The Genetic Genealogist

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Archive for the "Genealogy" Category


Large-Scale Genetic Genealogy Privacy Concerns

thegeneticgenealogist1 I’ve been working on a presentation regarding the future of genetic genealogy, and one aspect of that future is the ability to trace DNA (SNPs, mutations, haplogroups, etc…) through recent history as the result of combining extensive genomic sequencing with massive family tree information.  Although the ability to do this will have many uses (both for genealogy and for personalized medicine), it will also raise a number of privacy issues, as a recent paper suggests.

A New Privacy Study

In “Inferential Genotyping of Y Chromosomes in Latter-Day Saints Founders and Comparison to Utah Samples in the HapMap Project,” author Jane Gitschier uses a combination of FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org) and Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (http://www.smgf.org/) to elucidate the Y-chromosome signature of two founders of the LDS Church.  Gitschier then used that information to determine whether anyone who contributed DNA to the HapMap project was related to these individuals via the Y-chromosome (none appeared to be).  However, Gitschier was able to predict the surname of many of the HapMap participants using these databases.

This research is related to two posts I wrote last October about using genetic genealogy results to determine surnames (“DNA Could Reveal Your Surname, Of Course,” and “More On Revealing Surnames Using Genetic Genealogy”).  I first mentioned this research last September when I highlighted some of the most interesting abstracts submitted for the American Society of Human Genetics’ November meeting (see here).

The Abstract:

“One concern in human genetics research is maintaining the privacy of study participants. The growth in genealogical registries may contribute to loss of privacy, given that genotypic information is accessible online to facilitate discovery of genetic relationships. Through iterative use of two such web archives, FamilySearch and Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, I was able to discern the likely haplotypes for the Y chromosomes of two men, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, who were instrumental in the founding of the Latter-Day Saints Church. I then determined whether any of the Utahns who contributed to the HapMap project (the “CEU” set) is related to either man, on the basis of haplotype analysis of the Y chromosome. Although none of the CEU contributors appear to be a male-line relative, I discovered that predictions could be made for the surnames of the CEU participants by a similar process. For 20 of the 30 unrelated CEU samples, at least one exact match was revealed, and for 17 of these, a potential ancestor from Utah or a neighboring state could be identified. For the remaining ten samples, a match was nearly perfect, typically deviating by only one marker repeat unit. The same query performed in two other large databases revealed fewer individual matches and helped to clarify which surname predictions are more likely to be correct. Because large data sets of genotypes from both consenting research subjects and individuals pursuing genetic genealogy will be accessible online, this type of triangulation between databases may compromise the privacy of research subjects.”

Could You be a Chief Genealogy Officer?

As announced by Mark Tucker at ThinkGenealogy and Shelly Talalay Dardashti at Tracing the Tribe, CEO of FamilyLink.com Paul Allen tweeted the following yesterday:

“Starting job description for ‘chief genealogy officer’ who will help manage GenSeek–directory of all the world’s genealogy sources.”

You can learn more about GenSeek – a comprehensive genealogy website including the Family History Catalog 2.0 – at “What is this GenSeek of which you Speak?” from ThinkGenealogy.

This is an interesting development and suggests that innovative developments in genealogy are continuing and that they can be profitable (for instance, see Geni.com’s latest round of VC).  In the past few months, FamilyLink.com, Inc. has hired a new a new president (Steve Nickle), vice president (Jim Erickson), and chief technology officer (Allan Carroll).

For those who are not familiar with FamilyLink.com, the company’s recent press releases contain a great summary:

FamilyLink.com, Inc. is a family of services that includes WorldVitalRecords.com, FamilyHistoryLink.com, WebTree.com, and the We’re Related and My Family applications on Facebook. The focus of the company is to bring families closer through innovative online services. A combined global audience of 11.5 million unique individuals visits the Web properties owned and operated by FamilyLink.com, Inc. each month to generate 28 million monthly page views. We’re Related is one of the fastest-growing social networks for genealogists as well as other family members with more than 16.5 million users. The application helps individuals find relatives on Facebook, keep in touch with family members through news and status updates, build family trees, and share photos. Those who use We’re Related actively participate in guiding the product roadmap through an online forum and direct feedback.

