BEAL DNA STUDY

Haplochart Discussion

The goal of genealogical DNA testing, for many people, is to clarify, verify, or falsify a genealogy that has been assembled by traditional research methods. But in the analysis of molecular data, those traditional genealogies rarely, if ever, appear. To combine traditional and molecular genealogies we constructed the following chart, which we call a haplochart.

The chart shows, above, an abbreviated traditional genealogical tree, father to son. Below the youngest descendant is shown a haplotype score for the vertically arranged markers (column, bottom left). Markers that are identical for all five haplotypes are shown with white background. Markers that are different in one or more individuals are shown with a blue background. The DNA donor is indicated by a DNA collection kit number.

Two individuals, 28617 and 2114, have recent ancestor Woodruff Beals (1814) and share the changed marker DYS390 = 21. A simple explanation for that shared haplotype is that the common ancestor had DYS390 = 21, and that the change DYS390 = 22 to DYS390 = 21 happened between Jeremiah Beal (1655) and Nathan Beals (1792). A descendant of any of these individuals might further identify a candiate individual in whom the change occured. If for example a descendant of Enoch Beals (1760) had DYS390 = 22 we would guess that the transition occurred with Nathan Beals (1792).

Donor 28617 shows a further change to DYS349 = 13, presumably from DYS349 = 12. From the tree we infer that this change occurred in one of the three individuals between 28617 and the Woodruff Beals, the common ancestor between 28617 and 2114.

Donor 13362 shows DYS464d = 19, presumably from DYS464d = 18. From the tree we infer that this change occurred between Lazarus Beal (1661) and the father of 13362.

Finally, donors 11274 and T24V9T show no apparent differences, and it is possible that these haplotype values were shared by the single common ancestor, John Beal (1588).

This brief description shows how the tree and the haplotype together in a haplochart allow visualization of the consistency of tree and haplotype and lead to testable predictions of haplotypes at various points in the tree.
Thomas G. Beals <tg.beals@yahoo.com>
Ph.D, Molecular biology; DNA researcher (lab rat) and bioinformaticist.