Welcome to matches by cluster

 

Ancestry ProTools new Cluster feature.

A new clustering tool has appeared in my Ancestry ProTools. I'm excited to put this to work, and see how it differs from the clustering tool on MyHeritage. It is clearly marked as a beta product and Ancestry notes you'll soon be able to adjust the size and make custom clusters.

An example from my Mom's paternal side, does fairly neatly group the largest matches into my Read-Cain (orange) and Whitley-Matthews (purple and green) lines on that side of the tree.

Mom's Paternal view with the new cluster tool.

The maternal view is a bit messier, which probably indicates many of these people in Mexico were related to each other.

Mom's maternal side cluster view.

There's still some bugs to work out. When I ran the tool on my Dad's side of the tree, it would only return a small group of paternal side matches, and left out people I know should be grouped together on the maternal side. It does look promising and should improve over time.

Adding an X to the DNA toolbox

After watching a recent webinar on using XDNA for genealogy (see this 2014 article for a summary, this 2012 blog from Roberta Estes, or this short YouTube video from Diahan Southard of YourDNAGuide for more information), I spent part of the weekend looking at matches on FamilyTreeDNA and Gedmatch. I had completely overlooked this type of DNA, and now see this can be a really useful addition to the toolbox for uncovering matches and inheritance patterns.

If you've transferred a DNA kit to FamilyTreeDNA and unlocked FamilyFinder (their autosomal product), you should be able to see XDNA matches. As an example, below is a partial screenshot (removing any identifying information) from FamilyFinder on my Mom's kit. I've switched to Table View, and clicked twice on the X Match column to pull all the XDNA matches to the top.

FTDNA Table View with X Matches.

The Shared DNA column is showing autosomal DNA in centimorgans. There are other columns further on the right showing mtDNA haplogroups (if a test has been taken), and actions allowing filtering by matches In Common or Not in Common, a link to a family tree (if available) and a notes box. Several of these matches also have profiles on Ancestry or MyHeritage, so this helps identify other connections. I am currently looking at this as another angle on my Vasquez and Amado research questions.

On Gedmatch, this feature has been there for a long time but I didn't know to look for it. Select the kit you want to run a one-to-many DNA comparison on from the drop-down menu (or enter a kit number), and select filter by X DNA. I typically adjust the size to return more matches (perhaps 250), and then I leave everything else as is on the menu and hit the submit button.

Filtering by X DNA matches on Gedmatch.

The first column shows a match number, and a kit number, with the user name and a partially anonymized email address associated with the kit. My image below cuts off those earlier columns to preserve privacy details for the matches from my Mom's kit.

Filtering by X DNA report on Gedmatch.

Again, this is really useful, and it shows most of the largest XDNA matches share no autosomal DNA. I have to scroll down to #10 on the list to see my Mom's 2nd cousin, CD, who I know descends from my 2nd-great-grandparents Vicente Campuzano and Maria Jesus Vasquez through their daughter Concepcion Campuzano. CD has 34.6 cM XDNA in common with my Mom and 211 cM autosomal (209 on Ancestry). It's unclear if she inherited an even 50% from Vicente and Maria Jesus, but I know this 34.6 in common is coming from the Mexican side of the tree as CD won't have any XDNA in common with my Mom's paternal side.

Vicente inherited his XDNA from his mother, Maria Concepcion Amado, so some trace of her XDNA may have passed down to CD through Vicente, but more likely the part in common is from the Vasquez-Suastegui branches of the tree. I still have more to learn about XDNA inheritance and its uses for genealogy. It's great to know these tools are available and I will definitely be using this more in my DNA research questions on the Mexican side of the tree.

Medical education in Edinburgh, 1775

 

Made in Ideogram.

The imagined scene above shows what learning may have been like for John McIntosh while he attended the University of Edinburgh in 1775, listening to lectures by Alexander Monro secundus or William Cullen. This blog written by students (see link) at the university in 2021 also provides a description of how medical education was delivered during the time when John was there.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Edinburgh, 1 July 2025.

John would have also seen this view of Edinburgh Castle, and the growing city below.

DNA in the news

A few stories worth highlighting from over the long holiday weekend:

First, a heartwarming article in the Washington Post about the power of DNA to reunite family, separated at the end of WW2. A half-brother in Japan and sister in California were able to meet after their family members who had tested on MyHeritage were able to resolve the mystery match.

The second article (actually there's several) summarizes a new study in Nature (2 July 2025) on the DNA sequenced for an Egyptian potter who lived 4,500 years ago (see article on DW). National Geographic also published an article on the recreation of the potter's face using DNA analysis. See also the article in the Associated Press from 2 July.

A third story in the Cambridge University Press highlights a study confirming European sardines were used in Roman era fish sauces and farmed along the Galician coast. Scientists used DNA analysis on residue from the bottom of fish-salting vats.

Medical student in the class of 1775

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. U. Edinburgh Archives. 1 July 2025.

Among the many students enrolled at the University of Edinburgh's Medical School in December 1775 was John McIntosh, my 5th-great-grandfather. According to the family story, written by his grandson, Andrew J. McIntosh, John had attended the school to study medicine and surgery. He had been sent to the school by his uncle, John Og, who was also a physician and surgeon. 

When I first read about this story in 2012, and in the years since then, I had not seen any other documentation to verify John had attended the medical school. In February 2025, I wrote to the University Archives to inquire on documentation they may have showing that John McIntosh attended the school in 1775 or 1776. Thankfully, the team at the Heritage Collections department responded quickly that they did have medical matriculation indexes showing John as a student during those years, and I could view those in person during my June trip to Edinburgh. The photo above shows the start of the list of students for the class of surgery, taught by Alexander Monro secundus. John's name appears in a clearly written signature for the December 1775 class (below).

Photo by Patrick Jones. Matriculation index.

Photo by Patrick Jones. 1 July 2025.

On the image above, the description is written in Latin, and I have not yet transcribed this for translation. John also appears on the December 1776 matriculation list, alongside another McIntosh, Lauchlan McIntosh. It is not clear if this a younger brother of John or someone unrelated.

Photo by Patrick Jones. 1776 matriculation index.

Unfortunately, there are no other records on John with the University Archives. I asked an assistant how long a typical student of the day may have attended the medical school. I was told they may have enrolled for a year or two, and from these records it is hard to tell how long a student may have been at the school, whether they finished or graduated.

The family story is that John McIntosh left the school around the Spring of 1776 with his uncle, and he became an assistant surgeon in the British Army under General Cornwallis. As John's signature is on the December 1776 matriculation index, the date of departure in the family story may be off.

I checked the University Archives for any reference to John Og, but nothing came up. If he did train as a physician and surgeon, it happened somewhere else. I need to do some further research into John's service in the British Army, and to see if there are references to John Og as a surgeon in the Army.

I put "John Og" into FamilySearch Labs' Full-text search tool, and found a reference in a 1924 publication called Scottish Notes and Queries (link - Nov. 1924). A McIntosh researcher had submitted a query asking for information on John Og Mackintosh (the uncle) and John Og Mackintosh (the nephew).

FamilySearch. Scottish Notes and Queries, 1924.