I am hearing it all over in the genealogy community, on Facebook, in podcasts, on blog posts: “2018 is the year for DNA!” Jonny Perl won the RootsTech Innovation award for DNA Painter in March. PCGS had a full day of DNA instruction from the wonderful CeCe Moore, also in March. All of the DNA companies have been offering all-time low prices on their test kits. National DNA Day is April 25 and there are many blog posts out there giving us ideas and increasing our knowledge about using DNA in our genealogy research. The Board for Certification of Genealogists is teaching us that DNA results must be considered whenever possible in order to reach a reasonably exhaustive research. Karen Stanbary, CG, stated in her article Can a Genetic Relationship Be Proved by DNA Alone?: “Genetic evidence provides high quality information about biological relationships. Our DNA is akin to an original record providing information about our ancestral lines. When it’s possible and applicable to a question, incorporating analysis of DNA data into our proof arguments provides increased confidence that our conclusions are accurate.”
The April PCGS meeting will feature two talks about DNA and how to use it in your genealogy research.
The first talk features Amy Urman giving us tips on How to Cite Your DNA Results. Citing DNA in your genealogy research is tricky and since it is such a new resource, there has been a lot of discussion about it in the genetic genealogy community. Amy will help us navigate those murky waters so we can be consistent and ensure the privacy of our matches in our citations.
Amy is an experienced speaker, Professional Genealogist and Private Investigator. She holds a General Research Certificate from Boston University and is a graduate of ProGen. She spent twenty years working in a law office researching and hanging around courthouses prior to striking out on her own. Amy now owns her own Private Investigative agency, Nosy Wilma LLC. She has served in numerous volunteer and leadership positions for several state societies. She is the co-founder and current president of the Pima County Genealogy Society.
Our second speaker is Joey Caccarozzo speaking on Using GEDmatch to Work with Your DNA Results. GEDmatch provides DNA and genealogical analysis tools for researchers and genealogists. Most tools are free, but some are premium tools that require a modest contribution. It is the only tool that provides matches for people that tested at a different company than you.
Joey is a relative newcomer to genealogy. She began researching her family tree only seven years ago, when she was pregnant with her second child. She has three children – ages 10, 5, and 4 years, and they keep her very busy. Although she is new to genealogy, she is very experienced at complex international research. She has been a prosecutor for the Department of Homeland Security for over 13 years. She has prosecuted removal cases involving national security, human rights violators, and individuals who have provided material support to terrorists. Her specialty is Eastern European asylum fraud, but she has also aided in the prosecution of large scale fraud involving Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, and Eritrean nationals. Her employment background has assisted her in pursuing her family’s history; however, pursuing her family’s history has also helped her become a better researcher in her career.
Don’t forget that during our break everyone who wishes to participate will launch the Family Tree app and scan for relatives around them. See our blog post Are We Related? Find out on Saturday, April 21, 2018.
Our general meetings are free and open to members and non-members alike. Members will have access to the handouts via the Members Only section of our website (https://azpimagensoc.org/ or click the HOME button at the top of this page), one of the many perks of becoming a member.
DATE: |
Saturday, April 21, 2018 |
TIME: |
1:00pm – 3:00pm |
PLACE: |
Banner-University Medical Center Duval Auditorium (Room 2600) 1501 N. Campbell Rd. Tucson, AZ |
You must be logged in to post a comment.