Deoxyribonucleaic Acid ??

Deoxyribonucleic acid – DNA -  is a molecule that carries most of the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses.

There is a lot of discussion around using DNA testing to help us connect with families, in helping with genealogy and medically for the opportunity to learn more about an individuals’ health history and preventing certain medical conditions altogether.  So I thought I’d take a moment to mention the possibilities.  (The information that follows was gleaned from Ancestry, Stanford Medicine, AMA and Journal of The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.)

When DNA sequences within a species are compared, population geneticists can learn the history of particular populations.

DNA AND GENEALOGY   AncestryDNA is an autosomal DNA testing service that utilizes some of the latest testing technology to revolutionize the way you discover your family history. Because autosomal DNA is a mixture of your mother’s and father’s DNA, it is unique to each person. Both men and women can complete this test.

This service combines advanced DNA science with the world’s largest online family history resource to predict your genetic ethnicity and help you find new family connections. It maps ethnicity going back multiple generations and provides insight into such possibilities as: what region of Europe are my ancestors from, or am I likely to have East Asian heritage? AncestryDNA can also help identify relationships with unknown relatives through a dynamic list of DNA matches.

Your AncestryDNA results include information about your ethnicity and can identify potential relatives through DNA matching to others who have taken the AncestryDNA test. Your results are a great starting point for more family history research and it can also be a way to dig even deeper into the research you’ve already done.

The only company right now that links DNA results to your family tree and compares it to others’ family trees is AncestryDNA.  Thousands have taken this DNA test and because they were linked by DNA they found relatives and could communicate and have helped them break through brick walls they hadn’t been able to break down before.   This has been a huge step forward in genealogy research.

Every one of the genetic genealogy companies has its pros and its cons. A comparison chart explaining what features the companies do and don’t have is available in the Wiki for the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG).

DNA AND MEDICINE   The percentage of our health dictated by our genetics and the faction by behavior and environment depends on individual diseases. Some diseases are entirely genetic.  Other, more complex diseases such as Type 2 diabetes have a significant behavioral component. That means that even if a person has a genetic predisposition towards the disease there is a lot one can do behaviorally to prevent it.  If someone knows that they have genes predisposing them to a particular disease, then they can be more vigilant to other symptoms of that disease and also discuss further clinical tests for the disease with their doctor.

Preventive medicine is always the best and least expensive medicine.  This is far less expensive and much better for the patient than using antibiotic or anti-viral treatments to try to cure an infection. The risks are also substantially lower with vaccines. Much of the cost of the current health care is due to expensive diagnostic methods and interventions for patients who already have a disease. So preventing the disease in the first place is by far, the best way to reduce health care costs.

Gathering a complete and accurate family medical history is extremely important as genetic medicine explains more diseases.  Although genetic analysis is unlikely to provide a replacement for family history when available, if properly targeted and interpreted, such analysis may have the potential to provide useful information regarding health risks when no information currently exists.   Although integrating family history information and genomic data is optimal, not everyone has an accurate and/or complete family history or access to biological relatives who could participate. Moreover, interpretation of the genome is currently limited.

CONCLUSION   (Medical) At this time, the role of genomic analysis is most certainly imperfect.  Highly selected genomic information could represent a valuable application of this newly emerging technology to the adopted population. Prospective, targeted analysis of selected genes in this population should be explored to assess its benefits and risks.  This includes seeing doctors who specialize in genomics.  Costs $600 and up.

(Genealogy)  Even though more and more people have chosen to do this at this point I won’t be giving my DNA to public entities for non-medical purposes.  I will continue to trudge along working on my genealogy the old fashion way.  Costs $69 and up.

The "New" Jerusalem

The "New" Jerusalem set is located on the LDS Motion Picture Studio South Campus in Goshen, Utah, less than 60 miles south of Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. It is not a replica of Jerusalem, but a re-creation of important locations in the city. It covers over 10 acres and was first used to create the New Testament Scripture Library Project—a series of vignettes portraying important scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and the Apostles.  Right now there are 80 acres dedicated to building other structures to be used in the filming of Jesus’ life.

On the July 5th we went with our friends and people we work with to the  LDS Motion Picture Studio (outdoors) outside the town of Goshen.  At first we did a service project of gathering tumble weeds and placing them in a huge truck.
(I'm finishing weeds in the Pool of Bethesda, many miracles here)

When the truck of filled we went on a fantastic tour for 2 hours of the great set.  This is not open to the public and they are having fewer and fewer tours.  It took 2-3 months to get it set up. We feel very blessed to have been able to be on this wonderful set that took us through Jesus life.

We also were able to go into a storage building that had the boats, wagons, swords and most props necessary to set a town scene up.  Didn’t see any wardrobe which I’m sure was someplace more fitting to keep it in good shape.

