Last fall, I was contacted by the webmaster for the Neel Family organization website. He had found my father's YDNA profile on Ysearch and found many similarities to the Neel research on their website. For the last several months, they have been putting together a database for their Neel DNA research with particular emphasis on the Southern states. Even though my YDNA surname is McNeill, they are looking for all Neel derivations that have Southern ancestry from prior to 1900.
For further information, please visit their website: http://www.neelfamily.org/. For more information on their published Neel research visit here.
Showing posts with label YDNA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YDNA. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
SNGF - Best 2009 Genealogy Moment
This past Saturday at Genea-Musings, Randy Seaver posed the question of what was our best Genealogy Moment of 2009.
After some contemplation, I have decided my best moment of 2009 was confirmation through Y-DNA that my paternal grandfather, Lee McNeill, is without a doubt, a McNeill. In early postings on this blog, I described how my grandfather changed his name some time during the 1930s. About 25 years ago, my grandmother began to search for his ancestry based upon the scarce facts he had told her before this death in 1971. While she laid the research groundwork, Y-DNA testing proved that my father and the man we believed to be Lee's brother are indeed closely related; in this case, it is nephew and uncle.
I remember waiting for my father's results, which came first. I was worried that we would have no McNeill or similar surnames that were a match. Much to my delight, there were several similar names: Neil, Neely, McNeil and McNeal. I think I was even more worried while waiting for the uncle's test results. I was terrified that a decade of research was all for naught. It was a victory for my family research and was so very thankful that I had a close living relative willing and able to take the test.
After some contemplation, I have decided my best moment of 2009 was confirmation through Y-DNA that my paternal grandfather, Lee McNeill, is without a doubt, a McNeill. In early postings on this blog, I described how my grandfather changed his name some time during the 1930s. About 25 years ago, my grandmother began to search for his ancestry based upon the scarce facts he had told her before this death in 1971. While she laid the research groundwork, Y-DNA testing proved that my father and the man we believed to be Lee's brother are indeed closely related; in this case, it is nephew and uncle.
I remember waiting for my father's results, which came first. I was worried that we would have no McNeill or similar surnames that were a match. Much to my delight, there were several similar names: Neil, Neely, McNeil and McNeal. I think I was even more worried while waiting for the uncle's test results. I was terrified that a decade of research was all for naught. It was a victory for my family research and was so very thankful that I had a close living relative willing and able to take the test.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Kudos to Ancestry.com DNA
The power of the internet never ceases to amaze me.
You may recall I wrote a post a few days ago regarding a frustration I had with Ancestry.com's DNA upgrades. I questioned whether the customer service folks were in line with the DNA folks because when I called to upgrade to a 46 marker test I was told my father would have to retake the test. That is not what the Ancestry.com DNA blog stated as possible. So I expressed my frustration in the blog post, found how to upgrade my dad's test on their website and went on my merry way.
Less than two days later, I received an email from Kathie with Ancestry.com DNA noting that she had read my post and apologized for my inconvenience. I apparently called at a time when it was between training and to let me know that yes I could upgrade without having to start from scratch. She stated they appreciated feedback on their website and services and that corrective action (I'm assuming further training) would be taken. For my trouble, they offered to upgrade my test at no cost.
My first reaction to this was complete shock. Who knew that my little ol' blog was being read by Ancestry.com? While I realize they probably have some sort of alert system that notifies them of web posts regarding their website, I was still stunned to think that someone actually took the time to read the post, comment on it, and also send me a personal email. I think this is a fantastic indication that Ancestry.com is dedicated to maintaining excellent customer service and taking action when improvements need to be made.
My sincere thanks to Kathie and other Ancestry.com DNA staff. I wish every company had folks like you.
You may recall I wrote a post a few days ago regarding a frustration I had with Ancestry.com's DNA upgrades. I questioned whether the customer service folks were in line with the DNA folks because when I called to upgrade to a 46 marker test I was told my father would have to retake the test. That is not what the Ancestry.com DNA blog stated as possible. So I expressed my frustration in the blog post, found how to upgrade my dad's test on their website and went on my merry way.
Less than two days later, I received an email from Kathie with Ancestry.com DNA noting that she had read my post and apologized for my inconvenience. I apparently called at a time when it was between training and to let me know that yes I could upgrade without having to start from scratch. She stated they appreciated feedback on their website and services and that corrective action (I'm assuming further training) would be taken. For my trouble, they offered to upgrade my test at no cost.
My first reaction to this was complete shock. Who knew that my little ol' blog was being read by Ancestry.com? While I realize they probably have some sort of alert system that notifies them of web posts regarding their website, I was still stunned to think that someone actually took the time to read the post, comment on it, and also send me a personal email. I think this is a fantastic indication that Ancestry.com is dedicated to maintaining excellent customer service and taking action when improvements need to be made.
My sincere thanks to Kathie and other Ancestry.com DNA staff. I wish every company had folks like you.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Is the right hand talking to the left?
