BPL Hosting Online Genealogy Workshop on Wednesday, August 5

By Paul Boncella | Southern History Department, Central Library 

The Birmingham Public Library is hosting a free online genealogy workshop designed to help participants use DNA to help identify extended family members and track down their ancestors.

The workshop, Mastering AutoCluster on GeneticAffairs.com, will be led by Paul Boncella, map conservator in BPL’s Southern History Department. Participants are encouraged to view the Introduction to Genealogy video linked to from the Southern History Department’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/SouthernHistoryBPL

The workshop will air via the video conferencing company Zoom video at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 5. 

How to get there:

• Go this address well before the day of the event: http://www.bplonline.org/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d146816768

 • Scroll down to the event and click on the “Register” button.

• Complete the form that appears, and click on the “OK” button.

• Check your e-mail after registration for your invitation to the Zoom event.

 • Click on the blue link in the e-mail after “Join Zoom Meeting” 5-10 minutes before the start time on the day of the event to access the class.

• Address any questions to askgenlocal@cobpl.org or 205.226.3665

Description:
This class will guide participants in registering for the service, setting up DNA matches for analysis, and using the results to identify their extended families and to find their ancestors.

Skill Level: Beginners to advanced. Those who have had no previous experience in genealogy are encouraged to view the Introduction to Genealogy video linked to from the Southern History Department’s Facebook page.

The Big Picture:
 Almost every person who takes an ancestry DNA test needs help understanding the results of the test and using that data to connect to ancestors. The major DNA testing companies all provide mechanisms to help customers sort and group their genetic matches.

The website, GeneticAffairs.com, is at the forefront of independent services that help consumers make the most effective use of the information they acquire by taking DNA tests.

The Current Situation: 
Genetic genealogy is becoming increasingly automated, but that does not mean that human input is no longer required. In fact, both novices and experts can benefit from the AutoCluster feature at GeneticAffairs.com.

Novices can become fully engaged in genetic genealogy while they are still learning its processes. All will benefit from the ease and speed with which AutoCluster sorts matches by ancestral branches, an essential process of genetic genealogy.

Personal Observation:
I did not have access to a mechanism like AutoCluster when I made the big breakthroughs in my own genetic genealogy, but I am pleased to imagine that others could experience such successes much earlier in their own research because of it.

Final Thought:
Wherever you are in your genetic genealogy journey, everyone needs to find the point at which the paper and the genetic trails converge. Indeed, historical documents and DNA inheritance together bring far greater clarity and confidence to the genealogical process than either one could ever do by itself.