The videos shot at the Jerusalem Movie Set will provide new material for the Church Educational System, Mormon Messages, missionary films, conference broadcasts, and more. But most importantly, they will help all people better understand and appreciate the life of Jesus Christ.  These videos can be viewed on lds.org.

Project executive producer and production designer John Uibel said filming on the set is more realistic than filming on location in Israel because the look of Jerusalem has changed so much since Christ’s time.

Another obstacle the workers encountered was building a set that would look as large as the buildings actually were. In ancient times, the temple mount was among the largest man-made creations on the earth.  “We just need it to look right as it goes through the camera’s lens,” Brother Uibel said. “Certain areas . . . are close to full scale; most of it is half-scale; some of it is even less.”

On one large open area of the set, the Beautiful Gate is set into a wall, granting entry to the Court of the Women. Here, the woman mentioned in Mark 12:41–44 will cast in her mite, Christ will free the woman taken in adultery (John 8:1–11), and He will also declare, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Areas of importance—the Court of the Women, the Pool of Bethesda, the inn where Mary and Joseph sought shelter, the house of Caiaphus, where Pontius Pilot sealed Jesus fate (The upper floor with the railing and arches)—are represented and are also versatile enough to be used for other scenes.

Besides the acreage on which the Jerusalem Motion Picture Set is located, the property includes desert similar to the Judean Plains, sand dunes, a river that ideally resembles the ancient River Jordan where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and an area suited for the Garden of Gethsemane where the Savior atoned for the sins of mankind.

“The challenging part of the design was trying to jigsaw-puzzle this project into the smallest footprint possible,” said Uibel, “thereby saving money, but still providing those views that will more accurately depict the Savior’s earthly ministry.”

An open courtyard at the north end of the back lot serves as Solomon’s Porch, the complex that surrounded the ancient temple where Jesus drove out the money changers.

Meticulous research has gone into the detail of the replicated ancient city. Using photographs of the architecture of Jerusalem, artisans have carved and shaped, by hand, blocks of Styrofoam, turning them into realistic stone walls, arches and columns. Plywood walls are covered with stucco that mimics ancient plaster and its erosion from age.

The films shot at the Jerusalem Motion Picture Set will benefit the Church Educational System, the Sunday School program, missionary efforts, visitors’ center exhibits and various other projects. Moreover, the projects resulting from the set will help all people better understand and appreciate the life of Jesus Christ.

“Ultimately, the goal is to create a body of work that we can draw from that absolutely speaks to every aspect of Jesus’ life,” said Uibel.

Family Group Record for George Stahlman Jr.

Just want to give you an easy to read Family Group Record for George Stahlman Jr. - the George that had a first marriage that we never knew of.  It's very hard to track George 3rd because I find that there is another George Stahlman in California that was famous as a Bail Bondsman so it is hard to weed through all his material to distinquish him from ours.  Also it was  his wife, Audre-Jay's, second marriage and I'm still tracking her first marriage to find her maiden name and any further information on her.

I think I sent it big enough, if not, I'll try again.  If you want to search also, I would welcome the company and the help here.

THE FAMILY - Thomas Malody

I decided that I should be telling the family about “The Family”.  Every few weeks I would like to share what I am learning about the Malody’s, Stahlman’s, Hatfield’s etc.  Some have big stories to relate and some do not – yet!

Thought I would begin on the paternal side of the beginning – Thomas Malody.  Thomas Malody is thought to be the first Malody in America from Ireland that we know of so far. I am going on the premise that the name is indeed spelled M-A-L-O-D-Y until finding out different.  There have been rumors to the contrary but no evidence thus far.

Great Aunt Dorothy and her daughter Dorothy Marie were told the story that Thomas came here with his older sister Maria/Mariah.  They were sent here to live with family or friends, because of the great potato famine in Ireland and people were starving.  Dorothy remembers the name LaKyle.  She thinks they may have come to live with them.  In the immigration records I have found four Thomas Malody/Melody.  The time lines that could be him vary up to 5 years but there is no Maria/Mariah with him and he is with no families.  So, further research is necessary here.

The first positive link to Thomas comes with his marriage to Louisa.  Thomas Malody and Louisa Otto were married in Leavenworth, Kansas on 8 April 1875.   The marriage certificate has his name as M-a-l-o-d-y. 

I did find a Thomas Melody, age 20 from Ireland, on an 1860 Leavenworth, Kansas census, who was a teamster on a list of names on a train to Fort Union.  Fort Union was a frontier fort near Santa Fe, New Mexico.  So he could have been going there to drive wagons with building materials etc.  It is rumored that the family name was Melody and later changed to Malody because Louisa didn’t like Melody.  (But Malody is on the marriage certificate)  If this is him, he was really 16 but probably had to lie about his age to get a job.  That’s not unusual, people lie on censuses all the time.

