Free Webinar: Revealing Your Mother’s Ancestors & Where They Came From

I want to personally invite everyone to “save the date” for the free presentation I’ve created for the RootsTech DNA Basics Learning Center.

Those of you who have attended RootsTech in person in Salt Lake City over the past couple of years may have noticed the DNA Center sponsored by FamilySearch that provides non-vendor-specific DNA education for everyone.

You probably remember their DNA beans explaining the concept of random autosomal inheritance.

That tidy little package is “you.” The genealogical goal, of course, is to work backwards and figure out who, in your tree, those jellybean colors represent.

This year we won’t be gathering together in Salt Lake City, so it will be a bring-your-own-jellybeans event. However, the DNA Learning Center will be available virtually – which is actually a great benefit.

I know, I want to see everyone too – but in this case, the sessions are recorded and will be available for everyone worldwide so we can educate far more people than on the show floor.

Revealing Your Mother’s Ancestors & Where They Came From

In addition to my regular session, which I’ll write about as soon as the schedule is finalized, I volunteered to create a basic presentation for the DNA Learning Center. DNA is critically important to genealogy and I want everyone to enjoy that benefit.

As everyone knows, maternal ancestors are often challenging for a variety of reasons. Because surnames change with marriage, at least in most western cultures, females’ birth surnames are more prone to be missing. Fortunately, DNA has provided genealogists with two different tools to help overcome those challenges.

Mitochondrial DNA is focused only on your direct matrilineal (your mother’s mother’s mother’s) line, and autosomal DNA can be inherited from any ancestor. However, there are tools and techniques that allow us to hone autosomal results and use them selectively.

I’ll be covering inheritance and how to utilize both autosomal and mitochondrial DNA, including haplogroups, for your genealogy. Both separately, and together.

We’ll discuss how a cousin and I collaborated, using both types of DNA in addition to traditional genealogical records to break through one of those “no surname” brick walls six generations in the past. That breakthrough then revealed several MORE generations, like dominoes falling in quick succession.

Those pesky ancestors had moved from Long Island to New Jersey to Virginia leaving no backward trail. Cleary, not your normal migration pattern. This mystery absolutely could NOT have been solved without mitochondrial DNA pointing the way.

When and Where?

The where is easy – on your computer or device, of course.

Currently, this free session is scheduled to air twice, so mark your calendar:

  • February 25 – 3 PM EST – captioned in English
  • February 27 – 1 PM EST – captioned in Spanish

FamilySearch is providing volunteers to answer questions entered into the online chat during all of the DNA Learning Center sessions, including mine. I plan to “be there” to answer questions too, as will several other volunteers. Some volunteers will speak Spanish on the 27th. Unfortunately, I don’t speak Spanish, so I’ll be restricted to answering questions in English.

When the entire 3-day DNA Learning Center schedule is finalized, I’ll post and give a huge shout-out to the other volunteer speakers too.

While we wait for Rootstech to arrive, you still have time to order mitochondrial or autosomal DNA tests, below.

_____________________________________________________________

Disclosure

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase the price you pay but helps me to keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

DNA Purchases and Free Transfers

Genealogy Products and Services

Genealogy Research

Books

12 thoughts on “Free Webinar: Revealing Your Mother’s Ancestors & Where They Came From

  1. Roberta, perhaps you mentioned this in a previous blog post, but I think it would be a good idea to remind people that RootsTech 2021 is completely online this year and registration is free:

    https://www.rootstech.org/?lang=eng

    The one thing I’m not sure of is if there is a limit on the number of registrants. Just to be safe, I recommend registering sooner than later (which I had just done).

  2. Thanks Roberta – sounds interesting.

    23andMe has updated ancestral countries of origin. I am just wondering if many
    people in the J mtDNA haplogroup are now recorded as having trace amounts of Egyptian
    DNA not included in previous results.

  3. Thank you for the post. It’s given me just enough indication of how the schedule is going to work to request time off work.

    I know it’s a challenge to finalize schedules (especially using a new format). I’m getting conflicting information about whether the presentations will be available “later.” If everything is going to be available “later,” I don’t have to take time off work. If not everything is going to be available later, well, I had better request time off work.

    It would be good if RootsTech were to make that clear.

    Look forward to seeing your presentation, Roberta.

    • I don’t know either. I understand they will be available during the conference, but I’d need to confirm after.

  4. Hi Roberta,
    Thank you for all the work that you do! I am sure that you must know about your Norfolk/Suffolk Estes? I seem to be related to you through that route and I can send you the links?

    • I’m not aware of relations with Estes from there. I’d live for a male to Y DNA test to confirm the connection.

Leave a Reply