Genetic Genealogy

There is an underlying desire in most men and women to know their history; not the history of their culture alone, but their personal background — their ancestors. We often ask ourselves: who are we; from where did we come. Just as most adoptees realize, you may learn that not knowing your roots can leave a hole in your psyche. Psychologists will tell you that we are grounded when we have roots in our past. Perhaps this is why so many choose to do their genealogy and why genealogists are becoming involved with DNA testing to verify their research and to know the truth about their personal history. All genealogists find their lineage stops at some point — the proverbial brick wall. As records have been lost, burned or never existed, a new tool in the genealogist’s toolbox just may help us tear down those brick walls. That new tool is DNA testing. DNA testing for genealogists officially began in 2000 and has rapidly grown ever since. Each cell in our body contains our DNA, and that DNA is an accumulation of all our ancestors and the history of their journey since our species existed. We hold within us the story of our own history, an amazing story that geneticists are just beginning to understand. When you test your DNA you are matched to other testers with whom you share a common ancestor. The phrase “common ancestor” is used in genetic genealogy and throughout this book, but it can be misleading to some people. Understand that it actually means “the most recent ancestor that we share". The person you match may have a documented family tree that could add to your information. By working together you can focus on the missing generations between your families to link to that common ancestor and perhaps go beyond that brick wall. DNA tests rule out persons who are not a genetic match, allowing you to focus on lines that are definitely related to you. I have been speaking about genetic genealogy since 2005, and as a retired teacher I know that most of us are visual learners; therefore, listening to a presentation is not as helpful as also reading about the topic. As a result, this book was born of necessity — the necessity for new and seasoned genealogists to more clearly understand the benefits for their research and for me to streamline the time I spend helping others with the basics. The genetic genealogy world has not had a new book on the basics of DNA in years, and in this fast-paced field, one is needed almost yearly! No doubt this book may need periodic updating to keep stride with the ever-advancing field of genetic genealogy. However, for the most part, the basics will remain the same. This work is an attempt to bring together, in an informal manner, information to help the layperson understand this powerful tool; the most accurate tool a genealogist has. For this reason, information may be repeated in different locations where it is relevant since repetition enhances learning. It is outside the scope of this book to delve deeply into all aspects of genetic genealogy, but rather to focus on giving a basic understanding of how DNA testing can help genealogy and to stretch the reader’s knowledge beyond the basics. This is a book to be studied; not just read. Although the learning curve is steep in the beginning, everyone can acquire enough understanding about testing to benefit from it. Genetic genealogy does become easier over time and with repeated doses. So jump into the gene pool and discover that book within you!