and he is willing to swab, so I'll order that one on Monday.  I've got enough money saved I could pay for another swab as well, so I'm hoping one of the LOEWEN/FRANZ sisters I left messages for calls me back so I can order two at once again.  :)

*UPDATED 12/31/15 14:58 PM  Yes!!  I just got in touch with one of the LOEWEN/FRANZ sisters, and she agreed to swab for me!  :)  That brings my LOEWEN/FRANZ total up to five out of seven living siblings.

Another kit ordered!

Just ordered another LOEWEN/FRANZ test kit!  This is number 3 of 7, I believe.  :)

Grandpa's DNA

I'm getting closer to covering all the DNA my mom got from her dad.  Here's a picture of all the DNA my mom shares with her aunt and her uncle.  As you can see, I still have some sizable gaps on a few chromosomes, but I'm hoping that with one or two more tests, I'll be able to fill those gaps in.

Two pieces of good news this morning!

1)  My great-aunt's raw data was available this morning!  Working on uploading her to GEDmatch now.

2)  My great-uncle (who already tested) gave me the contact info for his brother (another great-uncle), so I sent him an email last night, and he's already agreed to test!  It will be January before I can get his kit out to him, but that will be our third LOEWEN/FRANZ test.  :)

False Alarm!

This isn't the first time this has happened to me.  FTDNA said yesterday that my great-aunt's results had been delayed, but.... NOPE.  The second LOEWEN/FRANZ test results are in.

I'm always a bit relived when results come in as expected.  Now I've tested two of my Grandpa LOEWEN's siblings, and they match each other as expected, sharing just over the average amount of DNA that full siblings should share.  :)

I'm still waiting on the raw data, but I expect I'll have access to that tomorrow night.  Then I'll be able to compare my great-aunt to my mother and me.

Delayed! :(

Just checked on the outstanding LOEWEN/FRANZ test, and it has been delayed to 12/16-12/30.  :(  I submitted a support ticket to see if I can find out if it failed quality control, like the FOX/PERRY test did in the fall.

Results in!

Just randomly checked on the KLASSEN YDNA test we weren't expecting results back for until mid-December, and wouldn't you know it, results are in!  I've sent an email to the heads of the Mennonite DNA project to get help deciphering the results.  Hopefully I'll get a response soon!

Getting some good leads on KLASSEN segments

I heard from a gal yesterday who has strong ties to KLASSEN!  Her DNA connection to us is pretty good, enough to be fourth or fifth cousins probably.  I was able to find a KLASSEN common ancestor between her, and someone else that matches us on the same segment, so now the question is whether or not we can tie our KLASSEN line to that KLASSEN line once we get our YDNA results in December.  This segment that I found is on Chromosome 1.  Her family changed the spelling of KLASSEN to CLAUSON at some point.

Her KLASSEN/CLAUSON relatives were from Herbert, SK.

Batched!

The LOEWEN/FRANZ kit batched this afternoon, and results are expected a week earlier than I thought!  We may have results as early as December 2nd!  That's only three weeks away!

Early!

Thanks to the generosity of one of my piano parents, I was able to order the second LOEWEN/FRANZ test this morning!  That's two weeks earlier than I was expecting.  I'm expecting this test to batch this afternoon, and we should have results between December 9 and December 16.

We're still waiting on the YDNA for the KLASSEN line, and those results are expected December 9-December 23.  Just in time for Christmas, and no delays yet!

The next test I'm saving for is the second PETKAU/KLASSEN test.  That swab is still outstanding, so I'll call my grandmother and have her call her brother for me.  Since I was able to order the LOEWEN/FRANZ test two weeks early, this one will also bump up two week,s and I should be able to order it January 6th!  :)

Captain John Morgan

Well, it looks like I've already gotten a confirmed, but NOT triangulated segment from my aunt's results!

Captain John Morgan would be my 9th great grandfather.  He was born 30 March 1645 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts.  He died in Groton, New London, Connecticut 12 February 1711.  He married Rachel Deming (sometimes Dymond or Dymon), and they had one child, my 8th great-grandfather, John Morgan Jr. The rest of the pedigree goes something like this:

9th great-grandfather: Captain John Morgan I
8th great-grandfather: John Morgan II
7th great-grandfather: John Morgan III
6th great-grandfather: Thomas Morgan
5th great-grandfather: Jedidiah Morgan
4th great-grandfather: Jedidiah S Morgan
3rd great-grandmother: Nancy Morgan
2nd great-grandfather: Edwin Morgan Marvin
Great-grandmother: Gladys Ellen Marvin
Grandfather
Father
Me!  :)

Having an idea where this segment came from will prove very helpful.  We know that my Dad matches my aunt along the portion of DNA where my aunt has this segment.  However... I do NOT match my aunt along this segment.  If we can eventually figure out if Dad shares this MORGAN segment with his sister, that will tell us which side of the family MY matches come from (whether that be Grandpa's paternal side, or my grandmother's side).  We already know that my matches on this segment cannot come from Grandpa's maternal side, or I would match my aunt.

