Follow Friday: Roberta Estes’ DNAeXplained Blog
Most family historians read a lot of blogs, and this genealogist is no exception. Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (EOGN) is one of the oldest, and the best for keeping up with news and resources in the genealogy field. Another favorite is Amy Johnson Crow’s newsletter/blog, as she posts on a variety of topics, including very useful tips for specific websites, types of genealogical searches, and even DNA. There are so many good genealogy blogs to follow- sometimes it is hard to stop reading them and get back to researching and writing!
My current first-read, however, is the blog of Roberta Estes: DNAeXplained. I started reading her blog as we are just so confused about the heritage of Wiley Anderson Murrell (1806-1885). He was deposited by aliens (had to be) at age 28 in Botetourt County, Virginia when he married Mary Magdalene Honts in 1834- we cannot find a mention of him in anything before that marriage bond date, even after a trip to the Botetourt County Courthouse. So we have had a lot of DNA (both autosomal and Y-DNA) analyzed to try to find his parents, but now things are even more confusing as we have a whole lot of connections that really don’t connect. Roberta’s blog has helped me to better understand the types of DNA and the caveats for different tests and results, as well as their strengths, though we still don’t understand the DNA results we have been getting. Roberta is able to translate the complex science of genetics to something understandable, however our Wiley remains, well, ‘wily’ in his elusiveness to his descendants.
So why would I write my first blog about a blog I love to follow if it hasn’t answered my questions?? It is because Roberta’s posts can be so informative, but also absolutely beautiful. As a writer who truly appreciates traditional good writing techniques, Roberta’s discourses please my ears/my mind/my heart. (Do you ‘read’ with your ears too?)
Roberta’s blogs provide carefully chosen words to convey information, whether it be the intricacies of DNA or the biography of an ancestor. But Roberta also blogs from her heart when sharing her personal family history journey. Her recent post, “Mom’s Joyous Springtime “Mistake” – 52 Ancestors #189” had to be read twice, then again, just to savour. (And yes, that is spelled the British-English way, because it seems that ‘savor’ is the US fast-food way to enjoy something, whereas the British ‘savour’ seems to mean more time to relish each word, each thought, each emotion…)
In this post, Roberta begins her travels with the angst of the day- ‘Will spring EVER come this year??’ Then she journeys along a road that becomes a reverie of the past. Her loving family and the generations of women with their rituals of looking back at their history resonated with me and touched my heart. I ‘savoured’ those moments along with her. At the same time I was transported from my own distress with this never-ending crazy cold and wet weather to earlier years in my own family, and the trips to the attic and closets to look at the treasures of the past. An old box from the back of the closet or a big trunk in the hot summer attic gave up the ghosts of the past, and my dear family gave them flesh and character as they told the stories. Those stories became a part of me, and have helped me through dark times, challenging times, and the times when one just does not know what to do next. “You come from strong pioneer stock- you can do anything you set your mind to” and “She was so full of love- she gave to anyone who needed it, even when they did not have enough themselves” will always stay with me. The feeling of connectedness that Roberta describes in her post stays with me, too, and reflects my ties to my own ancestors.
Those ties push me to do family history research and tell the stories of our ancestors, so they are not forgotten. I am glad that you read these tales, my dear family!
And thank you, Roberta.
(Can I please be President of your fan club??)
Notes, Sources, and References:
- Photo from family treasure chest. Thank you to the wonderful photographer who took it so long ago and shared it more recently.
- Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (EOGN)– https://blog.eogn.com
- Amy Johnson Crow’s newsletter/blog– amyjohnsoncrow.com
- DNAeXplained– dna-explained.com
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