According to American Demographics, 113 million Americans have begun to trace their roots, making genealogy the second most popular hobby in the country. Enthusiasts clamor for new information from dozens of subscriptions-based Web sites, e-mail newsletters, and magazines. For these eager roots-seekers looking to take their searches to the next level, DNA testing is the answer. After a brief introduction to genealogy and genetics fundamentals, the authors explain what kind of information the tests can provide, how to interpret the results, and how the tests work - it doesn?t involve digging up your dead relatives. Getting results is a simple as swabbing the inside of your cheek and popping a sample in the mail.
The authors reveal exactly what is - and isn?t - possible with genetic testing. They include case studies of both famous historical mysteries and examples of ordinary folks whose exploration of genetic genealogy has enabled them to trace their roots.
Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak has been an avid genealogist for more than three decades and is an expert in family history research. The lead researcher for the PBS Ancestors series, she is a contributing editor for Heritage Quest and the author of Honoring Our Ancestors, In Search of Our Ancestors, and They came to America.
Ann Turner was hooked on genealogy when she learned that her parents? ancestors has arrived in the United States on the same ship yet went their separate ways until her parents met 300 years later. She works writing computer software and composing messages for the popular GENEALOGY-DNA mailing list.