Some shared segments

Here's a graphic that shows all the shared segments between my aunt and her uncle (my great-uncle).   Even though I'm still unable to compare my father to my aunt directly, I can already see that there are a number of spots where my dad, my aunt, and my great-uncle all match each other.  This may sound like it would be helpful, but it's actually not!  Too much overlap between my father's DNA and his siblings' DNA makes it that much more difficult to re-build my grandmother's DNA (which is what we need to do to figure out some brick walls).

However, what IS exciting is that I'm finding people on my aunt's match list who don't match my great-uncle.  This could indicate that they are from my aunt's and my dad's paternal side.  I have one solid lead on a family tree with major links to the Maritime provinces of Canada, which is one place where our PERRY branch hits a bunch of brick walls.

Almost there!!

The FOX/PERRY results are IN!  Well.... mostly.  We have matches, and we can download those matches to GenomeMate, which is a great help, but we're still waiting on raw data and myOrigins.  I don't really care about the myOrigins too much, but I'm anxious to get the raw data so that we can upload that to GEDmatch.

However, there's still lots to be done with the information we have right now.  Since my great-uncle had previously tested with FTDNA, we can now compare him to my aunt (this test that just finished) and see where they match.  We can also compare that information to where Dad and my great-uncle (his uncle) match, and possibly make some conclusions there.  But the real fun will come when I can get my aunt onto GEDmatch.

Hmmmm.... did it, or didn't it?

I logged in this morning to check on the FOX/PERRY test that was due back in August and failed twice.  Guess what?  The dates shifted again.  I immediately fired off an email to FTDNA's support desk.  They got back to me quite quickly saying that it was still being tested and didn't look like it had failed.  I also posted to the International Society of Genetic Genealogists group on Facebook and tagged an FTDNA employee there asking if she could check, and she's saying it passed.  I'm still seeing the delayed dates when I log in though.

I've seen this before, where the dates get shifted, but within hours results come in, so I'm content to just wait it out for a day or two.  If we don't have results by Monday, I'll get a little bit more pushy, but I'm hoping that the info I got on Facebook was solid and that we'll have results really soon!  Finding out where my aunt matches my dad and my great-uncle will be a big, big help!!

Frustration...

Still waiting on the results of the FOX/PERRY kit currently undergoing processing.  It's been delayed.  Again.  :(  Really hoping it didn't fail, and that it was a lab issue that caused it to be delayed, but the lab isn't showing any delays for Family Finder tests (like this one) so that's not boding well for our test.  :(  I have someone checking on it now, so hopefully we'll know what happened in a day or two.

I've also seen it happen where the dates get moved, and then results pop up within 24 hours, so maybe that's what will happen here, but I'm not holding my breath.

Yeah, that's more likely!

I just checked on the KLASSEN YDNA test, since I was so surprised to see November completion dates the other day.  Sure enough, the expected time frame is now 12/9-12/23.  Just before Christmas, like I originally suspected.

Batched!

The KLASSEN YDNA test batched today!  FTDNA is saying that our results should be in sometime between November 11 and November 25.  I know they've had a lot of trouble with processing Y tests pretty much all year, so I'm definitely expecting that to be delayed at least once, if not twice, but I will keep everyone posted!

Will it batch on Wednesday??

I realized today that my plan to purchase the KLASSEN YDNA on September 30th may have resulted in it not beginning to process until October 7th.  Not optimal.  So, I talked to my husband, and was able to move some money around to purchase the upgrade today!  Hopefully this means that the YDNA test will start processing on September 30th!

YDNA tests are taking 9-10 weeks to process right now, so if this test batches on 9/30, we could have results December 2-December 9.

Just a waiting game now.

One week to go... and another delay. :(

One week until I can order the KLASSEN YDNA.  It looks like YDNA tests are taking about 9-10 weeks right now, which means we could have results by December 9th.  Results on this test by Christmas would make me so happy!

The FOX/PERRY test has been delayed (again) to October 7-October 21.

