Wearin' o' the genes

Posted: Friday, March 16, 2007 6:38 PM by Alan Boyle

It’s been more than five years since I took a DNA test to look for my Irish cousins, and the bad news that I’m still looking. But the good news is that my genetic quest has linked up people around the world who didn’t know they were related.

Getty Images file

The secrets of your family heritage
lie in the molecules of your DNA.

The genetic gambit represents my effort to break through what genealogists call "the brick wall" - the dead end you reach after you've digested all the records you can get your hands on.

Using the Internet as well as written records, I managed to track down all the branches of my Boyle family tree leading back to my great-grandfather, Michael Boyle, who came to Iowa from County Clare during the depths of the Irish potato famine. I even found a rare set of records proving the connection between Michael Boyle's wife, Ellen Howe, and the present-day Howe homestead in County Clare - which I first visited back in 1999.

I got to know so much about the Boyles in that area that I was certain genetic testing would confirm a family relationship - but when the results came back, I was surprised to find that the most likely candidates weren't at all closely related to me.

That was only the beginning of my sleuthing. Since then, I've taken an even more involved DNA test, offered through the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. I've entered my profile into a variety of databases, such as the Genographic Project, Ybase, ySearch and Relative Genetics. I've even taken charge of my own Boyle surname project at Family Tree DNA, with 14 people tested so far. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'll be updating my own genetic genealogy database over the weekend.

One of the possible "cousins" I met during the first visit to Ireland, John Joe O'Boyle, passed away a couple of years afterward. But when I returned to Clare in 2003, I met his son, Kieran O'Boyle, and brought a DNA sample swabbed from his cheek home with me for testing. For good measure, I arranged yet another test for another Boyle who traced his family back to Clare - Noel Boyle, an Australian who became an occasional e-mail correspondent of mine.

Now I had two more chances to find a connection to my own family tree. I was also prepared to learn that there was no relationship at all.

There was yet another surprise in store, however: Neither Kieran nor Noel were related to me. But they were related to each other. Their genetic profiles were identical!

Although there's a teeny-tiny chance that two unrelated people with the same surname could have the same DNA markers, Noel himself confirmed the connection in a follow-up e-mail: "I did not know at the time that I had a connection, but when I checked further I found out his name. Kieran O'Boyle."

On the other side of the sea, Kieran had no idea that Noel existed until I called him in Ireland today - and he's looking forward to the contact information I'll be passing along this weekend.

But wait ... there's more: Both Noel and Kieran appear to be related to yet another mystery cousin in Michigan. James Boyle's genetic profile is identical to that of the other two, even though James was always under the impression that his Irish ancestors came from County Donegal, not County Clare.

James told me today that he's been working on his family tree off and on for years, tucking all the records away in a box. "That's my treasure box," he said. "Nobody's allowed to touch that box except for me." But nothing in the box was able to show a link to particular people living on the Emerald Isle. It took a DNA test to do that.

So far, that triple play is the only match I've turned up through the Boyle surname project, but it's a doozy. And as time goes on, more people are likely to get tested and add their results to the database. (There's yet another Boyle project under way at Relative Genetics, coordinated by Bonnie Boyle Harvey.)

Someday, I'm sure there'll be a perfect match for my genetic profile - and that could solve at least some of the riddles surrounding my family tree. Just as Internet databases helped me map all the connections leading to Michael Boyle in the mid-1800s, DNA databases will likely help me (or my descendants) write the earlier chapters in the family saga.

Obviously, you don't need to be Irish to benefit from genetic genealogy (though you could argue that everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day). Just this week, NBC's TODAY show highlighted the case of a black woman who expected to trace her lineage back to Africa, but discovered through DNA that she was also related to a white Missouri cowboy.

Genealogy is said to be the country's second most popular hobby, right behind gardening, and you can see that popularity in the numbers and varieties of Web sites out there: RootsWeb is a fantastic resource that pulls together many links and databases, and Cyndi's List offers a comprehensive directory of Web sites related to genetic testing and family history.

You can learn more about the science and history behind family trees by clicking into our "Genetic Genealogy" section here on MSNBC.com. If you're interested in the more traditional techniques for genealogical research, this archived article is a good place to start.

Do you have a family saga with a genetic twist? Feel free to tell your tale in the comments section below.

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Comments

Very interesting post, I have been tracing various branches of my family tree for a few years. It's easy to make one mistake or get some bad info and you trace an entire line that isn't really related to you! I plan on taking a DNA test soon but have been waiting for the technology to get better. Good luck, Alan!

