Hannah (Atherold) Ball - I have DNA matched a couple of cousins who have a common ancestor that includes Sinah Ball

DNA is one step short of our generation's "snake oil" right now. Companies with shiny ads are selling the testing of it, but it will be years before we know how valid those results really are. I've seen reports of identical triplets who sent DNA to three different companies and got back widely ranging results on the most basic regional ancestry. I viewed a report on a full brother and sister, that were told the sister had no Native American blood, and yet the brother was told he did. Their mother was on the tribal rolls, for god's sake.

Also, the way DNA results are being used is all wrong. Right now, people on Geni are being disconnected from trees because of comparisons to DNA exemplars obtained from descendants of families in Europe. Ridiculous. In Ten generations, we're supposed to trust that lines in Europe didn't populate with contributions from a footman, or a blacksmith? (That's as civilized as I can put it.) If the DNA used for comparison didn't come from the remains of an exhumed ancestor -- especially in the male case -- then I say the trees should stand as they've been passed down to us.

Jeffery,
Im not sure what you are talking about. I find chromosomal matches of significant amount, then go looking on various boards for the people. Not all DNA cousins are anywhere to be found in any ancestry board. But those that are sometimes have trees that intersect with mine. The data in the trees has *NOTHING* to do with any DNA service. The DNA service doesn't know anything about ancestry or historical data - it's just pure science. I guess you are referring to services that blend the two fields, but I stayed away from those. Would family tree be one of those? They did not appeal to me, perhaps because of the reason you mentioned. I also have almost zero interest in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th cousins. Except: if they are serious genealogists and historians then I become more interested because we have a common interest there.

Jeffery, Also, with respect to this Ball family question, and the history of Virginia and North Carolina, I am poking around in the NC state archives in Raleigh looking for hints. The reason is the George Washington link, plus the Blarney castle and ancient Irish linkage. I need to spend more time in NC, but that hasn't worked out this summer. Cheers!

Jeffery, [quote]Also, the way DNA results are being used is all wrong. Right now, people on Geni are being disconnected from trees because of comparisons to DNA exemplars obtained from descendants of families in Europe. Ridiculous. In Ten generations, we're supposed to trust that lines in Europe didn't populate with contributions from a footman, or a blacksmith? (That's as civilized as I can put it.) If the DNA used for comparison didn't come from the remains of an exhumed ancestor -- especially in the male case -- then I say the trees should stand as they've been passed down to us.[unquote] - WOW!!!!!!, I did not know this. I would be against a disconnection on any basis without overwhelming conclusive evidence. Well, I have mentioned before that people i enter from family records go *poof* because some jerk on the internet decided its a duplicate and merges them out of existence. That is a Geni nightmare train-wreck in progress. But it isnt because of DNA. Its because of poor policy and possibly because Geni may be more of a facebook than a serious tool.