Cynthia Wells - Exploring the Mysteries ~ Exploding the Myths ~ Expanding your Family History with DNA

Name - Cynthia Wells

Member - ISOGG, GOONS, Hampshire Genealogical Society, Somerset and Dorset Family History Society

Day Job - Administrative Manager overseeing the accounting, human resources, and administrative departments at Hart & Hickman located in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Night Job - Administrator/Co-Administrator of four Surname DNA Projects, ISOGG Regional Speaker for North Carolina, USA, Assistant Director of the Reedy Creek Family History Centre

How did you get into genealogy?
As a young child my family would entertain me with stories about my ancestors. I love history, like to research, and love my family so genealogy research was the perfect hobby for me. My marriage brought new genealogical research for my in-laws and when my children got married I had a whole new set of in-law genealogy to start. The last decade has seen a treasure trove of new genealogical tools. I never tire of finding new ancestors and learning their histories.

What about your involvement with genetic genealogy?
I learned of genetic genealogy back in 2004. A sceptic at first, I realized how helpful using DNA for genealogy could be after seeing test results and learning how they could supply clues to further research, prove or disprove the paper trail, and advance the understanding of my surnames of interest.

My first dna surname project started in 2005 and I have gone on to co-admin three more. I’ve sponsored the testing of family/extended family members to expand my personal genealogical research and helped others choose the right DNA test for what they want to find out and what to make of their results. These tests include Y-DNA, mtDNA, and atDNA. I’ve also been lucky enough to travel to WDYTYA in London multiple times and volunteer at the FTDNA booth. FTDNA sponsors the annual International Conference on Genetic Genealogy. Since 2005 I have attended each conference to listen and learn from the experts in the field.

So what will you be talking about?
The presentation will include examples of how DNA has helped explore the genealogical mysteries, explode the myths of incorrect/non-existent paper trails and family stories, and expand the understanding and knowledge of family history. These examples are gleaned from all three types of DNA tests [Y-DNA, mtDNA, and atDNA] and come from my surname projects and personal research.

What DNA tests will be discussed?
Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, and autosomal DNA

Watch Cynthia's presentation below.

Cynthia Wells - Expanding your Family History with DNA

Published on 19 Oct 2013

Cynthia discusses how DNA has helped her in her own personal family tree research and gives examples of how Irish American genealogy in combination with DNA can help people in Ireland to trace their Irish ancestors.

Presented at Genetic Genealogy Ireland 2013 on Saturday 19th Oct 2013. Please note that these GGI2013 videos are copyrighted to the presenter and should only be used for personal study. They are not to be used for any other purpose without the presenters express permission. Also, please note that because this is a rapidly advancing field, the content may quickly become outdated.

The lectures were sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).