Bill,Mckinney,tx (Sent Friday, March 16, 2007 7:11 PM)

Heh,Bill,in Mckinney,TX the technology is probably as good as can be NOW,-go get your Dna test-don't wait. Alan O'Boyle-I can't believe you can't find any matches-you must be as rare as Christ.I haven't searched by surname,but I have maternal tribe matches, both male and female and we all have different last names.

Ms.Jam, Phila., PA (Sent Friday, March 16, 2007 9:20 PM)

Dear Ms. Jam: Well, I'm not quite that rare. But it can be tough to find a match on the Y-chromosome markers. You're referring to the mitochondrial DNA tests, which are more general. There are a smaller number of broad "tribes" with different mitochondrial readings, so it's very likely that people with different surnames would be members of the same tribe. With Y-DNA, you have to match up on the surname as well as the markers, because that genetic information is passed down only from father to son.

Alan Boyle (Sent Friday, March 16, 2007 10:19 PM)

Alan,

thank you for mentioning the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation in your article. We now have over 16,000 Ycs profiles in our database and nearly as many sequences in our mtDNA database. I am sure one of these days you will find the connections you are looking for. Thanks to the free testing SMGF is providing to the public, our online databases are growing faster than ever. Let us know if we can help. Take care, Ugo

Ugo Perego, Salt Lake City, Utah (Sent Friday, March 16, 2007 11:20 PM)

I've traced my genealogy back with varying success. Seems like another joke on us female researchers. I traced one line, my mothers paternal back to 1064, from her father back all with the same surname. But my dna cant prove it. Sometimes it sucks to be female.

Lee, Brownwood TX (Sent Saturday, March 17, 2007 12:39 AM)

Okay...cost? What am I looking at here. And please help me with the etiquette of asking someone to let you cotton swab their mouth.

Danielle Dunn, Virginia Beach, VA (Sent Saturday, March 17, 2007 9:04 AM)

I don't really have much of a connection to my family upline so I am curious, why are you on your quest to find a genetic match? What do you think you will gain when you do find a match and make that connection? I don't mean for this to sound condescending, I am just curious as to the drive and desire to go through such great lengths in time, effort and money and even to request genetic material in order to make a connection. I know that the hunt for ones lineage is a huge pastime and I am sincerely trying to understand the reason and passion behind such endeavors.

Warm regards

Chris, knoxville TN (Sent Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:26 AM)

People can find out if there is a surname project for their last name by going to www.familytreedna.com. We've tested 64 PIKEs so far and found 23 genetically different clans.

Stu Pike, California (Sent Saturday, March 17, 2007 12:02 PM)

the great fun of genealogy research is to discover the big surprises that people can find...such as the catholic family who discovers a jewish ancestry several generations before (and that everyone in the family simply converted to catholicism-but never once mentions the conversion)...or the Irish family who neglects to mention that one of the ancestors might have been English (gasp) and not really Irish. It is so interesting to discover this information and place it in the context of the overall family story. This new piece of DNA adds to much more to the search and surprise of looking at the past.

Great article-thanks!

Laura Neville (Sent Saturday, March 17, 2007 1:41 PM)

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Alan! Just by chance, this morning's Toronto Star edition, in celebrating good St. Patrick, had one article on the old Irish pastime of 'stick fighting' - sort of Ireland's version of martial arts which involves the shillelagh and was written by a Boyle. One of his other points was quoting the family motto - "Through Fortitude, We Conquer" - but he didn't get to describe the Coat of Arms to go with it. Canada took in a awful lot of the Irish who fled the famine and whose descendants became part of the foundation of this country. My mother came here in 1919 as a nanny looking after the children of a family which purchased a large (two sections) general and wheat farm in Saskatchewan.

Des Emery,The Carborundum Chronicles,St.Thomas,ON,Canada (Sent Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:47 PM)

So many wonderful comments! This is the fun part of the genealogy deal... I'll try to respond to some of the questions:

To Lee: The trick here is to find some brothers or cousins of the male persuasion who would consent to be tested. If you could find someone definitively related to you (say, a first cousin) and someone more distantly related to you (say, a 10th cousin, based on your research so far), the Y-chromosome results should be pretty similar. I know the reality is harder than it sounds, but the male-relative gambit is the best way for women to take advantage of the Y-trail. Mitochondrial DNA follows the maternal line, but it's much less precise.

To Ugo: Thank you so much for your message. I met you years ago when I provided a (blood) sample for the project, and thanks to SMGF, I have 30 markers to compare. (Even though SMGF doesn't provide the results to those tested, you can figure them out by doing some judicious searches of the database.)

