Genea-Jamboree: Day 1

BURBANK, Calif.--The 39th Annual Southern California Genealogical Jamboree got underway this morning at the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel. The Jamboree began with a class on "Beginning Genealogy," which for reasons I noted last night I did not attend. More about what I did instead later. I went downstairs about 12:15 PM and spotted Randy Seaver at the check-in desk. We chatted for a few minutes, and then went off in different directions. We would meet up again later.

The hotel is under reconstruction and it's not the easiest place to get around in right now. I thought I'd go have lunch in the hotel restaurant, but as I got there, I heard an employee tell another attendee that there were sandwiches in the Convention Center. So I walked back over there and signed in for the Jamboree and had a hot dog. I had a couple of great conversations with other attendees from various places; I enjoyed that a lot.

By the time I finished lunch, it was time for the afternoon sessions to begin. I went first to Leland Meitzler's presentation on "The X Files--Dealing with Black Sheep in the Family Tree." Leland is a great storyteller and he illustrated his presentation with a number of anecdotes about his family. He also described a number of websites and other sources for discovering the, ahem, unsavory branches of one's family tree. Some I was familiar with, others were new to me. This presentation was well attend; so much so that extra chairs had to be brought into the room.

There was a thirty minute break after that presentation, so I went to a table outside the conference rooms to use the computer. I sat down at a table where there were two other people, one of whom was genealogy blogger rock star Schelly Talalay Dardashti! What a great surprise! We had a great conversation. Schelly is a great wit and a very interesting person. When the break was over, Schelly and I headed off to see Steve Morse's presentation, "From DNA to Genetic Genealogy: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask."

Steve Morse is a computer scientist, not a geneticist or biologist. But his description of DNA and its relevance to genealogy was the best such presentation for lay persons I've ever heard. It occurred to me that it was much clearer and much more educational than a similar presentation I'd heard as a judge designed to get us up to speed on DNA and genetic evidence. It was cogent and funny in the appropriate places. If you haven't seen Steve's "One-Step" pages, go there now! (Well, wait til you finish this!)

Following Steve Morse's presentation, I wandered into the hallway and ran into Stephen Danko. He had flown down from Northern California today. We had a great chat, too. It is a bit weird, though, meeting all these folks that I've just known on the Internet!

At 4:30, Schelly gave a presentation on gen-blogging. I attended, as did Randy Seaver, Elizabeth O'Neal and Kathryn Doyle. It was, of course, excellent, and a number of potential new bloggers attended. Tomorrow is the "Bloggers Summit" featuring many of the top genea-bloggers.

Some of the other presentations that I couldn't get to due to scheduling were:

• Arlene Eakle, "American Church Records"
• Dick Eastman, "Grandpa in Your Pocket" [on new hardware solutions]
• George Morgan, "How to Get the Most out of Attending a Genealogy Conference"
• D. Benton Simons, "Researching Witchcraft in New England"

There were also presentations on Legacy Family Tree 7 and RootsMagic 4. This is not a complete list of all the topics, but several that I thought were interesting.

Well, now it's time for the Friday Banquet, featuring keynote speaker Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak of Roots TV. I'll report on that early tomorrow morning. Also tomorrow, we'll talk about the Bloggers Summit and the Exhibition Hall.

"Until They Are Home . . ."

As we honor our war dead this Memorial Day, we must not forget that some families have no cemetery to visit, no grave to decorate; indeed, no knowledge of what became of their loved ones who went off to war. They may take some comfort in knowing that America is engaged in an intensive effort to find and bring their family members home.

The effort is coordinated by the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) at the Pentagon. There are more than 88,000 U.S. military personnel unaccounted for from conflicts from World War II through the Gulf War. The DPMO sets policy and priorities for recovering persons, conducts archival research to aid in recovery, and tends to the budget matters.

The operational work is done by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) in Hawaii. JPAC conducts investigations and analyzes evidence to locate and recover missing U.S. military personnel using state of the art forensic techniques. Key to their mission is the work done by JPAC's Central Identification Laboratory (CIL), the world's largest forensic anthropology laboratory. The lab is currently identifying about two individuals a week--more than 100 a year.

CIL can often identify individuals if they have a reference sample of DNA from surviving family members. CIL uses mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA, inherited only from the mother. They use this type of DNA because, as Blaine Bettinger has taught us, it is long-lasting, abundant, and doesn’t change much from generation to generation.