When I returned from our vacation, I returned to over 100 emails (in my genealogy account only, that doesn't include the other one I have) and 498 blog posts to sort through. It's taken a week but I've gotten through them. I'll be honest - some of the messages I just deleted and some of the blog posts I skimmed the beginning and that was it.
But there was one in particular that nearly set my blood to boil. I admit I have a short fuse and what ticked me off about this issue was because I seriously had just attempted to do this exact thing one week before we left town.
You may recall my earlier post discussing my father's YDNA test with Ancestry.com. Because of their discounted price, I opted for a 33-marker test. We ordered in February and received the results in March. In late May, I emailed their customer service to see if there was a way I could upgrade to the 46-marker without having to pay for a whole new test and have him take a whole new swab. Basically, I wondered if they still had his sample and if I could pay the difference to upgrade. I received an email telling me yes I could this and to call their 1-800 number to place this order. So finances being what they were, I put off calling until July. I call and get a very perky girl (aren't they always perky when you're frustrated). I stated what I wanted and referred to the email I had received and named the person by name that had responded to me. Perky Girl tells me she's sorry but I will have to reorder the 46-marker test at the price of $149 and that I can't simply just "upgrade" as I was told in my email. Needless to say, I was a very unhappy camper and Perky Girl bore some of that wrath. So what do I find in my 498 blog posts but this: Introducing the Ancestry.com DNA UPGRADE feature.
I have been a longtime subscriber to Ancestry.com and will continue to be one. There are lots of folks unhappy with them and vocally make their feelings known. Many times I've wished their website did something it doesn't, but usually those are minor inconveniences I can live with. And this too is a minor ripple in my overall genealogy research. However, it really makes me wonder if their right hand is really talking to the left?
UPDATE: Please see my post Kudos to Ancestry.com DNA which discusses the follow up by their website to my situation.
But there was one in particular that nearly set my blood to boil. I admit I have a short fuse and what ticked me off about this issue was because I seriously had just attempted to do this exact thing one week before we left town.
You may recall my earlier post discussing my father's YDNA test with Ancestry.com. Because of their discounted price, I opted for a 33-marker test. We ordered in February and received the results in March. In late May, I emailed their customer service to see if there was a way I could upgrade to the 46-marker without having to pay for a whole new test and have him take a whole new swab. Basically, I wondered if they still had his sample and if I could pay the difference to upgrade. I received an email telling me yes I could this and to call their 1-800 number to place this order. So finances being what they were, I put off calling until July. I call and get a very perky girl (aren't they always perky when you're frustrated). I stated what I wanted and referred to the email I had received and named the person by name that had responded to me. Perky Girl tells me she's sorry but I will have to reorder the 46-marker test at the price of $149 and that I can't simply just "upgrade" as I was told in my email. Needless to say, I was a very unhappy camper and Perky Girl bore some of that wrath. So what do I find in my 498 blog posts but this: Introducing the Ancestry.com DNA UPGRADE feature.
I have been a longtime subscriber to Ancestry.com and will continue to be one. There are lots of folks unhappy with them and vocally make their feelings known. Many times I've wished their website did something it doesn't, but usually those are minor inconveniences I can live with. And this too is a minor ripple in my overall genealogy research. However, it really makes me wonder if their right hand is really talking to the left?
UPDATE: Please see my post Kudos to Ancestry.com DNA which discusses the follow up by their website to my situation.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
McNeills and Y-DNA
At the conclusion of my last post on Lee McNeill, I mentioned how Y-DNA had provided further evidence for my research. Like many researchers, I had been watching the progression over the last decade of DNA testing for genealogical purposes. I was interested but the price had deterred me from considering it even as I watched it come down. Earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised to see Ancestry.com offer Y-DNA testing for a mere $79 for a 33 marker test. This price was a significantly more budget-friendly.
The next problem was who to test. Obviously as a female, I couldn't take a Y-DNA test. The next logical person would be my father. As I've mentioned in the past, I have a limited relationship with him and I wasn't sure he'd be willing. As it happened, I spoke with my grandma and discussed this with her, explaining what the test could tell us. In no time flat, he agreed to take the test.
The turnaround time for the results was only about two and a half weeks, which was much quicker than the month they estimated it would take. When the email arrived telling me the results were ready, I was nearly sick with anxiety over all the years spent working on this family and what if I had been barking up the wrong tree for a decade? Based upon my research and reading on the FTDNA group for MacNeils, I knew there were two primary haplogroups (with a few others scattered in there) that were the groups most McNeills (of all spelling variations) fell into. They were R1 and H1. H1 is where the majority of McNeills from North Carolina were classified.
