*** Genetic Genealogy for Beginners: DNA is the "Gene" in Genealogy! ***

 Due to popular demand, Family Tree DNA's Elise Friedman will be repeating the Genetic
Genealogy webinar that was posted about a couple weeks ago:

*** Genetic Genealogy for Beginners: DNA is the "Gene" in Genealogy! ***

What is Genetic Genealogy? What tests are available and which one should I
order? How much does a Genetic Genealogy test cost? Do I need to be a
geneticist to understand my results?

If you're a complete beginner to Genetic Genealogy and want the answers to
those questions and more, then this webinar is for you! Attendees will
learn about the history of genetic genealogy, be introduced to DNA basics
and inheritance paths, learn about the different types of DNA tests
available for genealogy, and learn about resources that will help you make
the most of your Genetic Genealogy experience.

Two sessions are scheduled to accommodate different time zones:

Tuesday, February 1, 2011
6pm GMT (1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific)

Thursday, February 3, 2011
8pm Eastern (5pm Pacific)

Free registration is required for these webinars. To register, please visit
the Relative Roots Webinars webpage and click the registration link next to
the date/time that you wish to attend:

http://www.relativeroots.net/webinars/

Also visit the Relative Roots Webinars webpage to learn about other upcoming
webinars and sign up to receive email announcements about future webinars.
As long as there is demand for it, I hope to repeat the beginner webinar
during the first week of every month. I'm also currently working on
scheduling intermediate and advanced genetic genealogy webinars.

At this time, webinars are only available live during the scheduled dates
and times.

Regards,
Elise Friedman

PS. If you have your own blog or website, please feel free to re-post this
announcement, or link to this blog post:

http://relativeroots.net/blog/2011/01/february-genetic-genealogy-for-beginners/


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Grenville and the Lost Colony of Roanoke

Grenville and the Lost Colony of Roanoke

By Andy Powell

News Release by Jennifer Sheppard

Our own Andy Powell has written a book about The Lost Colony of Roanoke.  Roanoke, North Carolina has the distinction of being the first site where Englishmen landed in America, to establish a permanent settlement.  Yes, 20 years before Jamestown, Virginia was settled and 33 years before the Mayflower landed in Massachusetts, Englishmen landed on North Carolina shores (then Virginia) to establish a colony.

In 1587, Raleigh sent a colony of 117 men, women and children to colonize America. Shortly thereafter; Governor White had to set sail for England to obtain additional provisions but was unable to return until three years later. When he returned to America the colonists had disappeared, leaving the word Croatoan carved on a tree.

In Grenville and the Lost Colony of Roanoke, Andrew Powell presents information he's gathered during more than three years  of research. He researched the earliest transcripts and first hand accounts; many that have never been previously connected to the story of the Lost Colony.  This work provides a picture of one of the most extraordinary periods in English history and the most famous unsolved mystery in America.

This book examines the crucial role played by Raleigh's cousin, Sir Richard Grenville. Grenville and The Lost Colony of Roanoke contains new revelations, exposes myths, includes modern re-transcriptions of original accounts, and provides the latest evidence and theories as to what happened to the Colonists.

‘If the theories associated with the story are proven, and the evidence in support of them is emerging rapidly from the use of modern DNA testing and new archeological evidence, then the History of America is about to be re-written,’ explains author, Andrew Thomas Powell.”

“This book provides a very fresh perspective on Sir Walter Raleigh’s Virginian enterprises and highlights the key role that Si. Richard Grenville played in them. By looking at the original accounts, the book offers numerous new insights…It is an important new addition to the library of ‘Lost Colony’ research” – Mark Horton, Professor in Archaeology, University of Bristol, UK.

“This book reads like butter. No slogging through the mire. Andy Powell not only documents the history of the Roanoke voyages, he solves many mysteries, and weaves it all into a mesmerizing tale. It’s all true, but reads like a mystery book that you can’t put down until the last page is turned.” – Roberta Estes, CEO of www.dnaexplain.com and Co-Founder of The Lost Colony Research Group (America’s leading ‘Lost Colony’ authority).

