DNA – Griffis Family

January 4, 2025January 6, 2025

Different Layers of Genealogical Time – Part One

Genealogical time takes on different meanings and reality depending on which methods are utilized to analyze evidence. Our terminology consequently changes and the focus of our story changes as we go back in time. We gradually start looking at our respective family descendants not in terms of their family roles as father, uncle, and great grand mother but in terms of genetic mutations.

The concept of generations morphs into genetic distance. [1] Our focus on the family tree branches and families shifts to the analysis of genetic lineages and haplogroups. [2] Our individually identified descendants such as a great⁴ grandfather or our great⁴ grandmother are shifted to identifying the Most Recent Common Ancestors (tMRCA). [3]

Genealogical time shifts our focus on ethnic backgrounds and origins obtained from autosomal DNA tests to analyzing migratory patterns of haplogroups and determining the presence of ancient cultures that might correlate with where our genetic descendants may have lived. The analysis of Y-DNA or mtDNA extends genetic links backward in time thousands of years. The notion of ‘ethnic origin or composition’ becomes less important since ethnicity is largely the product of cultural patterns dependent upon historic time and location.

“As a scientist, I find questions of identity and ethnicity to be simplistic and naïve. The answer depends on “which branch?” and “when?”. In my case, if when = now, I’d say a retiree from Connecticut. If when = 1800 on my paternal line, I’d say a farmer from Vermont. If when = 1600, then a sheep herder in Bedfordshire England. In the Roman era, probably north central Europe; in Mesolithic era, in the Balkans. And if when = 35,000 years ago or before, then my ancestors were African hunter-gatherers, like all of us.” [4]

Genetic genealogy introduces a different view of time and the analysis of ‘genealogical facts’ through different layers of time. The notion of time radically expands in scope and changes how we perceive and measure change and time and view genealogical evidence.

This story presents a view that the different approaches and related methodologies for conducting genealogical research depict three different interrelated historical layers of time. While each historical layer has distinctive properties, the boundaries between each are not clearly defined and can shift on the basis of genealogical discoveries. Each layer has different rhythms of time. Each historical layer has different conceptions of reality as perceived by the genealogist and also exhibits different properties of reality.

Among the many influences on my views on genealogical layers of time, there are three individuals that are notable. Two of the three are genetic genealogists J.David Vance and Rob Spencer. The third influence is an historian Fernand Braudel, who was an historian from the Annales School of French historiography and social history. [5] In addition to traditional notions of history, Braudel introduced the concepts of longue durée and conjunctures to analyze historical cycles. [6]

Vance’s View of Genealogy as Having Three Historical Phases

J. David Vance is a prominent genetic genealogist with over 35 years of traditional genealogy experience and has been actively involved in genetic genealogy projects and organizations since 2005. At the time of writing this post, he served as the Senior Vice President and General Manager at FamilyTreeDNA.

Vance advocates for a more inclusive approach to family research that combines traditional genealogical methods with genetic testing, acknowledging both biological and non-biological family connections. His work particularly emphasizes helping traditional genealogists transition to incorporating DNA evidence in their research, while maintaining a balanced perspective that values both documentary and genetic evidence in family history research. [7]

Vance’s Continuum of Genealogical Time Through Y-DNA Testing

Vance is known for developing innovative approaches and technical contributions [8] to understanding genetic genealogy, including his metaphor comparing traditional genealogy to building a mansion with portraits, and genetic genealogy to adding stained-glass windows with DNA patterns. [9] His ‘three phases of genealogy’ has had a major impact on my thinking about the relationship between traditional and genetic genealogy and the strategy of using both in genealogical research.. [10]

Illustration One: The Three Phases of Genealogy

David Vance uses the term ‘genealogy‘ to demarcate a period of time where generations of named ancestors have been documented through traditional records research and possible DNA testing. DNA tests are just another source or corroborating type of genealogical record.

Beyond this period is a time which is beyond many of our “brick walls” of genealogy. This is where we cannot trace our family tree further into the past. Vance calls this netherworld time period as the period of lineages. The line of demarkation between lineages and genealogy is not hard fast period of time and it can change based on genealogical discoveries.

“. . . (I)n between deep ancestry and the genealogy of named ancestors (traditional genealogy), we have what (are) “lineages” for lack of a better term. These are genealogies if you will but of unnamed ancestors over a period of time when you have known (genetic) interconnections.

“The generations may be estimated, the timeframes may be estimated, but you know that the connections happened because the Y-DNA tells you that there were mutations that were passed on by men who lived in those time periods and those men had descendants who had further mutations and so you can map the family relationships between those men even if you can’t ever name them. ” [11]

This period is still within historical times where one can amass enough DNA information about the timeframe in which the DNA matches lived to possibly develop strong working hypotheses about unnamed ancestors. It is possible to isolate the region where several generations of unnamed ancestors lived, what possible surnames they had, or identify what emerging country or ethnic group that may have been part of in that particular geographical area.

“Lineages are a way that Y-DNA (or mtDNA) can extend our knowledge of our ancestry beyond we would have thought possible in ‘regular’ genealogy – we can learn about our ancestry even before the time of records. We can map the branching points between ours and our matches’ lines and understand the order and approximate time frame in which our common ancestors lived. We can collect the known information about all the descendant lines from these ‘lineage ancestors’ and draw conclusions about where and perhaps how they lived.” [12]

At some point in time the period of lineages end. However, genetic genealogical testing and research can help bridge the gap to go even further back in time. The period beyond lineages is what Vance calls ‘deep ancestry‘. Deep ancestry is characterized by the mapping of haplogroups based on genetic mutations. These are various haplogroups of descendants that are connected by a common Y-DNA or mtDNA mutation that occurred in a common ancestor, the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA). These mutations can be mapped out in what is known as a haplotree. [13] While Haplogroups can be defined during the time of lineages and genealogies, in the era of deep ancestry it is the only information that might be available for one’s ancestral lineage.

Spencer’s View of Three Different Research Levels

The other genealogist that has influenced my view of geological time is Rob Spencer. Spencer specializes in analyzing genealogical genetic and historic data at the macroscopic level. His main interests are the exploration of genetic genealogy and population genetics at the macro level. His work specifically focuses on analyzing ‘monoparental’ SNPs (mutations in Y and mitochondrial DNA) to trace ancestral migration patterns from prehistoric times to the present. His emphasis is getting the most out of Y-DNA data by applying original algorithms to create informative graphics. [14]

Spencer’s talent and expertise is reflected in the creation of online mathematical modeling tools to analyze large samples of genetic test results and historical data. (See illustration two.) He provides innovative ways to analyze data and graphically portray results in intuitive and elegant ways. He actively shares his knowledge and mathematical applications through presentations and online documentation. [15]

Illustration Two: Spencer’s Online Tools and Data Sources

I have utilized many of Spencer’s online mathematical tools to analyze Y-STR and Y-SNP test results and his map modeling of surname distributions in Wales. Two of his more popular online programs are the SNP Tracker, a tool that helps genealogists track and map the migration paths of Y-SNP genetic mutations through time, and the Y STR Clustering and Dendrogram Generation tool, which provides a graphic portrayal of the genetic distance of between Y-DNA testers.

The SNP tracker is particularly useful when tracking Y-DNA SNP lineages in Vance’s Deep Ancestry phase and the Period of Lineages. Illustration three depicts the general mogratory path of my Y-DNA linneage in the past 10,000 years.

Illustration Three: Example of Results of Spencer’s SNP Tracker Using My Lineage of SNP Mutations from my DNA Test Results

The STR Clustering and Dendrogram Generation Tool is very useful in visualizing genetic distance between Y-DNA testers in the context Vance’s Period of Lineages and the Period of Traditional Genealogy. (See iIllustration four.) [16]

Illustration Four: Example of Using Spencer’s STR Clustering and Dendrogram Generation Tool with FTDNA Y-DNA Test Kit Results that are part of the G-Z648 Haplogroup Branch

Similar to David Vance’s three periods of ancestry, Rob Spencer provides a graphic portrayal of tracing one’s ancestor’s based on three levels of research (illustration five).

Traditional genealogical paper trails and research can provide information in the recent past. Beyond 300 years, the paper trail tends to thin out and evaporate. In this research level, genetic genealogy is often used to confirm or refute traditional paper evidence. [17]

Ancestry between 300 and about 1000 years ago depicts a period where surnames may exist but paper trails are not available. For certain European areas on the British Isles, extended Y-DNA genetic lineages with different surnames can be located fairly accurately by date.

Illustration Five: Three Levels of Genealogical Research

The research strategy for genetic genealogy beyond 1,000 years can utilize Y SNP DNA to document genetic lineages through SNP mutations and can be expressed as a haplotree, essentially a family tree that branches at SNP mutations.

