With high school football scheduled to kick off next Friday, Trey Snide talked with Vance Co. Vipers head coach Hunter Jenks to discuss the game against Chapel Hill to begin the football season. Despite having fewer players than last year’s squad, Jenks says, “The kids have been fantastic. They’ve had great attitudes.” Jenks hopes that once in-school instruction returns on March 9th that the team will be able to add more players. With only seven regular-season games this year, it will be important for the Vipers to hit the ground running. “We have a good knowledge of the Chapel Hill team,” Jenks says. Film study has given the staff some insight into what Chapel Hill will bring to the field in Henderson next Friday night.
Like all other high school teams, Vance County has challenges. The team has only had two contact practices and must contend with replacing Samein Burwell at quarterback. “We have two players battling for quarterback,” says Coach Jenks. Jenks has not named a starter for the opening game but did say he hopes that whoever does start will be able to “step in and play to the best of their ability.” Additionally, Jenks said many players have had to fit practices around his player’s work commitments including students who work full time.
Originally, the Vipers were scheduled to have a scrimmage against Goldsboro tomorrow, Feb. 19th, but that has now been pushed back to noon on Saturday.
Once again, the Vipers welcome Chapel Hill for the first home game of the season on Friday, Feb. 26th. The game will be broadcast live on WIZS.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/towntalk.png265504John C. Rosehttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngJohn C. Rose2021-02-18 12:53:322021-02-18 12:53:32TownTalk 02-18-21 Ice Storm
A second winter storm is predicted to bring more ice and freezing rain to the area overnight and into Thursday, following on the heels of last weekend’s ice storm that residents have barely recovered from.
Brian Short, director of emergency operations for Henderson and Vance County, told John C. Rose Wednesday that the National Weather Service prediction of up to .35 inches of ice is a conservative prediction, and he said the area could experience widespread power outages again.
Power crews have been working nonstop since Saturday to restore power, he said, and a second storm means that those efforts “are going to be undone,” he said during Wednesday’s Town Talk. The storm that hit the area Friday night and into Saturday made wet ground even wetter, Short said. “A lot of the trees in danger of falling have already fallen,” he said, but this storm brings with it the potential for more ice than with the previous storm, so trees will be even more stressed.
Short expects dangerous conditions all day Thursday, with temperatures not getting above freezing until late morning or lunchtime. Although the forecast indicates the storm will last about 24 hours, “the aftermath is probably going to be with us for days, just like the last one,” Short said.
The state of emergency that was issued locally for the first storm remains in effect until the second storm has moved out, he said. As of 5 p.m., he and his staff will be operating on Level 1 status. Additional staff will be on hand beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday.
Please do NOT call 911 to report a power outage, Short stressed. “Your call could keep someone with an an actual emergency from getting help as quickly as possible,” he said.
And if you don’t have to go outside, please don’t, he added. “One of the dangers in an event like this is downed trees and power lines,” Short said. If the predictions are accurate, the ice accumulations on trees will be more significant than last weekend’s storm. “Trees are going to be snapping and breaking constantly all around us,” so walking outside or driving a vehicle “presents a really dangerous situation.”
A 911 communications employee was driving to work in last week ‘s storm and a tree fell on the car the employee was in, he said. “There is a really strong danger with storms like this that we don’t see with snow,” Short added.
Short had other warnings, which include:
Don’t use an alternative heat source indoors that is not meant for indoor use.
Don’t overload power strips.
Do make sure you’re putting the right type of fuel in alternative heat sources and make sure you follow manufacturer’s recommendations for use.
The “Golden Rule” of emergency management, Short said, is to plan for 72 hours of being self-sufficient. In the event of a widespread event, that’s how long it could take for help to arrive.
For Short and his emergency operations crews, one prediction is sure: “We’re going to have a very busy day ahead of us,” he said.
Call 800.419.6356 to report a power outage. Do not call 911.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0063_H-V-Emergency-Operations.jpg.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2021-02-17 12:32:332021-02-17 19:03:40TownTalk 2-17-21 Brian Short, Vance Co. Emergency Operations Director
Shemecka McNeil calls it “stainless-steel syndrome.” Similar to “white coat syndrome” that describes the aversion some people have to going to doctors, those suffering stainless steel syndrome have an aversion to preparing healthy foods. McNeil is working to change that attitude, while transforming diets with a focus on healthier eating habits through the work she does with SLICE 325.
