Tag Archives: genealogy

Making Absence Findable Without Making Fabrication Admissible: Institutional Design for the Recovery of Unnamed Maternity

Posted on August 9, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract The four preceding papers in this series established an evidentiary typology for founding-era paternity claims, demonstrated that the standard applied to the Jefferson–Hemings case was anomalously strict relative to like claims, proposed a genetic-genealogical program for identifying the mother … Continue reading →

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The Unasked Question: Historiographical Incuriosity Toward the Mothers of Acknowledged Illegitimate Children, and a Program for Genetic Resolution

Posted on August 9, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract American historical writing exhibits a consistent and underexamined pattern: where a prominent man acknowledged an illegitimate child, the acknowledgment closed the biographical question, and the mother’s identity ceased to be treated as a research problem. This paper documents the … Continue reading →

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Identifying the Mother of William Franklin: A Proposal for a Genetic-Genealogical and Documentary Research Program

Posted on August 9, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract The maternity of William Franklin (c. 1730–1813), illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin and royal governor of New Jersey, has never been resolved. No contemporary document names the woman; no family tradition survives naming her; the historiography has produced candidates … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Central Role of Comparative Reference Frameworks in Online DNA Ancestry Testing

Posted on December 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Online DNA ancestry testing services present themselves as tools for uncovering personal heritage through genetic analysis. However, the ancestry results they provide are not direct readings of genetic “origin” in any absolute sense. Rather, they are comparative inferences, … Continue reading →

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A Family Dinner In Phnom Penh

Posted on October 12, 2024 by nathanalbright

After arriving in Phnom Penh and getting some sleep, I had a conversation with someone I know from church who came from Cambodia and who still has family living in the city. Knowing that I had to fast until 5:45PM … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Social Life Of DNA

Posted on March 9, 2024 by nathanalbright

The Social Life Of DNA: Race, Reparations, And Reconciliation After The Genome, by Alondra Nelson It would not be hard to think of ways for this book to be appealing to someone like me, nor to think of audiences (not … Continue reading →

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On The Missing Links Between Genetic Genealogy And Traditional Genealogy

Posted on October 9, 2021 by nathanalbright

One of the hobbies that I spend far more time doing than writing about is examining my genetic genealogical relationship to others. Sometimes this means finding out how I am a distant cousin to strangers whose family roots are immensely … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Family Tree Guide To DNA Testing And Genetic Genealogy

Posted on June 20, 2021 by nathanalbright

The Family Tree Guide To DNA Testing And Genetic Genealogy, by Blaine T. Bettinger The world of genetic genealogy is one that is changing rapidly and has over the past few years and it is hard to imagine that this … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Adoptee’s Guide To DNA Testing

Posted on June 20, 2021 by nathanalbright

The Adoptee’s Guide To DNA Testing: How To Use Genetic Genealogy To Discover Your Long-Lost Family, by Tamar Weinberg This is a book that is written about an up and coming field in which I happen to be personally involved, … Continue reading →

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Proposals For Solving A Brick Wall #1: A Genetic Genealogy Project

Posted on June 15, 2021 by nathanalbright

I have written before [1] about this particular issue, the most recent brick wall in my own family history. Considering the sort of stories I hear about people who struggle to find their ancestors, I have to admit that I … Continue reading →

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