The Genea-Bloggers Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #1

I don’t often post pure genealogy on this blog, but I thought I would take a break from genetic genealogy and join in on the Genea-Bloggers Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt, which was:  “Upload your favorite picture and talk about it on your blog. Answer the who/what/when/where/why of the subject matter and explain why it is your favorite.”

Although it is nearly impossible to pick a single favorite from my extensive photo collection, I chose the following photo as one of my favorites:

Three Generations of the Bettinger Family 2

People (L to R): Frank Bettinger (my great-grandfather), Angeline Taylor Bettinger (my great-great-great-grandmother born in 1815!), Ward Bettinger (my great-great-uncle), Melissa Albro Bettinger (my great-great-grandmother), Edgar Bettinger (my great-great-grandfather), and George Bettinger (my first cousin three times removed).  Unfortunately, I never met anyone in this photo, although I’ve heard a great deal about them.

Date:  I estimate that the photo was taken between 1898 and 1901, based on two facts.  First, Angeline died in 1901 meaning the photo must have been taken before then, and the second is that Ward – who appears to be at least ten years old in the photo – was born in 1888, suggesting that the photo was taken after 1898 or so.

Place: Probably the Bettinger Family Farm in Jefferson County, New York.

Why is this my favorite?

What’s not to love in this photo?  It’s an amazing collection of three generations of my surname family and includes four of my direct ancestors.  The photo also captures a moment in the final years of my great-great-great-grandmother Angeline, an incredibly interesting woman who was born in 1815.  And lastly, it is most likely taken on the grounds of the Bettinger Family Farm where my ancestors lived for 150+ years.

Maybe a little genetic genealogy?

OK, I can’t help but sneak in just a little tidbit of genetic genealogy.  I share a Y-chromosome with every male in this photo!  In fact, my Y-chromosome passed through two of the people in photo before reaching me: Edgar and Frank.  Interestingly, if I include my son, I have photographs of seven generations of my Y-chromosome line going all the way back to 1812 (196 years).

Using Genetic Genealogy to Solve the Mystery of Benjaman Kyle

Bkcleanshaven I recently wrote about using genetic genealogy to potentially identify a male’s unknown surname.  Although I had in mind using DNA to find an adopted male’s biological surname, the method has numerous other applications.  For instance, it can be used in an attempt to identify the surname of a male who has forgotten his biological surname.

A Mystery Man

Just before 7 a.m. on August 31, 2004, an adult male was found lying next to a dumpster behind a Burger King in Richmond Hill, Georgia.  He was naked, beaten, sunburned, and covered in bites from fire ants.  Benjaman Kyle, as he has decided to call himself (note the BK connection), eventually recovered from his physical ailments but was unable to remember anything about himself or his past.  To this day, he cannot remember anything, although he claims to have vague memories or affiliations for certain things.  For example, he appears to have some background knowledge of restaurant equipment and design.  Surprisingly, he does not match any known missing person report, and no one has come forward with knowledge of his identity, despite considerable media coverage.  For more background information about Benjaman Kyle, see “A Real Live Nobody” in SavannahNow.

A Suggestion for Benjaman Kyle

So how can genetic genealogy potentially help Benjaman?  He could, for example, join the Adopted Group Project at Family Tree DNA and order a 67-marker test (more info here).  Armed with these results, Benjaman could mine the public databases – including FTDNA’s database, Ysearch, and Ybase – to look for matches.  If he finds a very close match (for instance, 67 out of 67 markers), then there is a strong possibility that the two individuals will share the same surname, or at least reveal a starting point for further research.  The largest caveat to this method is that one of Benjaman Kyle’s male relatives must have taken a genetic genealogy test and made the results available.  However, given that as many as 500,000 to 800,000 people have already undergone genetic genealogy testing and as many as 50,000 to 100,000 people try genetic genealogy every year, it is certainly possible that a male relative has been tested.

Recent Research

In October, I wrote “DNA Could Reveal Your Surname, Of Course,” which discussed a new paper from the lab of Mark Jobling (see the project background here).  His research suggested that there is a 24% chance that two men who share the same surname share a common ancestor through that name, and this increases to nearly 50% if the surname they share is rare. The press release for the paper stated: “the fact that such a strong link exists between surname and Y chromosome type has a potential use in forensic science, since it suggests that, given large databases of names and Y chromosome profiles, surname prediction from DNA alone may be feasible.”