To order Andy's books, follow the appropriate link:

For the UK =

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grenville-Lost-Colony-Roanoke-English/dp/1848765967/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294336635&sr=1-12

For the USA =

http://www.amazon.com/Grenville-Lost-Colony-Roanoke-English/dp/1848765967/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294336738&sr=1-7

ANDREW THOMAS POWELL was born in Wimbledon in 1959 and settled in North Devon in 1987. He is the former Mayor of Bideford and a Town Councillor. In his private life he spends his time enjoying trekking and attempting to play his Jazz Guitar.  

This blog is © History Chasers
Click here to view all recent Lost Colony Research Group Blog posts

Book examines Bideford’s role in American mystery

 

Bideford councillor and author Andy Powell

Wednesday, 19 January, 2011

13:37 PM

A STORY that started in Bideford’s council chambers four years ago has evolved to take former town mayor Andy Powell across the Atlantic four times and back more than four centuries - and has now resulted in a book which re-examines the founding of America.

Andy’s 75,000-word publication Grenville and The Lost Colony of Roanoke is due to be launched in Bideford on February 19 and in America in April. The book features one of the most popular mysteries of America, the fate of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. It also examines the pivotal role played by Bideford’s famous son Sir Richard Grenville and sets the question whether people from Bideford were among the first founders of America, more than 30 years before the Pilgrim Fathers set sail. There are also insights into Bideford’s role in the vanquishing of the Spanish Armada, the origin of the so called Armada Cannons in Victoria Park and a fascinating biography of Sir Richard Grenville. Andy’s interest was first sparked in the council chamber by a visitor from the North Carolina bearing gifts from a “twin” town, Manteo. Keen to re-establish a link apparently lost for 25 years, Andy went on to become instrumental in the completion of a formal “twinning” charter between the two towns. During his first visit to America in 2008 Andy was interested why two towns so widely divided should have such an affinity. That started three-and-a-half years of research, which finally led him to discover the extraordinary story of the Roanoke Colonies and the 119 men, women and children, who three years after landing on Roanoke in 1587, vanished to become one of America’s greatest mysteries. In his book, Andy has gone back to the earliest transcripts in his efforts to get to the bottom of the mystery and discovered that Sir Richard Grenville played a pivotal role in what was originally the enterprise of his cousin Sir Walter Raleigh. He also raises the possibility that many of these early settlers may have been in the employ of Grenville and thus from the Bideford area. He also provides evidence that they may not have been lost, but assimilated into the local Native American people. However, by including in his book modern transcriptions of the original accounts, he leaves his readers with the opportunity to make up their own minds cont. here: http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/book_examines_bideford_s_role_inamerican_mystery_1_778424 This blog is © History Chasers Click here to view all recent Lost Colony Research Group Blog posts

Is This Blackbeard's Sword?

Is this the hilt of Blackbeard's sword?
It's one of the latest finds aboard the remains of the ship the Queen Anne's Revenge, known at one time to be the flagship of Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. The vessel ran aground on a North Carolina sandbar in 1718 and was abandoned; modern archaeologists have been excavating the shipwreck for more than a decade. The design and ornamentation of this newest discovery have led the researchers to believe it likely belonged to the notorious pirate himself.

Click image to see Blackbeard's recovered ornaments

NC Department of Cultural Resources

An imposing figure to begin with, according to historians, Blackbeard cultivated a ferocious appearance to seem even more menacing: a long dark beard, numerous  knives, swords and pistols strapped to his chest -- even lighted fuses in his hair. In May of 1718, he used the ship to blockade the port of Charleston, S.C., and effectively hold the city hostage until he collected a considerable ransom.

Cont. here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110114/us_yblog_thelookout/was-this-blackbeards-sword
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Where Have All the Indians Gone? Native American Eastern Seaboard Dispersal Genealogy and DNA in Relation To Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony of Roanoke

If you have yet to read this paper by Roberta Estes, we highly recommend it.

http://www.jogg.info/52/files/Estes1.pdf

This blog is © History Chasers
Click here to view all recent Lost Colony Research Group Blog posts

DAR Online Library Record Copy Service

There’s a recent genealogy tool you might want to investigate for a connection to a Revolutionary War Patriot. It’s the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution ) Online Library Record Copy service. You can now search the DAR Genealogical Research System. You may purchase a record for $10 if there is a green "Purchase" button. Pay with your credit card. You then have one week in which to download the record.

