DNA Consultants Newsletter - January 2010

Three exciting developments are in the news this chilly January in Phoenix, where the overnight lows have plummeted to the 50s and people are breaking out their winter coats.

First, DNA Consultants welcomes on board administrative assistant Mary Nell Goodman, an ethnology researcher and long-time resident of Nevada City, Calif. Goodman has served since 2006 as moderator for the World forum of DNA Communities, a free, public genetic genealogy discussion board supported by DNA Consultants. In January, she began a practicum involving all aspects of the business, including advising customers on testing options and writing DNA Fingerprint reports.

"I feel very privileged to have such an opportunity to learn about the human family through DNA," said Goodman. "I've followed the work of DNA Consultants and Dr. Yates for many years. I think their approach of personalized attention to people's family history, as evidenced in the Melungeon and Cherokee breakthroughs, meshes well with my endeavors to empower folks with the knowledge of their own unique blends of ancestries." She said she looks forward to working with a wide diversity of customers on a personal basis, the hallmark of our service.

You can contact Mary Nell Goodman through our comment/contact form or by replying to this email.

Mary Nell Goodman helps attendees at the DNA Consultants table during Indigenous Peoples Days last October in Nevada City, Calif. The annual event is hosted by the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe. 

The second piece of big news concerns our subdomains. We have added a space to our page called Links. There you will find the following (so far):

Mary Nell Goodman is project administrator for our new Cherokee DNA Collection. We are honored to include the results of the Abraham/Moses Project of the Central Band of Cherokee, Lawrenceburg, Tenn. (Joe Sitting Owl White, principal chief). This ambitious DNA project was begun at Family Tree DNA and is now domiciled at our company since the publication of Dr. Yates’ “Anomalous Mitochondrial DNA Lineages in the Cherokee,” which found striking resemblances between the DNA Consultants sample of “anomalous” Cherokee haplotypes and the results on file with Central Band members.

There is too much news to even glance at here, but we will say that most recently, apparent Cohane (Old Testament Priests) Y chromosome DNA has been found in the line of Cherokee chief Red Bird (Aaron Brock). Bookmark the new Cherokee DNA Collection now for fast-developing future news. And order your copy of the special issue of Ancient American appearing in February from publisher Wayne May. Contact:  Wayne@ancientamerican.com. This issue will be sold out and become scarce quickly.

February issue of Ancient American is devoted entirely to Cherokee DNA and tribe’s claim of originating in the Holy Land and East Mediterranean. Upper right:  the only authentic contemporary likeness of Pocahontas (whose mother was Cherokee). Order your copy to get the full story!

The final bit of news is the introduction of our DNA Gold Service. Prompted by the many unusual cases for evaluation we experienced “above and beyond the call of duty,” we have inaugurated a premium consultation whereby you can get our principal investigators’ special attention to your test results for a fee of $110.00 per set of results. Some of our more challenging evaluations in the past include:

• Tierra Life, an adopted woman unaware of either parent’s ancestral origins who discovered that she was part North African and probably of Middle Eastern descent, not Sub-Saharan African, as many of her friends and family had assumed.

Tierra Life got her DNA Test as a Christmas present two years ago from her adoptive sister. She was surprised to find one parent was North African (largely).

• A physician who confirmed that her adopted son had a Native American mitochondrial DNA type, one in fact that matched others in our Anomalous Mitochondrial Cherokee DNA project. The son proved to be of the same family as two other participants. None of the matches knew each other before finding out they were genetic cousins and descendants of the same clan woman.
• Docia, from Tennessee, who wrote:  “Dr. Yates is very busy answering follow-up questions. His company does offer "unlimited" customer service, as I can attest. I am embarrassed at the number of emails I have sent and have been answered. He has helped me figure out my ethnic ancestry in detail as an adopted woman who hadn't a clue before, and he has been very patient. I would recommend getting this product, though, and cutting to the chase if you have a complicated situation and want an expert to put it all together for you!”

Have a happy and productive season of ancestor hunting and visit us again soon. Remember you can have a 10% discount on any order by mentioning the code dnaplus. This offer also goes for family members and friends.

Best regards,

The DNA Consultants Staff