What DNA Test Should I Take? Part 1: An Introduction To The Three Available Tests.

The most common question I am asked about genealogy or family research is, “What DNA test should I take?” This week, I have received a couple of emails from friends and family members asking what test to take. Last week, a…
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RootsTech 2016: I Survived 26 Classes and Lectures!

Somehow, I sat in on 26 classes, seminars, and/or labs in a span of just four days at RootsTech 2016. It was a whirlwind of learning! I absorbed as much as I could as fast as I could and scribbled…
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RootsTech 2016: Lessons in the Power of Stories

“The grace, the courage, the beauty we can find in the stories if we simply take the time to listen.” ~ David Isay, Storycorps founder Earlier this month, I attended RootsTech 2016, the world’s largest family history and genealogy conference….
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DNA Inheritance Is Passed Down Randomly. So Randomly That I Am 24% More Irish Than My Brother.

I bet you thought that you were 100% related to your full biological siblings. Wrong. Siblings share, on average, about half their DNA. The reality is, however, we can actually be anywhere from 0 – 100% genetically related to our…
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That Amazing Leila Denmark Story, Part II: I’m her Husband’s 3rd Cousin, 2x Removed.

The saga continues of my Leila (Daughtry) Denmark story. If you don’t know what I am referring to, click for the original post about my mother and her young friend, Jane, both having the same pediatrician 65 years apart. Today,…
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Heading to RootsTech 2016, The World’s Largest Family History Convention.

RootsTech 2016 Tuesday morning, I have a 5:50 a.m. flight from Texas to Salt Lake City. This is my first genealogy convention, so I’m excited– yes, call me a nerd (my son does!). No problem, I’m proud of the label!…
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My mom and her young neighbor, Jane, had the same pediatrician 65 years apart!

Yes, you read that headline correctly. This blog entry doesn’t reflect serious genealogical research but it’s a wonderful story nonetheless. In 2005, my brother and I moved our mother from the east coast to Texas. At the time, Mom was…
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Slave Name Roll Project: Releasing the Names of More Slaves from My Ancestors

Recently I participated in the Slave Name Roll Project as found at Tangledrootsandtrees.blogspot.com. Blogger Schalene Dagutis encouraged those of us with ancestors who had owned slaves to publish the names of the slaves we find in documents, wills, correspondence, family Bibles,…
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DNA Testing My Paternal Uncle Uncovered a Number of New Jones Family Ancestors— And I Don’t Know Who They Are.

Oh, the can of worms that a DNA test can open…. Recently, I had a paternal uncle who has the surname of Jones Y-67 marker DNA tested with FamilyTreeDNA. Looking at his results, I saw that he had two “cousins”…
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