So with a great deal of trepidation, I viewed my father's results. We were H1 and there were some others that had either tested with Ancestry.com or that tested with another company but posted on Ancestry.com that had similar names. McNeely and McNeil stuck out immediately so I felt somewhat comfortable with being on the right track. I took the results and posted them on Ysearch in the hopes that more matches could be found. I was somewhat disappointed as many people that tested with Family Tree DNA apparently never bother to also post their results on Ysearch. So the next step was to take my father's results and I manually compared them to the McNeill H1 haplogroup participants. My father had tested using the Ancestry.com's 33 marker test. Family Tree DNA uses a 37 marker test but there are a couple of differences from Ancestry's. Of the markers that are comparable our results matched on every marker except marker 391. I've since learned that marker 391 is a slow-to-change marker but obviously our line was the one to have the change.
What was most striking to me is that of the participants that matched many of them were descendants of McNeills that came to the Cape Fear region of North Carolina, typically before 1800. This was good news as family lore indicated we were from McNeills that came to the Carolinas in the 1760s. There were also some participants that had Nova Scotia or other Canadian ancestry.
So while these results added credence to the fact that we were McNeills, were they from the branch of McNeills that I had spent a decade researching? As you know, Y-DNA results are useless if there isn't anyone to compare them to. So the next step was to find a male descendant from the same line from the Mitchell and Yancey Co. McNeills. Because Lee had a brother, I was fortunate to be able to find as close a male relative as you can get. He agreed to take the test. I was almost more ill feeling when his results were ready than when my father's were. Fortunately for me and my 10 years of hard work, they were 100% identical. My grandpa Lee was without a doubt Lee McNeill, born in Mitchell Co, North Carolina to Charles and Della Grindstaff McNeill.
Lessons learned:
1. Try to post results to as many places as possible, including Ysearch.org and on Ancestry.com. You do not have to test with Ancestry.com to post your results there. The more places you post matches, the most greater chance of finding a match.
2. Try to find the closest male relative to your line as possible to test for comparative purposes.
3. Be prepared for surprises. I was even though I didn't really have any.
4. Never give up hope! My gut instinct told me I was on the right path and this helped solidify that.
The next problem was who to test. Obviously as a female, I couldn't take a Y-DNA test. The next logical person would be my father. As I've mentioned in the past, I have a limited relationship with him and I wasn't sure he'd be willing. As it happened, I spoke with my grandma and discussed this with her, explaining what the test could tell us. In no time flat, he agreed to take the test.
The turnaround time for the results was only about two and a half weeks, which was much quicker than the month they estimated it would take. When the email arrived telling me the results were ready, I was nearly sick with anxiety over all the years spent working on this family and what if I had been barking up the wrong tree for a decade? Based upon my research and reading on the FTDNA group for MacNeils, I knew there were two primary haplogroups (with a few others scattered in there) that were the groups most McNeills (of all spelling variations) fell into. They were R1 and H1. H1 is where the majority of McNeills from North Carolina were classified.
So with a great deal of trepidation, I viewed my father's results. We were H1 and there were some others that had either tested with Ancestry.com or that tested with another company but posted on Ancestry.com that had similar names. McNeely and McNeil stuck out immediately so I felt somewhat comfortable with being on the right track. I took the results and posted them on Ysearch in the hopes that more matches could be found. I was somewhat disappointed as many people that tested with Family Tree DNA apparently never bother to also post their results on Ysearch. So the next step was to take my father's results and I manually compared them to the McNeill H1 haplogroup participants. My father had tested using the Ancestry.com's 33 marker test. Family Tree DNA uses a 37 marker test but there are a couple of differences from Ancestry's. Of the markers that are comparable our results matched on every marker except marker 391. I've since learned that marker 391 is a slow-to-change marker but obviously our line was the one to have the change.
What was most striking to me is that of the participants that matched many of them were descendants of McNeills that came to the Cape Fear region of North Carolina, typically before 1800. This was good news as family lore indicated we were from McNeills that came to the Carolinas in the 1760s. There were also some participants that had Nova Scotia or other Canadian ancestry.
So while these results added credence to the fact that we were McNeills, were they from the branch of McNeills that I had spent a decade researching? As you know, Y-DNA results are useless if there isn't anyone to compare them to. So the next step was to find a male descendant from the same line from the Mitchell and Yancey Co. McNeills. Because Lee had a brother, I was fortunate to be able to find as close a male relative as you can get. He agreed to take the test. I was almost more ill feeling when his results were ready than when my father's were. Fortunately for me and my 10 years of hard work, they were 100% identical. My grandpa Lee was without a doubt Lee McNeill, born in Mitchell Co, North Carolina to Charles and Della Grindstaff McNeill.
Lessons learned:
1. Try to post results to as many places as possible, including Ysearch.org and on Ancestry.com. You do not have to test with Ancestry.com to post your results there. The more places you post matches, the most greater chance of finding a match.
2. Try to find the closest male relative to your line as possible to test for comparative purposes.
3. Be prepared for surprises. I was even though I didn't really have any.
4. Never give up hope! My gut instinct told me I was on the right path and this helped solidify that.
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