To Danielle: With the FTDNA surname project, you can get 12 markers done for $100. But FTDNA is not the only outfit that does this testing; check around and see which company and what kind of tests will work best for you. As far as getting a cheek swab, I just explained to Kieran what I was doing, offered him the swab and he did the rest. With the others, I explained that this info would be used specifically for family research purposes, and they went along with it. As for privacy concerns, I wrote a story about that five years ago: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077152/

To Chris: That's a really good question. Why put so much effort into looking for dead relatives? I think there must be something elemental about finding and revering other members of your "tribe," even the dearly departed members. There's also something to the idea that knowing that past history makes it "my-story." There's something gained by knowing that my great-grandfather was an illiterate exile from a particular part of western Ireland who nevertheless built a successful farm in eastern Iowa, and fathered 10 children who still have heirs living and prospering today. (By the way, my grandfather was known as the local storyteller for Irish wakes ... I guess you'd call him a "seanachai" ... and I think that's very cool. I would not have known that if I hadn't taken on the family search.) Even though the farm was sold 27 years ago (after being in the family for more than 100 years), I can still go back there and tread the ground that my grandfather and great-grandfather walked. And when I go back to Ireland, I can tread the ground that I believe my great-great-grandfather walked. One of my little treasures is a chip of rock from Tromra Castle, a ruin of a Norman tower that's in the area where I believe my family lived two or more centuries ago. I'm not sure about that, though, because I haven't tracked down the exact line. The clear path back to that Irish past has been erased by time ... but perhaps DNA will reveal some sort of thread back to that part of my family's personal history. In any case, I'm so glad that I've been able to preserve the record of all the people who have descended from my great-grandfather (although that list is changing with every new birth, and I'm afraid my records sorely need updating). I feel really good about finding cousins who had no idea about "their-story" ... and then filling them in about the family saga (maybe I can turn into a bit of a "seanachai" myself, if I work at it). Anyway, I hope that gives you some insight about why the search is so interesting to me.

To Des: As always, thanks so much for your good wishes and insights. I'll definitely have to check out that article. There's quite a bit of variation in the Boyle coat of arms and motto: I've seen "God Will Provide" and "God's Providence Is My Inheritance." Also, there are two coats of arms for the two main roots of the family: the "Irish" Boyles usually show a yellow shield with an oak tree...

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp/s.Boyle/Origin.IR/
sId./qx/coatofarms_details.htm

... while the "English" Boyles (going back to the Earl of Cork and Robert Boyle) show a red and silver shield (embattled argent and gules):

http://www.heraldry.ws/html/boyle_e.html

I see there's also a "Scottish" Boyle coat of arms:

http://www.heraldry.ws/html/boyle_scotland.html

My family lore has Michael Boyle coming through New York, but many of the people who came to Iowa from Ireland passed through Canada. Anyone who has traced his or her heritage back to the exodus during the Great Famine should really read up on that part of the story. My two favorite books on the Irish famine are "Paddy's Lament" (a 295-page semi-fictionalization) and "The Great Hunger" (a classic work that I cannot recommend highly enough ... my copy has 418 pages of text, followed by 80 pages of references and notes).

Alan Boyle (Sent Saturday, March 17, 2007 11:29 PM)

Sir, You had mentioned surnames and YDna markers. That isn't always true. My Frisian/Dutch ancestry for starters. It wasn't until 1811 (per Napoleon) that the Dutch HAD to have a surname rather than just patrynomics. Most Dutch didn't have surnames until then. (1811). If you go back far enough Frisians also travailed to areas of current day England. It is possible that I share the same markers with someone with a completely different surname if my long ago ancestors went to England then back to Friesland, yet had children in England without even "illegitimacy" involved.

Mike Hoekstra, Near Chicago (Sent Sunday, March 18, 2007 2:52 PM)

I would add, that even sans the England/Frisian connection...when my ancestors took "my" surname in 1811 going back a few generations of merely "frisians" there are males that I connect to from Friesland that have a different surname. They didn't all pick the same surname or were separated by relations by a 100 years and didn't care to share a surname or know.

