October 16, 2007 by SUM.

Besides writing a book about numerological patterns and the recognition and relevance thereof, I’m also interested in genealogical DNA research. We observe patterns in any kind of areas and important clues can be deduced from these data.

I decided to start with my genealogical DNA research in July 2007. Therefore I had my mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyzed at Family Tree DNA.

Mitochondria are present in all human cells, contain their own DNA, and are passed on only through females to their offspring (male and female). The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has distinct properties, therefore making it a great tool for genealogical and anthropological study. Mutations within this DNA are studied and compared against the mtDNA of others. The results are catalogued and organized so that an ancient migration pattern can be constructed.

Different mutation patterns are assigned to various genetic population groups (haplogroups). The haplogroup identifies your deep ancestral ethnic and geographical origins on your maternal line and can help determine whether you share a common ancestor within this migration pattern. But the haplogroups don’t tell you whether you are more closely or more distantly related. If you want to find this out, you have to employ other conventional genealogical techniques.

I found out that I belong to the haplogroup X. This group is actually quite interesting because of its migration pattern. I read that the haplogroup X is an archaic gene and has not been found in most of the African continent. I believe the scientists ponder about why this archaic gene is still found in modern humans. The overall haplogroup X accounts for about 2% of the population of Europe, the Near East and North Africa. In addition, the haplogroup X is also one of the five haplogroups found in the indigenous peoples of the Americas and accounts for about 3% for the total current indigenous population of the Americas.

When your mtDNA is analyzed by Family Tree DNA, you will be informed of mtDNA matches, but only, if you signed a release form. Afterwards you can contact people in their database and vice versa.

Posted in Saxony-Anhalt, Ancestors, St. Pankratius, Travel, Numerical patterns | No Comments »

July 19, 2007 by SUM.

A person, I had met when I worked at Microsoft, awakened my curiosity for genealogy. He worked as a translator for a translation company in Germany, and his company worked on the translation and localization products of Microsoft software.

Since I was working on translation projects, I met him on one of my visits with Microsoft translation vendors. After he had told me about his family tree search, I was interested in finding out more about my ancestors, too. After I came back from my visit from Germany, I wrote him an e-mail and asked him whether he could give me a reference for a professional genealogist. Unfortunately, I never received a reply.

After not knowing who I could retain for doing genealogy work in Germany, I forgot about this matter for quite some time. But the thought knowing more about my ancestors never left my mind.

Last year I decided to start my own my family search site. A couple years ago my aunt Elisabeth had given me a lot of information to my mother’s family. Unfortunately, as you can see on my family search site, I have hardly any information about my father’s ancestors.

Now, besides working on my book, I’m also working on my family tree. But that is a pretty time-consuming and expensive undertaking. Nevertheless, I’ll keep working on that, too.

Posted in Saxony-Anhalt, Ancestors, St. Pankratius, Travel | No Comments »

June 9, 2007 by SUM.

In my previous post ‘Sponsoring a child’ I chose a picture of a door that belongs to the convent and church St. Pankratius of the Augustinian order in Hamersleben in Saxony-Anhalt County. St. Pankratius is now under renovation and will be finished in 2008. It belongs to the most significant Romanic facilities. Construction started about 1111 and the church was finished circa 1141.

I chose this door because my great-grandfather lived in Hamersleben, and my grandmother belonged to a religious order before she married in her late thirties my grandfather who was then in his fifties. At the moment my information about my grandmother is very scanty, but I know that she was a deaconess before she married my grandfather in December 1918. After my grandmother had married my grandfather, she worked as a district nurse in Warsleben/Ausleben.

Last year in fall, I toured this area for a couple days. Though I don’t know of any living relatives in this area at this moment, I love to visit this area because of my childhood memories. In the fifties I visited a few times with my father his mother, while she was still living in Warsleben, a town that is nearby Hamersleben.

I found Hamersleben quite intriguing. Right next to each other are two separate churches. One belongs to the Protestant and the other to the Catholic religion. Since St. Pankratius is under renovation I couldn’t go inside the former convent. I just walked around that place and took some photos. But I’m looking forward to my next visit.

Posted in Saxony-Anhalt, Ancestors, St. Pankratius, Travel | No Comments »