Genealogists gathered together for ECGGC, the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference, in late August in Boston.
ECGGC, the only conference focused entirely on genetic genealogy, was packed with wonderful speakers and amazing attendees. There was something for everyone. We all had fun and enjoyed learning.
Fortunately, all the sessions were recorded and are available. You can still register, here, and view them through the end of October 2026.
To whet your appetite, here’s the list of speakers.
- Kelli Bergheimer
- Katherine Borges
- Kevin Borland
- Greg Clarke
- Janine Cloud
- Roberta Estes
- Mags Gaulden
- Daniel Horowitz
- Peggy Jude
- Dawn Kosmakos
- Steve Little
- Melanie McComb
- Alina Newman
- Kate Penny Howard
- Jonny Perl
- Rhonda Roederer
- Diahan Southard
- Jerome Spears
- Mark Thompson
- David Vance
- Rob Wharthen
- Jennifer Zinck
Several people generously gave multiple presentations. You can view the program, here.
I love in-person conferences because they foster so much collaboration, and this just might have been the best one ever. I kept overhearing people saying things like, “I never thought of that,” or, “I’ll have to try that.” Fortunately, it’s not too late to join in. There were three simultaneous tracks, so even for in-person attendees, there’s a lot left to learn.
I certainly wasn’t able to attend every session I wanted to see, so I’ve planned one session to watch each evening. That’s certainly doable, not to mention enjoyable.
The Conference in Photos
One of the best things about conferences is catching up with colleagues and friends.
And of course, “family style” meals where whoever walks up in the lobby joins the table. I love this so much! It feels like the best parts of a family reunion.
Here’s a sampling of photos from the conference.
Juniper and Caroline, volunteers checking attendees in.
Seeing old friends and making new ones is always wonderful. Lianne Kruger, conference coordinator, me, and Melanie McComb with American Ancestors.
It’s only fitting that Jennifer Zinck’s opening keynote was “It Takes a Village,” because it does.
Jennifer’s rotating slides before her session began made many of us misty-eyed because they included many members of our village who have gone on to meet their ancestors. This slide shows a much younger Juniper, with Bob McLaren and Franklin the spider at a FamilyTreeDNA conference several years ago. Bob, well known and much-loved in genealogy circles, departed this realm to chase those elusive ancestors in 2020.
I love Jennifer’s helix dress and necklace!! She’s definitely dressing the part.
Kelly Bergheimer, trying to work in the lobby. Good luck with that. Too many people to talk to.
I love her laptop decals.
Flowers on the keyboard and a quote that’s certainly true for genetics. Genetic genealogy makes genetics available, accessible and useful for everyone.
From time to time, Janine and I give joint presentations. “Between the Records and the Results” just kind of “happened,” as if some ancestor was involved.
A few years ago, we accidentally discovered that we are cousins on two separate lines, but it turned out not to be the lines we suspected.
Right “here”, on this slide, is where we accidentally discovered that our families “intersect.” No, not those two lines we already knew about. This is just one of those stories that just keeps on giving. I smell a road trip coming up!
Mags treated us to both case studies and a step-by-step roadmap of proving our Revolutionary Ancestors.
She explained how to locate and combine various types of records, plus DNA of course, and reminded us that sometimes evidence contradicts each other.
I might be just a little biased here, because as an example, Mags used the Washington Study that I was a part of.
We think about testing ourselves, but in her second session, “Unleash the Power of DNA: Testing Family Members,” Jennifer discussed the benefits of testing other family members.
Not just some family members – all of them that you can convince. She talked about how to approach people in a way that makes them receptive – and how to use those results in the broader context of family historical goals.
While we were enjoying the sessions, the ECGGC tech team was sitting in the corner of the room, making sure everything was running smoothly, and the recordings are going as planned.
After dinner on Saturday evening, we gathered for DNA Academy. You’d think a Saturday evening event would be lightly attended, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Here, the panel is answering questions in an “ask me anything” session.
You might notice that I have several photos of my sessions or with me in them. Back to that “it takes a village” theme, a couple weeks before the conference, my family had a little health drama. There are a few immediate family members who are unmuted on my phone, meaning their numbers ring through regardless. I’m not about to mute them, but I also didn’t want to have my phone ring on the off chance that one of them would call during my sessions. So, I asked one of my “extended family members” in the room to hold my phone when I was presenting, and step out and answer it if it rang. The unanticipated benefit is that they took wonderful photos of my sessions. Thank you!!!
After the panel discussion, Dave Vance gave the best explanation I’ve ever seen of NGS testing as compared to the other types such as the traditional autosomal tests, low-pass whole genome, and medical-grade whole genome.
He explains it using the analogy of a train, with passengers taking pictures as it travels through Genome Valley – so climb aboard.
Then, Dave followed that with a dozen or so “sneak peek” slides of the new Family Finder Discover tools in development. I can’t share those publicly, but you can view this session if you subscribe to the virtual conference.
That was followed by people literally throwing their billfolds and credit cards at the FamilyTreeDNA team to purchase Family Finder NGS upgrades, accompanied by, “Take my money, please!” I’m not kidding and wish I had a video to share.
I should have learned LONG AGO never to follow Dave Vance, but following Dave Vance is much preferable to presenting a session at the same time as his.
Everyone loves Discover’s Ancient Connections, but did you know they are actually useful genealogically? No? I explain how to use them in my session, “Using Ancient Connections to Unlock Genealogy”.
The following morning, Mark Thompson and Steve Little provided the keynote.
This dynamic duo is always worth the price of admission by themselves.
No matter how many times you’ve heard them speak, AI is moving so rapidly that you absolutely need to hear them again. Their keynote, “Family History AI: Where We Are, Where We’re Going” was amazing.
Love AI or hate AI, we need to learn about AI because we are all on this train together. Fortunately, in the (genetic) genealogy community, we have Mark and Steve as our own coaches.
Katherine Borges, the DAR DNA Chair, is on a one-woman mission to educate the DAR and its members about using DNA for genealogy. If anyone can get this done, trust me, it’s Katherine!
Not to say it was cold or anything in that conference center, but Katherine was wrapped up in a spare FamilyTreeDNA banner for warmth. No one expected we’d need winter clothes in August.
I did everything right, so where’s my ancestor? Good question. Diahan has answers!!
I love Diahan’s sessions and her teaching methodology because she explains everything in concise, easy steps. This is one of the sessions where I heard people planning how to use the information they had just learned.
Have you ever found a tidbit about an ancestor, only to discover that now you need to study all of the neighbors and the surrounding community?
Janine has made some amazing discoveries over the past few months, and there’s a lesson for all of us in how she did it.
Just in case you think it’s a sterile conference and no one was having any fun😊
It’s not just about whose DNA you inherited, but whose DNA you need. This is true both for testers AND for ancestors. You ALWAYS need the DNA of your parents, grandparents, cousins, and so forth, but you also need the DNA of your ancestors – specifically their Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA.
Who has that DNA? How do you find and recruit them?
Janine’s on that mission and we should all be too!
Alas, all good things must come to an end. Drawings for prizes at the end, and a HUGE THANK YOU to the ECGGC MitoYDNA volunteer team.
One final dinner with friends in beautiful historic Boston, and the following morning we would scatter to the winds until next time.
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