Mike Hoekstra (Sent Sunday, March 18, 2007 2:54 PM)

Thank you for the post. The DNA angle seems worth investigating, I didn't think testing was really that accessible. I have German 'relatives' that I'd love to find a link to. The language barrier is tough though. As far as why we do this- I agree there is something fascinating about playing detective, discovering who the people were that frankly are responsible for your existence. One slightly different decision or event and you yourself are (aren't!) history. I have learned interesting things too. Ex- Penske Truck Leasing which we all know of, was created when Roger Penske bought MM Waterbor, Inc. in 1967 in Easton PA. (my ggrandfather's first cousin was MM); and a much more distant 'relative' was a respected leader of the Griquas in South Africa (people of Dutch/African mix who were forced out of other villages to an area of worthless land). After his son became chief was when the FIRST diamond was found there by accident. He asked the crown to help keep order, but they did more than that and booted him out. We have Kimberley and DeBeers today. In a speech, Nelson Mandela honored Andries Waterboer as a great leader of the people. I am also now pen pals with my 90 yr. old 'uncle' whom I'd never known yet lived within miles of for almost 30 yrs. His letters are invaluable. You can't get the stories from DNA or any internet site. His wife is my blood relative and they were both a little confused when I first called and introduced myself. Her given name is Ellen Waterbor, too. What an interesting start it was to our conversation!

Ellen Waterbor, La Quinta, CA (Sent Sunday, March 18, 2007 9:38 PM)

I am looking for the Coleman Conneely (Conley)family from the Toureen are. He came to America near the turn of the century with his wife Ellen and daughter Mary. I am sure there must be some relatives among thos on this site. I would love to hear from some.

Margaret Sweatt (Sent Sunday, March 18, 2007 11:33 PM)

To Danielle Dunn,of VA.The cost is Free at Sorensons,smgf.org-free to those who know their families names and birthdates for the last 4 generations.I don't so I didn't go there,though I match some people in their database.It's $99 at NationalGeographic.com/genographic.Most other places cost like $250-$400.But it's all worth it if you have it.

Ms. Jam, Phila., PA (Sent Monday, March 19, 2007 12:54 AM)

To Chris of Knoxville,TN. I'm on a quest to find these ancestors of mine because normally you'd never really know where you're from except this DNA came along and now I can say for sure I know it's this or that line.It makes me feel more secure to know what I'm dealing with/and or mixed with.And it's just beautiful to me....and an adventure,like Raiders Of The Lost Ark.Just because I can -it's exciting- and it's science for the people,and the regular masses to partake of.

Ms. Jam, Phila., PA (Sent Monday, March 19, 2007 2:23 AM)

I don't know guys... The only thing I could think of as I read this was how exposed I'd feel having my DNA read. Not sure why... almost like reading one's soul I guess.

Chris Eldridge (Sent Monday, March 19, 2007 4:15 AM)

Our society is so mobile now. I'm from a rural farming community in Western Michigan. I went to school with people who's grandparents went to school with my grandparents. I lived just down the road from the house my father was born in. I have pictures and stories from my families past all the way back to the English Civil War. My father was really into tracking down cousins all over the United States. Most that he found were worried that my dad though they owed him money or something. Personally, I fail to understand the facination with this.

Guy S. Newell (Sent Monday, March 19, 2007 8:04 AM)

Not to put a damper on things, but wouldn't all it would take to really screw up a DNA-based genealogical research is 1 illicit affair or 1 unrecorded adoption?

Alan Sheets, Loveland CO (Sent Monday, March 19, 2007 1:16 PM)

Hello! I did the DNA test but have not had time to fully understand all the references. Have had phenomenal luck locally in finding a 4th cousin on my dad's side. Turns out we live in the same town here. Would love to find out more about my Irish place heritage. My dad knew and even took a trip to Ireland in the 60s to meet some of his mother's family. He never told us anything about where or who. What site would you recommend for additional DNA testing exactly?

Mary Smith

Mary Smith, Tyler, TX (Sent Monday, March 19, 2007 2:47 PM)

That's right, Alan ... In fact, some genealogists have found some unwelcome surprises as a result of this research. You might not even realize it until you compare tests with a known relative. I referred to this scenario briefly in the 2002 story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077144/

Alan Boyle (Sent Monday, March 19, 2007 3:32 PM)

Alan Boyle~ nice story.

Alan in CO~ I understand what you are saying, but my experience with other genealogy buffs is that after you get past your immediate family (say grand or great grand parents) then most people aren't upset with some dirty laundry. I know a man in his 90s whose mother was a first cousin of Jesse James. His mother was deeply ashamed, but I think everyone after that thought it was pretty cool. I have a family line that ran a series of pre-Civil War brothels.

And sometimes it goes the other way. I had a grandmother who lost her mind, was committed to a state hospital and died at around 45 years old. Her cause of death was listed as syphilis. At the time of her death, that was considered scandalous and caused the family quite a bit of shame. Through a lot of digging and interviews, I can give a compelling case that she in fact died of undiagnosed diabetes and if she did have syphilis at all, it was a result of being raped in the hospital after she had been committed.