Thomas was born about 1844 somewhere in Ireland and Louisa was born about 1859 in Kansas (her family was from Germany).  They had six children; John, Thomas, James, Albert, Mary Mae/Maria and Louis between 1875 and 1888.  Thomas and his family lived in Leavenworth, Kansas all their lives.  Thomas profession was that of a teamster or ‘Hackman’.  Nothing indicates a formal education of any kind but driving teams of horses does take a talent and experience I am sure. (Example below)

I have just found his name in some newly released military documents.  There was a civil war going on in 1860’s so I am not surprised to find mention of him.  It will take a few weeks to wade through the material but now I have pieces of a trail that I will pick up and follow as far as I can.

Sons Thomas and John both died young, they drowned in the Missouri River thought to be foul play.  James married and had one child, a girl.  Albert married and had two boys and a girl – the girl was Dorothy and one of the boys was Charles William Malody (granddad).   Louis married and had one girl.

To my knowledge the only living Malodys from Thomas that are still alive is our family; Chuck, Mike, Jim, Aiden, Michael and Brannon.

Thomas’s sister Maria/Mariah was said to have married a man named Stanton who was in construction.   The only one I can find so far that seems to fit the bill was a Michael Stanton in construction who married a Maria Melody from Ireland.  They were married in 1859 in Wisconsin and moved to Leavenworth Kansas.  So this seems to fit together yet I am still seeking proof.   Michael was the first Kansan to make vitrified brick.  They were Roman Catholic by religion and Republican by politics.  So there are a number of factors that ring true but yet to be proven.

I have no obit or photo from which to glean more information but I am not done.  I am still scouring newspapers, city and state histories, obituaries, city directories, land and wills and many more places that may hold the facts I need to bring this family to life a little more.  I have decided to concentrate on Thomas for the moment before moving on to the ‘new’ George Stahlman.

Ta-ta for now - have a good week end!

Be Right Back!

We have been running so hard between the mission and two trips back to the Tri-Cities that it looks like I've made myself sick after only one month.  I will rest up and be right back with some great information about DNA and an update on George Stahlman 3rd. 

Need Prayers

We all need to keep Elizabeth in our prayers.  We received a phone call from Brian last Monday the 16th saying that Liz had been in a car accident.  She was T-boned by a car speeding to enter the road while she was waiting to make a left hand turn.  She was slammed all the way across the street and into the curb.

She is home but hurt pretty bad and will takes months to heal.  She had a concussion, bad strains and tears in back and neck area as well has hip and knee messed up bad.  She was taken immediately to the hospital and told she has a long road to recovery.  Brian has to dress her and help her get up, she's in a lot of pain and will see doctors 2-3 times a week to figure out the best course of action to help her injuries.  Her nerves in her back have been damaged but don't know to what extent yet. Wednesday we will take her to two injury doctors (don't know more) to help assess her.  Brian did get an attorney to make sure all her medical etc will be covered and so far there is no hassle there.   The kids get out of school this week so they will be able to help then.

If you have a minute to write or call he would appreciate it.  I will email you his address and phone number.

Doctor's Can't Communicate

Once again I have discovered that dealing with doctor's is getting worse and worse.  The only thing I really had to worry about was getting my Remicade for my Crohn's.  I picked up a referral name and tried to make an appointment only to be told that certain paperwork had to be in their hands before appointments could be made.  My Richland doctor, Dr. Sitti, kept sending information to Dr. Maxwell but apparently not enough.

So I called home and made an appointment for the next week with Dr. Sitti to get my treatment and keep on schedule.  So Tuesday the 17th after work we headed back to Tri-Cities and stayed overnight in Ontario Oregon.  That left only about a 3 hour drive into the Tri-Cities to make my appointment at 12:45.  But we got a lot done.  While I was home I picked up all the paperwork the doctor in SLC would need and will find a new doctor and hand carry it to him.  All I need him to do is OK me to schedule to get my treatments.

We went to the chiropractor, put up the blind for the new back door we had ordered for the house, visited the hair dresser, picked up prescriptions, got my Remicade treatment, saw Jason, Kristin and Zander and loaded the car with kitchen stuff to bring back.  We stayed in a motel and headed back Thursday morning, got in about 7:00pm.  It was a long and fast 3 days. 

This Thursday the 18th we move once again into our final apartment for the rest of our mission.  We have been in a temporary one until it was emptied and cleaned.  It has been real hectic these past 3 weeks and next week we will need to go home and get furniture for the unfurnished apartment.   Then finally we can settle down and get into a working and research rythm.  Looking forward to that.  

We have met new friends and had time to reacquaint ourselves with old ones.  We love the feelings we have whenever we are here.  It is a very spiritual and peaceful place.  The future looks bright! 

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