McNeil began SLICE 325 in 2017. SLICE is an acronym for Serving Locations Inviting Culinary Education, and McNeil and her team recently participated in the drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic. The non-profit has worked with other community organizations such as Families Living Violence Free and Area Congregations in Ministry food bank to promote healthy eating habits. “There are a lot of people out there who need help,” McNeil told Town Talk host John C. Rose Tuesday. The way she sees it, community support and healthy eating habits go hand in hand, helping people live a better life.
Whether it’s teaching people about alternatives to processed sugar or helping apartment dwellers create patio gardens for summer vegetables, McNeil said SLICE 325 can help change attitudes and habits about food preparation.
The five-week program is “home economics with a twist,” she said. Some of the topics they discuss are how to coupon and budget, creating container gardens and even dining etiquette. The groups take field trips to the grocery store or farmers market, too, she said.
Healthy eating can reduce heart disease, cancer and stroke, she said. But preparing healthier choices is sometimes easier said than done. The five-week program called Creative Sustainability targets those with not a lot of extra money “leverage their resources in order to create healthy meals for themselves and their families,” according to the non-profit’s website. Participants can learn how to tweak recipes to make them healthier but still tasty.
Want to lower your salt intake? McNeil and SLICE 325 can tell you how. Other suggestions: Agar sugar or monk fruit, in syrup form, are good replacements for processed sugar. You can put it in coffee or ice cream, McNeil said. The spice turmeric reduces inflammation and lemon-infused water curbs the appetite, brightens the skin and cleanses the body, she added.
“We just show you what nature has provided for us,” McNeil said. Using foods that help your body heal is just one way to increase your activity level, which also promotes good health.
“You can have cheat days, it’s ok!” McNeil said. The goal, she said, is to help people. The five-week program costs $50 a person and is heavy on hands-on, not handouts and lectures, she said. “We love questions, we like to be personable,” McNeil said. “We make it fun for everybody.”
Eat anything you choose, McNeil said, but added, “as long as it’s in moderation.” It’s hard to stick to a healthy diet 365 days a year, she acknowledged. That’s where the “325” comes into play in the non-profit’s name. “We took off 40 days for mental health,” she said.
Whether it’s excess rainfall or weekend ice storms in late winter, handling all that Mother Nature doles out requires flexibility and the “glass half-full” outlook. Although Rob Montague, area ranger with the NC Forest Service, can’t do much to prevent weather events, he can help area landowners create plans to best manage their resources.
Montague, area ranger for Vance and Granville counties, was named NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 2020 Employee of the Year. He appeared on Monday’s Town Talk and discussed with host John C. Rose the importance of land management practices and how he and his team help landowners.
Montague said it was “a real honor” to be recognized for the award. “But my first thought was hey, there’s more involved here than just me,” he continued. The five-person office oversees fire control, forest management and education and Montague said they “work together as a team.”
The award was announced virtually by NC Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. A written statement from Troxler’s office said Montague was honored “for going above and beyond in his daily work, for personally responding to many of the emergency calls in his area and for being a valued resource in the local community.”
Building relationships within the community is something that Montague considers his biggest accomplishment. From helping individual landowners develop forest management plans to working alongside volunteer firefighters, Montague said so much of what he does would not be possible without the support he gets from his family.
Despite “weird” schedules and calls out in the middle of the night, family support for what he does and for what emergency responders do is critical, he said. He was among a small army of folks, no doubt, who cleared limbs and downed trees after the weekend ice storm. There are “excellent fire departments across both counties,” Montague said, and the firefighters are “awesome individuals. Some are paid and some are volunteers,” he added, “but there’s very little difference in how they do their job.”
Montague spends a chunk of time helping landowners formulate a forest management plan. Sometimes, owners simply want to preserve wooded areas for recreation or for conservation reasons. Other owners have stands of timber that will be used to generate income in the future. Montague said conservation is the wise use of resources, and he enjoys helping landowners determine the best way to manage their land. “In Granville and Vance counties, we are very heavily forested, so that means (there’s) quite a bit of work to be done. Forestry is very important to the economy of both counties,” he said.
A forest management plan is a landowner’s roadmap to guide and manage their forest resources for achieve their goals, he said. Knowing when to thin or harvest time, as well as planting new stands of timber are all part of the expertise he shares with landowners. There may be cost-share programs to help defray the cost of planting, thinning trees or doing herbicide work, he added.
