From DianaGM at dgmweb.net  Thu Aug  2 10:50:53 2007
From: DianaGM at dgmweb.net (Diana Gale Matthiesen)
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 10:50:53 -0400
Subject: [RASEY-DNA] Ancestry.com partners with Sorenson Genomics
Message-ID: <009201c7d514$86c295f0$6401a8c0@HP>

Hello List,

On the commercial DNA testing front, a partnership has been formed beween
Ancestry.com and Sorenson Genomics.  One effect of this partnership is that the
DNA data from SG's testing company, Relative Genetics, will be migrating to
Ancestry.com and will be accessible to Ancestry.com subscribers.  I view this
partnership as an attempt to compete financially with the FamilyTreeDNA
jugernaut, but that's just my personal opinion.  (And I have always wondered
what broke up the earlier partnership between Ancestry and FTDNA.  One wonders
who most regrets that split...)

This partnership between Ancestry and SG should have little affect on those of
us with projects based here at FTDNA, that is, unless Ancestry starts supporting
competing projects, which I would view as a bad development for everyone.  On
the up side, the appearance of DNA data at Ancestry.com should go a long way
towards legitimizing and popularizing DNA testing for genealogy, which has to be
viewed as a very good development.

Time will tell...

Diana


From jim.jhtyler at gmail.com  Fri Aug  3 11:23:12 2007
From: jim.jhtyler at gmail.com (Jim Tyler)
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2007 11:23:12 -0400
Subject: [RASEY-DNA] Ancestry.com partners with Sorenson Genomics
In-Reply-To: <009201c7d514$86c295f0$6401a8c0@HP>
References: <009201c7d514$86c295f0$6401a8c0@HP>
Message-ID: <4ebc9a870708030823v1854575bx74b9bff8142979ef@mail.gmail.com>

Greetings,
Is there a difference in reporting criminal DNA and genealogy DNA?
A couple of weeks ago on 60 Minutes (CBS) a story on DNA showed two
measurements at each locus. We only have one. Why?
I hope this partnership is better than some of the stuff that comes up on
Ancestry. During the Winter our daughter started a Family Tree that I
expanded with the known information at hand. Then the Ancestry lines were
added following their input from genealogies in their database. OK. So far
so good. Go to the search for "Famous Ancestors". I have found a number of
impossibilities; i.e. links to Peter the Great and Catherine the Great via
the Rasey line that includes the MacLeods! Another one linked me to a
Mayflower Passenger by way of an unmarried woman! However, a closer more
plausible link turned up in examining the Mayflower genealogies through five
generations. I can thank gr-grandmother Ermina Hale Rasey for that.
Best regards,
Jim


On 8/2/07, Diana Gale Matthiesen <DianaGM at dgmweb.net> wrote:
>
> Hello List,
>
> On the commercial DNA testing front, a partnership has been formed beween
> Ancestry.com and Sorenson Genomics.  One effect of this partnership is
> that the
> DNA data from SG's testing company, Relative Genetics, will be migrating
> to
> Ancestry.com and will be accessible to Ancestry.com subscribers.  I view
> this
> partnership as an attempt to compete financially with the FamilyTreeDNA
> jugernaut, but that's just my personal opinion.  (And I have always
> wondered
> what broke up the earlier partnership between Ancestry and FTDNA.  One
> wonders
> who most regrets that split...)
>
> This partnership between Ancestry and SG should have little affect on
> those of
> us with projects based here at FTDNA, that is, unless Ancestry starts
> supporting
> competing projects, which I would view as a bad development for
> everyone.  On
> the up side, the appearance of DNA data at Ancestry.com should go a long
> way
> towards legitimizing and popularizing DNA testing for genealogy, which has
> to be
> viewed as a very good development.
>
> Time will tell...
>
> Diana
>
> _______________________________________________
> RASEY-DNA mailing list
> RASEY-DNA at dgmweb.net
> http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/rasey-dna
>

From DianaGM at dgmweb.net  Fri Aug  3 12:35:27 2007
From: DianaGM at dgmweb.net (Diana Gale Matthiesen)
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2007 12:35:27 -0400
Subject: [RASEY-DNA] Ancestry.com partners with Sorenson Genomics
In-Reply-To: <4ebc9a870708030823v1854575bx74b9bff8142979ef@mail.gmail.com>
References: <009201c7d514$86c295f0$6401a8c0@HP>
	<4ebc9a870708030823v1854575bx74b9bff8142979ef@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <004501c7d5ec$4ced3280$6401a8c0@HP>

Hello Jim,

I suspect that, because these are criminal matters with significant impacts, the
labs and the prosecutors want to emphasize their "due diligence" by supplying
two sets of results.

FamilyTreeDNA runs a test until they get a clear result.  If one or more markers
in a panel is unclear or if one or more markers in a panel has an "odd" result,
they will run the entire panel again.  My CARRICOs have such bizarre results
that they take forever to return because FTDNA runs them two or three times:

http://dgmweb.net/genealogy/DNA/Carrico/CarricoDNA.shtml#J2a1b 

Now that we have three members with the same results, I suspect they'll stop
re-running the tests on future CARRICOs.

