Neo4j Technical Issues 12/30/2017 Why this post? This post is for geeks who want to know what's under the hood in a Neo4j database. I consider myself a limited expert, so it's not the gospel truth. There are references sited in this post with more erudite discussions. There is also a free O'Reilly eBook on Neo4j. Why use Neo4j NoSQL is not the same as graph database. See this link for an explanation. More critical reviews and comparisons to other databases are also available. NoSQL databases have no tables and thus no
Why this post? This post is for geeks who want to know what's under the hood in a Neo4j database. I consider myself a limited expert, so it's not the gospel truth. There are references sited in this post with more erudite discussions. There is also a free O'Reilly eBook on Neo4j. Why use Neo4j NoSQL is not the same as graph database. See this link for an explanation. More critical reviews and comparisons to other databases are also available. NoSQL databases have no tables and thus no
Y-DNA Haplogroups: Navigation using graph database methods 12/30/2017 Y-DNA Haplogroups I manage a number of Y-DNA surname projects at FTDNA. One of the challenges is determining whether men's single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) results put them on the same haplogroup branch. Of course it's easy if they are in different major clades such as R, I, E, or others. But how do you know if R-Z2 is on the same branch as R-Z25738? Of course, you can visually navigate through the full haplotree, but if you've done much of this, you'll understand why a better solution is
Y-DNA Haplogroups I manage a number of Y-DNA surname projects at FTDNA. One of the challenges is determining whether men's single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) results put them on the same haplogroup branch. Of course it's easy if they are in different major clades such as R, I, E, or others. But how do you know if R-Z2 is on the same branch as R-Z25738? Of course, you can visually navigate through the full haplotree, but if you've done much of this, you'll understand why a better solution is
The Slump Surname Project 12/26/2017 Slump surname project The Slump Y-DNA surname project was started at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) in Dec 2017. The SLUMP surname was adopted in Lemsterland, Friesland, The Netherlands in 1812. Prior to this, the family used patronyms. Ancestors were in Overijssel and Drenthe in previous generations. Related men, unbeknownst to their other family members, may have adopted different surnames. Some immigrants to the United States adopted different surnames, including Slumpff, Stumpf, and Tavares. Thus,
Slump surname project The Slump Y-DNA surname project was started at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) in Dec 2017. The SLUMP surname was adopted in Lemsterland, Friesland, The Netherlands in 1812. Prior to this, the family used patronyms. Ancestors were in Overijssel and Drenthe in previous generations. Related men, unbeknownst to their other family members, may have adopted different surnames. Some immigrants to the United States adopted different surnames, including Slumpff, Stumpf, and Tavares. Thus,
So-called terminal SNP 12/19/2017 The term "terminal SNP" is an oxymoron in need of a new, better term. Preferably one with a catchy acronym to encourage adoption. But first, some background for those relatively new to genetic genealogy. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are mutations that are accumulated sequential between generations. Those on the Y-chromosome, present only in men, are useful in identifying branches in the human evolutionary tree or haplotree. The science is moving fast. As more men are tested, we can
The term "terminal SNP" is an oxymoron in need of a new, better term. Preferably one with a catchy acronym to encourage adoption. But first, some background for those relatively new to genetic genealogy. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are mutations that are accumulated sequential between generations. Those on the Y-chromosome, present only in men, are useful in identifying branches in the human evolutionary tree or haplotree. The science is moving fast. As more men are tested, we can
The van der Heide Silver Spoon 12/12/2017 History of the Silver Spoon My Oma (paternal grandmother) was from the patrician Teves family in Friesland. She immigrated to the United States with her siblings and disgraced father in the first decade of the 20th century. Her father brought with him a favorite spoon. I was told he ate with it every meal, thus accounting for its wear and allowing us to infer that he was right handed. The spoon bears the inscription "A J van der Heide is geboren den 24 Maart 1825" translated as A J van der
History of the Silver Spoon My Oma (paternal grandmother) was from the patrician Teves family in Friesland. She immigrated to the United States with her siblings and disgraced father in the first decade of the 20th century. Her father brought with him a favorite spoon. I was told he ate with it every meal, thus accounting for its wear and allowing us to infer that he was right handed. The spoon bears the inscription "A J van der Heide is geboren den 24 Maart 1825" translated as A J van der
Graph Databases in Genealogy 11/30/2017 The Problem Genealogy data is complex. Typical pedigrees have many branches. In graph terminology we would call the pedigree ancestors "nodes" and the lines between them "edges" or relationships. But these people nodes are connected to families, places, events and their neighbors and associates. The facts about people and events are linked to documents and they, in turn, to libraries, archives or court houses. Relationships between people can be complicated and difficult to represent in usual
The Problem Genealogy data is complex. Typical pedigrees have many branches. In graph terminology we would call the pedigree ancestors "nodes" and the lines between them "edges" or relationships. But these people nodes are connected to families, places, events and their neighbors and associates. The facts about people and events are linked to documents and they, in turn, to libraries, archives or court houses. Relationships between people can be complicated and difficult to represent in usual