“The biggest joy to me is just getting out and meeting people and giving assistance, Montague said. “We’re part of their tax dollars,” he said, adding that people appreciate the fact that he provides unbiased opinions and information. “We don’t have monetary gain for providing information,” he said, although his office can provide landowners with a list of contractors who specialize in particular areas of management practices.
The recent extended periods of wet weather have made it more difficult for logging crews to do their work, and landowners who own tracts that dry more quickly could reap economic benefits, he said. Finished lumber prices have spiked during the pandemic, Montague said, but little profit has trickled to the landowner thus far. The pine market fluctuates more than the market for hardwoods, he said, adding “the need for quality hardwood is going to always be there.”
Landowners should consider a minimum of 15 acres of timberland for investment purposes, Montague recommended, simply to make the jobs of thinning or harvesting a tract appealing to logging crews. But there are other steps that landowners can take before a stand of timber is harvested that can have a positive effect on the environment, he said.
He and his team educate landowners about soil and water conservation and wildlife habitat, but a favorite type of education occurs during the second week of October, he added. That is Fire Prevention Week – normally a time when the rangers visit schools to share Smokey Bear with elementary students. “Seeing their reaction to Smokey Bear is a really fun time of year for us,” he said.
In true “glass half full” fashion, Montague said the forest land in this area is in good shape. Although trees don’t like very saturated conditions, they tolerate drought conditions even less.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Rob-Montague_020921_NCFS.jpg265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2021-02-15 16:39:462021-02-15 16:41:12Montague Cultivates Relationships to Get More Done for People
The Masonic Home for Children in Oxford has a long history of providing for children who, for reasons beyond their control, need a place to live. And although things have evolved over the years, Administrator Kevin Otis said the MHCO mission remains the same, some 150 years after the orphanage was established.
Otis was on Thursday’s Town Talk with host John C. Rose and discussed a bit of the past, its relationship with nearby Central Children’s Home and what he hopes is in store for the future.
Both orphanages are recipients of a current donation drive, the idea of Alyssa Blair, an employee with the City of Oxford. Donations selected from a wish list may be dropped off at the City of Oxford offices, 300 Williamsboro St., Oxford through March 24, Otis said.
Household items like batteries and flashlights, dish towels and bath towels, as well as supplies for school or office would all be appreciated, he said. “If we get a box of pens donated, then we don’t have to buy a box of pens,” he said.
Any items that families seem to need to function properly would be useful. “We really go through that stuff” in the cottages, he said.
Currently, there are 37 children residing at MHCO. Stricter licensing regulations for staffing ratios make it more difficult to offer space to more children. The children live, family-style, not in dormitories as of old, but in cottages with two house parents.
The campus, located at 600 College Street, has buildings that are occupied by other agencies that serve the community, and Otis is proud of the community partnerships that have developed over the years. For instance, Smart Start has a satellite office on campus, and there are Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, too. He hopes a popular karate class can crank back up when COVID-19 restrictions loosen. And a plan is in the works to provide some additional services to those who live off campus, but said details have to be sorted out before any announcement is made.
Otis speculated that COVID-19 may play a role in the lower numbers of residents. “Families aren’t comfortable (with their children) being in congregate care. He said he hopes that a boost in marketing will reach families who need help. Older children could also be a part of the independent living program.
Further complicating the placement process is the requirement to quarantine for 14 days upon taking up residence at the orphanage, he said.
Admissions, or placements, is but a part of the job of MHCO administrator, Otis said. “It means you wear every hat,” he said. “You are the person communicating with the board, vetting ideas, getting their feedback of what are best practices and best business practices and then going ahead and making sure that we conform to those by policies and procedures,” he said. It involves fundraising, going out and doing presentations…and dealing with incidents that may arise,” he continued.
Being the administrator also involves, however “getting the pats on the back for the wonderful things that your staff has done,” Otis said. One initiative comes as a result of a grant from Triangle North Healthcare to train staff on the trauma-informed model of care through Cornell University. The practices included in this particular model of care “will help all of our staff, even maintenance and print shop people, understand better the traumatic situations that kids go through,” he said. It will provide a kind of comfort level for children who have been in traumatic situations, which helps them become more successful.