Call rate failure! :(

I received word tonight that the FOX/PERRY test currently in the pipeline didn't pass the call rate, and is being re-run.  They haven't adjusted the estimated completion date, so I'm still expecting it sometime between 9/23 and 10/7.

The call rate is the expected number of single nucleotide polymorphisms in a sample.  Of the 700,000 SNPs tested for, in order to pass, 97% have to be present.  So, even a sample with 96.5% present will fail.  I don't know what percentage were present in our sample, so it's just a waiting game right now.

More segments!

Here's my current Generation 3 segment map.  Generation 3 is my great-grandparents, so all the colored bars you see here represent DNA I'm able to conclusively say came from a specific set of great-grandparents.

With a little more testing, I should be able to fill in a lot of those grey gaps, as well as narrow down which Generation 3 spouse some of these segment came from.  Right now, they're all tied to a specific couple.  Except one.

See that big LONG segment on X at the bottom?  I'm particularly excited about this one.  I share that segment with my mother, and her paternal uncle.  Because men only get one X chromosome (from their mothers), we know automatically that this segment came from my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Franz.  Now, where SHE got it... I still have to figure out, but I've got a great start!  :)

The top bar of each pair is my dad's side.  Right now, I've only tested Dad's paternal uncle, so all of the segments on the top bar are either PERRY or KANNEKEBERG segments.

The bottom bar of each pair is my mom's side.  I have a little bit more information about her side, because my mom's dad's first cousin tested with 23andme, and now my mom's paternal uncle has also tested.  They overlapped in some places, and didn't overlap in others.  At any rate, all the segments on the bottom trace back to either LOEWEN or FRANZ segments.  FRANZ is actually one of our bigger brick walls on the LOEWEN/FRANZ side of the family, so I'm hoping we can work some of that out through DNA.

DNA from my great-grandparents

Movement!

I checked this morning, and the first LOEWEN/FRANZ results are in!  :)  Still waiting on the raw data to become available (hopefully today sometime).

Some movement, but mostly still waiting

Let's see... right now we have five tests in some state of waiting...

1)  The first LOEWEN/FRANZ test results are due sometime between now and September 21st.

2)  The second FOX/PERRY test results are also due sometime between now and September 21st.

3)  The second LOEWEN/FRANZ test has been taken, and is back in the mail.  Current location is "being forwarded to destination country".  I'm doubtful it will make it back to Texas by Wednesday, so best case scenario for that one would be batching on Wednesday, September 23.  Probably Batch 641 if I was to guess.

4)  The second PETKAU/KLASSSEN test appears to be stuck at the destination post office.  Intended pick up was Saturday.

5)  We have $103.77 of the $139 we need to order the KLASSEN YDNA which will aid us in our search for Peter Klassen's family.  Target date for ordering that test is still September 30th.  Only 17 days to go!  With current wait times, these results should be in shortly before Christmas.

Long term plan:
-  Run KLASSEN YDNA on September 30th.
-  Commence saving for tests on second LOEWEN/FRANZ test & second PETKAU/KLASSEN test. We should have enough for one on November 25th, and the other on January 20th.
-  Somewhere in there I also want to swab several more of my grandparents' siblings (for inclusion purposes) as well as my great-grandmother's half-siblings (for exclusion purposes).

Some news from Family Tree DNA

This was posted by someone affiliated with FTDNA to Facebook about 7 hours ago:

"Family Tree DNA has worked hard to ensure that the standards for Family Finder results delivery are within 3-4 weeks. An unforeseen complication with one of our suppliers has taken them longer to resolve than we would have hoped. We expect to be back to normal operations and have all outstanding Family Finder results delivered within the next 10 business days.

We apologize for any inconvenience and will continue to deliver the quality that our customers deserve. Thank you for your patience."

Our tests in this batch are the FOX/PERRY test and the LOEWEN/FRANZ test.  If all goes as expected, we should have results on both tests by September 21st.

Generous donation!

I received a generous donation this morning which will allow us to bump the KLASSEN YDNA test back up two weeks, so we should be able to run that one September 30th.  :)  There's a little extra leftover which will probably go toward running the tests on the outstanding LOEWEN/FRANZ & PETKAU/KLASSEN swabs ($99 each).  Barring any more financial delays, we should be able to run the first one November 25th, and the second one January 20, 2016.

Delayed again!

The FOX/PERRY test and the LOEWEN/FRANZ test have both been delayed again.  They're now both due between September 23 and October 7.

Delays, Purchases, and more Delays!

Here's a quick update about where we're at with our project.

