BPL Southern History Department to Host Genetic Genealogy News and Q & A on June 30

Paul Boncella will present Genetic Genealogy News and Q&A on Tuesday, June 30. 

What: Genetic Genealogy News and Q & A
When: Tuesday, June 30, 2020, at 12:00 p.m.
Description: BPL Map Conservator Paul Boncella will lead this Southern History Department online class that provides an overview of key developments in direct to consumer DNA testing companies and their websites, as well as an opportunity to ask any question whatsoever about any aspect of genetic genealogy.
Registration is required at https://bit.ly/3dQkoOT. A Zoom invitation will be included in the registration confirmation email. For those unable to join us, the program will be posted at a later date on the Southern History Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SouthernHistoryBPL/

Discovering your ancestral roots is on the rise these days. If you have ever wanted to learn more about how use DNA to trace your family tree and what new tools are available to help you, the Birmingham Public Library’s Southern History Department has an online class designed to get you started on that journey.

This free class,Genetic Genealogy News and Q&A, will be led by Paul Boncella, BPL’s longtime map conservator. The workshop will take place at noon on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Registration is required by clicking here https://bit.ly/3dQkoOT.

Those who register will be sent a confirmation email that includes a link to the Zoom meeting. In an interview, Boncella shared more details about the genealogy workshop and offered advice to those desiring to learn more about their ancestors.

BPL: Describe what will be happening during this genealogy class.

Boncella: We will take a look at genetic genealogy’s sudden emergence as a phenomenon both in the news and in popular culture, and we will consider the concerns about privacy that keep many people from taking DNA tests. We will then examine an effective and inexpensive cross platform match-sorting service (among other things) before going into an extended Q & A session.

BPL: How will this Genetic Genealogy news Q&A differ from traditional genealogy workshops Southern History has held in the past?

Boncella: Typically, the presentation takes up most of the session, and the remaining time is devoted to Q & A. Here the presentation should take up no more than half the session (if that), and the Q & A will thus become an event in itself. I want to promote a broad ranging exploration of the subject that is generated by the participants, and I want the content to be as relevant as possible to their interests and aspirations in genetic genealogy.

BPL: What are some of the latest developments in the area of consumer DNA testing? 

Boncella: Some companies are developing mechanisms that make it easier to sort matches by ancestral branches, which is one of the most critical steps in genetic genealogy. One company has gone far beyond identifying common ancestors and relatives in customer-posted family trees, for it can now create a surprisingly accurate family tree with your closest matches using only DNA data—nothing else. It really seems like magic!

BPL: Has there been a surge of interest in tracing your family roots? Why do you feel that is the case? 

Boncella: Yes, but whether or not people are actually doing something about it is another story. For some it begins with a heightened awareness of something (family, ethnic heritage, adoption), and for others it begins with a discovery (a previously unknown relative or an entirely new family). It is fueled in large part by news stories and DNA test revelations.

BPL: What advice do you offer for someone new to researching their family tree? 

Boncella: Start with a good introduction to genealogy class, like the one offered by the Southern History Department. Begin your research with your closest ancestors (parents and grandparents), and be sure to find every record possible both for them and for their siblings.

Making a habit of doing this for every ancestral couple and of documenting your research carefully will take you deeper into the past than you could ever go otherwise.

BPL: Anything else to add?

Boncella: Genetic genealogy is often seen as a separate current within genealogy, but that must change. Indeed, a simple DNA test can negate a proven centuries old family tree in an instant. Basically, whether you are a novice or a seasoned expert researcher, you need to begin integrating genetics into your genealogy now.