By Christopher C. Child
Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press
WELCOME!
Advances in DNA research over the last decades have had huge implications for the field of genealogy. By testing your DNA and comparing the results to a database of other individuals, you can better understand your origins, confirm lines of descent, test hypotheses, and connect with distant relatives. When it comes to studying your own DNA, understanding your options and test results are crucial.
This course will guide you through the process of selecting a DNA testing service, understanding the results, and making connections to the genealogical research you’ve already completed. A number of case studies will be used to demonstrate DNA’s impact on genealogical research.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Note: You will have access to all the material on this page from the time you register until April 8, 2014. Return to this page often for additional resources!
| Course Activity | Dates of Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Course web page and resources | Date of registration to 7/31/15 | Access handouts and other course materials from home. |
| Online presentation (Live!) | 6/17/2015, 6:00 EDT | This presentation will last approximately one hour with a half hour for Q&A. Note: To attend, return to your confirmation email received at the time of registration with a link to join the live event. If you are unable to attend the live event a recording will be posted to this page, the following day (see below). |
| Video of presentation | 6/18/2015 to 7/31/15 | Watch Chris's presentation on using DNA in genealogical research. Available exclusively to course participants. |
VIDEO
Using DNA in Your Family History Research
Presented by: Chris Child
Running Time: 1:31:52
DNA has made a huge impact over the last twenty-five years in genealogical research. Today taking a DNA test has become fairly straightforward. Genealogist and editor of the "Genetics & Genealogy" magazine column Christopher C. Child discusses what DNA tests exist, the basics of interpreting your results, and generally, how DNA can be used in a practical sense for the family historian.
INSTRUCTOR BIO
Chris Child has worked for various departments at American Ancestors since 1997 and became a full-time employee in July 2003. He has been a member of American Ancestors since the age of eleven. He is the editor of the genetics & genealogy column in American Ancestors magazine and has written several articles in American Ancestors, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and The Mayflower Descendant. He is the co-editor of The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton (American Ancestors, 2011), co-author of The Descendants of Judge John Lowell of Newburyport, Massachusetts (Newbury Street Press, 2011) and Ancestors and Descendants of George Rufus Brown and Alice Nelson Pratt (Newbury Street Press, 2013), and author of The Nelson Family of Rowley, Massachuestts (Newbury Street Press, 2014). Chris holds a B.A. in history from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
His areas of expertise include Southern New England, especially Connecticut; New York; ancestry of notable figures, especially presidents; genetics and genealogy; African-American and Native-American genealogy, 19th and 20th Century research, westward migrations out of New England, and applying to hereditary societies.
COURSE HANDOUTS
SUGGESTED READING
Article: “Using mtDNA to identify remains: Twenty years in review”
Article: “A Hodges DNA Study – Finding a Clue to an English Origin”
Publication: Portable Genealogist: Using DNA in Genealogy
Publication: DNA USA: A Genetic Portrait of America