1)  The FOX/PERRY test that was batched a couple weeks ago has been delayed.  Results are now expected between September 9 and September 23.  This delay is no fault of ours.  The lab had some processing issues a few weeks ago and they're still working their way through the back log.  I'll still keep checking though, just in case it comes in before the 9th.

2)  There is currently no delay on the LOEWEN/FRANZ test that was done at the same time.  That one is still expected between September 9 and September 23.

3)  I finally purchased the second PETKAU/KLASSEN test, and the second LOEWEN/FRANZ test.  They have not shipped yet, but I'm hoping they will ship by the end of the week.  They're both going to Canada, so I'm not expecting results on them until at least mid to late-October.

4)  The KLASSEN YDNA test slated for September 30th has been delayed until October 13th due to lack of funds.  If anyone would like to donate toward a test, please let me know!  We're about $10.23USD short of being able to purchase the test on September 30th.

Batched again!

We now have the FOX/PERRY kit with results expected between September 2 and September 16, and the (first of many) LOEWEN/FRANZ kit with results expected between September 9 and September 23.

Batched!

Here's a small update:

1)  The FOX/PERRY test did indeed batch on Wednesday.  We're in batch 635, and results are expected somewhere between September 2 and September 16, so possibly a week earlier than I expected.

2)  The LOEWEN test has been received in the States, so it should be back to the lab by next Wednesday, but I'm keeping an eye on it anyway.

3)  I still need to order the LOEWEN and PETKAU swabs.  MUST do that today!

4)  Our first FOX/MARVIN test is scheduled for October!  Thanks to my dad's first cousin who agreed to test, and offered to pay for it.

Update!

1)  The FOX/PERRY test previously mentioned has made it back to the lab.  I'm hoping that the batch number will pop up later this afternoon or tomorrow so we know that it is processing.  I'm expecting results between September 9 and 16.

2)  The LOEWEN test has been mailed back, and last I saw it was in Richmond, BC, being transferred back to the US.

3)  We have a PETKAU volunteer and another LOEWEN volunteer, but I still need to order their swabs (tomorrow)!

4)  We have about $30 saved for the KLASSEN YDNA test.  This will be the next test I run, and the target date for the purchase of that test is September 30th. Donations happily accepted!  :D

The latest

Here's the latest on the two tests we have ordered and out right now:

1)  The LOEWEN test was ordered as previously mentioned.  It has shipped, and has cleared Canadian customs (as of August 2).  Hopefully it will be delivered by Friday.  The earliest we could possibly have results on this test would be early October.

2)  There's another FOX/PERRY test in the pipeline!  I apparently forgot to post when I ordered this one, for my aunt.  She's already received it, and mailed it back, so I'm hoping it will batch next week, and we'll have results from that one sometime around September 9-16.

In other news, I've recruited my grandmother (PETKAU) to help me recruit her siblings, and it sounds like one of her brothers is willing to test.  Family Tree DNA will ship swabs out for $9.95, so I'm planning to ship a swab out to him.  My Grandpa LOEWEN's oldest living sister also agreed to test, so I'll be shipping her a swab as well.

Right now the short term plan is to order those two swabs & then save for the KLASSEN YDNA test ($139).  That should happen at the end of September.  I'm hoping to get those results around Christmas.

After the KLASSEN YDNA test has been ordered, I'll run the autosomal tests for the LOEWEN and PETKAU swabs.  I'm not sure on the timing of those tests, it will depend on how many more of my grandparents' siblings have decided to join in the fun, since I really want to order those swabs as soon as I can, but not have them waiting at the lab for more than a year (because the sample may begin to degrade).

Another test in the works!

Just ordered a test for my great-uncle on my LOEWEN side!  My grandpa LOEWEN passed away in 2008, so I will probably end up testing as many of his eight living siblings as I can.  So this is one down, seven to go.  :)

I'm expecting that this one will take a little longer to get the results, similar to the KLASSEN test I ran two months ago, because this one has to ship to Canada and back.  So, Maybe we'll have the results by mid-September?

Matching segments!

Here is a map of all the confirmed segments in my dad's DNA.  :)

You can see the legend down in the lower right hand corner, but here's the explanation of what you're seeing:

1)  The dark aqua bars.  These bars are 2 generations back from my father, and show all the places where my dad matches his uncle.  They actually share a little more DNA than expected, so that is GREAT news for us!

2)  The bright aqua bar on X: This bar is 1 generation back from my father, and shows a place where my dad matches his niece.  We know that Dad could only have gotten X from his mother, so the common ancestor between my dad and his niece on that segment is Dad's mother, who is his niece's maternal grandmother.

