DNA education at FGS Springfield
So this is FGS week and The Legal Genealogist is now officially en route to the 40th annual conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies in Springfield, Illinois.
The conference begins tomorrow, with a full day of lectures and presentations geared for those amazing people who keep the lights on and the wheels turning in all of the genealogical societies that you and I belong to and gain from.
The presentations range from training for newly-elected society leaders who need to grab the reins and move forward quickly into their new responsibilities to records access issues to navigatinbg the waters of multigenerational societies to the best and highest use of technology and social media.
The full general conference gets underway on Thursday, with a triple threat keynote — “Genealogy Past, Present & Future,” presented by CeCe Moore, Mary M. Tedesco and J. Mark Lowe. That one alone should be worth the price of admission.
One of the real joys of attending a national conference is that there’s something for everyone. And for those who are — or should be — interested in genetic genealogy and figuring out how to integrate DNA evidence into our genealogical work, there’s a lot being offered.
Friday, September 2, is a full day of genetic genealogy offerings at FGS, and there’s something here for each of us to learn. Pick and choose from among these:
Session F-307, Every Surname in Your Pedigree Can Benefit From YDNA Testing, presented by Diahan Southard. “Learn basic and intermediate principles of using YDNA to verify and extend your pedigree chart, including how to make the most of your family project.”
Session F-315, Using Free Third-Party Tools to Analyze Your Autosomal DNA, presented by Blaine Bettinger. “Although DNA testing companies provide their own analysis of test results, there are free third-party tools that can benefit genealogists.”
Session F-323, What Now? Your Next Steps with Autosomal DNA Testing, presented by Diahan Southard. “Overwhelmed with autosomal DNA? I can teach you in 45 minuets tools you can implement and understand today, so you can find your ancestors tomorrow.”
Session F-336, Genetic Genealogy Self-Education: Where to Go for Help, presented by Blaine Bettinger. “You’ve received your DNA test results, but you have no idea what they mean. Where do you go for more information? How do you educate yourself about genetic genealogy?”
Session F-344, Genograms: Family Medical History and Cluster Research, presented by Randy Whited. “Learn about genograms and how to adapt them to your research. By providing a different view of relationships, they can make patterns and gaps more easily recognizable.”
Session F-352, DNA and the Genealogical Proof Standard, presented by Blaine Bettinger. “Learn how DNA test results are increasingly an important component of the genealogical proof standard!”
And remember what I said yesterday: just because you’re tied to a job or housebound or have kids in school doesn’t mean you have to miss all the fun. There are recordings of some or all of the sessions from these conferences and events. I’ll have more on how to get in on that part of the conference later in the week.
Hope to see you in Springfield!
