Recently, I’ve encountered many patrons wanting as much information as possible about DNA testing. No surprise there. My concern has been the number who believe that testing is a shortcut to avoid spending years doing genealogical research. There is a direct correlation between these beliefs and the deluge of DNA testing commercials on radio, television and social media.
Once a valuable add-on for the dedicated family history researcher, DNA testing has now become the go-to method for satisfying one’s curiosity about their heritage. Ask anyone what they think about family history these days and they will tell you about the DNA test they took or plan to take. The positive side of this trend is that DNA testing has made family history a topic of interest to more people than ever before. The flip side is while these tests often uncover fascinating information about a person’s heritage, the results are only truly valuable, or accurate, within the context of more family history research. Some companies are boasting of new analytical tools on the sites to enhance the family member identification. I would urge caution as nothing totally replaces the data extracted from historical written documents.
Ongoing advances in the field of DNA testing provide greater accuracy for information such as where your ancestors came from and what percentage of your DNA belongs to different ethnicities, and increasingly narrow it down to specific towns, countries, and regions. Testing also helps individuals trace their family lines, not just to learn more about their own ancestry and heritage, but to identify and forge new relationships with relatives. However, much of this is dependent on the individuals tested sharing their results online. Most professional genealogists also add a second caveat: include a family tree on your results profile. To compile a family tree, you need to perform some level of genealogical research.
While DNA testing can provide many potential ancestral research clues and predict the family relationship between two individuals, genealogical research databases, libraries and archives, and many genealogical societies, hold the key to supplementing these findings with intricate details, stories, and histories that science seldom uncover on its own. One group of people for whom DNA testing has proven to be a major source of success are adoptees. We see many heart-warming success stories in the media where DNA testing has helped adopted children, parents and/or siblings find each other.
What is the bottom line? DNA testing can point you in a direction. If you are serious in wanting to research your ancestors, performing genealogy research is the only reliable way. DNA tests can be great tools in helping you find your living relatives. However, you’ll need to supplement your results with genealogy research. Here are some titles in the Lee County Library System that discuss DNA testing within their content.
Berry, Kenyatta D. The Family Tree Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Uncovering Your Ancestry and Researching Your Genealogy. Genealogy (G) 929.1 Berry 2018
Bettinger, Blaine T. The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy. 2nd Edition. Genealogy (G) 929.1072 Bettinger 2019
Copeland, Libby. The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are. Adult Non-Fiction 929.1072 Libby 2020
Dunn, Michael. A Beginner’s Guide to Online Genealogy: Learn How to Trace Your Family History and Discover Your Roots. Genealogy – G – 929.1028 Dunn 2015
Hendrickson, Nancy. Unofficial Guide to Ancerstry.com: How to Find Your Family History on the #1 Genealogy Website. Genealogy (G) 929.10285 Hendrickson 2018
Kerchner, Charles F. Genetic Genealogy DNA Testing Dictionary. Genealogy (G) 572.86 Kerchner 2004
Parker, Debbie. Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies. 2019 Genealogy (G) 929.1 Advanced
Santry, Claire. The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Ancestors in Ireland. Online Resource 2017 Online Resource
Weinberg, Tamar. The Adoptee's Guide to DNA testing: How to Use Genetic Genealogy to Discover Your Long Family. Adult Non-Fiction 929.1072 Weinberg 2018