“A variety of methods (ancient skeletal DNA, modern tester citations, surnames and census data, and mathematical modeling) can be used to locate SNP events in space and time across the globe, after which simply knowing one’s most recent SNP suffices to reveal a personal paternal journey. Several examples illustrate the great diversity of our paths and origins. The Y haplotree is now so detailed that the SNP trail frequently overlaps paper genealogic records, providing a complete path from paleolithic Africa to the modern era.” [18]

Spencer has documented the utility of analyzing Y STR genetic pair-wise data test results to tease out the genealogical evidence between what he calls your ancestry, your clan, and your migration history levels of research. The illustration provides a good graphic relationship between traditional and DNA based genealogical research.

The use of Y-DNA research can help trace unknown ancestors prior to the use of surnames, pinpoint possible regional areas where ancestors lived, and provide possible links to the recent past. Y-DNA research, coupled with archaeological and paleo-genomic discoveries can also shed light on macro level connections to migration patterns that can be associated with genetic ancestors. [19]

Braudel’s three periods of historical time

As indicated in a previous story, social historians and micro-historians have influenced my approach in developing stories of ancestors. All of these stories involve family subject matter that occurred within the last 10 generations or roughly 300 years ago.

The writings of French historian Fernand Braudel have influenced my way of thinking in another way. Braudel’s work underscores the importance of long-term rhythms and multiple temporal cycles and scales in understanding human history and placing genealogical analysis in this broader view. Ferdinand Braudel’s all encompassing historical method has provided a conceptual historical framework akin to the quest for a unified theory of physics. He has been referred to as “ a grand panjandrum—slightly emeritus—of history.” [20]

Notwithstanding his critics, [21] Fernand Braudel was an extraordinary figure in the field of history. His extensive historical research, unique approach, and innovative concepts have left a lasting impact on the way civilizations as well as everyday people in specific time periods can be understood. His work also highlights the role of geography and time in shaping human agency. Braudel revolutionized historical analysis by introducing a three-tiered approach to understanding historical time, moving away from traditional history focused on political events and “great men”. [22]

Braudel rejected simple chronological time in favor of three interrelated layers of historical duration: [23]

The longue durée focused on slow-moving geographical, environmental, and structural patterns. The slowest and most fundamental level involves environmental and geographical changes, characterized by slow, almost imperceptible shifts and recurring cycles. This forms the backdrop against which all human activity takes place, including the relationship between people and their environment.
Medium-term conjunctures covers economic cycles and social trends. The intermediate level encompasses long-term social, economic, and cultural patterns, typically spanning from a number of generations to two to three centuries. This includes phenomena like economic cycles, demographic shifts, changes in state level dimensions, and Industrial and agrarian growth patterns.
Short-term events (histoire événementielle) deals with surface-level political events and individuals. The most immediate level deals with individual actions, political events, and ‘surface-level’ occurrences. Braudel considered this the least significant level for understanding deeper historical processes.

Illustration Six: A Depiction of Braudel’s Three Layers of Time

Braudel broke from traditional narrative history by rejecting the focus on political elites and “great men” in favor of examining marginal people like slaves, serfs, and the urban poor. He also believed in integrating multiple social sciences into historical analysis. His historical analysis emphasized objective forces over individual human agency in shaping history. For Braudel, the subject matter of history is influenced based on the scale of time that is used to analyze the past. The rise and fall of states, and the short-lived and dramatic moments of the lives of “great men” are replaced by the long-term rhythms of material life.

Braudel’s examination of material life between 1400-1800 in Europe demonstrated how daily life and progress were shaped by these temporal rhythms. His approach combined multiple disciplines, particularly geography and economics, to create a comprehensive view of historical development. [24]

His historical work is impressive with great detail on the wide range of material elements of daily life that influence the how history unfolds at the the individual level and throughout various social levels (local, national, regional , etc). This method allowed him to demonstrate how trading routes, sailing patterns, and economic structures influenced societies over extended periods.

His innovative perspective transformed historical study from focusing solely on political events and “great men” to examining the deeper, more persistent patterns of human civilization. This approach particularly emphasized how material conditions and environmental factors created enduring structures that shaped human possibilities and constraints over centuries. [25]

Braudel also demonstrated quite clearly that history does not exist independently of the historian’s perspectives and prejudices. As with specialists in other disciplines, the historian intervenes at every stage in the making of history.

“All historical work is concerned with breaking down time past, choosing among its chronological realities according to more or less conscious preferences and exclusions. Traditional history. with its concern for the short time span, for the individual and the event, has long accustomed us to the headlong, dramatic. breathless rush of its narrative.

“The new economic and social history puts cyclical movements in the forefront of its research and is committed to the time span. … side by side with traditional narrative history, there is an account of conjunctures which lay open large sections of the past, ten, twenty, fifty years at a stretch ready for … examination.

“Far beyond this second account we find a history capable of traversing even greater distances. a history to be measured in centuries … the longue durée. ” [26]

There is a long litany of scholarly articles and debates on Braudel’s work and the utility of what are the various periods of historical time. I wish to deflect the path of discussion to what his work inspires when it comes to doing genealogical research. I might be oversimplifying or misconstruing his model of historical method so I beg forgiveness in advance. Nevertheless, I share the opinion that the three temporalities of genealogy and history is a useful methodological framework to guide research.

“The longue durée is simply the most stable temporal relation of the longest duration in the problem under consideration. It forms the stabilizing ground against which cyclical variations of other temporal structures are established, and it allows the ordering of historical inquiry.

“It is, in the final analysis, a methodological tool that is constructed for the analysis of particular problems. It is based on a particular focus of one’s research and not necessarily an objective time period that stand alone.” [27]

The ‘longue durée or the long duration for Braudel forms the stabilizing ground against which cyclical variations of other temporal structures or influences are established. It allows the ordering of historical inquiry.

“It is simply the most stable temporal relation of the longest duration in the problem under consideration. It forms the stabilizing ground against which cyclical variations of other temporal structures are established, and it allows the ordering of historical inquiry.” [28]

A Model of Genealogical Time

On the surface, there are strong similarities between the three layer concept of genealogy between Vance and Spencers’ perspectives. Each of their respective genealogical layers or stages of genealogy and research involve similar boundaries of time between traditional genealogy, the period of lineages or clans, and deep ancestry or migration history. References to the Longue Durée have been alluded to in genetic studies. [29]

Braudel’s three temporal layers can provide a comprehensive framework for integrating traditional and genetic genealogical research. The Longue Durée, the foundational layer, can provide an understanding of the correlation between haplogrop migration and the geographical location with:

ancient cultural groups that existed in specific geographical areas;
long-term climate and landscape changes that affected areas where haplogroups lived and migrated; and
geographic patterns of DNA distribution across regions that shaped ancestral migrations. [30]

Braudel’s middle or conjuncture layer of time reveals long historical cycles that can be correlated with historical events in time. This middle layer of time can also be viewed within a genetic genealogical perspective that focuses on Y-STR mutations within Vance’s period of lineages or Spencer’s period of clans. The middle historical time layer can be viewed in terms of tracing SNP and STR Y-DNA mutations in lineages and haplogroups. This historical time layer focuses on:

demographic shifts and genetic lineage patterns across multiple generations;
economic cycles and other social structural patterns that can be identified with migration patterns and movement of lineages and haplgroups;
cultural groups that can be correlated with the location of lineages and clan groupings; and
the identification of surname formation among lineage groups.

Braudel’s ‘event’ layer aligns with traditional genealogical research. Historical events can be identified with family historical stories in the context of the four structural levels identified in a prior story. DNA matches showing recent common ancestors in the last 10 generations can also be aligned with traditional genealogical research. .

By combining these layers, genealogists can contextualize genealogical evidence within broader social and environmental patterns; use genetic data to confirm documentary evidence; and connect individual family events to larger historical forces that shaped ancestral patterns. [31]

This multi-layered approach to genealogical time helps overcome research barriers by providing alternative perspectives when one type of evidence is lacking. The resultant model based on the three major influences discussed above is reflected in illustration seven.

Illustration Seven: Chronological Influences on Genealogical Research

Continuation of the Story

The second part of this story on genealogical time discusses how family history stories that incorporate the three layers of genealogical time will draw on different sources of evidence. The orientation of the narrative of a story will be uniquely tailored based on the sources of evidence..

Sources

Feature Image: The image is a collage of illustrations of genealogical and historical time based on models provided by J. David Vance, Rob Spencer and Fernand Braudel.

[1] Genetic distance measures the number of differences or mutations between two individuals’ DNA test results.