Genealogists can help by selecting a casualty (perhaps from your home town, home state or a man that served in the same unit as you), and researching their family history to determine if there are living relatives who might be FRS donors. Click here for a list of Family Reference Samples (FRS) required by JPAC.

At this link, you'll find press releases announcing recent identifications.

Until They Are Home . . . .

An American Hero: PFC Henry Svehla: Help Bring Him Home

Note: This is the third in a series of four posts about heroic soldiers who were denied or overlooked for the Medal of Honor at the time of their extraordinary acts. Less than ten days ago, Congress authorized the award of the Medal to five of these men.

Henry Svehla was born in 1932 in Essex, New Jersey. His ancestors came from that part of the Czech Republic once known as Bohemia.

During the Korean War, Svehla served as a Private First Class with the 32nd Infantry, 7th Division. It was difficult in his case to find the "story behind the story." However, PFC Svehla was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his actions on June 12, 1952. This is the same incident for which Congress has now voted to award him the Medal of Honor. A description of the incident can be found in the citation accompanying the DSC:

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Henry Svehla (RA21748254), Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company F, 2d Battalion, 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Private First Class Svehla distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces at Pyongony, Korea, on 12 June 1952. Committed to determine enemy strength and capabilities on key terrain, Private Svehla's platoon forged up the rocky slope. Coming under heavy automatic-weapons and small-arms fire, the troops began to falter. Realizing the success of the mission was imperiled, Private Svehla charged forward, firing his weapon and throwing grenades. The men, rallying to the challenge, joined in the assault against a numerically superior foe and inflicted numerous casualties. Although wounded by a mortar burst, Private Svehla refused medical treatment and continued to lead the attack. During the ensuing conflict, an enemy grenade fell in the midst of the group. While attempting to dispose of the grenade to protect his comrades from injury which might result from the explosion of the grenade, Private Svehla lost his life.

Department of the Army, General Orders No. 18, February 18, 1953

Thanks to the folks at Home of Heroes for the citation.

According to the Department of Defense, Henry Svehla's body was either not recovered or not positively identified. It is not clear whether his family is aware of the recent Congressional action to award him the Medal of Honor or who pressed for that action.

Efforts are ongoing to identify the remains of PFC Svehla. The identification process is being handled at the Central Identification Laboratory (CIL) of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) in Honolulu, Hawaii. But the CIL scientists need a "Family Reference Sample" of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to complete their identification process for Henry Svehla. This type of DNA is only passed through the maternal line.

Your Help Needed!

PFC Henry N. Sevhla, American Hero, more than the Medal of Honor needs to come home. If you are one of PFC Svehla's family members who can provide a mtDNA sample, or if you are a genealogist interested in researching his fammily history to locate such a familly member, then youi can help bring him home. If you think you may be a suitable donor or you have any questions, all you need to do is contact a Department of Defense service casualty office for assistance. If you know people who are relatives of service members who are still missing in action, you can help by passing this information along. If you donate a sample of your mitochondrial DNA, you can rest assured that it will only be used for the purposes of assisting remains identification and will not be used for any other purpose or be released to other government agencies or any other organizations. If you donate a sample of your mitochondrial DNA to JPAC for identification purposes, you can rest assured that it will only be used for the purposes of assisting remains identification and will not be used for any other purpose or be released to other government agencies or any other organizations.

There are Svehla-surnamed folks living in New Jersey today. If you know them or are related to them, pass along this information. Please help bring this hero to his final resting place.

[By the way, you can learn if JPAC needs any other Family Reference SAmpales for other unidentified service members by going to the JPAC FRS search page.]

Here's a brochure that explains about Family Reference Samples.

One Drop

A GeneaBlogie Book Review

Bliss Broyard grew up in the wealthiest part of Fairfield, Connecticut, one of the wealthiest communities in the nation. She lived a life of privilege as one of two children of New York Times book critic and essayist Anatole Broyard. Her handsome, witty father was well-known in literary and social circles. But Bliss would find out that he was really unknown to her.


She always thought there were hidden things in her house and family, Bliss did. As a youngster, Bliss would search the house for evidence of secrets she had a feeling were there. And then there were the questions. Why did she seem to have so few relatives on her father's side? Why did she never see those few relatives, though they lived not far away? Why did she not know about her grandmother's death until nearly nine months after it happened? And just whose ashes were in those cardboard boxes in her father's closet?

As Anatole Broyard lay dying of cancer in 1990, his wife urged him to reveal his secret to his children. Anatole demurred and deferred despite his family's entreaties. Finally, two days before her husband passed away, Sandy Broyard told daughter Bliss and son Todd the secret: "Your father is part black."

