One of the things I enjoy is teaching genealogy. I think I have a pretty good handle on how and where to research, what sites to use, where to go for data that's not on the internet and other areas. Other areas such as DNA and its place in someones research plan.
DNA is one subject in which I know enough to talk intelligently about it, but I'm far from being an expert. As a matter of fact, when I use DNA as subject matter in one of my sessions, the first thing our of my mouth is the disclaimer that I'm not a doctor by even the farthest stretch of the imagination and that I'm just above a beginner in the area of DNA.
- Animation of the structure of a section of DNA. The bases lie horizontally between the two spiraling strands. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
So a few months ago, I was conducting a series of classes at a fairly large facility near here. It consisted of 6 sessions every Tuesday for 6 weeks. Since I had so much time to devote to a variety of genealogical subjects, I put my DNA slide into the program. I even put DNA graphics on my desktop. Not just a simple graphic but one that spun slowly to see the graphic in 360°. I think it is the same graphic that I've included here.
After the session, a middle aged woman approached me at the front of the room and joined a few of the participants who were asking additional questions. As usual, I try to take everyone in their turn as they come forward. However, the woman was obviously upset, her eyes were welled up with tears. I immediately thought I had said something offensive, something that didn't sit right with her. Understand that any time I'm speaking to the public, I try my absolute best to remain apolitical, non-discriminatory and thoroughly "G" rated! What am I going to do now?
When most of the folks had stepped away, I asked the woman to have a seat as her husband approached the table where we were sitting. Oh no... Is this going to get ugly? What in the world could I possibly have said?
Once we were in a semi-private moment, I asked what I could do to help them. I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen. And what happened is absolutely not what I expected.
"Can you advise me about a personal issue," she said. I have to admit that this is not the direction I wanted this to go in but certainly better than what I had feared! But a "personal" issue???
Then the bombshell: "My brother's body was found in his apartment last week and the Medical Examiner will not release it until I can prove that he is definitely my brother. He has no dental records and he never had his fingerprints taken. Is there some kind of DNA test that I could have done to help us?"
After the shock of her dilemma sunk in...not to mention the fact that she was asking ME for advice...I expressed my sympathies to her and her family for their loss. From a human perspective, I wanted to know more but I didn't want to appear to pry into any family issues. I felt the most prudent thing to do was to give her my opinion. First, I asked if she had another brother in the family and she did. To me, the only solution from a DNA perspective was to have a Y-DNA test on each of her brothers. Scientifically at least, the brothers should come back as a 100% match. After a few minutes of explaining why that would work, she and her husband thanked me, and they quietly left the room. But not before I asked her to please keep me informed as to the outcome.
When I got home, I immediately got in touch with a few other researchers I know who were far more knowledgeable in this area. Thankfully, I was assured that the suggestion I made would be effective. About a week or so later, I received an e-mail from her to say that the body had been sent to Boston and the ME in Boston agreed to release the body to the family without going through the DNA tests. I didn't ask how they managed to get through all the bureaucracy and red tape. To me, the fact that what was a very personal tragedy had been resolved was enough for me. She had a service for him a few days prior to the note she sent and was able to bury her brother in a family plot. She was relieved and very grateful for my advice even though she thankfully didn't have to go through that process.
I'm still conducting classes and I still include the session on DNA. I just hope that I'm not confronted with another situation involving a tragedy such as this one!
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