The Gedmatch admixture tools can seem a little mysterious. Many of the big genealogy websites like Ancestry and 23andMe have come a long way in their admixture, or ethnicity, estimates, adding more and more people to their sample populations and attempting to identify an origin in a country or even a region of a country. … Continue reading Gedmatch Admixture Tools
Genealogists should interview their relatives to learn more about the past. Terry Gross is a professional interviewer for NPR's Fresh Air. Recently she was interviewed by The New York Times. The article How to Talk to People, According to Terry Gross includes tips about interviewing and general conversation. I wish it were longer, but it is… Continue reading Insight from Interviewer Terry Gross
My ancestor Franklin Lewis Beckmann of Erie County, Pennsylvania, and Kings County, California, and Family
FamilyTreeDNA has made a detailed announcement about the option for customers to opt-out of law enforcement matching, which follows. To see the option for a kit you manage, log in, click "Manage Personal Information," and click "Privacy & Sharing." The default for individuals in the United States: Click the slider if you would like to… Continue reading New Opt-Out Option for FamilyTreeDNA Law Enforcement Matching
Genetic testing company 23andMe has just announced a new heath report. Those who have already done health testing with the company should now have access to this new report: Type 2 Diabetes. The report gives a percentage likelihood that the tester will develop Type 2 Diabetes between now and age 80. It also gives general… Continue reading New Diabetes Health Report at 23andMe
Recently FamilyTreeDNA has been cooperating with law enforcement in a limited capacity. Much of the genealogy community has been surprised and upset by this news. The Legal Genealogist Judy Russell has written a number of blog posts about this topic: Opening the DNA floodgates 1 Feb 2019 One little change 3 Feb 2019 A Letter from Bennett… Continue reading FamilyTreeDNA and Law Enforcement
This weekend I had the privilege to attend a lecture by Bill Griffeth; CNBC financial journalist, genealogy enthusiast, and author of The Stranger in My Genes; as part of the Silicon Valley Reads events series. His book describes his journey taking a Y-DNA test that led to the discovery that the father who raised him was… Continue reading Review: The Stranger in My Genes, by Bill Griffeth
Many sessions from RootsTech 2019 are now online. There are 23 sessions on the RootsTech website here. (I found it non-obvious to navigate to them from the main page, so I'm glad I found the link.) There are DNA and non-DNA sessions. Topics include: Essential Considerations for DNA Evidence, by Blaine Bettinger What's New on… Continue reading RootsTech Recorded Sessions 2019
This week is RootsTech. It is the season for major announcements from genealogy companies. Ancestry just announced three new features: ThruLines, a list of ancestors and potential ancestors, and how people who share DNA with you connect to them MyTreeTags, tags that can be added to individuals in your Ancestry Tree updated DNA Matches, a… Continue reading New AncestryDNA Match Page
This week is RootsTech. It is the season for major announcements from genealogy companies. Ancestry just announced three new features: ThruLines, a list of ancestors and potential ancestors, and how people who share DNA with you connect to them MyTreeTags, tags that can be added to individuals in your Ancestry Tree updated DNA Matches, a… Continue reading AncestryDNA ThruLines