This stunning revelation sent Bliss Broyard on a genealogical and historical journey of personal self-discovery and quest to find her father's true ancestry. She chronicles that journey in One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life--A Story of Race and Family Secrets (Little, Brown & Company, 2007; 514 pp.; available at Amazon.)

This crisply written book is deep in history and genealogy as Bliss travels to New Orleans, Los Angeles and New York City to find her relatives. She uncovers the unique social history of French and Spanish Louisiana where, at least early on, planters walked about openly with their slave mistresses and children. She finds the descendants of French soldier Etienne Broyard, people united in family but divided by race. She worries first how her black relatives will accept her, and then what her white relatives will think of her.

She comes to understand the pressures that led her father's parents and other relatives to "disappear" by "passing for white."

The book's rich historical narrative goes to prove my favorite aphorism that all history is personal. Bliss discovers, among other things, that her family played a role in one of the most significantly notorious decisions of the United States Supreme Court. Her ancestor Paul Broyard, a "colored Creole," was one of the Louisianans who set up the test case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1898). In that case, the Supreme Court upheld the segregationist principle of "separate but equal." This case validated the Jim Crow laws of many states. That had not been the desired outcome for Paul Broyard and his comrades. The Court would overrule Plessy half a century later in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Bliss Broyard sets out the social and legal background that gave rise to Plessy and shows us the inside details of the case.

As she discovers historical and genealogical facts, Bliss wrestles with the question, "Who am I?" Both her white relatives and her black relatives tell her, "You're Bliss." But this is not an easy adjustment. She remembers having told racist jokes about black people. Some of her black relatives question her motives and remind her of her wealthy, privileged life. Some of her white relatives deny that there are any black members of the family.

Key to Bliss Broyard's journey is an understanding of the multiracial Creole culture of Louisiana. That culture as it historically had existed, came crashing down by the 1920's, in large part due to Jim Crow.

Ultimately, Bliss brings her family together and learns lessons about race and family that few of us will ever learn. She comes to appreciate "the complexity and responsibility of legacy," as she and her husband, a Sephardic Jew with roots in Spain, Greece and Turkey, contemplate parenthood. All of her explorations bring her closer to her Norwegian-American mother.

One Drop is everything a genealogical narrative ought to be--historical, cultural and personal. It traces the history of Louisiana from pre-European times to post-Hurricane Katrina days. There is an afterword that discusses Bliss's DNA explorations. In short, every genealogist will find something of interest here.

Bliss Broyard is one of twelve individuals whose ancestry is examined in the second series of Henry Louis Gates' acclaimed program, African American Lives. The new series comes to PBS starting Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Check local listings for exact times.

DNA & Genealogy

I've not joined in any significant way the discussions about DNA because I'm in the "wait-listen-learn" mode on the topic. I'm quite interested in the matter. And I have submitted a sample to the database maintained by the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, but no matches as of yet.

I mention the DNA issue this morning because there was yet another article about it in the New York Times yesterday. The articles in the popular press are interesting, but some of the most educational writing on this topic may be found right here in the blogosphere. Blaine Bettinger, "The Genetic Genealogist," is the "go-to" guy for me. And recently, Tim Agazio has used his Genealogy Reviews Online to explain his personal experiences with DNA testing. These have been very valuable articles and I recommend them.

The Carnival of Genealogy, DNA Edition

The 35th Edition of the carnival of Genealogy is hosted by Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., The Genetic Genealogist. This time, the Carnival focuses on DNA issues. Blaine brings his extensive learning and experience to answering or commenting on DNA issues raised in the various posts. This is an outstanding edition of the Carnival and a good chance to learn a bit about DNA and to become familiar with Blaine's excellent blog. A "must-read" this week!

Call for Submissions. The next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be a “carousel” edition. Just like carousels have a variety of animal figures on the ride so too will the next edition of the COG have different topics. All topics (genealogy-related of course!) are welcome. Submit any article you’d like. This edition will be hosted by Jasia on the Creative Gene blog. The deadline for submissions is November 15.

Please submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

Can DNA Solve "The Lumbee Problem"?

How does a group of people who have American Indian ancestry but no records of treaties, reservations, Native language, or peculiarly "Indian" customs come to be accepted--socially and legally--as Indians?

That question is asked on the jacket of the 2001 printing of The Lumbee Problem--The Making of an American Indian People by anthropologist Karen I. Blu (University of Nebraska Press, 2001; copyright 1980, Karen I. Blu). And that's just the surface of "the Lumbee problem."