3)  The blue bar on Chromosome 4: This bar is 6 generations back from my father.  You'll notice that this bar overlaps with the dark aqua bar below it.  This indicates that the two bars represent two different sides of my dad's chromosome.  If I was to compare Dad's uncle with the family represented by the blue bar, they should NOT match.  The blue bar is assumed to be from Dad's paternal side, and the aqua bar is known to be from his maternal side.

4)  The brown bar on Chromosome 12: This bar is 9 generations back from my father.  I was really hoping that Dad's uncle would match on that segment too, but he doesn't.  However... he could end up matching the two families represented by the brown bar in another place, other than where Dad matches them, so the work is definitely not done yet.  :)

A quick update

In case anyone is waiting for an update explaining the segments that my great-uncle, my dad, and I share, I just wanted to post a quick update that the website I need to use for the comparison has been experiencing technical difficulties for the past two days, unbeknownst to them until I e-mailed them about it and brought the issues to their attention!  They've handled the issue now, and we're just waiting for the backlog of previously not deleted files to actually delete.  I should be able to upload my great-uncle's files on Monday morning, so I should be able to run the comparison between us and him sometime around lunchtime on Monday.

Another test ordered!

My dad's sister just sent a check for her test kit, which I just ordered! Hopefully it will ship early next week.  Who knows... we could have those results by the end of August!  :)

Some of you maybe wondering why I'm testing my dad's siblings.  Well, both of their parents have passed away, and my great-uncle who just tested is the only one left in my grandparents' generation on that side (my dad's).  So, in order to be able to figure out what DNA came from my grandpa, and what DNA came from my grandma, I have to test Dad's siblings to see where they match their great-uncle, both independently (do they have Norwegian matches in common with him?) and together (does one have Norwegian matches, and the other four have English matches on the same segment?).  From there, I can make conclusions about which parent their DNA came from.

I'm loving this adventure, and I'm so happy my aunt is now along for the ride.  She gave me some of the family tree I'm working from, so it will be fun to be able to tell her who contributed to her DNA!

Some confirmed Norwegian segments!

Well.  I really didn't expect to have such progress so quickly.  My great-uncle's results came in yesterday, so I immediately went to work browsing through trees, looking for common ancestors, and I got multiple hits for the same couple.

My great-great-great-great-grandparents were Askjeld Heljesen & Brytteva Andersdatter.  Askjeld was born in 1780 at Aarhus farm in Voss, Hordaland, Norway.  He died 16 November 1851 at Aarus farm, Evanger, Norway.

Brytteva was born in 1777 at Nedre Skierven farm, Voss, Hordaland, Norway.  I am not sure when or where she died.

They had two children: a daughter named Torbjorg Askjeldsdatter born in about 1820, and a son, Anders, born in Evanger, Hordaland, Norway.  We are descendants of Torbjorg, and the other family I connected with are descendants of her brother Anders.  The other family also tested an uncle, so my great-uncle, and their uncle are third cousins.  Their uncle is a third cousin, once removed to my dad, and third cousin, twice removed, to me.  The younger generation is third cousins, once removed to my great-uncle, fourth cousins with my dad, and fourth cousins, once removed with me.

The segments I've confirmed come from Askjeld and Brytteva.  Unfortunately, neither us, nor the other family have been able to build our trees back beyond this couple.  But, it's possible someone else who matches on one or more of the shared segments has, so we might still be able to break down this brick wall.

Because I found this connection on Family Tree DNA, I haven't been able to compare them to my father or myself to see if there are additional segments shared beyond what my great-uncle has.  I've asked the other family to upload to GEDmatch so that we can answer that question.

Here is a visual of the places where my great-uncle matches this family.  You should be able to click on it to get a better view.

False alarm!

I just checked again this morning, and the results of the first of two PERRY tests are in!  :)  I'm working on uploading them to GEDmatch now, so we can start comparing those of us who have already tested to this great-uncle!  :)

I took a peek at the PERRY test's top matches on FTDNA, and they do appear to be Norwegian (expected).  That's exciting!  :)  I'm looking forward to seeing if they will respond when we reach out to them.  Hopefully!

The second PERRY test I'm going to order is a YDNA test.  That's more expensive, and I have other autosomal tests I'd like to run first.  FTDNA is holding onto the extra samples we sent, so we can go back for that test whenever we want.

I also received word yesterday that one of my FOX aunts is planning to test for me.  We're just working out the details of ordering her test now.  I'm guessing it will be at least September before we have those results.

Delayed!

