THE STAR
PAGE 4 • Wednesday, February 20, 2019
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DNA test is very revealing about who you really are I suppose it’s only fitting that I received my DNA test results during Black History Month. I used 23 and Me to do my DNA test and they give you plenty of warning that your results might turn up some surprises. Mine sure did! It turns out I’m .4 percent black. That means a fifth-great-grandparent was of sub-Saharan African origin, probably Congolese. Having done some ancestral research on my family, my mind immediately went down my paternal lineage to my fifth-great-grandmother. She had two out-of-wedlock sons, one of whom is my fourth-greatgrandfather. There is no record anywhere of his father. There are, however, photographs of the two boys as adults and they are as lily white as they come. There are no visible signs of African heritage in them. (Seeing how they lived in the early 1800s in Virginia, I doubt either of them selfidentified as black either.) So the mystery is afoot. Where does my black ancestry come into play? That’s going to take some serious investigation. I can
FAITH, FAMILY & FUN JOE SOUTHERN EDITOR
trace my paternal line to England. The first Southern to arrive in the New World came from England as part of the Second Virginia Charter in 1609. His son followed 11 years later on a ship called the George. If my black ancestor is paternal, it will likely be on my grandmother’s side and I haven’t been able to trace that line very far. It’s doubtful my black ancestor is from my maternal side. Both sets of my mother’s grandparents came from Scandinavia and what little I have learned indicates those roots run deep in that part of northern Europe. Still, anything is possible and I’m not ruling it out. I do find it exciting to know that I’m much more diverse than I grew up be-
lieving. Knowing that my family line runs the gamut of American history, I have a lot to learn. I wonder if this is how Alex Haley felt when he was researching his book “Roots.” I loved the TV miniseries made from the book and I’m inspired to watch it again. Although much of my DNA didn’t reveal anything I didn’t already know, there were a few areas and percentages that now have me questioning everything I’ve learned about my heritage. My mother always said she was part Spanish, and sure enough there is 1 percent Spanish DNA in me. Unfortunately, she and her parents have passed away so I’ll probably never have the opportunity to investigate that side of my family very well. As I sit here writing this I realize that life is a great mystery. One of the oddities about 23 and Me is that they test for Neanderthal variants. I have 288, which is pretty high for their current customer base, but it is less than 4 percent of my overall DNA. They test for 2,872 Neanderthal variants. How they can do that
Precedence is set for re-locating human remains those buried there. In 2012 human bones found under a construction site in England were identified after extensive DNA testing, as those of King Richard III, the last Plantagenet ruler, who was killed at the battle of Bosworth in 1485. The bones were reverently re-interred in Leicester Cathedral in 2015 during a
BAPTIST CHURCH
HERITAGE BAPTIST CHURCH • 281-403-4994 2223 FM1092 • Missouri City, TX 77459 Ed Byrnes, Senior Pastor Sunday Bible Study 9:30 am • 6:00 pm Sunday Worship 10:45 am • 6:00 pm Wednesday: 7:00 pm Bible Study / AWANA “A Place To Call Home” - www.hbctx.org INDEPENDENT BAPTIST
GLORY BAPTIST CHURCH • 281-499-0440 211 Brand Lane Drive • Stafford, Texas 77477 Serving Stafford for 34 years Preaching the word - Singing the Hymns Worshipping the Lord Jesus Sunday 10:00 am Teaching - 11:00 am Preaching 6:00 pm Worshiping Wednesday 7:00 pm Praying www.gloryfbc.com METHODIST CHURCH
CHRIST CHURCH SUGAR LAND • 281-980-6888 A United Methodist Community 3300 Austin Parkway • Sugar Land, TX 77479 Sunday Worship in the Sanctuary Simple Service / Prayer & Communion: 8:15 am Contemporary: 9:30 am / Traditional: 10:55 am Sunday School for all ages available at 9:30 & 10:55 am. www.christchurchsl.org
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH • 281-499-3502 3900 Lexington Blvd., Missouri City, TX 77459 8:00 am: Chapel Worship 9:15 am: Sunday School For All Ages 10:30 am: Open Skies Worship in the Fellowship Hall 10:30 am: Sanctuary Worship For more information, please visit www.fumcmc.org
