Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. joins Dr. Spencer Wells as Headline Speakers for "Family HIstory and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013"

I am so pleased to be able to say that the support for the inaugural independent genetic genealogy conference has exceeded my most ambitious aspirations. My appreciation goes out to Professor Gates, Dr. Wells and all of our wonderful speakers for graciously and enthusiastically accepting my invitation to be part of this groundbreaking event. (You can register here.) The press release announcing the exciting addition of Professor Gates to our schedule follows:

“FAMILY HISTORY AND DNA: GENETIC GENEALOGY IN 2013”

TO FEATURE SPENCER WELLS, PH.D. AND HENRY LOUIS GATES., JR., PH.D.

It’s rare that a new type of event is introduced to the genealogical community. The Southern California Genealogical Society and the International Society of Genetic Genealogy are proud to announce such an event.

“Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” is a one-day conference designed to fully explore the application of genetic genealogy in researching family history. It will be held Thursday, June 6, 2013, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport, Burbank, California. Registrations are open now and an early-bird registration discount is in place through April 30.

“We are so excited that this new conference will break new ground in genetic genealogy gatherings,” said SCGS president Alice Fairhurst, who helped to found the society’s DNA interest group and has been actively applying DNA in her own genealogy research. “Family History and DNA” differs from other DNA events in several ways.

First, speakers are among the most highly respected and knowledgeable professionals in the DNA and genetic genealogy universe.

The opening session will be conducted by Spencer Wells, Ph.D., an Explorer-in-Residence with the National Geographic Society. He leads The Genographic Project, which is collecting and analyzing hundreds of thousands of DNA samples from people around the world. Dr. Wells’ presentation is “The Genographic Project and the Rise of Citizen Science.” 

The luncheon speaker will be Professor Henry Louis Gates., Jr., Ph.D., director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Dr. Gates is an American literary critic, educator, scholar, writer and film maker. His programs for PBS, including Finding Your Roots, African American Lives, Faces of America and Oprah’s Roots, explored family histories of a number of individuals through the use of DNA.

Other speakers include Judy G. Russell, JD, CG; Richard Hill; Emily D. Aulicino; Katherine Hope Borges; CeCe Moore; Tim Janzen, MD,; Blaine Bettinger, JD; and Debbie Parker-Wayne, CG. We are grateful for the enthusiastic support shown by all our speakers, especially Dr. Well and Dr. Gates, through their participation in this conference.

Second, “Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” is produced by independent groups, not for-profit DNA organizations. The Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS) and the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) have joined forces to offer this inaugural DNA event. While it is independent of financial support by any of the commercial DNA companies, the event will provide equal access to Family Tree DNA, 23andMe, and AncestryDNA.  

CeCe Moore, speaker, conference co-chair and Southern California Regional Coordinator for ISOGG explained, “I've dreamed of a genetic genealogy conference sponsored by ISOGG for a long time, and I am thrilled to be working in cooperation with SCGS on this inaugural event. Holding the conference in conjunction with the Genealogy Jamboree helps us reach many family historians who would otherwise not be able to attend.”

Finally, the event’s three session tracks are organized by the level of experience using genetic genealogy, and not based on the attendee’s knowledge of family history. Sessions include beginner basics, use of DNA in finding adoptee families, famous DNA, autosomal DNA, mitochondrial DNA, analyzing results and other topics. The final hour of the day will be a resource hour, with small-group discussions and supplier assistance.

Complete information about “Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” and the Southern California Genealogical Society’s 44^th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree can be found on the Jamboree website, http://www.genealogyjamboree.com.

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The Southern California Genealogical Society is located in Burbank, California. It sponsors the annual Southern California Genealogical Jamboree, which will be held June 7 through 9, 2013, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank, Burbank, California. The pre-event is the inaugural “Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” conference.

Announcing the Inaugural DNA and Genetic Genealogy Conference Sponsored by ISOGG and SCGS: To Be Held in Conjunction with the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree

I am so excited to finally be able to share the following news:

DNA and Genetic Genealogy Conference

Jan 4, 2012 - The International Society of Genetic Genealogy and the Southern California Genealogical Society announce an innovative, important one-day DNA conference, “Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013,” to be held June 6, 2013, in conjunction with the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.