Otis said a strategic planning session is scheduled for March for the board, as well as some MHCO employees and other invitees. He hopes that this session will solidify a strong marketing plan for the next four years and beyond. The ultimate goal, he said, is to market the home, increase the number of children in residence and make sure the programs are delivered using best practices.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/towntalk.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2021-02-11 14:53:572021-02-11 16:34:36TownTalk 2-11-21 Kevin Otis, Masonic Home For Children
February is American Heart Month, and a local cardiologist was happy to steal the medical spotlight from COVID-19 for a short while to discuss heart health, risk factors and ways people can contribute to their own good heart health.
Dr. Sydney Short has more than 30 years’ experience as a cardiologist, and he has been at Maria Parham Health since late January 2019. He spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. In addition to the usual suggestions for improving heart health – regular exercise, watch your diet, and stop smoking – Short offered additional insights to help people feel better about how they treat their hearts.
Although heart disease is an increasing concern, he said, advances in treatments are encouraging. “It’s important,” Short said, “and something that a lot of people deal with in their lives.” And yes, regular exercise is still the best way to improve your heart function,” Short said. During the pandemic, however, regular exercise regimens may have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions. It needs to be sustained, aerobic exercise that gets your heart rate up, Short reminded. Unfortunately, simply being physically active in the workplace doesn’t count.
He said he has enjoyed having an ongoing doctor-patient relationship with his patients. When patients come in with a problem and have a heart catheterization study “and you see that it can be fixed, patients often feel better quickly and get back to a normal life,” he said. “It’s fun to be involved in their lives and see how much better they’re doing after they’ve actually been able to have an intervention,” Short added.
To Hear Dr. Short’s TownTalk Interview, Click Play…and continue reading below.
Of course, it’s always better to maintain good heart health and not need the services of a cardiologist. But for those who need a cardiologist’s care, help is a short drive away. “It’s very exciting and very rewarding to see patients get this health care that previously had been a farther distance away – and now it’s on their doorstep,” Short added. Maria Parham’s Cardiology office is located behind the main hospital in the Jenkins Building.
There’s a difference between heart disease and a heart attack, Short explained. For example, a person who exhibits chest pain each day when he walks to the mailbox is probably describing an ongoing or developing heart problem. Sudden, immediate pain in the chest, however, is more associated with a heart attack.
Symptoms, in addition to sudden chest pain that are warning signs of a heart attack include: breaking out in a sweat, shortness of breath, weakness and dizziness, Short said. “The longer I’ve been in medicine, the more unusual presentations I’ve seen,” he explained. “Most patients have a more typical kind of presentation with their chest pain, with their heart problem.” But that pain could show up in other areas, such as back pain or other areas. And women seem to exhibit more unusual or out-of-the-ordinary symptoms, he said. “All of these symptoms should be taken seriously,” he said.
Short puts family history at the top of the list of indicators of heart disease. Smoking is a very important risk factor, too. Although other health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol can contribute to heart disease, Short said, it’s not a done deal.
“If all those are treated and are under control, you are less likely to have heart disease,” he said. “We do speak of those risk factors when patients come into the office. It’s one of the first things we go through” he said, and then he and the patient try to modify those factors to decrease the chances of having problems in the future.
Similarly, people who have already experienced some sort of heart problem can take steps to maintain good heart health. “Once they’ve had an event of some kind, then we work very carefully … to try to decrease their risk of having further problems in the future.”
“If you still smoke, then you are much more likely to have another problem with your heart in the future,” Short said. “If you have had heart disease in the past, you definitely need to stop smoking,” he said.
(This article and the audio contained within are not meant to offer any diagnosis or treatment or offer medical advice. Maria Parham Health is a paying advertising client of WIZS. This is NOT a paid ad.)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sydney-Short_MPH_TownTalk.jpg265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2021-02-10 14:49:132021-02-10 17:29:10TownTalk 2-10-21: Dr. Sydney Short, MPH Cardiology; Feb is American Heart Month
Host John C. Rose and co-host Bill Harris speak with Erin Carter and Bratanya Simmons of Infinite Possibilities about Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness month. On TownTalk today Erin Carter and Bratonya Simmons of Infinite Possibilities discussed the issue and talked about an upcoming event that addresses teen dating violence. The training event to be held virtually via Zoom this Friday from 1 to 2 pm and Carter says it “will help raise awareness of Teen Dating Violence”. Simmons stated that “A lot of teenagers don’t realize they are in an abusive relationship. I think that is due to a lot of teenagers are raised in domestic violence homes”. “Violence often begins between 6th grade and 12th grade”, Carter said. Most parents are unaware that their child is in a violent relationship because teenagers don’t talk about it with them. Carter said that Covid 19 has also put teenagers at a higher risk of abuse, including digital abuse online on social media platforms. The training event will address all components of Teenage Dating violence including social media. According to Carter, warning signs include behavioral changes and a loss of interest in activities they have previously enjoyed since an abusive person is looking to isolate their partner. Carter says that rehabilitation is an important step in helping not only victims recover from abuse but to the abuser as well. Victims sometimes can think that they are the cause of the abuse. Help and counselling can help the victims overcome these thoughts. It’s also important to remember that violence can be not only physical but emotional or even financial as well. Once again this training meeting via Zoom will take place Friday from 1 to 2 pm. You can see all the contact info at wizs.com for the training meeting, just click on the Infinite Possibilities logo.
