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Genealogy
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Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search
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Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search

A special issue of Genealogy (ISSN 2313-5778).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 March 2023) | Viewed by 14479

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Cláudia Gomes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology Department, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: forensic genetics; DNA; forensic biology; population genetics; low template DNA; STRs; X-chromosome; kinship analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Genealogy welcomes articles on the topic “Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search”. We invite contributors to discuss and examine how genetic analysis can lead to greater knowledge about the “Family” concept and kinship, whether it is close or not, using both traditional tools and new human genotype methodologies, in a vast field of investigations.

Although the concept of "Family" is much broader than simply the biological bond, more and more people are turning to genetic analysis in order to "find" this family bond. We invite researchers to reflect on what "family identity" could mean according to each society and/or time period; how this concept can model each person’s identity; if a genetic result can affect the personal identity of an adopted individual; or what could be the real value of a surname in the study of family lines. On the other hand, examining the usefulness of a genetic study in the reconstruction of identity, not only of the family but also of society, in cases of civil wars, terrorism, war conflicts, the disappearance of civilians during both civil and military dictatorships, and natural disasters, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides, among others. Furthermore, the genetic perspective is also considered very interesting in the study of ancient populations, relating them to each other, as well as comparing them with the modern gene pool, being able not only to describe possible population movements in "family groups", but also detect patterns of "identity" within and between communities. Finally, reflection is also important on the fundamental role that genetic analysis is playing in so-called "cold cases", namely in the field of forensic genealogy, and the possible legal issues associated with genetic study in genealogical research.

Discussion is also encouraged, from a more technical and/or methodological point of view, on which genotyping methodologies are more or less effective in these kinds of studies, from autosomal, X-chromosome, Y-chromosome, InDels, mini-STRs markers, mtDNA, mini-haplotypes as lineage, and ancestry inference SNPs, to the new human genotyping techniques, such as massive sequencing.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400-600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editors (Email: clopes01@ucm.es) or to the Genealogy editorial office (genealogy@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the special issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

Tentative completion schedule:

  • Abstract submission deadline: 16 October 2022
  • Notification of abstract acceptance: 30 October 2022
  • Full manuscript deadline: 5 March 2023

Dr. Cláudia Gomes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genealogy is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • family
  • family identity
  • DNA
  • genetic analysis
  • genetic genealogy
  • genetic markers
  • lineage markers
  • kinship analysis

