Center For Human Genetics
copyright 1996 by FEEFHS; all rights reserved
Latest Update: 21 March 1996
Postal Address:
CENTER FOR HUMAN GENETICS
Municipal Building
P. O. Box 770
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609-0770
FEEFHS Representative: Thomas H. Roderick, Ph.D., Project Director
Please use the above address
eMail address:thr@jax.org
Telephone: (207)288-3371
Research Activities: To quote Dr. Roderick: "The Center's Umbilical Line
Project has potential significance to FEEFHS members and organizations with members
whose confirmed genealogy reaches back into the 1700's or early 1800's. The project is
interested in learning more about East European umbilical lines and their mitochrondrial
DNA, which can help confirm the accuracy of some genealogies.
Background of Umbilical Lines, mtDNA and implications to FEEFHS: "An
umbilical line is the matrilineal line passing only through females. In other words, it is the
mother's mother's mother's mother's etc. line. Mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) is a special kind
of DNA passing only through this umbilical line."
"Men and women both have their mother's mtDNA, but only women pass it to their
children. Thus your mtDNA should be identical to that of all your umbilical female
ancestors, going back perhaps hundreds of years. This kind of DNA also shows ethnic
differences. FEEFHS should be an interesting place to help identify and characterize these
differences".
Background of the Umbilical Line Project: "The Center for Human Genetics is
a non-profit service and research institution, collecting long 'umbilical lines' with proper
genealogical documentation. If two lines are found to intersect, the contributors are notified,
so they can compare genealogical information and research. In cases where long lines
intersect in a distant umbilical ancestor, contributors will be asked to provide a small sample
of blood for mtDNA analysis."
Further information may be obtained by writing to:
Umbilical Line Project
Center for Human Genetics
P. O. Box 770
Bar Harbor, Maine 04690-0770
Editor's Note: FEEFHS accepted this organization into our genealogy federation after hearing
the presentation at the National Genealogical Society (NGS) meeting in San Diego (see NGS
Syllabus Volume 1, lecture #W34, pages 125-128) and personally speaking with Thomas
Roderick at length on two occasions after his lecture. We were impressed with his sincerity,
devotion to the scientific method, and the dedication of this project to research in an area that
can greatly assist in scientifically confirming genealogical research work by many of our
members in every country and ethnic area we deal with.
We sincerely hope that by publicizing this project, FEEFHS can help this Center to make
contact with many of the members of our societies and other who already have confirmed
their mother's lines back to the early 19th century or early 18th century. In doing so, we
hope to help to:
1) assist in advancing the state of the art of genetic confirmation of individual researched
lines of members of FEEFHS as well as...
2) to help add to the body of knowledge regarding the potential significance and variety of
mtDNA that exists in East European populations.
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