SUGAR LAND METHODIST CHURCH • 281-491-6041 431 Eldridge Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478 Worship @ 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 am Bible Study, all ages, @ 9:45 am www.sugarlandmethodist.org
televised ceremony in the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and other religious leaders. An historic plaque recounts the history of King Richard III and the subsequent recovery of the remains. The construction at the burial site was completed. Yours truly, Mrs. L. Chapman Sugar Land
CHURCH OF CHRIST
MISSOURI CITY CHURCH OF CHRIST • 281-261-8944 2019 Bright Meadows Dr. - Missouri City, TX 77489 www.mocitycoc.org Sunday morning services: 10:15 am
to overcome. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. As the human race expands and intermingles, we are growing closer to a global citizenship. America is at the crux of that movement. This really is a melting pot of races and ethnicities from around the world and it grows more diverse every day. Here in the Greater Houston Area and specifically Fort Bend County, we are on the cultural frontier. There is still a long way to go for there to be perfect harmony but I think we are on the right path and making excellent progress. I recall reading an article several years ago about how some experts predict that many centuries from now humans will have interbred to the point that the extreme lights and darks will vanish and we will all become shades of brown. It makes sense. We’re seeing plenty of evidence in that direction with so much interracial mixing in our culture. If, as science and religion both tell us, that all humans descend from a single ancestor or group of ancestors, how did we
become so diverse in race, color, and ethnicity? If we could grow so far apart in those regards, it’s only logical that we could return to our roots. After all, it’s in our DNA. I can’t say that I even begin to understand the complexity of DNA and genetics, but I can appreciate that magnitude of information we are learning about ourselves. The things we are learning can help us cure diseases, birth defects and such. I just wish it could help us cure prejudice and hate. Who knows, maybe with a better understanding of what makes us what we are on the outside will lead to a better appreciation of what we are on the inside. Last week I learned that a very small fraction of me is black. That made my world a whole lot bigger. Suddenly I have something in common with a whole race of people that I didn’t think I had much connection with. The thing is, I like that very much. I’m proud of my newfound black heritage. It may not show on the outside, but I’m feeling it on the inside.
We should celebrate our unity, not diversity
Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, I have read with interest the coverage regarding the cemetery found adjoining the new Technical School construction site. As I understand it, the issue is the identification and historical recognition of all the people interred there. The place of the burial is less important than the circumstances and history of
is beyond me because there haven’t been any Neanderthals around for several millennia. I have to assume that the largest known assemblage of direct Neanderthal descendants can be found in Washington, D.C., and Hollywood because they seem to be bent on taking us back to the stone ages, at least in terms of behavior. But I digress. One of the main things I’ve been learning about DNA and ancestry isn’t how much we are different but how much we are alike. What sets us apart isn’t our physical features or what part of the world our ancestors are from. What sets us apart is our attitude about it. Genetically, I’m a European mutt – a regular Heinz 57 blend. Ultimately, we are all human. All of us are made in the image of God. To disrespect that is to disrespect the creator and, by extension, ourselves. I doubt we will see in our lifetimes a true colorblind society that is welcoming and accepting of all humans. There is far too much hate and prejudice
(includes separate youth, bible hour and nursery services)
Sunday evening services: 5:00 pm Last Sunday 1:30 pm Bible Study (all ages): Sun 9:00 am & Wed 7:00 pm Iron Mens Bible Study 1st Monday 6:30 pm
STAFFORD CHURCH OF CHRIST • 281-499-2507
402 Stafford Run Rd. -Stafford, 77477 SUNDAY: Bible Study: 9:30 a.m. Worship: 10:30 a.m. Afternoon Worship 5:00 p.m. WEDNESDAY : Bible Study 7:00 p.m. www.staffordchurchofchrist.org
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
SOUTHMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH • 281-499-2310 4200 Cartwright Road, Missouri City, 77459 Sunday School 9:00 am Fellowship & Coffee 10:00 am Worship 10:30 am www.southminpres.org LUTHERAN CHURCH
FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH, LCMS 281-242-7729 800 Brooks St., Sugar Land Sunday: 8:00 am Traditional Worship 9:15 am Sunday School 10:30 am Contemporary Worship (Nursery Available) 4:00 pm Spirit of Life Worship
Scripture of the week
"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." - Colossians 3:14
Dear Editor, E pluribus unum (from many, one) is our national motto, and it affirms that strength is not found in diversity. strength is Rather, found in unity. Very great strength is found in a people who come from diverse backgrounds and share a sense of common identity, purpose, and destiny. That unity has described the American experience for most of its existence. However, the currently fashionable call to “respect diversity” describes a fading sense of unity. To a great degree, this balkanization of our society is the result of cynical attempts by some elites to
weaken and dominate a unified people. Respecting diversity has become, more broadly, the all of pundits and leaders who repeat a fashionable slogan but should know better. Rather than obsessing with our differences, our society will grow stronger by celebrating what unites us. Chiefly, everyone should celebrate that we are all designed and built by God. There is no greater unity than this. Unity under God prohibits us from judging other people while requiring that we judge their behaviors. Second, but critical for re-establishing a strong civil society, is celebrating the fact that we are all
Americans. All citizens share that responsibility to protect and operate an exceedingly rare system of national government. It is built on respect for our God-given individual rights with elaborate limitations on the power of that national government can exercise in our lives. So, if you decide to enjoy your favorite cultural foods and activities, as Texans have done for generations, treat them not as celebrations of diversity. Rather, they should be celebrations of the unity that binds us all together. We are the great melting pot. E pluribus unum! Mr. Dana C. Atkinson Richmond
H AWARD, FROM PAGE 2
17 unmarked graves. In the as-yet unresolved search for the grave of Texas Revolution hero Erastus “Deaf” Smith, Grethen detected seven ground anomalies in the suspected location around the intersection of Houston and Sixth streets in Richmond. “Bruce has contributed to the knowledge and preservation of historic and cultural resources of Fort Bend County in many other ways,” Crosser said. Those include adjusting and refining location coordinates for all known historic cemeteries and creating a database of extracted information from county death records (19031990) containing up to 10 identifiers for each decedent. He sought out and obtained for the commission, at processing cost only, 650 frames of a 1941 highresolution aerial survey of
the county and created a digital base index map of the photos. He has created hundred of GIS projects using these aerials and other historic data to determine the location of lost cultural resources and cemeteries. Other projects Grethen has initiated or aided include determining the likely location of the 19th century Churchill Fulshear Jr. horse racing track and designing and constructing internal bracing for the cistern on the Mirabeau B. Lamar home site in advance of archeological investigation. His volunteer time is divided between the commission office and the county roadways, from which he reconnoiters for historically important structures as candidates for preservation and also checks the conditions of historic cemeteries. Grethen and his wife Linda live in Sugar Land.
transfer his skills in geology, geophysics and geographic information systems (GIS) to his volunteer duties. “Bruce used his high proficiency in geophysics and computer science,” Crosser explained, “to introduce the historical commission to the use of ground penetrating radar to locate unmarked graves and other historic elements not visible at the surface. Bruce designed and conducted a testing program for the GPR system acquired by the Friends of the FBCHC, he performed scientific tests of the equipment. He then designed a standard for processing the measurements the equipment would yield.” Crosser said Grethen has designed and conducted numerous GPR investigations including one at the Bland Cemetery, which contained
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