Tracing your Roots back to Adam

My thoughts... this is a prior post from Quora.com...

How far back can a person trace his/her lineage (in both years and generations)?

Karen Meyer, North America Southwest Area Fam History Advisor at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1978-...

Answered Nov 26, 2017

I’m glad you asked. This is the topic of my December Newsletter would like to submit to you that unless you have the papers to corroborate your evidence, you cannot honestly trace your lineage back to Adam and Eve or Even the time of Jesus. Besides the fact that many people did not tell the truth when documenting their relationship to Royal Lineage, it’s almost impossible to know for sure without very exact documentation. There is sufficient documentation that can get you back to 600 ad. The greatest amount of early documentation that bridged that gap was destroyed when the Romans accidentally burned down their own Libraries in Alexandria. Please refer to this article for clarification: “I Have My Family Tree Back to Adam and Eve”

If you have birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, and census records, you can have a fairly strong case for a familial candidate and feel confident that you are related. Organize your paperwork, and start your tree in Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records then connect it to Family search. You can get a family search account for free even if you are not a Mormon. We want to help everyone with their documentation. You can follow my blog (https://www.genealogymama1.blogs... or https://www.naswfamilyhistory.bl... or James Tanner’s blog, who is our vote for one of the most noted and respected colleagues in genealogy circles. for more information that might assist you. The greatest boon to our ability to document our lineage is - all credit owing - to the Protestant Church. They were the first ones to actually document the births, deaths and marriages and it is to them that we owe a debt of gratitude.

“I Have My Family Tree Back to Adam and Eve”

January 10, 2013 By Nathan Murphy

Warning. Contains spoilers. Have you ever heard these words uttered “I Have My Family Tree Back to Adam and Eve”? When asked if it is possible for living people to extend ancestral lines back to Adam and Eve, Robert C. Gunderson, Senior Royalty Research Specialist, of the Church Genealogical Department, stated:

“The simplest answer is No. Let me explain. In thirty-five years of genealogical research, I have yet to see a pedigree back to Adam that can be documented. By assignment, I have reviewed hundreds of pedigrees over the years. I have not found one where each connection on the pedigree can be justified by evidence from contemporary documents. In my opinion it is not even possible to verify historically a connected European pedigree earlier than the time of the Merovingian Kings (c. a.d. 450–a.d. 752).

“Every pedigree I have seen which attempts to bridge the gap between that time and the biblical pedigree appears to be based on questionable tradition, or at worst, plain fabrication. Generally these pedigrees offer no evidence as to the origin of the information, or they cite a vague source.”

Source: Robert C. Gunderson, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Feb. 1984, 31.

“I Have My Family Tree Back to Adam and Eve” Part 2

May 8, 2013 By Nathan Murphy

Several readers posted questions after my initial post “I Have My Family Tree Back to Adam and Eve” in which Robert C. Gunderson, Senior Royalty Research Specialist, writing in 1984, had stated that it is not possible for someone alive today to document a pedigree back to Adam and Eve. Readers asked (1) has additional research conducted since 1984 improved the situation, and (2) isn’t it possible for European royalty to trace their lineage back to Biblical genealogies? François Weil provides authoritative answers to these questions in his new book Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America (2013) published by Harvard University Press.

Weil, Chancellor of the Universities of Paris, states:

Genealogy was originally the prerogative of kings and princes. The oldest surviving royal genealogies in Europe go back to the sixth century A.D. for Gothic sovereigns, to the seventh century for their Irish, Lombardic, Visigothic, and Frankish counterparts, and to the eighth and ninth centuries for Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian kings. (pp. 10-11)

Thus Weil and Gunderson agree – European royal pedigrees cannot be verified before the 500s A.D.

If family tree databases, such as FamilySearch FamilyTree suggest otherwise, I would encourage you to correct the information and ask contributors for their sources.

To learn more, read:

Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America. By François Weil. Published by Harvard University Press, Online bookstore; 2013. ISBN 9780674045835. 320 pp. Indexes. Hardcover. $27.95 • £20.95 • €25.20.

