52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 15: DNA—What I’m Doing To Learn DNA

This is my second year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

I have been a bit behind in studying DNA for genealogy. I have done some self-studying but have not taken a DNA class yet.

Education

The books I’ve read include:

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine T. Bettinger. This book gave me a basic understanding of the different types of DNA (Y-DNA, autosomal DNA, X-DNA, and mtDNA) and how they are used to solve genetic problems.

Genetic Genealogy in Practice by Blaine T. Bettinger and Debbie Parker Wayne. This workbook allowed me to work through exercises in the use of DNA in genetic problem solving.

I have also viewed several webinars on DNA. Especially helpful were these webinars from Legacy Family Tree Webinars that I’ve viewed. There are many more to choose from.

• “Reconstructing Your Genetic Family Tree” by Blaine Bettinger
• “DNA Rights and Wrongs: The Ethical Side of Testing” by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG
• “A Guide to Third Party Tools for DNA Testing” by Michelle Leonard

This past fall, I attended the SLIG Practicum course and one of our case studies dealt with DNA, where we had to solve an adoption problem using DNA and genealogy resources. It was both challenging and rewarding to solve the problem.

DNA Testing

I have also tested at several of the DNA companies. First, because it’s best to test the oldest members of the family, I had my maternal grandmother test at Family Tree DNA. We started with mtDNA because that was the only test available at the time. I later upgraded to the autosomal test when it became available. Next I tested my paternal aunt also at FTDNA. I did a test at Ancestry DNA and uploaded the sample to FTDNA. Now when I find a match, I can tell if the match is on mother’s side or father’s side by whether they also match my aunt or my grandmother.

I have also tested at 23andMe and LivingDNA. I uploaded my DNA sample from Ancestry to MyHeritage and to GEDMatch. I match different people at the different sites, as most people only test at one place.

My husband has tested at FamilyTreeDNA, the autosomal and Y-DNA. He tested at Ancestry and 23andMe as well. His mother tested at Ancestry.

This summer I plan to take “Practical Genetic Genealogy” institute course from Blaine Bettinger at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) in July. To prepare for the course, I will review both books above and begin to read the newest DNA book in my library: Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies, edited by Debbie Parker Wayne. Many genetic genealogists wrote the various chapters. I am very excited to finally spend dedicated time to learn more about DNA and how to use it in genealogy.

Copyright © 2019 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.