Suppose Scots-Irish settlers in North Carolina in the early eighteenth century came upon a group of people who in some ways seemed to be indigenous, but spoke seventeenth century English and had English names. History or an episode of the Twilight Zone?

Indeed, this seems to be the history of the Lumbee Indians of North Carolina. But who are they really? Are they Indians? What is their origin?

A prominent theory is that the Lumbees are descendants of Native Americans and survivors of the Lost Colony of North Carolina.

In 1587, a group of colonists under Sir Walter Raleigh's charter landed in the Outer Banks of what is now North Carolina. This was the second or third group of colonists in the area. One group had returned to England with Sir Francis Drake. The latter group was headed by Governor John White. White returned to England to re-supply the colony; his voyage back to America was delayed by the complications of the English war with Spain and the winter weather. When White did return in 1590, the colonist were gone, but strange "clues" were found. The word "Croatan" was found carved in the wall of a structure that had been built by the colonists. The colonists were never found.

In the early 1700's, Scots-Irish settlers came upon English-speaking people in the interior of southeastern North Carolina. These people appeared to be of mixed race. It is said that in the early censuses, these people were enumerated as "mulattoes" or "free Negroes." The people themselves claimed to be Indians. They waged a legal and political struggle in t he nineteenth century for recognition as Indians.

The federal government never has recognized the Lumbee as tribal Indians. In the late 1800's, the state of North Carolina recognized them as the "Croatan Indians." This name was not fully satisfactory to the people so designated and in the 1950's, the name was changed to Lumbee.

The truth of the origins and identity of the Lumbee has been complicated by a number of political and sociological problems. Among these problems would be the fact that there were black people in the area where the Lumbees were found and it may be difficult to tease out which of the "mulattoes" or "free Negroes" were Indian and which were of African descent.

There are several distinct surnames that occur among the Lumbee. These include Oxendine, Chavis, Locklear, Dial, Lowry, and Brayboy, among others. Some of these surnames occur with high frequency among Africian-Americans. Brayboy, for instance, is one of the surnames in my family tree.

My Brayboy ancestors lived in Louisiana and South Carolina. They had been taken to Louisiana in bondage from South Carolina. The question, however, is whether they are related to the Lumbees. Perhaps DNA can solve my Lumbee problem.

I understand that DNA generally cannot pinpoint a specific Native American tribe. But the Lumbee are an especially insular people, thought to number about 40,000, mostly in Robeson County, North Carolina. Under these circumstances, perhaps DNA can tell us about links to the Lumbee.

Family History Out in the Cold--Again

It's been almost two years since we reported on the discovery of the body of an airman in California's Sierra Nevada. The airman was later identified as 22 year-old aviation cadet Leo Mustonen of Brainerd, Minnesota. He and three other airmen were on a training mission from Mather Field near Sacramento on November 18, 1942, when their aircraft disappeared. The bodies of the other three airmen were not recovered in 2005.

The body of Aviation Cadet Leo Mustonen is handled with honors at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. (Department of Defense Photo by Sgt. Michael Caya, U.S. Army)

This week, the story took another turn:

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

A 1923 buffalo nickel, an old Army uniform and a crumbly wallet with faded photographs might help investigators figure out exactly which missing World War II airman's remains are lying in the county morgue in Fresno.

But it will probably come down to something more modern and foolproof - DNA matching.

The remains of what is believed to be the second of four crewmen who died on a 1942 training flight were found by hikers last week on a remote Sierra mountainside in Kings Canyon National Park. The body was taken by helicopter and coroner's van to the morgue Monday.


Read the rest of the story here.

The three missing airmen are 2nd Lt. William Gamber, 23, of Fayette, Ohio; and aviation cadets John Mortenson, 25, of Moscow, Idaho; Ernest Munn, 23, of St. Clairesville, Ohio. As before, the identification will be done by the Central Identification Laboratory of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. JPAC has world-class personnel and uses the best available science to perform its sensitive mission. Its facility in Hawaii is the largest forensic anthropology laboratory in the world. Hopefully, another family is about to get closure.

You Can Help
There are over 35,000 Americans still missing but deemed recoverable from World War II. The Government is committed to bringing closure to their families as well as the families of missing servicemembers from other conflicts. DNA samples contributed by family members will aid in the identification process. If your family stories include the lore of a loved one who never returned from war, it may not be too late to help write the end of the story. See the JPAC website for information on how to contribute a DNA sample.