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The mission of this group is to try and unite those individuals who have conducted an autosomal DNA test through companies such as Family Tree DNA, 23andMe, or Ancestry.com to other Jewish individuals and families who came from Ukmerge District Lithuania.
Shtetls in Ukmerge Uyezd:
Anyksciai, Balninkai, Debekiai, Kavarskas, Kupiskis, Kurkliai, Raguva, Seta, Skiemonys, Subacius, Svedasai, Taujenai, Traupis, Troskunai, Ukmerge, Utena, Uzpaliai, Vidiskiai, Viesintos, Vyzuonos, Zelva
Members of this group should be aware of the LitvakSIG District Research Group under the name: Ukmerge District Research Group
[http://www.litvaksig.org/district-research/ukmerge-district-researc...]
The LitvakSIG home page is...
[http://www.litvaksig.org/index.php]
I encourage all members to do an autosomal DNA test to help add to the pool of information for our families in this area.
[http://www.familytreedna.com/family-finder-compare.aspx]
'* A good article about Autosomal DNA
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[http://www.dnainheritance.kahikatea.net/autosomal.html]
Some General Guidelines For The Group
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1. If you didn't do an Autosomal DNA test, then this project may not be the right project for you. It is NOT for general postings about lost family members. No matter what though, all who are interested are welcome to stay. Live by the golden rule... Treat people the way you would like to be treated.
2. REMEMBER... Just because someone is a "match" to you... it may NOT be a connection based on THIS geographic area. We are all Ashkenazi Jews in this group and we all seem to be distant cousins to one another. This group does not replace doing conventional grunt work... in fact it will probably increases the work you'll want to do. Someone once described autosomal DNA genealogy as the world's largest Sudoku puzzle.
3. This is a fledgling group. There do not seem to be the right tools (as of this moment) available for analyzing large groups of people. I've been in touch with some folks who are working on that very issue. Cross comparisons of a group.... some very interesting research. If any one else has ideas... please throw them in the mix. Until then, it's still heavy lifting of genetic analysis and comparison. Looking at groups and seeing where folks overlap on certain segments and doing cross comparisons. Lot's of spreadsheets.
4. Learn the value AND limitations of XDNA in your analysis. NOT to be confused with mtDNA (Mitochondrial DNA) testing. That's different. As the group grows... there is a potential to maybe mix in both YDNA and mtDNA results as a tool, but I'm still trying to start small time first.
5. Be Patient. If something doesn't jump out at first... months later with new fresh eyes or data, something new may later reveal itself. Remember, there are ALWAYS new people coming in to the pool. Keep you're expectations tempered.
6. I'm always learning myself and I have a full time job. I've been at autosomal research for just over two years. I would love any sort of help that anyone would like to give. I hope that as this group grows over time and evolves, we will learn from each other and discover our past.