I'm a big fan of testing a brother, father, uncle, or first cousin, as a
double-check on the accuracy of results.  It would be unrealistic to suppose
that no error was ever made.  On the other hand, just because this is testing
for genealogy, not forensics, doesn't mean the standards are lower.  FTDNA has a
reputation to maintain, and if they were found to be reporting unreliable
results, they would get shredded on the GENEALOGY-DNA mailing list.  There's at
least as much at stake for them as us in having accurate results.

Ancestry.com will undoubtedly have nothing to do with the actual testing at
Relative Genetics; they are simply hosting the results database.  Ancestry is
looking for databases to tout, and RG need an advertising boost.  It's a logical
partnership.  But having access to the database is less useful than people seem
to think, and will probably muddy the waters more than clarify them, because the
results will be misused.  The only people whose results you're really interested
in are ones with your own surname, and presumably you all belong to the same
project, already.  However, anything that popularizes DNA testing is OK by me.
It's pretty obvious that most genealogists haven't a clue, yet, how useful DNA
testing would be to them (not you, of course!).

As for Ancestry's databases, the same caveats apply to the LDS database,
WorldConnect, and all other databases built with patron submissions:  CAVEAT
EMPTOR!  At least with WorldConnect and OneTree, you can post corrections, which
you cannot do with the LDS databases.  I never pass up an opportunity to correct
the errors I find at WorldConnect and OneTree.  That's the only remedy I can
see.

On the RASEY front, I'm rather disappointed that no one else has joined.  Maybe
I'm so hated for debunking the MacLEOD legend, we'll never get another member!
I truly hope not because I'd so much like to find our origin.

Diana

P.S.   By the way, the markers tested for the FBI's CODIS (Combined DNA Index
System) database are entirely different markers than the ones tested for
genealogy. 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: rasey-dna-bounces at dgmweb.net On Behalf Of Jim Tyler
> Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 11:23 AM
> To: rasey-dna at dgmweb.net
> Subject: Re: [RASEY-DNA] Ancestry.com partners with Sorenson Genomics
> 
> Greetings,
> Is there a difference in reporting criminal DNA and genealogy DNA?
> A couple of weeks ago on 60 Minutes (CBS) a story on DNA showed two
> measurements at each locus. We only have one. Why?
> I hope this partnership is better than some of the stuff that comes up on
> Ancestry. During the Winter our daughter started a Family Tree that I
> expanded with the known information at hand. Then the Ancestry lines were
> added following their input from genealogies in their database. OK. So far
> so good. Go to the search for "Famous Ancestors". I have found a number of
> impossibilities; i.e. links to Peter the Great and Catherine the Great via
> the Rasey line that includes the MacLeods! Another one linked me to a
> Mayflower Passenger by way of an unmarried woman! However, a closer more
> plausible link turned up in examining the Mayflower genealogies through five
> generations. I can thank gr-grandmother Ermina Hale Rasey for that.
> Best regards,
> Jim
> 
> 


From DianaGM at dgmweb.net  Thu Aug 30 18:37:57 2007
From: DianaGM at dgmweb.net (Diana Gale Matthiesen)
Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:37:57 -0400
Subject: [RASEY-DNA] Warning -- do not upload to Ancestry.com
Message-ID: <008401c7eb56$698a88f0$6401a8c0@HP>

Hello List, 

As you know, Ancestry.com has partnered with Relative Genetics to offer DNA
testing.  They are also placing the RG database online, to be accessible to the
public.  Individuals tested at other laboratories are welcome to upload to their
database.  I don't necessarily view any of this as a bad thing.  However, they
are making it easy for FamilyTreeDNA customers to do the upload, just by giving
them your password and Kit#, and I consider that a very unwise thing to do.

Please be aware that giving *anyone* your Kit# and password makes *all* of the
information associated with your account, including your complete contact
information, available to them.  It also gives them the power to do modify your
contact information and preferences -- all the things that you have power to do
at your member page -- even order tests, though it's hard to imagine them doing
that.  I do *not* recommend doing this upload, at least not this way.  I
certainly do not intend to do it for my own testing or the testing of my family
members, and I certainly will not do it to any of my members.

If you want your results to be in a publicly accessible database, I recommend
uploading to Ysearch, where you are in control of the account, can maintain your
anonymity, and can remove yourself at any time.

Personally, I don't mind revealing my test results.  What I mind is giving
MyFamily.com, Inc. (parent company of Ancestry.com) access to my FTDNA account
and, thereby, license to use *all* the information it contains however they see
fit, and this company has a history of turning around and marketing data
submitted to them.

FamilyTreeDNA is not a party to this action, as stated in this message from
company Vice-President, Max Blankfeld:

"Family Tree DNA is absolutely not on board with this, and we are in agreement
with all the comments in this list [GENEALOGY-DNA] about not giving kit number
and password to anyone, as it gives away your personal information, including
the ability to see and modify your personal contact information."

This "news" has just broken and is being hashed out on the GENEALOGY-DNA mailing
list.  It may turn out to be OK to *manually* upload your results.  I'll let you
know...

Diana