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Bill Spencer

Feb 6, 2018 · 1 upvote

Karen, your point about documented traceability is absolutely true.

But, you know, just because we can’t prove another ancestor on some branch doesn’t mean there wasn’t an ancestor there. Of course there was. I am 100.0% certain that every ancestor I can provably document had a mother and father. ...

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Karen Meyer

Original Author · Feb 13, 2018

I heard someone say that you he definition of the millennium is the day when you wake up and find out your sister was not the genealogist she purported herself to be. I understand what you’re saying that you would like to document that you think this might be someone that you’re related to but un...

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Karen Meyer

Original Author · Feb 14, 2018

Correct on all counts. Interested in your software. Probably still on eBay somewhere?

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Bill Spencer

Feb 14, 2018

Perhaps I wasn’t clear.

I’m certainly not interested in adding people to my tree that I really aren’t related to, just to go back another generation. That’s not it at all.

The issue is that in any assertion of ancestry, there is some probability that it is correct. It isn’t just a binary true or false thing.

A well-documented ancestor, with multiple generations matching previous information in official records, is a very high probability. (Though never a certainty!)

DNA paternity tests done while both generations are living is probably even better proof — but that only can cover ancestors with available DNA. Except in rare cases, that’s just a couple of living generations.

And then there are less certain cases. Someone who is mentioned in a will, or in less-official records, or in records that do not tie parents and children together like birth and census records do. Or where there are multiple generations to tie, but there were multiple contemporaneous “John Smith son of John Smith” in the community. Etc., etc., etc.

There is a whole spectrum from 99.9% certainty down to 0.01% certainty.

I think the idea of limiting one’s tree to only what is 99.9% certain (“provable”) certainly gives you a very solid tree, but a very small tree, and unfairly omits people who are very likely your ancestors (e.g. 60–70–80–90% chance), but for which no provable record will ever be possible.

I used to use TMG software (The Master Genealogist), until they finally went out of business and retired. It was possible to record the certainty of a record proving the fact. While that was pretty tedious and fraught to assess for every fact and record, it did offer a way to link up ancestors with less than perfectly-provable provenance. I do not know of software any more that still offers this level of detail — but it is still a useful concept.

Feel free to use only perfectly-provable records in your own tree, but I don’t want to leave out relatives quite likely my own, but with a little less than provable certainty. If you go back very far, you will have to deal with less than provable certainty.

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About the Author

Karen S. Meyer

President Avon Scottsdale, Aughor - Amazon.com, blogger - genealogymama1.blogspot.com

Studied English and Home Ec at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Lives in Scottsdale, AZ

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Every day IS a miracle...      Writing to you and working with you all has been one of the greatest joys in our lives.  We can feel the effects of your miracles interwoven into the fabric of our lives. We are so excited to hear about how you found someone...who, spoiler alert...wanted to be found!  They knew they could depend on you to help them and you did!  Though we hear from so many, this newsletter is about just some of the stories you have indelibly inked in our minds.  With much gratitude, we share now....your stories.  Please send us more stories so we can feature you in our newsletters and your story will inspire others to use creative ideas to help others find their families.      Starting with Karla from North Scottsdale.  She was very instrumental in getting the program together at her ward.  She had us train the Primary Leaders on fun things to get 10-year-olds excited about Family History.   Then, one evening along with the EQ Pres., other consultants and the Ward Missionaries on Troubleshooting Your Tree with the Consultant Planner.  It is especially inspirational that their Bishop Sims came and took part in the training.  Karla and Marianne McKay Cox work well together and she decided to make Marianne, an experienced indexer, a Consultant!  Since Mesa is closed for two years, we opened the opportunity to all the nearby Stakes to come to visit the Camelback Family History library and see what they can accomplish.  Read further to see what we have been doing. Karla Houston, Desert Mountain Ward      What a great opportunity for me to work with this non--member with whom I went to high school.  After we traced her family on Ancestry she saw the Beta Thru Lines and investigated which cousin had so many shared Centimorgans.  She got in touch with a cousin who had the same grandfather.  They had never met and instantly felt a connection. (names withheld).  They knew they were related because Ancestry now shows the number of shared Centimorgans.  Here's my tree as an example.  I had the Ancestry DNA test done as well.  You can see the little blue icons on the tree if your research is properly aligned with your DNA.  This is my tree and when I click on the blue links called Beta Thru Lines, it will tell me with whom I am connected.  I can choose to contact them or not.      Quick disclaimer ;) The ideas expressed in last our Newsletter mention Sharing Time.  I understand that there no longer is Sharing time and as a former Chorister for 10 years in California that makes me sad because those were some great years in my life.  However, that being said, please take these ideas and apply them however they fit into your Primary.  All of the handouts are in the Word Format and can be changed to read however you would like.  Use your imagination and just help the kids with whatever time you have to learn Family History. That is what President Nelson wants.  That is what we should figure out how to do.   We just try our best to come up with ideas that will be easy for you - if we failed this time, we will try again.  We are supposed to give you ideas.  If those ideas cause you to think of even better ideas for your success, then that is beautiful!       Now, in that vein – we are so excited to tell you that our friends Brother and Sister Jewell, the Area TFHCs from the Mesa Family History Center spring boarded some ideas from Primarily Primary and launched something even more spectacular.  It is so beautifully organized.  We are all blessed by their endeavors. You will find this in the file called PRIMARYACTIVITYDAYS.  It is located within the file called Primarily Primary   https://1drv.ms/u/s!AjS2RGb0p-4PinXr7kF7kQjJTOiX?e=JrAgXd  Eric and Natascha Jewell  Sat, Jun 15, 3:30 PM (7 days ago)      to Naswfamilyhistory@gmail.com       You inspired me to try and put together some different activities for primary aged children.  I compiled 4 activities, plus a few thoughts about Temple and Priesthood Preview.  I used your "Primarily" idea that I talked with you about using a few months ago.  I thought I would share what I created with you. Feel free to pass them along or not.  The first document contains all the ideas together. The other attachments are individual ideas.       Most of the activities were done by my sister when she was both a cub scout leader and then an activity days leader.  She loved family history and figured out a way to combine both family history and primary activities together. Thanks for the inspiration!  Eric and Natascha Jewell, Area Temple and Family History Consultants  Mesa Family History Center, Mesa Coordinating Council  Look out world, here they come!  What a dynamic duo, Karla Houston and Marianne McKay-Cox are from Scottsdale North Stake.  They are the Temple and Family History Leaders for Desert Mountain Ward and are setting a real example for other consultants.  These girls mean business!  They have been coming to the library every week to learn more ways to serve their Ward.  We helped them find a lot of great things by doing a One on One and then having the Consultants and Leaders watch the process as a group.  They followed along with their own Fan in the Consultant Planner.    We saw the miracle of inspiration wash across the faces as each had their laptops and found something using the techniques from our Troubleshooting Power Point.  You can do this too by watching the video and stopping and trying the techniques as you go, then start it again.  Here is the link!  Please write to us and let us know what you found!  We thought we would give you this link so you can see exactly how to analyze any tree in just a few minutes for good. TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR TREE THROUGH THE PLANNER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuYEHNppYbQ&t=4s

American Ancestor, a Family Search Partner recently hit the desert here in Phoenix with a dynamite seminar on DNA! Pamela Read, a consultant from the Salt River Stake in Arizona recently did us all an amazing favor!  She went to the conference of one of our Partners and took notes so we could partake of that knowledge and learn more about our partner, American Ancestors.  Thank you for a marvelous review, Pam!  See you online! by Pamela Read I went to the conference with high hopes of learning specifically how to decipher all those hundreds of names of people who are related to me through my DNA. I learned at Pam Holland presentation "DNA Basics and the Big Four"  that the four big companies with Autosomal participants are AncestryDNA- with 10 million +;  23andMe-6 million +; FamilyTreeDNA- about 1 million; MyHeritage- 1,750,000.  The reports have ethnicity estimates of regions 500 years or more ago plus individuals with a possible relationship to a match.  There are other tests you can do: Y-DNA testing- follows the male to male ancestral lines,  and mtDNA testing from females to both sons and daughters but sons do not pass down their mother's mtDNA to their children.      Try to test your oldest living relative that way you w ill get six generations of DNA.  Provide a well-researched and documented tree at the testing company.  Test at multiple companies to find the most matches. Complete a tree of living descendants-children, grandchildren, second cousins children...      Christopher C. Child presented "Interpreting Your Results: Best Practices" He talked about the number of centiMorgans each relative has to determine the relationship child, parents, cousins... It was eye-opening to see what each of the big four companies data looks like and what it means.      Christopher's next class was "Understanding Unexpected Results" he told some riveting surprising stories of family situations of extramarital affairs, adoption, sperm or egg donation, incorrect genealogical conclusions and switched at birth or later in life and how they solved the puzzle.      Pam Holland presented, "Getting the Most from Online DNA Tools."  This class was very informative!  There are three online tools she discussed and showed samples of the reports.   *DNA Painter which is a free program for one profile. It is not cloud-based program. It is on your loaded onto your computer. It maps your DNA test results to find out which ancestors gave you specific segments of your DNA. You can trace and connect new DNA matches.      *GedMatch a free tool comparing one test to all test or comparing one testing company results to another testing company results. This is interesting, AncestryDNA raw data can be download to My Heritage and FamilyTree DNA; 23andMe talks to MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA; MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA talk to each other; and all four talk to GedMatch.  (I have attached my chart with these companies and who talks to who.)       *American AncesTrees- free online tool from americanancestors.org It has a list view- Color-coded family tree; Segments-shows comparison by chromosomes; Triangulation- shows clusters of triangulated groups where everyone matches each other; and Matches Circle- visualize triangulated matches with colored squares refer to paternal or maternal grandparents lines.      Christopher C. Child ended the day with his presentation titled, "Testing Your Knowledge: DNA Case Studies."  I so enjoyed hearing his fascinating stories step-by-step of how he solved five different DNA puzzles.  There is hope for me yet in learning how to match and find the correct family members with my DNA matches.       Brother and Sisters,       We have been working on Kathy's genealogy for 35 years and on occasion have run into roadblocks where we did not know what to do, This recently was the case when we were looking for a Great grandfather born around the year 1760.       We had looked for weeks in Church of England record and found nothing', then we went to the Salt Lake Genealogical office and worked with a specialist for 2 hours searching records and again came up empty handed.  We discussed our dilemma with our ward Specialist.  She suggested we meet with Ted and Karen. We took her up on the offer and met with Karen who, with her extraordinary skills, was able to find  the grandfather we were looking for in just a few minutes. She also found his wife and three children, one of which we knew about.  The following week I met with Ted and Karen again and for 30 minutes we looked through the services and did not find  Birth dates, Place of Birth, or Marriage date. Then Karen said to me,"We need divine intervention.  Would you ask the Lord for help us?". After our prayer asking for assistance from the Lord to find the information we desired, Karen said, "We need to look in Family Search as one of the children had a baptismal and confirmation date."  The very next screen had all the information we were looking for ON Thomas and Pegey  - they came up as the parents. Their ordinances work had been done for them    We were then able to bridge this information to my family tree in Ancestry using Partner Access and the bridge technique they taught us.  Brother Meyer then found  200 YEARS of my ancestors,  Seven generations of ancestors were added.  Most of the temple ordinance work had been completed. This line is now completed back to the Mid 1500's Thank you Ted and Karen for your Talents and skills you shared with me. Lewis and Kathy Kunzler  * * * * * * * * *       We were so grateful to meet Lewis and help with his family.  We taught him how to use Partner Access and create a bridge from the open FS Profile to the "open and minimized" Partners.  We wish more people would take advantage of this marvelous gift of Partner Access.  If you are not aware what this is, please watch this video from our youtube.com account   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URnpYz97Opw

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Disclaimer: All of our ideas are just that, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints but not paid for or commissioned to create on behalf of them. They are just inspired by the Lord through personal revelation. If you take one of our ideas and it springboards into something even more memorable, spectacular or noteworthy, we commend you on your own personal revelation with your heart attuned to the teachings of Jesus Christ for the betterment of others.

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