Thus, I recommend that Mr. Kyle use genetic genealogy to potentially identify his biological surname.

RootsTelevision Turns Two

Yesterday, RootsTelevision.com celebrated its two-year birthday.  RootsTelevision was created by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Marcy Brown in 2006, and currently contains programs in 25 different channels!  You can read more about the site and about its creation at Megan’s Roots World.

You might remember that a few weeks ago I was interviewed by Dick Eastman for RootsTelevision.com, which was a terrific experience.  And don’t forget, you can stay up-to-date on RootsTelevision.com’s DNA Channel right here at The Genetic Genealogist!

Federation of Genealogical Societies Meeting

This Friday, September 5th, I’ll be attending the FGS meeting in Philadelphia.  I’m excited because this is my first big genealogy meeting (after 20 years of genealogy!), and because I get to sit and watch some great presenters discuss genetic genealogy.  The program is here.

I hope to meet some other genealogy bloggers, if any of you are planning to attend!

The Summer 2008 Genea-Blogger Group Games

I’ve decided to join the 2008 Genea-Blogger Group Games (see here for more info).  I’m a little late, but the organizers have decided to allow entrants until tonight at 9:00pm PDT.  The Opening Ceremonies were held on Friday.  I’m hoping to put a genetic genealogy twist on my entries, if possible, to highlight how genetics can augment traditional genealogical research.

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The categories I plan to participate in are:

  • Back Up Your Data!
    • A. Prepare a comprehensive backup plan for your digital research files and a security plan for your hard copies and photos
    • C. Backup all your data using a flash drive, an external drive, CDs, DVDs, or an online resource
    • E. All your data is backed up digitally and secured physically and you can recover from any disaster while losing only one month or less worth of research
  • Write, Write, Write!
    • B. Participate in a genealogy or family history related blog carnival. See the AnceStories post “August Is…” (http://ancestories1.blogspot.com/2008/08/august-is.html) for a list of these carnivals and their submission URLs and deadlines.
    • D. Write a brief biographical sketch on one of your ancestors.
    • E. Sign up to host a future carnival
  • Reach Out & Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness!

TGG Interview Series IV – Alastair Greenshields

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Today’s interview is with Alastair Greenshields, founder of the genetic genealogy testing company DNA Heritage. Alastair is also the founder of Ybase, a Y-DNA database. I recently wrote about a helpful and informative video series by Alastair for DNA newbies (see “New Videos for Genetic Genealogists“).

In today’s interview, I ask Alastair about his introduction to genetic genealogy, some of the ethical issues raised by the recent launches of personal genomics companies, and about the future of genetic genealogy.

TGG: How long have you been involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field? Have you undergone genetic genealogy testing yourself? Were you surprised with the results? Did the results help you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery? You founded DNA Heritage in 2003. What led you to create the company? Can you also tell us a little bit about Ybase?

Alastair Greenshields: I got started in genetic genealogy back in 2002. My mother had been researching the family line for many years and this new DNA thing looked promising in connecting lineages up, untangling them, and proving if the paper trails were correct. After so much invested in paper research it was a sensible idea to check using a different method. A company in the UK was contacted, swabs were sent out and samples sent in. Results came back but it was very hard to work out how people were related. As the scientist in the family I tried my best in interpreting them but came to the conclusion that the 10 markers that we were tested upon weren’t enough for any accurate comparison.

I looked around at the current research at that time and came to the conclusion that the test could be made far more accurate. Working alongside a university research lab, I developed a 21-marker Y-chromosome STR test and brought it to market. While the test was in development, I also created Ybase which helped people compare results more easily (at the time there were only in-house databases). That first year of Ybase allowed me to get fully-acquainted with the many different types of questions genealogists wanted answered and put me in good stead when DNA Heritage was officially launched.

The testing into our own family line is ongoing…

Have I been tested? Many times. My own DNA is often one of the guinea-pig samples for the tests that we do. Surprised by the results? I have an open mind undertaking any test – a better word would be intrigued. It’s a source of satisfaction when customers feel the same way; and if it gets people thinking how we are all connected and part of a bigger picture then I’m happy.