The featured speaker is Dr. Spencer Wells of the National Geographic Genographic Project, who will review the Genographic Project 2.0. Other speakers presenting state-of-the-art uses of DNA in the search for ancestors include The Genetic Genealogist Blaine Bettinger; Dr. Tim Janzen; The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell; Your Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore; DNA Testing Adviser Richard Hill; and Katherine Borges, the director of ISOGG. Also participating in the day-long seminar will be representatives from the major commercial DNA organizations – Family Tree DNA, 23andMe and AncestryDNA. Separate tracks will be targeted for beginners and advanced genetic genealogists.

One-on-one consultations will be available during the final hour of the day. Help is available to interpret results and to use the various testing organization websites and resources. This personal assistance will help even the most inexperienced family historians apply genetic genealogy as another tool in their research toolbox.

What makes this event so special? “This is the very first genetic genealogy conference that is independently produced by societies such as ISOGG and SCGS,” explained CeCe Moore, the conference co-chair. “I have dreamed of an ISOGG-sponsored genetic genealogy conference for a long time, and I am thrilled to be working in cooperation with the SCGS Jamboree on this inaugural event. Holding the conference in conjunction with the Genealogy Jamboree helps us reach many family historians who would otherwise not be able to attend.”

 “We are so excited about breaking new ground in genetic genealogy gatherings,” said SCGS president Alice Fairhurst, who also leads the society’s DNA interest group and has been actively applying DNA in her own genealogy research. “As more family historians have DNA tests, genetic genealogy is becoming more valuable in the search for ancestors and living relatives.”

Online registration for “Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013” and the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree opens on Friday, January 4, 2013.  Early-bird discounted registration is $175 for SCGS members and $195 for nonmembers. Prices increase after 30 April 2013.The conference will be held at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA. The Southern California Genealogy Jamboree will also be held at the Burbank Marriott on June 7-9, 2013. It is produced bu the Southern California Genealogical Society, 417 Irving Drive, Burbank, CA 91504, phone 818-843-7247.

Further information can be found at www.scgsgenealogy.com and http://genealogyjamboree.blogspot.com. 

I will also be keeping everyone updated here at "Your Genetic Genealogist".

GeneaBlog Awards 2012...Guess Who?

I am extremely proud to have been honored by Tamura Jones in the fifth annual GeneaBlog Awards, not once but TWICE!  This year Tamura recognized genealogy blogs in five categories:

Best New Genealogy Blog: AQ Will Do by Dale McIntyre
Best In Depth Industry Coverage: Your Genetic Genealogist for AncestryDNA coverage
Most Pronounced Genealogy Activism: The Legal Genealogist by Judy Russell for SSDI coverage
Best Guest Series: DNA Testing for Genealogy by CeCe Moore on Geni.com
Best Uniquely Informative Series: The Legal Genealogist by Judy Russell for "Terms of Service"

I was especially happy to read that Tamura recognized my efforts to fairly and accurately report Ancestry.com's new venture into autosomal DNA testing with these words:

This year, Ancestry.com started offering autosomal DNA tests through their AncestryDNA service, at relatively affordable prices.
No one has covered this industry development more extensively than CeCe Moore on her Your Genetic Genealogist blog.

In fact, her coverage starts late last year, well before the Beta period.
She was the first to point out that AncestryDNA may be cheap, but does not provide you with your own data, an important issue many other authors missed completely.
She has consistently taken the position that Ancestry.com should release the actual test results to their customers.

Your Genetic Genealogist was the first to report that Ancestry.com had bought GeneTree.

CeCe Moore exclusively reported on erroneous results by AncestryDNA, provided follow-up explaining what went wrong,
and did not hesitate to report an AncestryDNA success story later.
Your Genetic Genealogist has regularly provided AncestryDNA information while misinformation abounded.
There is no better source of independent information on AncestryDNA.

Congratulations to my colleagues Judy and Dale for their much deserved awards. Thank you to Tamura for the honor and to my faithful readers because, without you, none of this would be possible.

[**Please see Judy's latest post on The Legal Genealogist for background on Tamura Jones and the GeneaBlog Awards.**]