DNA TESTING: IDEAS OUTSIDE MAINSTREAM SCIENTISTS

Graham Hancock, author of the book, SUPERNATURAL MEETINGS WITH THE ANCIENT TEACHERS OF MANKIND (2006), published by Arrow Books, The Random House Group Limited, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SWIV 25A  stirs ideas inter alia on the mysteries of DNA patterns, spirals and symbols, however, not "...referring to the ordered and highly specific chemical instructions that DNA gives to our cells to assemble long chains of amino acids into proteins (page 556).  Tough Hancock quotes from an array of scientific sources, his work rather exposes the "vast apparent diversity of life on earth..."(page 579). Genetic codes and the like are too complex for us to understand, also in DNA research of individual humans. Fortunately, scientists can unravel the process in cell division of the mothers and fathers in family trees in layman's terms. Without exhausting the point, DNA scientists, like theologians are shaping the ideas of the creation of mankind (cf. Hancock, pp. 599-601). Without mincing with words, unexplained things occur in ones life too. For example, in my layman approach to research the DE BEER family roots, I was always astonished how I could trace my own family roots without substantial information from my family who were for one teacher, Uncle Boet De Beer (see previous Blog publications) farmers and technical trained people who had little interest in scientific historical research anyway.  I only followed up on a very vague remark of my grandfather, Carel Johannes De Beer, who's name was changed to Karel with a"K" in his first application for identification documents circa. 1957 (?), about a baptist ceremony that he attended of a relative in Kimberley and who were related to the "Diamond De Beer" family.  I was too small to understand him properly nor did I have any knowledge of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and their baptise ceremonies.

( As an adult, I took more notice of the contemporary history of our Afrikaner nation.  In one of my former career as a a contemporary historian at the Institute for Contemporary History at the University of the Orange Free State, I was responsible for the Oral History archive and travelled a great deal to record the memories of politicians of the previous political era of South Africa. In the process I did some research on general James Barry Munnik Hertzog, one of the previous prime ministers and who was also responsible for Foreign Affairs. He was a reader of Albert Einstein's relativity theory while his political rival, general Jan Christian Smuts who succeeded him as prime minister, wrote a book on HOLISM.  Subsequently I was exposed to more than historical facts but to their readings of ancient philosophers that may or may not have formed their minds as well .)

As I moved on into anther career as a distance education practitioner, my interest in my grand father's remark surfaced when I did some work for the Central University of Technology (CUT) in the Northern Cape, Kimberley. I recalled that one of my late aunts, Auntie Dolly van der Berg (née de Beer) did mentioned something about the graves of a twin brother of her father that was buried near Petrusburg in the Free State.  I travelled regularly passed many graves in the veld an enquired after the names on the tombstones, but all in vain.  Eventually a farmer's wife on the farm Voigtspos directed me to the Voortrekker grave yard where I discovered my great- great grand father's grave (cf. previous Blog publications). His name was spelt Barent with a "t" and not the "d" as in my own father's name Barend Petrus De Beer.  The rest of my family that were still alive at that stage (1995), were astonished about their own family history.  Soon some bits and peaces shaped the rest of the family history, however, not the relation to the "Diamond De Beer"- roots...

Readers of my Blog phoned me (Gerrit Wessels) and directed me to the grave of the famous Nicholas De Beer in the Boshof district of the Free State next to the Vaalriver. Gerrit took me to the Seventh Day Adventist Church Museum in Beacons field, Kimberley, where I unravelled that part of the De Beer family thus far. Yes, I agree, I followed some substantial "hints" about my family, however, most of the time, I followed up on hunches and "insignificant information"...e.g the grave of the "notorious Nicholas De Beer" who's name perpetuated in the famous DEBEER diamond industry.  Strange as it may sound, only a few people--even historians-- knew where this man with the famous name was buried...

Subsequently, I hope to unravel the rest of my family history with DNA tests in 2012.