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1510 KiB  
Article
The Origins of the Royal Spanish Surname Castilla: Genetics and Genealogy
by Ana María López-Parra, María Soledad Mesa, Fernando Castilla and Eduardo Arroyo-Pardo
Genealogy 2023, 7(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7030052 - 31 Jul 2023
Viewed by 2296
Abstract
In most Western European societies, surnames pass from generation to generation and in cases where surnames are shared by fathers to children, the Y chromosome passes down from fathers to male offspring in the same way as surnames do. The aim of this [...] Read more.
In most Western European societies, surnames pass from generation to generation and in cases where surnames are shared by fathers to children, the Y chromosome passes down from fathers to male offspring in the same way as surnames do. The aim of this study was to ascertain the patrilineal relationship between individuals with the surname “Castilla” and their respective Y-chromosome haplotypes. The toponymic surname “Castilla” is part of the Spanish royal family. Genealogical studies of this surname have allowed the formulation of different hypotheses about its origin, most of which were centered in Burgos. To shed some light on the origin of the surname Castilla and to investigate the possible co-ancestry behind the living carriers of this surname, markers located in the Y chromosome-specific region were analyzed in a sample of 102 men whose paternal surname was Castilla. The study aimed to establish the minimum number of founders and the expansion time of the lineages from our sample. Two major haplogroups were identified: R1b and E1b1b-M81. The high frequency of the E1b1b-M81 haplogroup in comparison to that of the general Spanish population, its low haplotype diversity, and its young TMRCA (323+/− 255 years CE) are compatible with the historical timing of the obligation to use surnames. However, the coincidence of the most common haplogroup in the Castilla sample and the most frequent haplogroup in the Spanish general population, R1b, makes it difficult to identify founder haplotypes/haplogroups in the history of the Castilla surname. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)
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24 pages, 3121 KiB  
Article
How Mitochondrial DNA Can Write Pre-History: Kinship and Culture in Duero Basin (Spain) during Chalcolithic and Bronze Age
by Sara Palomo-Díez, Ángel Esparza-Arroyo, Olga Rickards, Cristina Martínez-Labarga and Eduardo Arroyo-Pardo
Genealogy 2023, 7(3), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7030051 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4490
Abstract
The chronological period from the beginning of the Chalcolithic Age to the end of the Bronze Age on the Iberian northern sub-plateau of the Iberic Peninsula involves interesting social and cultural phenomena, such as the appearance of the Bell Beaker and, later, the [...] Read more.
The chronological period from the beginning of the Chalcolithic Age to the end of the Bronze Age on the Iberian northern sub-plateau of the Iberic Peninsula involves interesting social and cultural phenomena, such as the appearance of the Bell Beaker and, later, the Cogotas I cultures. This work constructs a genetic characterisation of the maternal lineages of the human population that lived on the northern sub-plateau between 5000 and 3000 years ago through an analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a kind of genetic marker that is inherited through maternal lineages, unaltered from generation to generation. Population and cultural questions are investigated through mtDNA analyses. This study intends to shed light on the following questions. Were individuals who were buried together in multiple or collective burials biologically related through their maternal lineages? Were there distinct maternal human lineages in the same or different geographical areas if different material cultures (Bell Beaker and Cogotas I) were associated with the arrival of new human populations who established close biological relationships with the endogenous populations? Or could this be the result of the transmission of knowledge without human populations mixing? Another important question is whether the material cultures were related to the female populations. We analysed 91 individuals from 28 different archaeological sites of the Iberian northern sub-plateau from four different chrono-cultural periods (Pre-Bell Beaker, Bell Beaker, Proto-Cogotas I, and Cogotas I), from the end of the Chalcolithic Age up to the Bronze Age. There were two historical moments of new populations arriving: the first during the Pre-Bell Beaker period, associated with the K mtDNA haplogroup, and the second during the Proto-Cogotas I culture, with new lineages of the H, HVO, and T haplogroups. Neither of these new population flows were directly associated with the maximum development of the two main material cultures Bell Beaker and Cogotas I, so they must have occurred immediately beforehand, during the Pre-Bell Beaker and Proto-Cogotas I periods, respectively. However, we cannot discard an association between the populations and material cultures. Curiously, it has also been observed that there was also a tendency towards multiple burials, in which the individuals who were buried together belonged to the same maternal lineage, during these two periods of population change. This study has shed some light on the populational changes that occurred through these different periods in this specific geographical area of the northern sub-plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)
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14 pages, 1643 KiB  
Article
Genetic Population Flows of Southeast Spain Revealed by STR Analysis
by María Saiz, Christian Haarkötter, Luis Javier Martinez-Gonzalez, Juan Carlos Alvarez and Jose Antonio Lorente
Genealogy 2023, 7(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7020029 - 25 Apr 2023
Viewed by 2336
Abstract
The former Kingdom of Granada, comprising the provinces of Granada, Málaga, and Almería (GMA), was once inhabited for over 700 years (711–1492 AD) by a North African population, which influenced its creation and establishment. The genetic data on 15 autosomal short tandem repeats [...] Read more.
The former Kingdom of Granada, comprising the provinces of Granada, Málaga, and Almería (GMA), was once inhabited for over 700 years (711–1492 AD) by a North African population, which influenced its creation and establishment. The genetic data on 15 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) in 245 unrelated donor residents were examined in order to assess any possible admixture. As the two surnames in Spain follow an inheritance similar to the Y chromosome, both surnames of all 245 unrelated individuals were queried and annotated. The Spanish Statistics Office website was consulted to determine the regions with the highest frequency of individuals born bearing each surname. Further, several heraldry and lineage pages were examined to determine the historical origin of the surnames. By AMOVA and STRUCTURE analysis, the populations of the three provinces can be treated genetically as a single population. The analysis of allele frequencies and genetic distance demonstrated that the GMA population lay in the Spanish population group but was slightly more similar to the North African populations than the remainder of the Spanish populations. In addition, the surnames of most individuals originated in Northern and Central Spain, whereas most surnames had higher frequencies in Southern Spain. These results confirm that the GMA population shows no characteristics that reflect a greater genetic influence of North African people than the rest of the populations of the Iberian Peninsula. This feature is consistent with the historical data that African inhabitants were expelled or isolated during the repopulation of the region with Spaniards from Northern Spain. The knowledge of present populations and their genetic history is essential for better statistical results in kinship analyses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)
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16 pages, 2755 KiB  
Article
Maternal Lineages during the Roman Empire, in the Ancient City of Gadir (Cádiz, Spain): The Search for a Phoenician Identity
by Cláudia Gomes, Carlos González Wagner, Manuel Calero-Fresneda, Sara Palomo-Díez, César López-Matayoshi, Inês Nogueiro, Ana María López-Parra, Elena Labajo González, Bernardo Perea Pérez, José María Gener Basallote, Juan Miguel Pajuelo and Eduardo Arroyo Pardo
Genealogy 2023, 7(2), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7020027 - 17 Apr 2023
Viewed by 4306
Abstract
Phoenicians were probably the first eastern Mediterranean population to establish long-distance connections with the West, namely the Iberian Peninsula, from the final Bronze to the early Iron Age. For a long time, these colonies all over the Mediterranean Sea directly depended on an [...] Read more.
Phoenicians were probably the first eastern Mediterranean population to establish long-distance connections with the West, namely the Iberian Peninsula, from the final Bronze to the early Iron Age. For a long time, these colonies all over the Mediterranean Sea directly depended on an important city administration, Gadir, the most important metropolis in the Western Mediterranean. Modern archaeological excavations were discovered in Cadiz (Spain), the ancient city of Gadir, as well as possible Phoenician burial places. The purpose of the present work is the molecular study of 16 individuals, (V–IV millennium B.C, V A.D.) from several burial places found in Cadiz, attempting to disclose their maternal biogeographical ancestry. Furthermore, the determination of a possible biological link between two individuals found buried together was also an objective of this investigation. Of all the 16 analyzed individuals, eight of them produced positive results. Three main lineages were found: HV0, H and L3b. In general, the results support an Eastern origin for this set of individuals, reinforcing the theory of a Phoenician origin. Due to their historical period, in some cases, it was not possible to discard a Roman origin. Finally, the maternal kinship between two individuals found buried together was discarded. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)
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