Ugh... Just got the message I did NOT want to see for the PERRY test:

Results for your Family Finder test have been delayed. We have updated your predicted completion date, and action by you is not usually required. Note that predicted dates are an estimate and subject to lab volume and quality control.

I'll keep checking daily because sometimes results do end up coming in on time even after they get delayed.  The new expected time frame is July 29-August 12.

The good news is that it doesn't appear to be delayed because it failed.  So we should still be okay...

No news is.... good news?

It has been a little bit since my last update, so I figured I should post!

1)  Regarding the PERRY test--It's still being processed.  Results are expected sometime between now and July 22nd.  And yes, I am constantly checking to see if they are in yet, so I will post as soon as they come in.  It could still fail, and have to re-test, but for now, I'm assuming that no news is good news.

2)  Regarding the LOEWEN test--I'm $0.49 shy of being able to buy it right now.  Still hoping for some sort of a coupon code or something to come along so I can save a little bit on the cost of the test.  If nothing comes through, this test will be purchased on July 22nd.

3)  Regarding further FOX testing--I saw all of my dad's siblings and one of his first cousins over the July 4th weekend, and talked to three siblings and the cousin about what I'm doing.  They all sounded somewhat interested in testing.  We'll see where that goes.

Another relative to add to the "I'm looking for" list

Well, now that I've had some time to look at the data that we have from the KLASSEN cousin, it's obvious to me that two things have to happen in our search for Peter Klassen:

1)  Run the YDNA test on the KLASEN cousin who has tested.

2)  Test a descendant of Susanna FALK and Johann KROEKER (Susanna's second husband).  This will help us further isolate what DNA came from Peter KLASSEN (Susanna's first husband).

I'll get that added to the list of people I'm looking to test.

Here's what it looks like!

Here is a picture highlighting all the DNA that my grandmother and her first cousin share.  This is fantastic information, because now we can go back, and figure out that anyone who doesn't also match the first cousin on these segments is from Grandma's paternal side.

We still have a long way to go to figure out what KLASSEN family Peter Klassen belongs to, but this is a very good start!  :)

You may have noticed that Grandma and her first cousin do not share any DNA on the X chromosome.  This is because the first cousin who tested is male.  The X he got is from his mother.  The first cousin is related to my grandmother on his paternal side.

Raw data!

I checked again this morning, and the KLASSEN kit's raw data was finally available for download!  One step closer to being able to compare that kit to the other 23andme kits we've already done.  I immediately downloaded the raw data and uploaded it to GEDmatch so we can do the comparison.  Now I'm just waiting for it to finish tokenizing so that I can actually run the comparisons.

In other news, there was a 50% off sale on FTDNA last night.  I missed it.  I didn't have the address I needed for the LOEWEN kit.  :(  I have about half of what I need to pay for it right now, so I should be able to purchase it in July, but if anyone wants to make a donation to move that up, you can donate any amount by sending a gift via Paypal to stephanie@stephaniekberman.com.  :)

Results!

Results are in for the first round of the KLASSEN test.  This was the autosomal test, of which people get 50% from their mother, and 50% from their father.  Later on, I'll upgrade the test to include this cousin's YDNA, because we're really interested in finding his paternal grandfather (my grandmother's maternal grandfather).

I've been playing around with the KLASSEN matches a little bit tonight.  Definitely recognizing some familiar names from our 23andme testing we've already done, so that is good.  Still can't compare the KLASSEN cousin to the rest of us yet because I've thus far been unable to download his raw data in order to be able to upload it to GEDmatch.com yet.  And yes.  That's driving me crazy.

This KLASSEN cousin's "My Origins" results aren't in yet (backwards from 23andme!), so I'm hoping that just means that they're still processing some things and the raw data will be available in the next couple of days.

Batched again!

Just discovered that the PERRY test was received by the lab and batched this afternoon.  Results are expected sometime between July 8 and July 22.

The KLASSEN test is still being processed, but it hasn't been delayed at all, so results should be in sometime between today and July 1.  I suppose it still could get delayed, but so far so good!

Batched!

The KLASSEN test is being processed!  That was SO much faster than 23andme.  As far as I can tell, the test arrived at the lab yesterday, was checked in this morning, and batched this afternoon.  They're saying we should have results sometime between June 17 and July 1.  I'm hearing an average of 4 weeks for this kind of test, so I'm expecting results closer to the end of that estimate.

Delivered!

According to the USPS, both tests were successfully delivered to their locations yesterday.