John in Cincy (Sent Tuesday, March 20, 2007 4:04 PM)

Boy, did your article hit home! Thanks for writing it.

A similar thing happened to me. I and some others worked for years researching my Butler line. It eventually led us to a huge Butler family from Christian County, Missouri. We compared our family memories, photos, health information, locale, time chart, mysteries, traits & habits, affairs -- everything linked up (which happens rarely in genealogy, if ever). When Mom & I met one Missouri man, we did a double take because he favored my own family so much. The wavy hair & blue-that-turns-grey eye color were even common in both families, along with some bad traits. This went on for several years, and we managed to restructure the whole family tree, finding descendants from each branch. I even wrote a large family history -- photos & all. When it was all over, I decided to do a DNA test, certain it would cement it all together. Lo & behold, it DIDN'T MATCH!!! I still haven't found Butler DNA that matches ours.

Margaret Butler, Chouteau, OK (Sent Wednesday, March 21, 2007 11:02 AM)

The dark side of genetic testing--there is one. Not to scare any one off this track, but here are two situations within our family that are raising some issues within the lives of my male cousin and myself.

When my cousin took the DNA test, initially he had no matches. About a year later, he had one exact 37 marker and a 35 marker match. The two matches share the same surname, which is different than ours!

A second isssue is that for over 50 years I knew that I have an older brother who was offered for adoption. When we found the first match, I had to tell my cousin all about this part of my life--a painful part that I'd rather not revisit. It turned out that this man is not my brother, but we only knew this when we found his relatives over seas. Until that point, I had to deal quickly with fear, and many other uncomfortable emotions!

I did it, and have now resolved myself to the fact that I may indeed uncover this brother...we need to be prepared for the possibility of uncomfortable findings.

Sincerely,
Patricia

Patricia Daly, Cleveland, OH (Sent Thursday, October 25, 2007 8:20 AM)

If you want to have real test with genealogy try looking for links with the SMITH surname. Its real fun after you've gone through most of the reliable census records and family history. With so many variations of the spelling it does get worse and then there is also the Anglicanization of various forms such as SCHMID, SCHMIDT, etc. It all makes for a lot of time consuming searchs.

SMITH (Sent Thursday, December 20, 2007 8:36 AM)

Alan. I read with great interest your story about the frustrations of genealogy searches.I too have a similar story about my Irish ancestors{Dunlavey}.Arriving in the U.S. in the mid 1860's, they also settled in Iowa and began farming. A questionable County Donegal parrish wedding form is my oldest link. The promising news is that there is a Dunlavey Clan DNA search being conducted out of Scotland. The Clan is well documented in North Ireland history.After losing battles with neighboring clans and the English, the Catholic Dunlaveys split up.Some remaining in the area and the rest moving to the Scottish Highlands.There are about 30 variations of the name so this DNA test could get interesting if I do match.
I made a great connection on my father's side recently {Danford} by working on the maiden name of my ggrandmother. Out of 2 years of frustration and dead ends. I connected her with another Danford family history which went back generation after generation to England 1521. The family arrived in the New World about 1634.
My advice of all is to try any name linked to your family's history with different spellings. For Irish be sure to try Mc,Mac and O'.
Good Luck on your search! Mark D.

Mark Danford Des Moines, Iowa (Sent Wednesday, February 06, 2008 10:46 PM)

What is the best company to go with to narrow down Irish and British Isles ancestry to subgroups within the country? Most of my family's ancestry on both sides is the majority from the UK but we want to know more than that (regions of the countries; Highland or Lowland Scots; Pictish, Celtic or Viking Irish, Northern Scots-Irish, outer Hebrides or other Islands, etc.)

There are autoimmune conditions that we trace back to Dad's Dad's Mom who was Scottish that indicate she had some Orkney or Shetland ancestry (global ground zero for MS and a hotbed of autoimmune conditions. Small islands, founder's effect).

I don't want a test that tells me I am 95% european and 5% native american, I want to know what countries, what tribes, what regions of the countries, etc.

Thanks for any recommendations of companies.

Marla Jones, Seattle WA (Sent Saturday, August 30, 2008 12:05 AM)

Adoption, stepfamilies and adultery do not cause any problems with genetic geneaology. Genetic genealogy is THE way to tell who really was blood related or not. It tells no lies and uncovers the truth, which is why it is so valuable.

Marla Jones, Seattle WA (Sent Saturday, August 30, 2008 12:11 AM)

What is the best company to use to find out Native American ancestry?

We suspect about 1/4 Ojibwa for spouse.

Marla Jones, Seattle WA (Sent Saturday, August 30, 2008 12:13 AM)

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