For Y-DNA analysis, a genetic distance of zero indicates an exact match between two people’s DNA results, while higher numbers indicate more genetic differences. It counts the number of mutations between two men’s Y-chromosome DNA results. Each genetic marker difference contributes to the total genetic distance. For example, if one person has a value of 10 at DYS454 and another has 11, this contributes a genetic distance of 1. DYS stands for DNA Y-chromosome Segment in genetic research. It refers to a short tandem repeat (STR) found on the Y chromosome.

For autosomal DNA research, genetic distance measures the length of shared DNA segments in centiMorgans. It is used to determine relationships between any two people, regardless of gender.

Genetic distance is not a direct measure of generations between individuals, but rather indicates genetic divergence. A smaller genetic distance suggests: closer genetic relationship between individuals, a more recent common ancestor, and an higher likelihood of genealogical connection.

The interpretation of genetic distance values varies depending on the number of markers tested in Y-DNA tests, with different significance levels for 37-marker, 111-marker, and Big Y (700 marker) tests.

Genetic Distance, International Society of Genetic Genealogists Wiki, This page was last edited on 31 January 2017, https://isogg.org/wiki/Genetic_distance

Estes, Roberta, Concepts – Genetic Distance, 29 Jun 2016, DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy, https://dna-explained.com/2016/06/29/concepts-genetic-distance/

Genetic Distance, Wikipedia, This page was last edited 25 Oct 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_distance

Understanding Y-DNA Genetic Distance, FamilyTreeDNA Help Center, https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/6019925167631-Understanding-Y-DNA-Genetic-Distance

Mohler, Melanie, Genetic Distance | YDNA Matches, 3 Jan 2023, Your DNA Guide, https://www.yourdnaguide.com/ydgblog/genetic-distance

[2] A genetic lineage encompasses all descendants of a specific genetic sequence that typically emerges after a new mutation. This concept differs from an allele as it includes descendants with additional mutations while excluding cases where different mutations create the same allele. An allele is a variant form of a DNA sequence at a specific location (locus) on a chromosome. Humans inherit two alleles for each gene. Alleles can differ through single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or have insertions and deletions of thousands of base pairs. While most allelic variations cause little change in gene function, some can result in different observable traits.

A haplogroup is a genetic population group of people who share a common ancestor and specific genetic mutations. These groups are defined by shared inherited genetic markers that are passed down through either the paternal line (Y-DNA) or maternal line (mitochondrial DNA).

Lineage (genetic), Wikipedia, This page was last edited on 28 August 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineage_(genetic)

Haplogroups are identified by initial letters of the alphabet, with refinements using additional number and letter combinations (e.g., A → A1 → A1a). They form a nested hierarchy, where each haplogroup remains part of a preceding haplogroup.

Haplogroups help trace human migration patterns and evolutionary history, connecting modern populations to their ancient ancestors. They originated in Africa and diversified as humans migrated across continents, developing new mutations that created distinct regional patterns.

Haplogroup, Wikipedia, This page was last edited on 8 December 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup

Haplgroup, International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki, This page was last edited on 1 November 2024, https://isogg.org/wiki/Haplogroup

Estes, Roberta, What is a Haplogroup?, DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy, https://dna-explained.com/2013/01/24/what-is-a-haplogroup/

[3] In genealogy research, the “most recent common ancestor” (MRCA) refers to the most recent individual from whom two or more people are directly descended, essentially the point in a family tree where two lineages converge and share a common ancestor; it is the closest ancestor that two individuals share based on their genetic lineage.

Most recent common ancestor, International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki, This page was last edited on 31 January 2017, https://isogg.org/wiki/Most_recent_common_ancestor

Most Recent Common Ancestor, Wikipedia, This page was last edited on 5 November 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_recent_common_ancestor

[4] Spencer, Rob, Welcome , Footnote on home pageTracking Back, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/gg.html?nm=welcome

[5] The Annales School is a French historical movement founded in the early 20th century that revolutionized historical research by emphasizing long-term social history over traditional political and military narratives. Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre established the movement in 1929 by founding the journal “Annales d’histoire economique et sociale”. The Annales School transformed historical research by expanding its scope beyond traditional political narratives to include the study of ordinary people, social structures, and long-term historical patterns.

The school developed several innovative approaches to historical study. The Annales School emphasized social and economic themes over political or diplomatic history. They introduced the concept of “longue durée” – analyzing historical structures over hundreds of years. They developed “histoire totale” (total history) – a comprehensive approach to studying historical problems. The school also incorporated methods from multiple disciplines including anthropology, geography, sociology, and psychology.

Annales School, Wikipdia, This page was last edited on 18 December 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annales_school

Yorty, Eric, The Annales School, Metahistory, https://unm-historiography.github.io/metahistory/essays/modern/annales-school.html

Wesseling, H. L. 1978. “The Annales School and the Writing of Contemporary History.” Review (Fernand Braudel Center) 1 (3/4): 185–94

Burke, Peter, The French Historical Revolution: The Annales School, 1929–2014. Cambridge: Polity, 2015

[6] Buckridge, Autumn,Fernand Braudel, Guide to Historiography, https://unm-historiography.github.io/metahistory/essays/modern/fernand-braudel.html

Fernand Braudel, Wikipedia, This page was last edited on 21 November 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernand_Braudel

Forster, Robert. “Achievements of the Annales School.” The Journal of Economic History, vol. 38, no. 1, 1978, pp. 58–76. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2119315

Harsgor, Michael. “Total History: The Annales School.” Journal of Contemporary History, vol. 13, no. 1, 1978, pp. 1–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/260089

Trevor-Roper, H. R. “Fernand Braudel, the Annales, and the Mediterranean.” The Journal of Modern History, vol. 44, no. 4, 1972, pp. 468–79. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1876805

Wesseling, H. L. “The Annales School and the Writing of Contemporary History.” Review (Fernand Braudel Center), vol. 1, no. 3/4, 1978, pp. 185–94. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40240779

Aurell, Jaume, Autbiographical Texts as Historiographical Sources: Reading Fenand Braudel and Annie Kriegel, Biography, vol. 29, no. 3, 2006, pp. 425–45. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23540525.

For works of Braudel:

Braudel, Fernand, The Structures of Everyday Life The Limits of the Possible. Volume I. Civilization and Capitalism 15th-18th Century. Translation from the French Revised by Sian Reynolds. Illustrated. 623 pp. New York: Harper & Row., 1979, https://archive.org/details/fernand-braudel-the-structure-of-everyday-life

Braudel. F. 1972 The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of’ Philip II (translated by Sian Reynolds). 2 vols. New York: Harper and Row.

Braudel, Fernand, On History, translated by Sarah Matthews, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980

Braudel, Fernand. “History and the Social Sciences: The Longue Durée.” Review 32, 2 (2009): 171-203

[7] J. David Vance, DNA Concepts for Genealogy: Y-DNA Testing Part 1, 10 Oct 2019, https://youtu.be/RqSN1A44lYU

Part 1 of a 3-part introduction series to Y-DNA for genealogists. This first video focuses on “Why?” use Y-DNA for genealogy – what benefits does it offer and why should genealogists consider using Y-DNA as part of their research?

J. David Vance, DNA Concepts for Genealogy: Y-DNA Testing Part 2, 3 Oct 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhBYXD7XufI&t=355s

Part 2 of a 3-part introduction series to Y-DNA for genealogists. This second video focuses on “What?” for Y-DNA for genealogy – what are STRs and SNPs, what is genetic distance, what is the haplotree, and other related questions

J. David Vance, DNA Concepts for Genealogy: Y-DNA Testing Part 3, 10 Oct 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03hRXVg9i1k&t=4s

Part 3 of a 3-part introduction series to Y-DNA for genealogists. This third video focuses on “How?” for Y-DNA for genealogy – how do I use the information provided by Y-DNA tests to advance my genealogy and/or my lineages?

J David Vance, The Genealogist Guide to Genetic Testing, 2020 https://www.amazon.com/Genealogists-Guide-Testing-Genetic-Genealogy/dp/B085HQXF4Z/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

[8] Vance created the SAPP (Still Another Phylogeny Program), a tool for automating and visualizing genetic trees. The SAPP is a type of mutation history tree that uses FTDNA data and creates a Y-DNA phylogenetic tree. The program is relatively easy to use and graphically provides an intuitive approach to visualize the possible genetic relationships between various DNA test results. The program is referred to as the SAPP analysis (Still Another Phylogeny Program). The current version that was used in my analysis was SAPP Tree Generator V4.25.

I have used his SAPP to confirm genetic relationships I have previously found through traditional genealogical research. The SAPP results have also documented genetic ties in the lineage period with Y-DNA test kits.

See: Griffis, Jim, Y-DNA and the Griffis Paternal Line Part Four: Teasing Out Genetic Distance & Possible Genetic Matches, 24 Feb 2023, Griffis Family: Selected Stories from the Past, https://griffis.org/y-dna-and-the-griffis-paternal-line-part-four-teasing-out-genetic-distance-possible-genetic-matches-from-str-tests/

For information on the SAPP, see:

David Vance, The Life of Trees (Or: Still Another Phylogeny Program),SAPP Tree Generator V4.25, http://www.jdvsite.com

Dave Vance, Y-DNA Phylogeny Reconstruction using likelihood-weighted phenetic and cladistic data – the SAPP Program, 2019, academia.edu, https://www.academia.edu/38515225/Y-DNA_Phylogeny_Reconstruction_using_likelihood-weighted_phenetic_and_cladistic_data_-_the_SAPP_Program

Y-DNA tools, International Society of Genetic Genealology Wiki, This page was last edited on 30 June 2022, https://isogg.org/wiki/Y-DNA_tools

Sennet Family Tree Blog, The SAPP is up and running: a phylogenetic analysis of Sennett surname project members, 8 May 2021, https://sennettfamilytree.wordpress.com/2021/05/08/the-sapp-is-up-and-running-a-phylogenetic-analysis-of-sennett-surname-project-members/

[9] Vance, David, Group Project Administration Series: Shifting Your Mindset on Genealogy, 3 Apr 2023, FamilyTreeDNA Blog, https://blog.familytreedna.com/growing-panes/

[10] Vance, David, Y-DNA: Three Periods of History, Page 13 of a readable transcript of the narration in a YouTube video at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CdU…, The video is by J. David Vance, DNA Concepts for Genealogy: Y-DNA Testing Part 1, 10 Oct 2019, https://youtu.be/RqSN1A44lYU

Vance, J. David, Figure 4-8 The Three “Phases” of our Ancestry where Y-DNA can help, Genealogist’s Guide to Y-DNA Testing for Genetic Genealogy, Self Published, 2014, Page 41 of ebook.

[11] Page 13-14 of a readable transcript of the narration in a YouTube at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CdU…, the video is by J. David Vance, DNA Concepts for Genealogy: Y-DNA Testing Part 1, 10 Oct 2019, https://youtu.be/RqSN1A44lYU

[12] J. David Vance, The Genealogist’s Guide to Y-DNA Testing for Genetic Genealogy. N.p: J. David Vance, 2020. Page 41

[13] A haplotree is a branching diagram that shows evolutionary relationships between biological species based on their genetic characteristics. It specifically illustrates how different genetic lineages are connected through common ancestors, with two main types being Y-DNA (paternal) and mtDNA (maternal) haplotrees. Haplogroups are represeted as branches in the haplotree. Haplogroups are labeled with letters A to Z, though the naming order is based on discovery rather than genetic relationships. Each haplogroup can be further divided into subclades using combinations of numbers and letters (e.g., A → A1 → A1a). The haplotree serves as a tool for visualizing genetic relationships between different human populations; understanding human migration patterns and evolutionary history; and connecting individuals to their genetic ancestors.

A haplotype is a group of alleles in an organism (i.e. a person) that are inherited together from a single parent, and a haplogroup is a group of similar haplotypes (i.e. a group of people) that share a common ancestor with a single-nucleotide polymorphism mutation.

For Y-DNA, a haplogroup may be shown in the long-form nomenclature established by the Y Chromosome Consortium, or it may be expressed in a short-form using a deepest-known single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP).

See for example:

Building the Y-DNA Haplotree, FamilyTreeDNA Blog, https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/6189226252815-Building-the-Y-DNA-Haplotree

Runfedt, Goran, Introducing the Discover™ Classic Tree for Y-DNA, 5 June 2024, FamilyTreeDNA Blog, https://blog.familytreedna.com/classic-tree-for-y-dna/

Haplogroup, Wikipedia, page was last edited on 12 August 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup

Haplogroup, International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki, This page was last edited on 27 June 2022, https://isogg.org/wiki/Haplogroup

[14] Spencer, Rob, Case Studies in Macro Genealology, Presentation for the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Slide Three, July 2021, http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/NYG&B_webinar.pdf

[15] See the following:

Spencer, Rob, The Big Picture of Y STR Patterns 22-24 Mar 2019, 14th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy, Houston, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/RWS-Houston-2019-WideAngleView.pdf

Spencer, Rob, “Convergence” Understood, 22-24 Mar 2019, 14th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy, Houston, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/RWS-Houston-2019-Convergence.pdf

MacGregor, Keith, Maurice Gleeson, Susan Miller and Rob Spencer, The High Road to Scotland is Paved with DNA, Scottish North American Leadership Conference, 4-6 Dec 2020, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/st/HighRoadSlides.html

Spencer, Rob, Case Studies in Macro Genealogy, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Jul 2021, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/NYG&B_webinar.pdf

Spencer, Rob, Putting Ancestors’ SNPs on the Map by Rob Spencer, Videoconference for the Genealogical Forum of Oregon, 27 Jan 2024, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQFim70AU3c

PDF of Slide Presentation: https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/Portland-Jan2024.pdf

Spencer, Rob, Extending Time Horizons with DNA, RootsTech The 2022 Sessions, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/rt22/index.html

Video of March 3, 2022 Presentation: https://youtu.be/wppXD1Zz2sQ
Slides for the Three Sessions, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/rt22/rt22slides.pdf

Spencer, Rob, Research Reports Tracking Back, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/gg.html?nm=reports

The following reports can be found at this web link:

Introduction to Distance Dendrograms
Why use STR data and not SNP data?
STR Clades
STR Dates and Founders
Extinctions and Bottlenecks
Convergence
Distributions of tMRCAs
Extending STRs into Deep Time
Neolithic Migrations Differ by Gender
Mitochondrial DNA
Contingencies
Historic Figures
Surnames and Patronymy
Searching for Models
Frontier Demographics
Highway Maintenance
Ancient Sites
Clans and SNPs
Surname Similarity by Deep Ancestry
Finding Boundaries
Locating SNPs with Census Data
Superclades in Surname Projects
County Clustering by Surname
Surname Diffusion
Hearth Tax Records
STR Date Refinements
Internal Migration in Victorian Britain
History in the Maps of Surnames
Revisiting the N/2 Rule
Surnames and the Y Haplotree
Ancient Sites, Revisited
STR to SNP Prediction
A Goldilocks Problem
A Quantitative Look at mtDNA
City Growth
Frontier Migration

[16] The dendrogram is similar to a family tree. The individual DNA testers are the dots at the right of the diagram. On a traditional family tree, branch points are ancestors. On the dendrogram branch points are not people but points in time when genetic changes occurred.

Time moves backward to the left. Time is measured in generations which roughly equates to 31 years per generation. I have added how many years before present (ybp) and the approximate year each given generation mark represents. Each Line represents a Y-DNA test kit. The defined haplogroup for each test kit is listed. Depending on the type of D-DNA test completed, some of the haplogroups are very detailed while others are very general. The name of the paternal ancestor that was provided by each individual who completed the Y-DNA test is also listed.. I have also highlighted an area that depicts the range of time where the use of surnames became part of family tradition.

[17] Spencer, Rob, The Big Picture of Y STR Patterns 22-24 Mar 2019, 14th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy, Houston, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/RWS-Houston-2019-WideAngleView.pdf

[18] Spencer, Rob, Extending Time Horizons with DNA, 3 Mar 2022, RootsTech 2022 session, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/rt22/index.html

[19] Spencer, Rob, The Big Picture of Y STR Patterns 22-24 Mar 2019, 14th International Conference on Genetic Genealogy, Houston, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/RWS-Houston-2019-WideAngleView.pdf

Spencer, Rob, Case Studies in Macro Genealogy, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Jul 2021, https://scaledinnovation.com/gg/ext/NYG&B_webinar.pdf

[20] Shenker, Israel, Historian’s ‘Three Movements’ Method Acclaimed and Censured, 14 Jun 1976, New York Times, Page 36, https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/14/archives/historians-three-movements-method-acclaimed-and-censured.html

[21] Several key criticisms were leveled at Braudel’s approach to historical time layers. His emphasis on continuity and his resistance to discontinuity was problematic. Critics noted that Braudel was uncomfortable with the notion of ruptures and discontinuities in history, preferring to stress inertia and long-term continuities.

His view diminished human agency. J.H. Elliott criticized that “Braudel’s Mediterranean is a world unresponsive to human control” where “Braudel’s mountains move his men, but never his men the mountains”. This led to questionable conclusions, such as attributing the expulsion of Jews from Spain primarily to overpopulation rather than human decisions.

Many criticized his views that diminished human agency in making historic changes. His position espoused in his writing implied that history lies beyond individual consciousness and actions.

His focus on long-range structures caused him to treat significant disruptive events superficially. This preference for objective explanations and deep structures sometimes came at the expense of understanding important historical turning points and human decisions

Robinson, Paul, In the Basement of History, 16 May 1982, The New York Times Book Review, Section 7, Page 9, https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/16/books/in-the-basement-of-history.html

Harris, Olivia. “Braudel: Historical Time and the Horror of Discontinuity.” History Workshop Journal, vol. 57, 2004, p. 161-174. Project MUSE, https://muse.jhu.edu/article/169717.

Shenker, Isreal, Historian’s ‘Three Movements’ Method Acclaimed and Censured, 14 Jun 1976, New York Times, Page 36, https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/14/archives/historians-three-movements-method-acclaimed-and-censured.html

Rao, O.R., Review of “A History of Civilizations”, Fernand Braudel, Journal of KrishNamurti school, Issue 1, https://www.journal.kfionline.org/issue-1/review-of-a-history-of-civilizations-fernand-braudel-2

Elliott, John H. (3 May 1973), “Mediterranean Mysteries”, The New York Review of Books, 20 (7): 25–28, https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1973/05/03/mediterranean-mysteries/

Mulroney, Kelly A. “Discovering Fernand Braudel’s Historical Context.” History and Theory, vol. 37, no. 2, 1998, pp. 259–69. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2505469

McNeill, William H. “Fernand Braudel, Historian.” The Journal of Modern History, vol. 73, no. 1, 2001, pp. 133–46. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1086/319882

[22] Most discussions of Braudel’s work reference his discussions of three layers of historical time. However Braudel, at times, discusses four hierarchical levels of temporal change.

One level, referred to as events, concern the individual actions that Braudel (1972: 21) calls “traditional history”: kings, battles, treaties, etc..

Braudel. F. , The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of’ Philip II (translated by Sian Reynolds). 2 vols. New York: Harper and Row. 1972, Page 21

The second level, conjuncture, is Braudel’s term for two intermediate levels of historical duration. Braudel calls the study of conjunctures “social history, the history of groups and groupings” . Braudel divided conjunctures into two kinds: intermediate-term conjuncture., which include wage and price cycles, rates of industrialization. and wars; and long-term conjunctures, which refer to secular changes like “long-term demographic movements. the changing dimensions of states and empires (the geographical conjuncture as it might be called), the presence or absence of social mobility in a given society. [and] the intensity of industrial growth“

Braudel. F., The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of’ Philip II (translated by Sian Reynolds). 2 vols. New York: Harper and Row, 1972, Pages 20 and 899

Weaving Facts into a Family Story: Historical Context and Perspective

Once a decision is made on the usefulness of the evidence and what genealogical facts to use, the next step is creating a story. The idea of a story is often the result of coming up with a novel angle to view genealogical facts. It could be an object that was once an ancestor’s possession, a photograph, a family, a major event experienced by a family or family member, the original set of ideas are endless.

However, once an imaginative spark leads to the premise of a story, the hard work begins. An idea of a story requires further research to put all of those facts and evidence into a wider historical, cultural, and social context. Reading a list of facts is literally accurate but, for me, lifeless. We need meat on the bones of our story to help spark one’s imagination.

Writing family history is challenging because we need accuracy, context, and imagination.

“A family history is not complete until it considers the time and place in which each individual lived. Our ancestors were affected by the events around them, just as people are now; their relationship to their environment is an important part of the family’s story. Providing historical context, however, requires thoughtful choices. In well-written family histories, the historical setting for each ancestor will treat events and social conditions relevant to that person’s life, not just major happenings of the era.” [1]

Genealogical and historical sources, combined with historical analyses of the larger cultural, social, economic, demographic, and material forces at the time of a given story can provide context and historical meaning to interpret those few facts we may have discovered about our family.

The methodological approaches associated with historians and genealogists are overlapping and complimentary.

“For historians, chronology is everything. In contrast, genealogists start in the present and then work backwards incrementally through time. Their currency is demographic information—names, birth and death dates, and marriages—and the historical narrative sometimes seems secondary to identifying particular individuals. …

“Genealogical excursions back in time, combined with scholarly analysis of the time period in question, can produce powerful stories that reveal a great deal not only about particular families, but about the great drama of human history.” [2]

The ultimate goal of a genealogical story would be the ability to tell the unique story of a family or family member from direct, original sources. Unfortunately, we normally do not have all the facts to reconstruct their lives. We have to ‘fill in the blanks’ between available facts that we have uncovered. The bulk of reconstructing a story is based on viewing lives within the contexts of larger cultural, social and larger scale influences on their lives.

While our ancestors had free will to choose unique and innovative solutions to the things they faced in life, it is highly probable that many of their decisions were influenced by major events of the day, various social groups in which they lived their lives, cultural beliefs and practices associated with various social groups that were important to them. Broader historical, social and environmental forces also set the stage for what was their sharfed world of values and action..

Most of the facts we may have found in our family research are based on a person or family. These facts might be embodied in letters, family objects, government documents such as marriage or census documents, wills, church documents, and other tangible objects. Most of our narrative of family history is focused at what I call the individual level or micro level of analysis.

My View of Influences in Family History

To provide a wider historical context to interpret an individual or family experience, it can be fruitful to examine an individual’s or family’s place within different levels of social structures or networks to understand what was going on at the time they lived. As reflected in table one, we can expand our view of our families in history in the context of wider spheres of social structures or networks that they were embedded.

Contextual factors broadly encapsulate the multitude of influential conditions within which individuals and communities exist and function. They can help explain or provide descriptive illustrations of what an ancestor’s life experiences were in a particular time period. [3]

Table One: Social Structural Levels or Networks of Influence

Social Structural Level	Examples of Social Structural Influences
Individual	Family Member / Couple Nuclear Family
Micro Level	Extended Family / Local Neighborhood Local Social Groups (Church, Local Community) Local Occupational Work Groups
Intermediate Level	Ethnic Networks Economic Strata / Class City-Wide area / Local Regional Areas
Macro Level	State and National Level European Country Geographical Region

The social structural levels of analysis are also depicted in illustration one. We and our ancestors are always living within the influences of different social networks, groups and geographical areas. Depending on what we are researching, certain groups or social structural levels play an important or prominent part in providing an explanation of what we are looking at and what is happening at a particular point in time.

Illustration One: Social Structural Influences

As depicted in illustration two, in addition to the various social structural levels that may influence our development of a story about a family member of family, there are ecological, technological, economic, cultural influences that may add historical context to the story. These influences may affect specific or all social structural levels.

The theoretical analysis and empirical studies of the correlation and causality between the interrelations of social structural, cultural, environmental, technical and other influences on human behavior are exhaustive and documented in the fields of anthropology, sociology and history. I am sidestepping these important and fundamental issues. [4]

I am merely attempting to write engaging stories about our ancestors. Therefore, simply recognizing the impact of and interplay between social, cultural, technological influences is sufficient to pinpoint potential sources of facts and evidence for weaving stories from our genealogical evidence. [5]

Illustration Two: Social Structural Levels and Other Influences

If we add time, the story will incorporate changes in any of these factors and their relationships, reflected in illustration three. I might, for example, be concerned with a particular event that impacts the nuclear and extended family and community and in a later time period I might be providing details on an event that impacts the extended family or the macro level.

Illustration Three: Time and Historical Context of Structure, Culture, and Other Factors

A few practical examples of stories that utilize this model are provided.

The Fliegel Family Coming to America

My stories of the Fliegel family members migrating to the United States can be used to explain this research perspective or approach. I had fragments of information about their emigration from Germany. I was able to locate ship manifest documents of their travel from Le Havre, France to New York City. I also had Federal and state census documents of the family once they settled in the United States.

All of these pieces of information provided starting points for further research to provide added historical context to their life stories.

See the Following Stories

A German Influence July 11, 2023
Our German Descendants from Baden: A Tradition of Migration (Part Two) May 16, 2024
German Descendants from Baden: Following a Long Tradition of Migration (Part One) May 9, 2024
John Wolfgang Sperber – Part One: The First of the Sperbers in America January 30, 2024
The Fliegel Family: Their Journey to America October 10, 2023
The Sperber & Fliegel Families in America: Catherine Fliegel the First to Arrive September 26, 2023

The manifest lists provided a wealth of information: I knew who came over, when they arrived, what ship they were on, where they purportedly were from in Germany, what ports they traveled from and where they landed in America, and what were their stated occupations. I also knew the name of ship captain.

Image of Top Page of Ship Manifest List

The ship manifest list provided leads for further research on the shipping company as well as the packet ship. It also provided a starting point to research and understand the development of global trade between Europe and America (i.e. New York City and Le Havre) in the mid 1800s and how it facilitated the immigration Germans to the United States. It also raised a number of questions concerning why Le Havre, France was used rather than some of the German ports, as a point of departure. I also started to consider questions regarding the nature and the conditions and constraints of the journey from their home in the Grand Duchy of Baden to Le Havre .

The date of their immigration provided a point in time to understand what was going on in Germany. I shifted my focus in the story to place their life experiences within the context of the various waves of German immigrants coming to America. I considered the reasons why they made this major change to their lives based on various intermediate and macro level factors such as the local economy where they lived in the grand Duchy of Baden. I looked at the economic and political push and pull factors at the macro levels as well as the technological factors that facilitated immigration transportation to understand other factors that influenced their decisions for travel from certain ports of departure.

The following two tables provide examples of social structural and other influences on the Fliegel family’s immigration experience to America.

Table Two: Social Structural Influences on the Fliegel’s Journey to America

Social Structural Level	Examples of Social Structural Influences
Individual/ Family	Influence of Chain Migration of Family members: Catherine arrived first and remaining family arrived seven years later. This was an example of a much larger social practice.
Micro / Community	Learning from the past community and regional influences on immigration to America provided an understanding of why they chose the New York state area as a destination point.
	The community influences in America:: Many of the German immigrants who landed in New York City, settled down to live their lives on the Lower East Side of New York City in Little Germany.. Other German immigrants used this geographical ethnic enclave as a launching to find a spouse, establish networks and gain information and resources to make plans to travel further west into the United States.
Intermediate	Tradition of migratory patterns of population from Baden: within the constraints established by the labor market, immigrants frequently chose to live among kin, fellow townsmen, fellow provincials, or fellow nationals whenever possible.
	Pull factors and tradition: Initially, most of Fulton county’s German population were descendants of immigration waves, “Palatines”, who settled in the Mohawk Valley in the 1700s. Some of their descendants moved into Gloversville and Johnstown in the 1840s and 1850s to find work in the glove industry.
Macro	Migratory patterns of German States in 1840s and 1850s
	Baden subsidized emigration to reduce the agricultural pressures experienced the 1850s.
	Demographic patterns: The Fliegel family and John Sperber immigrated between 1848 and 1855. It was a period that witnessed the greatest number of Germans immigrating to the United States. It also was a period of immigration largely represented by Germans emigrating from the south western German states.

Table Three: Cultural, Techniological and Economic Influences on the Fliegel’s Journey to America

Influences	Examples of Influences
Technical Innovations in North Atlantic Sea Travel	Boats & Sea Travel: Developments in Packet ship boat design and innovations of navigation
	Inland travel Infrastructure of roadways and railways in German states and France
European Economic Influences	Post War Economy: The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 took a toll on Germany’s economy. Two decades after the wars produced combination of war debt, created social structural & economic turbulence from the occupation of the French, a drain on natural resources, trade crises and agriculture disaster.
	The price of migration: how the cost of travel impacted their decisions.
German Publications & Travel Agents	Travel Literature:: Auswandererkarten, or German emigration maps in the mid 1800s offered detailed information about migrating to the United States.
	Travel Agents & Brokers: the influence of travel agents on facilitating travel.
North American Infrastructure Developments	Road, Rail and Waterways: The 1840s and 1850s saw the Mohawk Valley transitioning to a manufacturing based economy enabled by transportation developments, while still maintaining agricultural roots. The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, facilitated the development of large villages in the Mohawk Valley and provided a means to transport goods east and west. Railways between New York city and the capital region supplemented roadway travel along with innovations in waterway travel on the Hudson River.

Based on basic questions related to how the Fliegel’s travel to European ports of departure and where immigrant ships landed in the United States, I was able to assemble evidence on their trek from Baden to Le Havre, France and their entry to American through New York City and staying in ‘Little Germany’. I then was able to assemble historical evidence of the possible influences that lead to their settling in the Gloversville, New York area.

Illustration four depicts a sample of the influences I documented about the Fliegel family’s immigration to New York City from Le Havre through the lens of historical evidence that places their journey in the context of wider influences they experienced in their time.

Illustration Four: Practical Example of Viewing Different Levels of Influence on Fliegel Family Immigrating to America

U.S. and New York State census documents provided information at the micro and individual levels. I was able to document the composition of their family, their age, where they lived, marriages, children, their occupations, where they and their parents were born. This information provided a skeletal outline of their lives at the individual and micro levels in Johnstown and Gloversville, New York. For example, coupled county deed records and with historical data from insurance company maps, this information also provided possibilities of discerning the location of each of the families once the Fliegel children were married. I was able to document geographical relationships with family, work and journey to work. [6]

The census documents also provided leads for further research at the intermediate level and macro levels. I was able to conduct further research on the regional economy in the Mohawk Valley and the development of the Glove making industry in Fulton County.

David’s Story

Depending on the angle or focus of a particular story, one can provide an unique historical context to understand what was going on at a particular moment in time. Another example might help in understanding this approach.

My story of David Griffis, A Short Precious Life, provides documentation and photographs of my uncle who unfortunately died before he reached the age of two. Despite my grandparent’s attempts to obtain medical assistance at the emergency room of a local hospital, David was denied service due to his parents not having health insurance.

David Griffis, A Short Precious Life

As indicated in the story, David could not breathe, Harold and Evelyn Griffis raced to a local hospital for emergency medical service. They then ran back to the car with David and raced to another hospital in town. The second hospital accepted David without insurance to attend to his needs. Unfortunately, time ran out. David passed away.

Without any embellishment, the story of David’s short life is remarkable and heart breaking. Provided with the basic outline of facts associated with this story, one of the immediate questions that arise is why was David refused treatment at the hospital? The unfathonable experience that Harold and Evelyn Griffis had with the death of their son David can be put into a wider historical context to try to comprehend why a child was denied access to hospital care.

If one were to look at healthcare and health insurance practices in the 1930’s, one can get a better understanding of why David did not receive medical attention. Only nine percent of the population had insurance on the eve of World War II. That percentage had more than doubled to nearly 23 percent by the end of the war. It more than doubled again by 1950 and was close to 70 percent by 1960.

The Great Depression had taken hold at this time. Many Americans were unable to afford the care they desperately needed. Insurance policies for health care coverage were practically non-existent. As a result, many hospitals across the country were thrown into financial ruin and were forced to close. Health was regarded as uninsurable at the time. When the hospital service plans finally became popular, they initially did not offer health insurance; they offered hospitalization coverage. but this was as few years after David’s untimely demise.

In addition to the state of hospital care and the health insurance industry in the Hew York state area, the social structural and economic impact on David’s situation is reflected in illustration five.

Illustration Five: David’s Story

Daniel Griffis: His Capture by Mosby’s Raiders

Another example that relies heavily on indirect evidence and facts from a wider intermediate and macro level historical context is one of my stories about Daniel Griffis in the Civil War. Daniel Griffis was my second great grand uncle who was a Union army wagon master in the Civil War.

I did not know of Daniel’s involvement in the Civil War until I inadvertently found a pension file in the National Archives under the name of his father Joel Griffis. [7] In the pension request file, the Prison of War Records show a D.F. or D.E. Griffiths or Daniel Griffis, was captured at Berryville, Virginia on August 13, 1864. He was transported to Richmond, Virginia and placed in a Confederate prison. He was then sent from Richmond, Virgina to Salisbury North Carolina on October 9, 1864. While in the Salisbury Prison, he was admitted to the prison hospital October 30, 1984 and died November 4, 1864 of “Int. fever”. “Int” or “intermittent fever” in Civil War medical parlance usually referred to recurring fevers. “Intermittent fevers” was a term that was used for a variety of illnesses, notably malaria. [8] The Adjutant General Office’s letter indicates that Confederate prison records misspelled Daniel’s name as “D.F. D.E. Griffiths”. [9]

In terms of ancestry research. I could not find Daniel in U.S. or state census records after 1860. Upon receiving copy of Joel Griffis’ Civil War ‘pension request as a dependent’, I discovered Daniel’s military history and untimely death.

Daniel Griffis enlisted in the 130th infantry regiment of New York in August 1862 in Stillwater, New York. [10] This regiment had the distinction of being the only Union army volunteer regiment which was converted entirely from infantry to cavalry during the Civil War. It was ultimately renamed the First Regiment of Dragoons. [11]

At a point in his military service he became a wagon master. Available documentation indicates he was a wagon master in January or February 1864. Perhaps when the regiment was drilled in its new calvary duties in Manassas in October 1863 he assumed wagon master duties.

