Jim Brewster (FTDNA), Gail Riddell (New Zealand), me with Linda Magellan peeking over Jim’s shoulder at the ISOGG reception at the 2016 FTDNA conference. Photo courtesy Gail Riddell.
What do you call an event where you’ve seen the same folks for a dozen years? An event that brings people from the far corners of the earth, literally? A conference that feels far more like a family reunion.
What do you call those people?
Family.
New family. Old family. Family of heart. Sisters or brothers by another mother maybe. Friends you just haven’t met yet. And sometimes…real, honest to blood cousins.
The 12th annual international family reunion, er, I mean International Genetic Genealogy Conference sponsored by Family Tree DNA occurred this past weekend in Houston. I’m still on the road, typing on a tiny keyboard, and I really can’t do it justice just yet but I want to take this opportunity to send you a couple teasers and just to say how wonderful it was to see everyone again.
Sadly, some were missing. Hopefully we’ll see them next year. Unfortunately, a few have passed over to where genealogists get to meet all of their ancestors, so we have to cherish their memories and hope they will help out by sending us answers from their current location.
It’s hard to believe it has been a dozen years now. The first conference was in 2004 – a one day event in Houston. Little could we know or dream what the next decade+ would bring.
Another thing I find amazing is just how many people in this group of 230 or so people I am related to in one way or another. All of these, bar none, were discovered via DNA testing. Whoever would guess that in a room of 230 random people you would find several cousins? Certainly makes you wonder looking around the bus, at the people at work or in a restaurant. How many share your ancestors?
I’m still on the road and will be for a few days, so you’ll get an article to do the conference justice when I get home. In the mean time, I encourage you to read Jennifer Zinck’s wonderful summary articles on her blog, Ancestor Central. Jen can type much faster than I ever could and she is able to listen at the same time too. The bad news is that there were several breakout sessions that ran concurrently and Jen can only be in one place at a time. We have not yet defied the laws of physics.
Jen and I discovered that we have Mayflower ancestors in common, in addition to being friends – having met at this same conference years ago. There just might be another ancestor trip in the planning stages….just saying.
Speaking of Jen, she contributed the photo below. Many thanks, Jen.
We had a once-in-a-lifetime special event at the conference this year. Max Blankfeld and Bennett Greenspan were presented with rather unique Lifetime Achievement Awards by the genetic genealogy community. Max and Bennett were both very grateful, not to mention….nearly speechless, a second once-in-a-lifetime event!
Left to right: Linda Magellan, Roberta Estes (talking), Max Blankfeld, Bennett Greenspan, Nora Probasco and Katherine Borges. Photo courtesy Jennifer Zinck.
As many of you may know, I’m a quilter and yes, I made the double helix quilts. I asked Katherine Borges, Linda Magellan and Nora Probasco to help me with the presentation process since I could not hold up 4 corners of two quilts by myself….and these ladies have attended all 12 conferences as well. Not to mention, they are quilters – so they were glad to be co-conspirators.
We were all very honored to present these awards and want to thank Janine Cloud at FTDNA for clandestinely working us into the schedule without raising suspicion! While that sounds easy, believe me, it wasn’t.
I will be writing an article about Max, Bennett and the awards shortly, and a separate article about the quilts themselves.
Until then, I’m still basking in the glow of two days of hugs, meals with friends, collaboration, and newly discovered information and opportunities. I encourage each of you to find a reunion or conference to attend so you can have the same wonderful experience. There is just nothing better than family, regardless of which kind of family you have – of blood or of heart – or maybe yet-to-be-met!
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