Genealogists are often confronted with situations when records cease to exist. What can a genealogist do? The classical answer usually involves studies of historical events and linguistics. But relatively recent advances in molecular biology have created some new possibilities for further research. This will take us to the next revolution. This is the world of genetic genealogy which is DNA testing done with the aim of learning about one's heritage. It can provide a key to unlocking some secrets that the normal genealogy paper trail can never reveal and that would otherwise be unknowable.

These possibilities branch in two different directions. One involves "normal" genealogical research. DNA testing can be used to connect distant branches of a family because DNA testing can show whether family branches have a recent common ancestor. The common term that is used to describe these efforts is "Surname Studies". Currently there are over a thousand of these surname studies in progress. The second major use of DNA testing is determining one's "deep ancestry". Genetic research combined with cladistic analysis have yielded some spectacular results regarding the early pre-history of humankind.

Two kinds of DNA testing can be performed. The first is mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA) testing which is used for tracing one's deep ancestral maternal line. Mitochondrial DNA is passed from a mother to all her children but only females can pass on mtDNA. The other method is Y chromosome testing which is used to trace one's paternal lineage. The Y chromosome is passed from father to son. Only males can have the Y chromosome test performed while both females and males can have the mtDNA test performed.

The test result you receive is called your haplotype. This is your specific genetic signature. Haplotypes are expressed as a series of numbers which can be compared to other haplotypes for indications of relationship. There are Y chromosome and mtDNA haplotypes. A male can have Y chromosome and mtDNA haplotypes while a female can only have an mtDNA haplotype since females do not carry a Y chromosome. The term haplogroup is related to the term haplotype in the sense that a cluster of similar haplotypes constitute a haplogroup. It is used to define genetic populations. More precisely, a haplogroup is a large cluster of people whose ancestry converges on the person who was the founding father or founding mother of the group. Haplotypes are used in normal genealogical research while haplogroups are used to determine one's "deep ancestry". Haplogroups form a bridge between genealogy and anthropology.

Since late 2001, Dr. Gary Kocurek (University of Texas) and I have been collecting data from Czech American Y chromosome and mtDNA test results. We are searching to see if specific patterns emerge from grouping this data. We are correlating Czech surnames with Czech villages. While we have not located a study of mtDNA from the Czech Republic, we were able to compare the test results of Czech Americans to Europeans in general. The following is a table showing the results of that comparison:

MtDNA STUDY RESULTS

The column entitled "Dr.Sykes" indicates that the data on the distribution of European data was taken from the book The Seven Daughters of Eve by Dr. Sykes. As mentioned above, the term haplogroup is a large cluster of people who share a founding father or mother. There are seven European haplogroups, ie, H, U, X, J, T, K, and V. Ninety five(95)% of all Europeans can be grouped in these seven haplogroups. Each of these haplogroups began with mutations that can be traced to one specific woman. So 95% of all Europeans are descended from seven women. A look at this preliminary data shows that Czech Americans closely resemble the distribution of Europeans for haplogroups H and V. There are significant differences in haplogroups U, J, and K. Since haplogroup J is a genetic echo of the Neolithic people who brought agriculture to Europe, this would seem to indicate that Czech Americans are nearly entirely descended(maternally) from the Paleolithic hunters/gatherers that originally settled Europe. One unanticipated result concerned haplogroup K. We have found that four Czech Americans (including three Czech Texans) have exactly the same mtDNA haplotype as the "Iceman". This is the frozen mummy found on the border of Austria and Italy. He is estimated to have lived over 5000 years ago. We are not sure of the significance of this finding but it is a curiosity. One other curiosity is the detection of one example of sub-Saharan mtDNA (haplogroup L2).

Our collection of Y chromosome test results has yielded the following data:

Y CHROMOSOME TEST RESULTS

Haplogroup designations are different for Y chromosome testing than they are for mtDNA. Y chromosome haplogroup designations begin with letters as do the mtDNA haplogroups, but there is no relationship between the mtDNA and Y chromosome haplogroup designations. The above data begins to provide some insight into the genetic substratum of the Czech Republic. While sample size is small (n=55), one can see the genetic signatures of Celts, Slavs, and others. The small percentage of Germanic genetic legacy is a surprise as is the large percentage of Celtic genetic signatures. Perhaps this is the result of sample bias.

The following is a list of Czech surnames of the participants in this study:

CZECH SURNAMES

The Y chromosome data associated with these surnames will let genealogists match branches of an extended family. If someone with a surname shown above has Y chromosome test results that match, then those two branches of an extended family share a relatively recent common paternal ancestor. Purely by chance we had two participants from the Kocurek family of Hovezi, Moravia. One branch of the family immigrated to Texas in the 1850s while the other branch left in 1880s. The Y chromosome test results matched. Recently we've had a match between a central Texas Roeder line and a Roder line in eastern Moravia. The participants wished to know if it was worthwhile to pursue additional research as there was no paper trail connecting the two. However there was a shared surname and the fact that the home villages for the participants' paternal lines were just a few miles apart. The first test results indicated a 12/12 marker match. This was followed up with additional testing which showed a 25/25 marker match. So now these participants know there is a reason to pursue additional research as there is a definite genetic link. As more test data has become available, we have experienced our first two cases of participants with different surnames matching at the 12 marker level. Additional testing is being performed to see if the matches continue at the 25 marker level. It is also important to keep in mind that the genetic test results are correlated to the home village of the furthest known direct ancestor. Having genetic test results related to geographic data should prove to be of increasing genealogical value as the number of participants grows over time.

If you wish to learn more about these types of DNA testing, please take a look at the Oxford Ancestors website (http://www.oxfordancestors.com) or the Family Tree DNA website( http://www.familytreedna.com). If you wish to participate in this study, please email me at lbaca@comcast.net. The cost of a 12 marker Y chromosome test is $99+$2 shipping. The cost of an mtDNA test is $145+$2 shipping is done separately. If both tests are run concurrently, the cost is $199+$2 shipping.

If you wish to learn more, the following is a list of books that you may find to be helpful:

Steve Olson. "Mapping Human History-Discovering the Past Through Our Genes." 2002.

Stephen Oppenheimer. "The Real Eve-Modern Man's Journey Out of Africa." 2003.

Chris Pomery. "DNA and Family History." 2004.

John H. Relethford. "Reflections of Our Past-How Human History Is Revealed in Our Genes." 2003.

Colin Renfrew & Katie Boyle. "Archaeogenetics: DNA and the Population Prehistory of Europe." 2000.

Megan Smolenyak and Ann Turner. "Trace Your Roots with DNA." 2004.

Bryan Sykes. "The Seven Daughters of Eve." 2001.

Spencer Wells. "The Journey of Man-A Genetic Odyssey." 2002.

Genetics

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