See related stories on Daniel and his brother William J. Griffis in the Civil War:

Daniel Griffis – Captured, Imprisoned, & Perished March 13, 2021
William James Griffis and Daniel Griffis – A Tale of Two Brothers (Part Three) March 5, 2021
William James Griffis and Daniel Griffis – A Tale of Two Brothers (Part Two of Three) February 13, 2021
William James Griffis and Daniel Griffis – A Tale of Two Brothers (Part One) February 3, 2021

Daniel Griffis – Captured, Imprisoned, & Perished

Daniel was involved in 34 major regimental engagements with the First New York Regiment of Dragoons. Virtually all of these engagements were in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Early in the morning of August 13, 1864, Daniel and approximately 200 other soldiers were captured by the Confederate guerrilla regiment led by Colonel Mosby. Daniel was part of a reserve brigade wagon train that was captured by Mosby’s regiment.

With the absence of direct evidence of Daniel’s capture, subsequent incarceration and death, his story was created through the use of a variety of historical sources. In addition to the typical family ancestry sources of the U.S. Census, I relied upon Civil War pension records, Library of Congress records related to Civil War Regiments, published historical accounts related to Daniel’s regiments, scholarly accounts on various facets of the Civil War and ‘non-academic’ historian’s accounts on the mundane aspects of the Civil war military and the common soldier.

What is noteworthy is Civil War soldiers produced an unprecedented volume of autobiographical accounts, with publications appearing in numbers unmatched by any other war in American history. The high literacy rates among soldiers – over 90% for Union and 80% for Confederate troops – enabled this extensive documentation. [12]

The publication of these accounts followed distinct patterns. The initial wave of journals and diaries appeared immediately after the war. The main surge of memoirs began in the mid-1870s and continued steadily into the twentieth century.

These accounts emerged from multiple motivations and took various forms. They were a response to strong public interest in military history. Some were written as part of the “Lost Cause” narrative in the South. Many of the accounts documented the daily struggles and mundane details of soldier life. [13]

Example of an Autobiographical Account of Daniel’s First Regiment of Dragoons

I was fortunate to find a number of autobiographical accounts of union solders who were part of the First Dragoons as well as the 149th Ohio volunteer infantry that was providing protection for Daniel’s wagon brigade. I also had access to autobiographical accounts written by confederate soldiers that fought with Mosby’s Raiders, who captured Daniel Griffis. [14]

I have also analyzed newspaper reporting of the confederate wagon raid on August 13th, 1864. Depending on what news source a newspaper obtained their information on the raid, the facts and figures varied considerably in regard to the number of prisoners captured, the number of livestock and equine stock was confiscated, and the number of wagons burned. With few exceptions, the Union based newspapers relied on a terse telegraph message from Secretary of War Stanton who quoted General Sheridan’s comments that the result of the raid was exaggerated by the Mosby Raiders.

I also researched the state of railway technology and development as well as the condition of roadways in Confederate territory to gain an understanding of how and where Daniel was transported.

By combining these various sources, in absence of personal accounts from Daniel, I have been able to construct a story of what Daniel witnessed as a soldier. We may not know what he looked like, who he actually was and how he felt about things but perhaps putting them into a wider historical context of what he witnessed will give family members, and those interested in the common man in the civil war, a glimmer of what he experienced.

Illustration six depicts a few of those influences in the context of my model of structural and technological influences.

Illustration Six: Structural and Technological Influences on Daniel’s Last Year of Life

The following are notable observations from my research on Daniel’s life as a union soldier.

I discovered first hand published autobiographies of individuals who served alongside Daniel in his regiment of the First New York Dragoons and the 149th Ohio volunteer infantry – an infantry unit that traveled alongside and protected Daniel’s wagon train.
I was also able to ‘fill in life experience gaps’ associated with Daniel’s life as a confederate prisoner through autobiographical accounts from soldiers who fought in infantry units that were captured during the Berryville wagon train raid.
To trace his Daniel’s experience in the war, I relied on academic sources that described and analyzed the major military campaigns and battles that the New York Regiment of the First Dragoons were participants.
I also used historical accounts of the Civil War to place Daniel’s experiences in a national and regional context.
Historical documentation on the condition of railways and roadways in the mid 1860s in the Confederacy provided a basis to document possible routes that were used to transport Daniel as a prisoner.

Don’t Forget the Gloves

Related to Daniel’s story as a prisoner is the story about a letter he wrote to his father during the Civil War..

An handwritten letter from Daniel to his father Joel Griffis was found in the U.S. Civil War Pension File Claim 231.631 of Joel Griffis, 31 May 1877.

Joel Griffis claimed that he was economically dependent on his son Daniel Griffis. Joel unsuccessfully requested a survivor’s pension. The letter was found in the request for a pension file. It was used to bolster Joel’s argument that he was financially dependent upon his son’s service in the Army.

Dont Forgit the Gloves

The two page letter was hand written while Daniel, age 32, and his regiment were camped in Mitchell’s Station, Virginia in the winter of 1863-1864. The letter touches on a number of subjects that provide a glimpse of everyday life as a soldier during war.

Daniel’s letter contains the following subjects:

The Regiment’s scouting trip;
Discussion on monetary support to his father and obtaining funds owed by Oscar Bristol;
Obtaining leather gloves for his wagon master duties;
A brief discussion about family and friends; and
The quality of food while at winter camp at Mitchell’s Station.

I was able to paint a picture of Daniel’s story by researching various social structural levels and technological influences in 1864 in the following areas (see Illustration eight as an example) :

the role of wagons in the civil war;
glove making during the civil war;
the nature of food and rations for the civil war soldier;
the genealogical tree of Daniel’s family;
the technical characteristics and possible innovations associated with civil war wagons;
what is was like and what were the demands to be a wagon master in the civil war; and
historical accounts of the various engagements of the First Dragoons.

Many of these observations lead to documenting social, cutlural, economic and technological influences and conditions that had an impact on Daniel’s life as a soldier.

Illustration Seven: Structural and Technological Influences: Daniel’s Letter

The Concepts of Selection and Significance

While recognizing the impact of various social, economic, cultural, technological influences on our ancestors, it begs the question on how does one pick and choose influences at various social levels and highlight cultural, technological or other factors in weaving stories from our genealogical evidence.

There is no easy answer. Selection is influenced by the questions being asked about the past. Perhaps one way to help with the ‘selection’ process is to frame questions of why or how it was possible something happened. Was it due to how family members were raised or were there influences in the local community or larger society? Did the local or regional economy have an impact on what you are writing about?

Edward Hallett Carr, an English historian, fundamentally viewed history as a continuous dialogue between the present and the past, where facts and their interpretation are inseparably intertwined. He rejected the notion that history was simply a collection of objective facts. In Carr’s view, facts fall into two categories: basic facts of the past (like “the Civil War was fought between 1860 and 1865) and facts chosen by historians for their significance. Carr emphasized that historical work is constructed and represents a discourse about the past rather than a mere reflection of it. [13]

Historical facts are not simply discovered and recorded but are actively selected and arranged by historians, and family historians, through a process of interpretation. The historian actively shapes historical narratives by choosing which facts to emphasize and interpret, rather than being a passive recorder of events. Facts do not exist in a pure form but are always “refracted through the mind of the recorder“.

Objectivity in history comes not from avoiding selection but from the family historian’s “sense of direction in history” and ability to choose significant facts that contribute to deeper historical understanding. This challenges the traditional notion of absolute historical objectivity while maintaining scholarly rigor.

Final Thoughts

The family historian actively shapes historical understanding by selecting and interpreting facts rather than merely collecting them. When writing a story, certain facts and evidence are highlighted to provide a background or historical texture to the story.

While much of my time is spent on gathering and analyzing facts and evidence that are directly associated with a specific person, family or family object, understanding and documenting the historical context requires in-depth research across multiple sources. This investment of time and focus creates richer, more meaningful, engaging family narratives that bring ancestors’ stories to life.

In addition to the above mentioned conceptual model of general social structural levels and other influences (cultural, technical, economic, political, environmental, etc), the perspective of time can be added to the mix to provide context and historical meaning to family history.

My views on adding different views of time are discussed in another story.

Sources

Feature Image: The image depicts the conceptual model for categorizing social structural influences and other influences that may be sources of evidence for providing an historical context for family stories. An application of the model is also depicted.