Topic: TDVAM Training
Time: Feb 12, 2021 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Lisa Harrison, health director for Granville Vance Public Health was on Town Talk Monday and provided an update on current COVID-19 vaccination deployment throughout the two counties.
In addition to staying on top of the medical side of the vaccination rollout, Harrison and her team have had deep-dive lessons into the basics of supply and demand. And right now, there is more demand than supply.
Harrison said it is important that the community understand that vaccine continues to be available, but once the doses come in, it is imperative that they be administered as quickly as possible. There have been several mass vaccination clinics in the two counties, she said. But those clinics are set up only when large doses come in to the health department. The two counties administer, on average, 160 doses per county per day in the daily clinics that the health department operates.
To hear Lisa Harrison on TownTalk, click play. Written story continues below.
The mass drive-in clinics, some held on hospital or school campuses in the local area, require cooperation across agencies, Harrison said. For example, the Jan. 25 clinic set up at Maria Parham Medical Center was organized because Harrison learned “sort of last-minute” that 975 extra doses of the Phizer vaccine would be headed to Maria Parham – for immediate use. “We don’t want to waste a single dose,” she said.
Harrison and the team sprang into action upon learning of the vaccine shipment. “It takes a lot of partners and a lot of energy to do that well,” she said. From hospital staff to EMS, law enforcement, and nurses from Vance County Schools, the health department was able to orchestrate the coordinated effort. We didn’t have a lot of lead time to put it all together, but we’re really proud of our partners for working together to make that happen.
Generally, there’s a 6-hour window for a mass clinic like the Jan. 25 event, she said, because of the need to keep the vaccine adequately refrigerated.
“We were lucky we got 975 extra (doses) not originally allocated,” Harrison said. The shipments are based on population, she said, but the local health officials had done such a good job of getting the vaccines in peoples’ arms, they were able to show they could use more.
Simply put, the vaccines create a way for our bodies to recognize the COVID-19 virus, which leads to our bodies being able to identify and fight off the virus if or when a person is exposed to the real thing.
The Phizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses given three and four weeks apart, respectively, and her team has enlisted the aid of key community leaders to help with outreach, especially into underrepresented segments of the population. If there happens to be extra doses at a clinic, these community leaders have a way to get the word out to ensure that all doses will be used.
That being said, Harrison explained that if there are extra doses at a Dose 1 clinic, a network of community leaders has been identified to help get the word out. Reaching out to key community leaders, she said, helps “to ensure an equitable distribution of vaccine (to those) who may not have the ability to access the hotline. This community outreach approach to public health is vital to get people on our list who otherwise are having a hard time. Visit gvph.org or phone the COVID-19 hotline at 252.295.1503 to learn how to register for the vaccine.
Graphic prepared by Granville Vance Public Health. Shows vaccine distribution as of February 5, 2021.
Each shipment of vaccine is identified as a Dose 1 or Dose 2. She said she wants to reassure the community about Dose 2 availability. “We always have Dose 2 for every Dose 1,” she said. But that second dose is only used for second doses. It’s all about supply management, she said. “We’re just extremely careful” with those second doses. “We only pull up into syringes the exact number of doses of people we have appointments for and are coming (to get their booster),” she said. Any extra doses from the Dose 2 shipment are better used by other health care providers who may be short of vaccine for some reason.
While the logistics may seem complicated, Harrison noted that the last thing she and her team want to do is call a client to cancel an appointment because of insufficient vaccine.
“If we have 800 vaccines for the week,” she said, we’ll open up 800 appointments. When those are filled, we won’t take any more appointments until we get more vaccine.
“We’re getting rid of (the vaccine) as quickly as we receive it, but we don’t receive enough to have a full clinic 5 days a week in both locations,” Harrison said. If the weekly shipment contains 200 or 400 doses, she said, those can be administered in the regular clinics the health department operates.
One local organization is offering help to the community with getting registered for the vaccine. Lucette Mercer, deputy director of Green Rural Redevelopment Inc. (GRRO) told WIZS Monday that the organization has 30 community health workers who can assist people getting registered online for COVID-19 vaccines.
In addition to Granville and Vance counties, GRRO also serves Warren, Franklin, Nash, Wake, Durham and Pitt counties. These community health workers have remote online access and can help with online registrations. Call 252.430.7999 for more information.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0061_granville-vance-public-health.png.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2021-02-08 17:20:382021-02-08 20:03:38TownTalk 2-8-21 Lisa Harrison, Granville Vance Public Health director
The way Shannon Christmas sees it, the reason genealogists should use new-fangled science in conjunction with old-fangled documentary research to complete their family tree is simple: DNA does not lie, he said. Sometimes, people do.
Christmas spoke with Bill Harris and Mark Pace on Thursday’s Town Talk about how genetic testing can confirm family histories that often are passed down through man-made documents. But DNA can also throw genealogists a curve ball, he said, when test results don’t match up to what family members have known, or been told, for years.
The noted genetic genealogist paid a return visit to Town Talk and encouraged all levels of genealogists to really understand the value of both science and old-fashioned research to have as complete a family tree as possible. “We have a real problem now,” Christmas said, that individuals think that “all they need to do to learn about their family history is just to take a DNA test and nothing else.” DNA test results can yield information about previously-unknown branches of a family tree, but documentary research – combing through court records or family papers, for example – “can provide the same sort of shocking info, the same sort of revelation,” Christmas said. It is important, he added, to do both of them together when working to fill in the family tree.
A DNA test is “a great resource for confirming one’s own ancestry and also for extending your family tree,” he said. Knowing the different types of tests and their particular strength is helpful, too, he added. Autosomal DNA testing and X-chromosome DNA testing are used to predict relationships and assign kinship, he said. Sometimes, a family tree’s branches are gnarly, such as when families have double-first cousins or half siblings. That’s when genealogical DNA tests can help. The Y DNA is passed from father to son, and mitochondrial DNA, which males and females both have, is only passed down from mothers.
Christmas decided to delve into his own ancestral lineage when his nephews were born.
“In 2009, I recognized that my position within my family had changed. I was no longer the oldest member of the youngest generation,” he explained. “I became an uncle and I wanted to document my family’s history for the next generation – For my nephews – and their children. “ Although that was his prime motivation, he confessed: “I also enjoy the intellectual stimulation that comes from doing genealogy and genetic genealogy in particular.”
Here’s just a snippet of what he’s learned about Erasmus Christmas, his paternal 2x great-grandfather: He was born enslaved in 1830 in Warren County. Through the family’s oral history, he had been told that his biological father was also the slave owner and his mother was an enslaved woman on the plantation. “DNA was able to provide evidence that supported the oral history,” Christmas said. Y-DNA test results showed that he, indeed, had traits that were of European origin. “That was a crucial piece of information that confirmed the oral history; in addition, the autosomal DNA matched me to other descendants of the slave owner’s parents.
He predicts the future of DNA testing will come to include complete genomic mapping, which, in addition to artificial intelligence and automation, can help speed up the whole process. More cataloging of more DNA segments is one thing, Christmas said, but “artificial intelligence is, well artificial.” No algorithm in the world can take the place of the human eye when it comes to noticing errors, he said. Genealogists must continue to do research manually and continue “to vet every source and every record” for accuracy.
For now, Christmas said, “it’s more important to get your DNA into each of the autosomal DNA databases. There might be a relative in one database and not in the others, and those relatives might have the answers you’re looking for.”
Take the case of King Richard III, for example. The British monarch’s remains were positively identified in 2013 using DNA from living descendants. The king died in 1485. That’s 528 years, folks.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Shannon-Christmas_011421.jpg265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2021-02-04 12:40:082021-02-04 19:17:00TownTalk 2-4-21: Genealogy & History With Shannon Christmas and Mark Pace
