Year: 2014

The AncestryDNA Witch Hunt

Blaine Bettinger 71 Comments

A word of advice: beware anyone who tells you to avoid AncestryDNA.AncestryDNA1

Many genetic genealogists, myself included, have had incredible success using AncestryDNA’s autosomal DNA test.  Personally, several of my own major DNA discoveries have occurred though the service.  Unfortunately, it has become popular among some genetic genealogists to deride AncestryDNA’s autosomal DNA test, and some recommend avoiding the service altogether.

While AncestryDNA certainly does have limitations, avoiding the service is missing out on a major opportunity and one of the largest autosomal DNA databases in the world.  This is especially true for adoptees; anyone that tells an adoptee not to test with AncestryDNA (or not to test with any one of the three major testing companies) should not be assisting adoptees. ... Click to read more!

AncestryDNA Discusses the Future of Genetic Genealogy at RootsTech

Blaine Bettinger 2 Comments

This morning at the RootsTech keynote session, Dr. Ken Chahine of Ancestry.com introduced the second speaker. He gave a very short introduction to AncestryDNA and provided a few tidbits for this year and beyond:

  • Later this year, AncestryDNA will be releasing a “more granular” ethnicity calculator. You may recall that they updated the calculator just last year.
  • AncestryDNA plans to release “new tools” this year, including improvements to cousin matching (which echoes comments made by Kenny Freestone earlier in the conference), and tools to “confirm family lines.” These two tools are AncestryDNA’s alternative to a chromosome browser. AncestryDNA has not yet provided a chromosome browser for several reasons including privacy.
  • Dr. Chahine also discussed, very briefly, the “not-too-distant future” of genetic genealogy:

– Results will be used to analyze the “migration patterns” of our ancestors, including “down to towns.”

– Results will be used to tell you that your “sixth great-grandfather” had “high cheekbones and blue eyes.”

Dr. Chahine concluded by saying that although this sound like “science fiction” it’s the future of genetic genealogy.

I wrote about all these possibilities in a post with a very similar title, “The Science Fiction Future of Genetic Genealogy“. While the things I discuss there all sound like science fiction, it is only a matter of months or years until all these are routine. ... Click to read more!

DNA Standards and Certification – A Response to an NGS Quarterly Editorial

Blaine Bettinger 2 Comments

EDIT 2/8/2014 – I am happy to report that the group originally organized by CeCe Moore is still planning to work on standards, guidelines, and certification for Genetic Genealogists, and thus I will continue to work with that group. Thank you to everyone that expressed support, and I will try to contact you soon.

Original Post:

Below, I’m taking the unenviable position of disagreeing, at least in part, with an editorial by Melinde Lutz Byrne and Thomas W. Jones in National Genealogical Society Quarterly entitled “DNA Standards.” (1)  I’m writing to share my viewpoint and my thoughts about moving forward, and to provide a venue for continued discussion on the subject.

This is also the first post in a series of posts about “DNA and the Genealogical Proof Standard,” culminating with a presentation with the same title at SCGS Jamboree 2014 (on Friday June 7, 2014 at 2:30 PM). ... Click to read more!

Genetic Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond

Blaine Bettinger 4 Comments

Book Cover FRONT_V4 - 300 dpi

Fellow genetic genealogy blogger Emily Aulicino, author of dna-genealem’s genetic genealogy, has authored a new manual on genetic genealogy entitled “Genetic Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond.”

Congratulations Emily!

From the back cover of the book:

Genetic Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond provides genealogists, both budding and experienced, with the knowledge and confidence to use DNA testing for their family research. The book guides genealogists through the introductory level of understanding various tests to a more advance level of determining what DNA segments came from which ancestor.

Genetic Genealogy explains how DNA testing helps when written records stop and discusses how testing can prove or disprove oral family history.  The book describes which tests can help adoptees find their biological families and mentions a website that offers free assistance for testing and locating adoption information. Genetic Genealogy helps you understand why you resemble your relatives and explains how DNA testing can connect you with cousins you never knew existed. Steps for encouraging potential cousins to test are outlined.  The more adventurous can find guidelines for becoming a project administrator, a genetic genealogy speaker or a facilitator for their genealogical society’s DNA interest group. Genetic Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond will help both the experienced and the fledgling researchers become genetic genealogists able to use DNA testing to resolve their genealogical roadblocks.

DNA Presentations at Jamboree (Other than on DNA Day)

Blaine Bettinger

DNA_JamboreeAs I wrote previously, the Southern California Genealogical Society has officially announced the 45th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree (June 6-8, 2014), which will again be preceded by Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2014.

In addition to many presentations on DNA Day (Thursday), there are DNA-related presentations planned throughout Jamboree (Friday through Saturday).

Browsing through the schedule (links at top of page here), these are the presentations I found either directed to DNA or explicitly utilizing DNA:

  • Blaine Bettinger (FR018) – “DNA and the Genealogical Proof Standard”
  • CeCe Moore (FR019) – “Why Should I Take a DNA Test?”
  • Nicka Smith, Angela Walton-Raji, Bernice Bennett and Shelly Murphy (FR024) – “The Future of African American Genealogy”
  • Bennett Greenspan (SA037) – “The Future of Genetic Genealogy”
  • ISOGG (SA049) – “Ask the Experts about DNA and Genealogy”
  • Maurice Gleeson (SU020) – “Ireland and the Slave Trade”
  • Drew Smith (SU024) – “DNA 102: Understanding and Using Test Results”
  • Blaine Bettinger (SU029) – “Begging for Spit”

My Other Presentations

I’m especially excited about presenting “DNA and the Genealogical Proof Standard.”  This topic has not received nearly enough coverage by the genealogy community, and I think it’s very important. I will absolutely be asking for input from others, so feel free to share your thoughts below (or on a future post I’m planning). Here’s the short summary of the presentation: ... Click to read more!

DNA Day 2014 at the 45th Southern California Genealogy Jamboree!

Blaine Bettinger 2 Comments

Family History and DNA 2014The Southern California Genealogical Society has officially announced the 45th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree (June 6-8, 2014), which will again be preceded by Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2014.

Last year’s “Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” was the first of its kind and was a huge success  As a result, the Jamboree organizers have organized a second DNA Day, which will held all day on Thursday, June 5, 2014, which is the day before Jamboree begins.

The FULL schedule for DNA Day 2014 is HERE (Thursday Schedule).

Keynote Speaker Dr. Maurice Gleeson

The keynote speaker at Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2014 will be Dr. Maurice Gleeson, a popular speaker and the organizer of Genetic Genealogy Ireland 2013, Ireland’s first conference on genetic genealogy.  I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Gleeson at last year’s event (including about his interesting iCARA project), and he’s both engaging and extremely active in the genetic genealogy field.  I have no doubt his presentations and keynote will be fascinating. ... Click to read more!