TGG: In light of the recent ethical issues raised by the launch of companies like 23andMe and deCODEme, have you noticed any increase in concern by either European or American customers?

AG: There is of course differentiation between genetic genealogy tests and medically informative tests. Companies providing direct-to-consumer health tests have been around for some time; 23andMe and deCODEme are simply getting a lot of media focus right now. The SNP chips used have been available for a while but when you have a lowering of cost, two competitors fuelling the media interest and combine that with a big marketing push, they are naturally being widely discussed about. I think the valid concern of most ethicists is the volume of potentially medically-informative genetic data provided vs. our current understanding of what it all means along with what impact it has on the individuals concerned. And then add to this the desire of many customers to want to share this data with others.

Prevention is less expensive than treatment. An environment where people are more savvy about their health is obviously desirable. But we are still in our infancy of our understanding. When a journal comes out with ground-breaking research on a link between genetics and physical condition, it is often tempered with conflicting results months later. So there has to be a balance on the interpretation of results and expectation by the customer. Companies understand this but ethicists do an essential job of pointing out the need for this balance.

One harder stance is taken by the State of New York in that a doctor is required as an intermediary for their residents, even for paternity testing. This view isn’t shared by other states and so maybe this is the start of the trend, but more likely that NY will relax their own regulations. Incidentally, because of the nature of our own tests, no intermediary is required.

In all, the genetic cat is out of the bag and people knowing more about their genetic selves will increase dramatically in the years to come. Personalized medicine will make a big impact. It’s the medical unknown of what it all means which raises doubt.

The sharing of this data raises issues also. Do you share just the conclusions that e.g. you may have a pre-disposition to Celiac Disease, or do you share the hard data for which not everything is known? On the whole, the participants are self-selecting, do their homework and are quite aware that the data may reveal other genetic information later on. It’s the sub-section who aren’t fully aware that need protection. And this is the crux.

In genetic genealogy, the picture is much clearer. The results aren’t medically informative*. The results of a Y-chromosome or mtDNA test won’t even identify you as an individual. They are good for known lineages and thus, to make sense of them it works best if results are shared, particularly the Y-chromosome STR test.

*There are two exceptions; very rarely a DYS464 on the Y-chromosome is not present which may indicate infertility (although never encountered by us in several years of testing), and with whole mtDNA sequencing when you venture into genes you reveal medical information. Which is why we don’t perform that full sequencing test.

If there are any differences between American and European customers regarding their genetic data at all it has been on privacy and the perceived threat from insurance companies and employers. In the US, there was always the overhanging question of medical genetic data being used against them. With the (impending) passing of GINA, the basis for this worry will be minimal. And again, because of the tests that we do, any issue has been negligible.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

AG: Always hard but as ever, genetic genealogy will continue to be more mainstream. We’re now seeing many more professional genealogists using it alongside their library research with great results. I’m sure that one day DAR and SAR will begin to accept lineage data as acceptable evidence for inclusion.

TGG: Thank you, Alastair, for a great interview!

Other posts in the TGG Interview Series:

Interview Series III – Terry Barton

imageTerry Barton is co-founder of WorldFamilies.net (along with Richard Barton), a website devoted to helping genealogists host Surname, Geographic, or Haplogroup Projects and learn more about genetic genealogy. When I began the Bettinger Surname DNA Project, Terry helped me through the entire process of setting up the site. From the WorldFamilies website:

“Terry is co-founder of WorldFamilies.net, President of the Barton Historical Society (BHS) and Co-Leader of the 193 member Barton DNA Project. He is the “Line Leader” for the Thomas (1,2,3) Barton family of Stafford Co VA and for the David Barton married Ruth Oldham family. He has made a number of presentations about using DNA in Genealogy, the Barton DNA project and his great-grandparent’s “Barton House” and has written many articles for the BHS Newsletters and website.”

In the following interview, I ask Terry about his introduction to genetic genealogy, the origin of the World Families Network, and his thoughts on the future of genetic genealogy.

The Genetic Genealogist: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?

