DNA and Adoption: Podcast Episode 122

In this month’s podcast, we’re not only discussing DNA and adoption, but also premiering several new segments.



Ep. 122: July 2018





Back to the episode list







In this episode:







This Month in Family History



This month we’re turning the clock back 45 years to a disastrous event that lit up the hot July skies in 1973: the fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis Missouri. Theresa Fitzgerald, Chief, Archival Operations at the National Archives at St. Louis tells us all about it.



Resources: Read more about it in this recent article from our magazine



Visit the National Archives website







Social Media Minute



“Like” the Family Tree Magazine Facebook page



Website: Gedmatch







Best Websites



Randy Majors walks us through his website U.S. County Boundary Maps.







Feature: 3 Tips from Sunny



With the rise of DNA testing we’re seeing more and more articles published about adoptees locating and meeting their biological parents. Sunny Morton has written an article for the July / August issue of the magazine called One Man’s Successful Search for His Sperm Donor Father and she’s here to tell us about it.



Sunny’s top 3 tips:



* You’ll need advanced DNA strategies. You have to be willing to wait and to work the results* Remember that traditional genealogical research still plays a large role and you research the trees of matches.* Keep the human element in mind. Think about what you are looking for and your motivations for finding it. Keep expectations in check. Be sensitive to the perspective and lives of those you contact.







DNA Deconstructed



Many advances have made it possible for adoptees to search for answers using DNA more easily than they could even a few years ago. For instance



* Types of at-home DNA tests have increased and dropped in price* Genealogical data and documents are accessible online in larger frequencies for adoptees to do preliminary research* Thank to social media. many people are easier to track down now* And, adoptees are sharing their DNA stories publicly, through TV shows and other media giving many people hope for their own search.







Best Genealogy Websites: ISOGG



Guest: Katherine Borges is the Co-Founder and Director of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG), which promotes and educates about genetic genealogy to over 20,000 members in over 70 countries. She works to increase professional standards in the practice, research, and discussion of relevant issues in DNA testing, interpretation, and ethics. Katherine gives many presentations on genetic genealogy to groups across the United States, the United Kingdom and in Ireland.