While doing your genealogy, have you ever found yourself wondering if you might be related to someone famous?
Probably all of us genealogists have had that experience. For some folks in Italy, though, the dream of discovering that they are part of a famous bloodline has become reality. Researchers in that country say that – using DNA testing – they’ve found 14 living descendants of the Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). They are all in the Tuscany region of Italy, where Leonardo lived.
The discovery comes as part of a project to determine if the remains attributed to da Vinci really are his. The chapel in France in which he had been interred was destroyed during the French Revolution of the late 1700s. Sometime later a set of remains believed to be his were interred at a nearby chapel. It is those remains that are the focus of study.
Researchers began by tracing da Vinci’s ancestry back to his great (3X) grandfather. That is the closest they can get to his DNA as a starting point because Leonardo himself left no known direct descendants. The information comes from the online publication Cnet.
“Comparing the Y chromosome of living male relatives with that of their ancestors could map an uninterrupted family line and identify da Vinci’s own Y chromosome marker,” Cnet reported.
What the researchers also hope is that a study of any DNA that can be positively attributed to da Vinci’s direct line will throw some light on the source of his genius.
Da Vinci paintings, including the famous Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, are highlights of some of the world’s great art museums. He was famed as an architect and also left numerous drawings showing that he was working out modern devices such as the helicopter and the parachute.
Genealogical Society News: Don’t forget, the Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society is back in operation. For the moment, though, operating hours are limited to 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays and are accessible by members only. You have to call and make an appointment. Go to the society’s Facebook page and/or website for the latest information, which can change at any time.
By the way, the society’s research library has added more volumes of records from the Polish National Catholic parishes of the region, bringing the total to 48 volumes. The stock of regional high school and college yearbooks has also grown. Digitization of microfilm records is an ongoing project.
The research library is on the second floor of Annex II of the Kirby Health Center, North Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre. Enter the parking lot next to the Kirby Health Center itself, just up the street.
Computer News: Ninety-two percent of all American homes as of 2018 had a computer or comparable device, such as a smartphone, the Bureau of the Census recently reported. Undoubtedly a lot of the devices’ owners are genealogists, since genealogists were in the forefront of searches even in the early days of the Internet, when nothing like today’s trove of documents was available.
As you might expect, urban areas and people with higher incomes lead the way in ownership of devices and use of the Internet, the figures show.
Historical Society and Library News: While the area’s various historical societies and libraries are not all fully back in operation, members and friends can help these organizations by supporting them through keeping up membership and by attending their events and fund raisers. Check your Times Leader for information on their upcoming events.