[1] Carmen J Finley, Creating a Winning Family History, Basic Standards for Family History Research and Writing, NGS Special Publication No. 99, Arlington: National Genealogical Society, 2010 , Page 20

[2] Jacqueline Jones, A Historian Among Genealogists: Working on Who Do You Think You Are?, Perspectives on History, Jan 1, 2013, https://www.historians.org/perspectives-article/a-historian-among-genealogists-working-on-who-do-you-think-you-are-january-2013

[3] See, for example, the two referenced sources below that merely provide influences that can be considered in writing a genealogical story.

Perilla StammlerJaliff, 75 Social Factors Examples (With Definition). 3 Sep 2023, HelpfulProfessor.com, https://helpfulprofessor.com/social-factors-examples/

Chris Drew, 101 Contextual Factors Examples, HelpfulProfessor.com, https://helpfulprofessor.com/contextual-factors-examples/

[4] See for example,:

Lloyd, Christopher. “The Methodologies of Social History: A Critical Survey and Defense of Structurism.” History and Theory, vol. 30, no. 2, 1991, pp. 180–219. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2505539

Crothers, Charles. “Recent Works on Social Structure: A literature – Review Essay, Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, vol. 22, no. 2, 1996, pp. 97–107. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23263034 .

Willer, David, et al. Social Theory and Historical Explanation, Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, vol. 22, no. 2, 1996, pp. 63–84. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23263032 .

Knottnerus, J. David. Social Structure: AN Introductory Essay, Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, vol. 22, no. 2, 1996, pp. 7–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23263028

Porpora, Douglas V. , Are There Levels of Social Structure?, Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, vol. 22, no. 2, 1996, pp. 15–29. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23263029

Spillman, Lyn. , How are Structures Meaningful? Cultural Sociology and Theories of Social Structure, Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, vol. 22, no. 2, 1996, pp. 31–45. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23263030

[5] See the following examples for great tips for putting facts into context:

Putting Family History into Context: A Special Issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. NGS Quarterly 88 (December 2000).

Everton Publishers, The Handybook for Genealogists, United States of America, 11th ed. (Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 2006).

Sandra MacLean Clunies, “Writing the Family History: Creative Concepts for a Lasting Legacy,” in Putting Family History into Context: A Special Issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, NGS Quarterly 88 (December 2000): 247–65

Val D. Greenwood, The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 3rd ed. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000),

Patricia Law Hatcher, Producing a Quality Family History (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1996).

Christine Rose, “Family Histories,” in Elizabeth Shown Mills, ed., Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2001), 449–74.

[6] The Sanborn Map Company was a prominent American publisher of detailed fire insurance maps from 1867 to the late 20th century. The maps provided detailed information about the size, shape, construction materials and function of buildings in urban areas . They also included details like street names and widths, property boundaries, building use, and the location of water mains, fire alarms and fire hydrants and the exact street numbers of buildings.

While originally created for insurance purposes, Sanborn maps have become invaluable historic resources. They allow researchers to trace urban development and changes over time, providing unparalleled detail about the built environment of American cities from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s . The Library of Congress holds the largest collection of Sanborn maps, which are widely used by historians, architects, genealogists and others.

Sanborn Maps, Wikipedia, This page was last edited on 1 May 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanborn_maps

Sanborn Maps, About This Collection, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/about-this-collection/

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Gloversville, Fulton County, New York., Sanborn Map Company, Published Oct 1902, Digital Id http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3804gm.g3804gm_g059511902

Coons, Alana, Let’s Talk about Sanborn Maps, University Heights Historical Society, https://www.uhhs-uhcdc.org/blog/lets-talk-sanborn-maps

Introduction to the Collection, Sanborn Maps Collection, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/articles-and-essays/introduction-to-the-collection/

Interpreting Sanborn Maps, Fire Insurance Maps at the Library of Congress: A Resource Guide, Library of Congress, https://guides.loc.gov/fire-insurance-maps/sanborn-interpreting

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map: How to Read Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia , https://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/maps/sanborn/web/details.html

How to: Use Sanborn Maps City Archives & Special Collections, New Orleans Public Library, https://nolacityarchives.org/2024/01/08/how-to-use-sanborn-maps/

[7] May 31, 1877 letter from U.S. Adjutant General’s Office to the Bureau of Pensions, Department of Interior, part of the file of Joel Griffis application for a military pension on behalf of Daniel Griffis, Pension File Application No. 231.631, National Archives, Civil War Pensions.

Joel Griffis claimed that he was economically dependent on Daniel Griffis and unsuccessfully requested a survivor’s pension.

[8] Goellnitz, Jenny, Civil War Medical Terms, E-History, Department of History, Ohio State University, Page was accessed January 19, 2021

[9] D. H. Rucker, D.H., Acting Quartermaster General, Brevet Major General, Quartermaster General’s Office, General Orders No. 7, February 20, 1868. Names of Soldiers who in Deference of the American Union, Suffered Martyrdom in the Prison Pens Throughout the South, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1868, Page 44 of the linked version, Page 134 of the original version.

[10] Jim Griffis, William James Griffis and Daniel Griffis – A Tale of Two Brothers (Part One), 3 Feb 2021, Griffis Family: Selected Stories from the Past, https://griffis.org/william-james-griffis-and-daniel-griffis-a-tale-of-two-brothers-part-one/

[11] Jim Griffis, The First New York dragoons – Daniel Griffis, 12 Dec 2022, Griffis Family: Selected Stories from the Past, https://griffis.org/the-first-new-york-dragoons-daniel-griffis/

[12] “Civil War armies were the most literate in history to that time. More than 90 percent of white Union soldiers and more than 80 percent of Confederate soldiers were literate, and most of them wrote frequent letters to families and friends … .”

McPherson, James, For Cause and Comrades Why Men Fought in the Civil War, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, Domina, L. (2017, July 26). Autobiography: White Women during the Civil War. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature. Retrieved 21 Dec. 2024, from https://oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-659

[13] On the Front Lines of History, The Gettysburg Compiler, Civil War Institute, Gettysburg College, https://gettysburgcompiler.org

What They Wrote, What They Saved: The Personal Civil War, 15 Oct 2014 through 20 Mar 201, Harvard Radcliffe Institute, https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2014-what-they-wrote-saved-exhibition

About Personal Narratives and Diaries, American Civil War: Resources in Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Maryland, https://lib.guides.umd.edu/c.php?g=326774&p=2197450

Inscoe, John. “Civil War Journals, Diaries, and Memoirs.” New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified Aug 25, 2020. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/civil-war-journals-diaries-and-memoirs/

[14] See for example:

James Riley Bowen, Regimental History of the First New York Dragoons: Originally the 130th N. Y. Vol; Infantry; During Three Years of Active Service in the Great Civil War, originally published by author 1900, Reprinted by Forgotten Books, 2012 https://archive.org/details/regimentalhistor00bowe/page/n7/mode/2up

Munson, John W. Reminiscences of a Mosby Guerrilla. New York: Moffat, Yard, and Co., 1906, https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesam00munsgoog

Perkins, George, A summer in Maryland and Virginia; or, Campaigning with the 149th Ohio volunteer infantry, a sketch of events connected with the service of the regiment in Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, Chillicothe, O. The Sholl printing company, 1911, https://archive.org/details/summerinmaryland00perk/page/n3/mode/2up

For discussions on the use of autobiographies, see for example:

Redlich, Fritz. “Autobiographies as Sources for Social History: A Research Program.” VSWG: Vierteljahrschrift Für Sozial- Und Wirtschaftsgeschichte, vol. 62, no. 3, 1975, pp. 380–90. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20730257. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

Civil War Memoirs .” American History Through Literature 1870-1920. . Encyclopedia.com. 18 Oct. 2023 https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/culture-magazines/civil-war-memoirs

Saunders, Catherine E. “American Civil War Era Memoirs and Autobiographies.” Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 272, Gale, 2013. Gale Literature Resource Center.

Jaume Aurel, “Autobiographical Texts as Historical Sources: Rereading Fernand Braudel and Annie Kriegel.”. Biography, vol. 29, no. 3, 2006, pp. 425–45. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23540525. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

[15] Carr, Edward Hallet, What is History, Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1966

Woznicki, Chris,The Epistemological Foundations of History: Bloch and Carr’s Philosophy of History Compared, 12 Mar 2018, CWoznicki Think Out Loud, https://cwoznicki.com/2018/03/12/the-epistemological-foundations-of-history-bloch-and-carrs-philosophy-of-history-compared/

Amelia Heath (2010) E.H. Carr: Approaches to Understanding Experience and Knowledge, Global Discourse, 1:1, 24-46, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23269995.2010.10707835

UKEssays. Edward Hallet Carrs Arguments In What Is History?. 2 May 2017, Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/philosophy/edward-hallet-carrs-arguments-in-what-is-history-philosophy-essay.php?vref=1