1)  The KLASSEN test is now at the lab.  The next step is for Family Tree DNA (aka the lab) to acknowledge that they have received it, and for them to put it in the queue for testing.  I learned yesterday that they start new testing batches every Wednesday.  I think it is too late for this test to join today's batch, so I'm hoping it will be batched and ready to go for next Wednesday, the 3rd.  I'm projecting that we should get those results around July 8th, though I'm hoping for sooner than that!
*UPDATE* The lab has acknowledged that they have the test.  Now we're waiting to see if it managed to squeak into today's batch, or if we're waiting until next week.

2)  The PERRY test was delivered to my aunt's mailbox yesterday.  She will take it to Uncle G, who will test, and then my aunt will mail it back.  Hopefully they will let me know when it is back in the mail.

Another testing volunteer!

Looks like we have a volunteer for our first LOEWEN test!  My grand-uncle E has volunteered to test.  I haven't decided yet if I just want to mail his test to him (July), or if I want to hand-deliver it (August).  We'll see how impatient I am by July.  It will probably depend on if we have the KLASSEN results yet.  If those are in, I'll have a lot of work to do.  If they're not in though, it may indicate a delay at the lab and it may be better to get as many tests going as I can (I know, I know, that would further contribute to the delay, but at least I'd eventually get results!).

I have confirmation that the KLASSEN test is back in the States (it's in Chicago, I think).  Hopefully it's a easy delivery from Chicago to Houston, but with the holiday weekend this weekend (yeah, I forgot about that), I'm not really expecting it to get to the lab until late next week. *Edit* It's in Houston!!  I am hoping it will be delivered on Tuesday.

The PERRY test is also confirmed to be in the mail, and is out of Dallas, on its way.  I'm expecting it also to be delivered in the later half of next week.

Two in the pipeline!

The KLASSEN test was supposed to have been mailed back today.  I'll check to see if it has made it back to the lab in about two weeks.  Once it gets there, we'll have a better idea of when we'll see the results.

The PERRY test has been ordered and I'm hoping it will be mailed to the tester tomorrow!  I was able to find a $10 off coupon, so we have a little bit saved toward the next test already!!  I'm hoping that test will be a LOEWEN test, done in August.

Another volunteer!

I'm excited to announce that my father's maternal uncle has agreed to test!  This is fantastic news because my father's mother passed away in 2007, so Uncle G is really the closest we can get to getting Grandma's DNA, unless I test all four of Dad's siblings (which I would eventually like to do... but that's pricey!)

We'll run an autosomal test and then a YDNA test later.  Right now I'm leaning toward testing males whose YDNA I need:
1)  Grandma L's first cousin (for KLASSEN line, test in progress)
2)  Dad's maternal uncle (for PERRY line, next up!)
3)  One of Grandpa L's brothers (for LOEWEN line, probably 3rd, hopefully in August)
4)  Dad or one of his brothers (for FOX line)

but running their autosomal tests first, to confirm that I am related to them as expected, then ordering YDNA tests after that.

We're also aware of some cousins in northwestern Washington that I'm hoping Dad and his siblings can come up with contact info for.  This would help us further differentiate our Norwegian lines.

Another exciting update!

I received a Facebook message from one of my Dad's Fox cousins yesterday morning saying that she was willing to test for me!  We're working out the details now, but we should be able to get her test going in the next few weeks, because she is willing to pay for her own test.

This is fantastic news, because Dad's cousins are the only way we're going to be able to discern which of Dad's matches are paternal (Fox) and which are maternal grandfather (Perry).  Dad's maternal grandmother's matches are easy to spot, because they're Norwegian!  :)  The other three lines are mostly English, though there IS a Dutch connection way back on one of the branches on the Fox side.

An exciting update!

I talked to my first cousin, twice removed, tonight.  He's agreed to test for me, for both autosomal and YDNA.  This will help us find Peter Klassen's family.  It probably won't bring us to a 100% conclusion, but it will certainly help us in determining which Klassen group we belong to.  There are three, apparently.

We're running the autosomal test first.  This will help us determine which of Grandma's matches are Klassen matches, and which are definitely Petkau matches.  There will probably be some matches we can't make any conclusions about, simply because they don't match Ralph in the right places.

So... onward and upward!  In about a month and a half, I should have enough saved up to order the YDNA test.  :)

Peter Klassen's current family tree

Did you know???

Here's Gladys Marvin's family tree.  Gladys was Seymour Fox's mother.

Family Tree

Getting closer!

Hi all,

It's been a few weeks, so I thought I should update.  Unfortunately, I don't have anything very exciting to report for the LOEWEN/PETKAU line.