Read the directions here:
Online Library Record Copy service.



This blog is © History Chasers
Click here to view all recent Lost Colony Research Group Blog posts

Did Your Ancestor Leave Behind any Exonumia?

Do you often wonder what some strange initials mean that you see listed in obituaries or biographies of an ancestor, maybe even on their tombstone? Or maybe they left behind badges, tokens or metals with strange initials on them and you've been wondering what they meant.

Do you know what IOOF or ISCWM or IOTK&DT mean? Or for that matter Exonumia?

Wonder no more; it's all here. A very large collection of Exonumia. You can probably find even the most obscure references here. And it may give you more insight into what your ancestor cared about and supported.

http://www.exonumia.com/art/society.htm

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How Do You Serve Your Black Eyed Peas?

If you're from the South, chances are your New Year Dinner will include Black Eyed Peas, long held to bring good luck and prosperity.

Black-Eyed Peas
Start the New Year with a dish of good luck!

A staple in the Southern diet for over 300 years, black-eyed peas have long been associated with good luck. A dish of peas is a New Year's tradition in most areas of the South, thought to bring luck and prosperity for the new year. According to Jessica Harris, author of "Welcome Table," some add a dime to the peas for an extra "boost" of luck to the recipient. Greens, thought to symbolize folding money, are often eaten eaten with the peas. Hoppin' John, a dish made with black-eyed peas and rice, is one of the more popular ways of serving them, but many serve them in salads or simply cooked as a side dish.

Whether you're serving a full meal, appetizers, or gathering around the football game, one of these recipes is sure to fit into your New Year's menu plan.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-eyed_pea#Lucky_New_Year_food




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Family Tree DNA Holiday Test Prices to End Dec. 31st

DNA Tests Holiday Sale Prices at Family Tree DNA

Family Tree DNA, the company with the world's largest DNA database, has announced a sale on Y-DNA, mtDNA and Family Finder tests. 

ALL ORDERS MUST BE PLACED AND PAID FOR BY MIDNIGHT DECEMBER 31st 2010 TO RECEIVE THE SALE PRICES.

Click for more info

If you have never tested, go to Family Tree DNA and search for your surname or a geographical group and choose a group. There are several sales here. Of special mention; the 37 marker Y chromosome test for $119.and the 67 marker test for $199.

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Improved Ancient DNA Extraction Methods May Lead to Greater Yeild

Journal of Archaeological Science doi:10.1016/j.jas.2010.11.010

Survival and recovery of DNA from ancient teeth and bones

C.J Adler et al.

The recovery of genetic material from preserved hard skeletal remains is an essential part of ancient DNA, archaeological and forensic research. However, there is little understanding about the relative concentrations of DNA within different tissues, the impact of sampling methods on extracted DNA, or the role of environmentally-determined degradation rates on DNA survival in specimens. We examine these issues by characterizing the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content of different hard and soft tissues in 42 ancient human and bovid specimens at a range of fragment lengths (77–235 bp) using real-time PCR. Remarkably, the standard drill speeds used to sample skeletal material (c. 1000 RPM) were found to decrease mtDNA yields up to 30 times (by 3.1 × 10⁵ mtDNA copies on average) compared to pulverization in a bone mill. This dramatic negative impact appears to relate to heat damage, and disappeared at very low drill speeds (e.g. 100 RPM). Consequently, many ancient DNA and forensic studies may have obtained false negative results, especially from important specimens which are commonly sampled with drills to minimize signs of damage. The mtDNA content of tooth cementum was found to be five times higher than the commonly used dentine (141 bp, p = 0.01), making the cementum-rich root tip the best sample for ancient human material. Lastly, mtDNA was found to display a consistent pattern of exponential fragmentation across many depositional environments, with different rates for geographic areas and tissue types, improving the ability to predict and understand DNA survival in preserved specimens.

Link:

http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2010/12/survival-of-ancient-dna-from-teeth-and.html


This blog is © History Chasers
Click here to view all recent Lost Colony Research Group Blog posts