Terry Barton: I got involved in genetic genealogy in 2001 as assistant admin for the Barton Surname Project – when it was formed. We worked with BYU’s Center for Molecular Genealogy – which eventually became Relative Genetics. Our first two rounds of testing were in “batches”, with 52 men in the first batch and 42 in the second. I became the lead admin with batch 2 and have led the project since then. I was already actively researching my ancestry by traditional means and was President of the Barton Historical Society, leading that group into becoming the sponsoring organization for the Barton DNA Project.

TGG: Have you undergone genetic genealogy testing? Were you surprised with the results? Did the results help you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery?

TB: I am personally tested on 116 yDNA markers, the available SNPs and the Full mtDNA Genetic Sequence. I have tested my son to the same 116 markers (we match perfectly) However, my Dad and I each started a mutation (his is at DYS388, while mine is at DYS452) So, I am 41/43 when compared to my Uncle. I use this example to explain how you can’t count mutations to determine how closely related you are to someone. I was pleased to identify the probable ancestral home of my Bartons as Lancashire and the probable home of my mother’s Hodges family as Kent. My Bartons appear to be the Celts and my mother’s Hodges to be the Frisians (both conclusions are still tentative) I have also learned that most southern American Bartons are my genetic kin and that a number of the southern American Hodges are my genetic kin. I have dna tests for another half dozen of my ancestral lines and mtDNA FGS tests on my Dad and Wife. There are too many success stories across this range of testing to share here.

TGG: You are one of the co-founders of the World Families Network. How did the site come about, and what are its goals?

TB: My partner, Dr. Richard Barton (also co-admin of the Barton Project) is my genetic kin – we found each other through the project. Our most recent common ancestor was born no later than c1620s – we have no paper trail connection. (Rich is a 43/43 match to my Uncle) We used Rich’s website leadership to help us address our early project weakness of low internet visibility and started thinking in early 2004 about how we could share our learning with other surname projects who needed information and/or website help. Over the course of 2004, we evolved into much of what you see today, providing an array of helpful information and supporting many surname projects in a variety of ways. Our goal is to provide an array of useful services to the Genetic Genealogy community – and to have fun doing it.

TGG: What other genetic genealogy-related projects are you involved with?

TB: I am lead or support admin for over 50 of my ancestral surname dna projects. In many cases, I have evolved to being only the technical advisor or support, while I (or our staff) provide leadership for many more of the projects than I wish (which means I haven’t found the right cousin to get involved). I love the connections I’ve made and am constantly amazed at how many folks will go out of their way to help me – or to share info with me. I also co-lead the Va-1600s geographical projects and the mt-T1 haplogroup project and am one of four admins on the T_FGS research project. I am webmaster and founding board member of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy, serve on the Board of the Cobb County Genealogical Society and a member of ISOGG. I continue as President of the Barton Historical Society and am a founding member of the Hodges-Hodge Society, which came out of the Surname dna project it now sponsors. I speak regularly on genetic genealogy. I probably missed something.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

TB: When I started in 2001, 12 markers was a lot! By the time Barton (finally) got our first batch of results in 2002, we received info on 23 markers – which was incredible. I used to think 100 markers and 100 members would bring all of the answers (neither did). When I look to the future and try to imagine – I really can’t identify specifics – other than to anticipate that we’ll know so much more than now. I realize that we are building the foundation for that future and hope that those who follow appreciate what we have done (as they laugh at the primitive info and understanding that we had “way back in 2008″. )

My personal quest is to develop enough learning through dna to replace the lost paper trails. I don’t know if that will be possible – but I intend to keep trying.

TGG: Thank you, Terry, for this terrific interview!

Other posts in the TGG Interview Series:

Interview Series II – Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak

image If you’ve ever even thought about testing your own DNA for genealogical purposes, then you are almost guaranteed to have heard of Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak. Megan is the Chief Family Historian and North American spokesperson for Ancestry.com, as well as the co-founder of Roots Television, an online channel of genealogy and history-oriented programming. Additionally, Megan is the co-author of “Trace Your Roots With DNA”, the premiere book on genetic genealogy (the other co-author, Ann Turner, will be featured later in this series).

