In response to Ancestry’s announcement of DNA changes – including the removal of our matches who share less than 8 cM – Roberta Estes wrote a post titled “Plea to Ancestry – Rethink Match Purge Due to Deleterious Effect on African American Genealogists.”

Elizabeth Shown Mills shared this post on Facebook stating that “Culling Ancestry’s gargantuan DNA database certainly will increase its efficiency—but the cost is one our field cannot afford.” She went on to say, “The stance that ‘small’ segments are too ancient and too problematic is a short-sighted stance in a field that is rapidly developing new methodology, new strategies, and new tools.”

In response, my friend and colleague, Franklin Smith, who is an African American, shared a heartfelt response about how the changes Ancestry is enacting will negatively affect those researching their enslaved ancestors. I asked him if he would write a guest post on my blog, and he graciously agreed.

Researching Enslaved Ancestors

My name is Franklin Carter Smith. I’m African American and have been researching my African American ancestry for nearly forty years. I specialize in slavery-era research and am the co-author with Emily Croom of A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your African American Ancestors.

My mission from the day I identified my first enslaved ancestor was to tell the stories of their lives while enslaved. The first thirty years were spent trying to break through slavery’s 1865 brick wall. Persistence and diligence led to the identity of most of my ancestors’ enslavers, an accomplishment of which I’m very proud. They were no longer invisible. However, like other descendants of the Deep South Mississippi enslaved people, my oldest post-Civil War ancestors were born in the upper south, from Virginia to Georgia, and sold or moved south. The chance of tracking them back to their upper south origins was extremely unlikely if sold south as I believe mine were. After exhausting all the available paper resources I needed a new approach.

Using DNA

Reluctantly, I turned to DNA. I don’t have a strong science background and was admittedly intimidated. Surprisingly, it was a turning point. I saw the potential of DNA in expanding my slavery era research. After getting up to pace on a basic understanding of genetic genealogy, I immediately recognized that African Americans face a genetic brick wall in addition to their genealogical brick wall. I joined the right DNA Facebook groups hoping I could get guidance but quickly learned few understood nor was there much discussion of my unique challenges.

When I tested, Ancestry was the company of choice because most African Americans were testing there and more testers had test-connected trees. I reviewed my closer matches and realized many of my 4th cousins and closer descended from my known post-Civil War ancestors. The farther down the list I moved, it became apparent they were not matching any of my known DNA cousins. This is where slavery’s genetic brick wall began for me. Few, if any, surnames and locations in their trees matched my known ancestors. Most were from the Upper South or other states where I had no known family. Identifying the connections between those matches was my only recourse, I hoped, that might lead to a connection to my family.  Rarely did that happen.

DNA Third-Party Tools

I hoped Ancestry would step up and introduce new DNA tools that would help me dig deeper into my DNA matches. Unfortunately, they did not. Instead, third parties stepped up and filled the gap by creating some amazing tools. I was extremely excited when Dana Leeds introduced her color code clustering concept. I saw the immediate benefits for African Americans and told her it would be extremely beneficial for the African American community. When Dana’s color clustering concept was automated it was a game-changer. I could finally see how the lower to lowest 7cM matches were clustering to known ancestors and to each other. This not only created a new avenue for research but also extended my ancestral lines and locations back several generations although I would unlikely ever know exactly how. Although I may never be able to identify a most recent common ancestor, I could not only hypothesize they were sold or removed from a state but from a specific county in that State or had family sold or moved to that state and county as well as the families they were related to. I reached out to many of my new cousins and felt I had brought my family together though I wasn’t sure how we were connected. I know only that our ancestors’ separation was not by choice but by force. It’s a welcomed narrative I did not have adding to the history surrounding their enslavement.

Ancestry’s Cease and Desist Letters

I was highly frustrated when Ancestry issued cease and desist letters to the clustering tool agents and DNAGedcom. Their subsequent announcement to delete and no longer post matches of less than 8 cM turned frustration into some anger. Because fewer African Americans have taken DNA tests, more at Ancestry than at any other provider, each morning I’d go “DNA diving” into my newest DNA matches looking for any match that might provide some additional clues. Not only do we have fewer matches but up to a fourth of those matches are white. Though most were not useful there were some significant finds. Ancestry’s limit on shared matching to 20 cM and higher never identified these potential gems. The loss of both has been extremely devastating to my research. Loss of the clustering tools will cause significant challenges in moving forward. I relied on these tools to bring in the lower matches that I missed.

I always reluctantly suggested other African Americans test with Ancestry because of the numbers advantage. I never felt Ancestry would create truly useful tools on their site. However, I assured folks there were good 3rd party tools useable with Ancestry that would fill the void. I followed up with presentations on how to use those tools. Now that these tools are no longer an option, I don’t know how to guide other African Americans through this maze when I don’t see a way out myself.

The African American Minority

I didn’t know how to channel my frustration or if it would make a difference. I’m in the minority and fully understand that the majority might not need these tools as badly as I did. When I saw Roberta Estes’s post on how Ancestry’s changes impact African American researchers, I knew it was time to speak out. She hit all the salient points on how Ancestry has failed to recognize the unique challenges African Americans encounter or have any useful tools that assist them in their genetic research. Consider ThruLines, for example, which cannot include enslaved ancestors whom most African American researchers have not and cannot identify. The ethnic communities suggest that I’m matching other African Americans with connections from mostly the Upper South. Something that I expected since most post Civil War Freedmen show upper south birthplaces for themselves or their parents.

I’m very appreciative to Dana for listening to and understanding my concerns and frustrations. I am aware that Ancestry’s changes have adversely impacted all researchers, but as is true with any adverse change that takes place in our society on whatever level, African Americans are likely to be more negatively impacted. Ancestry issued a statement in support of Black Lives Matter. I hope they appreciate this not only applies to what happens today but to the history that led us to where we are today.