I'm getting closer to being able to afford to test a KLASSEN cousin, and that is exciting.  :)  I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to locate Peter Klassen's family.  Peter was my maternal grandmother's maternal grandfather.  I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to find his family.

If you're interested in reading more about what's being done in the field of Mennonite genealogy, do check out www.mennonitedna.org.  It's a pretty cool project!

While you're here, be sure to check the list of people I'm looking to test, as well as the fundraising page!  In order to find Peter's family, I'm going to need all the help I can get!

Do leave me a comment and let me know you stopped by! Is there a specific ancestor you're interested in knowing more about?

A Short Introduction to Genetic Genealogy

Thanks for stopping by!

Genetic genealogy can be confusing, so let me see if I can break it down and simplify it for you.

Everyone gets half of their DNA from their mother, and half of their DNA from their father. Following that, grandchildren get about 25% of their DNA from each grandparent. Each generation further back contributes 50% less. So:

50% from parents
25% from grandparents
12.5% from great-grandparents
6.25% from great-great-grandparents, etc.

You'll also share certain amounts of DNA with living relatives. These average amounts can be used to predict relationships between two people.

50% with full siblings
25% with grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, half-siblings, double first cousins
12.5% with great-grandparents, first cousins, great-uncles, great-aunts, half-aunts/uncles, half-nephews/nieces

Here is a picture of the DNA that I share with my father (green), my mother (blue), and my maternal grandmother (purple). As you can see, the green and blue lines cover all my genes, and the purple one has some breaks in it. This is because each of my parents contributed 50% of my DNA, but I received only 23.3% of my DNA from my maternal grandmother.




By comparing DNA with people, you can confirm how you are related to someone, or figure out how you are related to someone based on how much and where they share with you. By testing known relatives who are more and more distantly related to you (ie, parents, cousins, grandparents, second cousins, etc), you can begin to see where certain segments of your DNA came from. This can lead to helping adoptees find their birth families, or finding common ancestors with other people you share DNA with.

Just for grins and giggles, here's the same picture as above, with my maternal grandfather's first cousin (orange) thrown in. Our common ancestors are my great-great-grandparents Johann Loewen and Katharina Epp. As you can see, for the most part, purple (my maternal grandmother) and orange (maternal grandfather's first cousin) do NOT overlap. This is because one is from my mother's maternal side (purple) and one is from my mother's paternal side (orange). There is one small segment on chromosome 3 though, that does overlap, which indicates that somewhere back in the family tree, my maternal grandmother and my maternal grandfather's first cousin share a common ancestor.




Do you have any questions so far? (Note: I am planning to add some fancy graphics to this post to demonstrate DNA segments.)

An Introduction

Thank you for visiting my blog.  I'm hoping that this will be a space where I can keep family updated on my progress of confirming paper trails via DNA.  Both sides of my family already have fairly good family trees back to my great-great-grandparents. However, that is where I start hitting brick walls.  I'm hoping through DNA testing, we can break some of these walls down.

I have started testing family members.  So far, I have tested:

Dad's side (Fox/Perry):
Dad

Mom's side (Loewen/Petkau):
Mom
Maternal grandmother

People I would like to test on the Fox/Perry side:
Autosomal--At least one or two of Dad's siblings
Autosomal--At least one cousin from the Perry side, and at least one cousin from the Fox side
YDNA--A Perry descendant
YDNA--Dad

People I would like to test on the Loewen/Petkau side:
Autosomal--A known Klassen cousin
Autosomal--At least one of Grandpa Loewen's siblings
Autosomal--At least one of Grandpa Loewen's cousins (hoping for one from his Franz side)
YDNA--A known Klassen cousin

People I am looking for on the Fox side:
Edwin B. Marvin--My great-great-great-grandfather.  So far, all I know is that he was born in 1822.

People I am looking for on the Perry side:
Samuel Perry--Also my great-great-great-grandfather.  I believe he was born in 1825 in England.
Mary Davis--My great-great-great-grandmother.  May have been born in 1831.

People I am looking for on the Loewen side:
Katharina Epp--My great-great-grandmother.  I know who her father was, but her mother is unknown.
David Franz--My great-great-grandfather.  No idea who his parents were.
Maria Fast--My great-great-grandmother.  No idea who her parents were.

People I am looking for on the Petkau side:
Justina ______--My great-great-great-great-grandmother.  No idea what her maiden name was.
Julius Willms--My great-great-great-grandfather.  No idea who his parents were.
Maria Willms--My great-great-great-grandmother.  Julius was her father, but I do not know who her mother was.
Peter Klassen--My great-great-grandfather.  No idea who his parents were.