Summer

 

Vincent van Gogh. Garden at Arles. Jul 1888.

Research Progress August 2026

This is my monthly spot to review progress on my various research questions. As I head into the DNA Skills Workshop, it is time for a reset.

My Paternal Side

I had hoped to spend some time in July researching the mystery O'Brien connections who went to Australia. While I continued with chromosome mapping, digging into these Australian connections didn't happen. I may put that off for a bit. In the meantime, here's the current topics that I do want to try to pursue in the Skills workshop:

1. Determining the family of my Irish immigrant 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget.
2. Pursuing the possible leads connected to the Hanley family in LaSalle County, Illinois (see my recap from April 2026).
3. Jones YDNA
4. Working with XDNA matches

My Maternal Side

1. Portillo DNA matches and the mystery Guerrero-Leyvas.
2. Analyzing mtDNA matches in the maternal line path of Maria Jesus Vasquez
3. Campuzano YDNA
4. Creating a genetic map for the descendants of Jose Jesus Amado and Gertrudis Palomino
5. Continuing chromosome mapping using matches at FTDNA, Gedmatch, MyHeritage and 23andme

DNA in the news: Smallpox DNA recovered from Conquest-era Chilean mummies

A Reuters article from 30 July 2026 describes new research identifying smallpox in the DNA from Chilean mummies dated to the Spanish conquest era. The research was published in the 30 July issue of Science.

The researchers were able to sequence smallpox genomes from two likely Incan individuals dated between 1492 and 1631 CE.

This reminds me of the traces of smallpox in the photo of Jesus Anaya, taken in November 1916.

DNA in the news: ghost DNA signatures from ancient ancestors

A study published yesterday in Science identified signatures from mysterious populations of archaic humans before the time of neanderthals and denisovans. This article in the Telegraph provides a summary of the discovery.

Science. 30 Jul 2026.

Dad and Stormy

 

Photo by KDJ. Stormy & Dad.

An undated photo of my Dad with a dog named Stormy, likely taken about 1950-52 in Indianapolis. This is part of a set of photos taken by my Gumpy. Stormy appears to be a beagle or hound mix. I don't know if this was my Dad's dog, or the dog of my great-grandparents.