Cape-Dutch DNA project

DELANEY Carol PHOTO 2021 02 13Jaco Strauss , 10 April 2021
Jaco's interest was piqued when he started researching his own family tree (as we all probably too).
He then went on to focus on DNA and currently administers the Cape Dutch group with a focus on the period 1652 - 1806.
He explained the different Haplogroups, represented by letters of the alphabet, in a table showing how men with specific surnames match each other according to their Haplogroups, and women’s DNA mother lines confirm their paper trails to the direct female ancestor.
He focuses on direct father and mother DNA  (Y-DNA and MtDNA) tests and told interesting stories about adopted and even illegitimate children whose facts were concealed at the time. The relationships came to light after DNA tests were done.
Interesting is the story of the "deserter" who changed his surname and it passed unnoticed until a family member had a DNA test done.  This confirmed the family lore when his DNA confirmed that he did match with other men carrying his birth surname.
It was an interesting and informative talk by a person who has a passion and love for what he does.
That the members who listened to the talk were very interested in the topic became clear during the question-and-answer session. It lasted just as long as the talk!