Megan blogs about genetic genealogy and other genealogical topics at Megan’s Roots World (which I highly recommend adding to your feed reader or daily reading list). In the following interview, Megan talks about her introduction to genetic genealogy, about the field as it stands today, and about some of the possible future directions of DNA testing.

The Genetic Genealogist: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?

Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak: I’ve been an almost lifelong genealogist, but the genetic component entered the picture for me around 1999-2000 thanks to some work I was doing with the U.S. Army. I track down families of soldiers still unaccounted for — mostly from Korea, but also Southeast Asia, WWII and even WWI. It’s my responsibility to locate the next of kin and three mtDNA candidates — in other words, three relatives of the soldier who share the same mtDNA (maternal) line. Because of this, when the first couple of companies launched in 2000, I was one of the first in line simply because I had already had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of how DNA testing could be used for genealogical purposes.

TGG: Has genetic genealogy helped you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery?

MSS: Definitely. My first experience with genetic genealogy was the Smolenyak tale featured in the “Did She Marry Her Cousin? episode of DNA Stories in the video player on your blog. It turned out my hypothesis was wrong, and although I was initially disappointed, I realized that I had just saved myself years of effort and who knows how much money trying to prove something that was completely false. That’s what made me an early proponent. I realized right out of the gate that DNA can sometimes resolve mysteries that the paper trail never will.

TGG: Lately the news has been filled with stories about the ethical issues associated with genetic testing, largely as a result of the launch of new companies like 23andMe, deCODEme, and Navigenics. How does genetic genealogy factor into this discussion?

MSS: As much as I’d like to claim that we’re a different animal, the fact is that these new companies provide some ancestral information. In fact, there already seems to be slightly greater emphasis on this aspect than when they first launched, perhaps because they’ve realized there’s an existing market. So going forward, it’s virtually inevitable that the general public will intermingle genetic genealogy companies and offerings with these new tests and companies. Overall, I’m delighted with these new possibilities, but I confess there’s a small part of me that’s mourning a loss of innocence of sorts. Strictly genealogical tests didn’t give away your secrets (well, except for the occasional NPE!), so folks could feel quite comfortable taking them. Now, with the addition of medical and other information, people will likely think twice. Having said that, I think we all knew this time was coming and I’m glad to see the field moving forward.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

MSS: My poor little brain can’t fathom all the possibilities, but I believe we’re entering the genomics age. The genetic genie is out of the bottle, so it’s time to buckle our seatbelts and hang on (how’s that for a mixed metaphor?)! I’ve always thought it would be the medical aspects of genetics that would drive things forward in a big way and that’s clearly happening. I can’t even begin to imagine all the ethical issues we’ll all wrestle with, but because of the medical benefits, I think it’s inevitable that genetics will become a routine part of our everyday lives. Just as we have a generation or so that’s grown up taking computers and the internet for granted, I think the same will be true of genetics for those being born now.

What’s especially interesting to me is the public’s involvement in all this. I recently interviewed with a journalist from Le Monde, and remarked that this is the first scientific revolution that will at least be partly driven by public participation. An obvious example of this is impatient genealogists applying pressure on scientists to uncover more ancestrally-informative SNPs. We do this because we want to know more about our roots. Imagine the amplification of this phenomenon when the mass public starts campaigning for specific genetic research for medical conditions that affect their families. And I suspect that the existence of companies like 23andMe will only encourage this kind of (to me, positive!) behavior.

Because genetic genealogy has been around since 2000, I think anyone trying to get a handle on this interplay between the scientific community and the general public would be smart to study us. And yes, genetic genealogists will definitely benefit from all the advances. Remember, it was just circa 2000-2001 that a 4-marker Y-DNA test sold to the public was considered amazing, and now, none of us would waste our time with such a test. We ain’t seen nothing yet!

TGG: Aside from genetic genealogy, what other genealogy-related projects are you involved with?

MSS: Phew! A lot! I already mentioned my work with the U.S. Army, but I’m also the Chief Family Historian and North American spokesperson for Ancestry.com and co-founder of RootsTelevision.com, a free, online channel of genealogical programming. And I write and speak and consult for television programs. Basically, I’m all about getting the g-word out there!

TGG: Thank you, Megan, for this interesting and very enjoyable interview!

Other posts in the TGG Interview Series: