Dear Kitty,

You are right that mitochondrial DNA can be difficult to work with for specific genealogical purposes.  It works fine on a large scale for comparisons among whole populations and for doing the sort of deep historical analysis I described in my note, however when you need to track down specific ancestors it can be pretty hard.  First, you need an individual to compare your results with.  Since the woman you are trying to identify is usually long gone, you must locate one of her daughters, or granddaughters, etc. to make the comparison.  If the two of you are a match in the mitochondrial DNA, then you know that you had a common mother-to-mother ancestor.  But DNA can't give you a name -- you will have to supply the name from some sort of paper record.  The complication with names, of course, is that every time you match to a new female ancestor, the surname will change, so in a few steps you are quite a long ways away from your own surname.

Jack


> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Date:    Fri, 1 Jun 2012 15:33:53 -0400
> From:    Kitty Manscill <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: VA-ROOTS Digest - 30 May 2012 to 31 May 2012 (#2012-77)
> 
> And, Jack, tracking one's Mitochondial DNA can be difficult.  I go back 
> finally to a woman who is listed as a widow when she married the man from 
> whom I am descended.  I do not know what her maiden name was.  I only know 
> Alice Laramore was in Isle of Wight County in the mid 1600s.
> Kitty Manscill
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ************************************************************

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