THE MAZE

Middlebrooks Family Association, Inc.                     

5721 Fullerton Phillips Road, Monticello, GA 31604

2008 MFA Annual Meeting

Middlebrook/s in Texas

July 17, 18 and 19

      Joyce is making progress in selecting the 2008 meeting site.  Sites being investigated are between the south Fort Worth/Dallas/Waco area; the location should be finalized no later than January 31st.                   

      This year’s format will feature onsite buffet lunches with business addressed on Thursday and Friday. Saturday will be devoted to a more social atmosphere. The open Saturday format is planned in order to attract more “one day” area attendees, and the welcoming team will help sort out new attendees’ relations, helping them join with their other cousins in attendance.

       Saturday will also provide an opportunity to copy those great family documents.  The rigid schedules of the past have dented document copying, but this year we as a team will be dedicated to this effort.

     Major discussion topics will be MFA’s continual progress in DNA research, the migration of our ancestors west from Georgia to the Texas, and the research progress of the Virginia Middlebrookses.   LMM

MFA DNA project

      MFA has officially affiliated with Terry Barton’s WordFamilies.net (WFN) and our MFA pages are set up.     

     Our seven testing results are posted on the FTDNA and WFN sites. Five are considered matches while two are rather distant. More tests are expected to assist in drawing conclusions. You might want to look at both sites as each is structured differently. The identities are privatized; FTDNA uses Kit numbers and WFN uses ID markers.

     Limited Middlebrook/s pedigree information will appear on the WFN Family Page. Since we are still posting and learning, you can expect the format to change. 

    You can access the Middlebrooks Family Page at by clicking the pedigree button at top: http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/m/middlebrooks/ .

     Taking a look at the general subject of DNA, it is interesting to note the use of DNA testing outside of our genealogy purposes. When scientists first decoded the human genome in 2000, they were quick to portray it as proof of humankind’s remarkable similarity. We know that the DNA of any two people is at least 99 percent identical.

     Some of the uses besides genealogy are:Prove cases against criminals in a variety of crimes.

Free falsely convicted persons.

Prevent disease by alerting the individuals to medical help.

Allow people to assess risks to allow informed choices about their health.

     A recent media release involves an Icelandic company’s announcement that it is offering an analysis of a person’s full DNA. In addition to ancestral origin, the results will indicate their relative risk of developing 20 or so common diseases. The cost is around $1000.

     For our MFA purposes, we will stick to DNA testing to assist in our genealogy work, 
and we remain optimistic that our MFA DNA testing will help us fill in the blanks, 
confirm or deny lineage, and generally assist in our goal to locate, preserve, and 
share the history of our ancestors.

 SPECIAL OFFER FOR DNA TESTING  

 Family Tree DNA is offering a Holiday Gift Certificate program this year, for males only, which will give you the opportunity to invite project members to join us and test at a great price!

 The discounts are as follows: 

• $30 off a Y-DNA 37 or 67 Marker Test (net cost $159 for the 37 and $239 for the 67)
• $15 off a Y-DNA 25 Marker Test (net cost $133)
• $15 off any mtDNA Test (Net cost $114 for mtDNA, $174 for the mtDNA plus)

 The gift certificates must be arranged through me, Bob Middlebrooks, as Project Administrator.  

 To make sure you receive the discount, e-mail me at mid293@earthlink.net

 and tell me the name for the order so that I’ll know to arrange the discount (certificates are not automatic).

• Then order the test and I’ll arrange the certificate when I get the notice of the order. (FTDNA asks that orders be placed as “invoice,” but FTDNA will process a credit if paid by credit card.)
• All orders must be placed and paid by December 31, 2007. This is very important.
• These gift certificates are NOT redeemable for cash. Also, they may NOT be used with any other offers or for existing kit upgrades.

 As usual, I will place the order for anyone who wishes me to and arrange for the test kit to be sent, with invoice included.

 Happy Holidays.

Bob Middlebrooks mid293@earthlink.net

 The MFA Officers and Board members wish each of you, and your family, a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.