Using DNA to Solve Complex Genealogy Problems—Karen Stanbary

SESSION: T221 TRACK: BCG Skillbuilding  TITLE:  Follow the Trail of Records and DNA from Ireland to Oregon (1810-1860)

SESSION: F345 TRACK: Methodology  TITLE:  A Giant Logic Puzzle:  An Overview of Visual Phasing.

Karen S. Stanbary  is a board certified genealogist who specializes in using DNA to solve genealogical problems.  Her talks are considered advanced, but they are well worth attending. Though you may not leave the lecture feeling confident in your ability to follow her methodology, you will begin to understand how DNA can help you solve your problem.  She and other DNA specialists are there to help you if you have a problem that DNA can help resolve.  But first you have to understand how DNA can help. And for that you need to attend some lectures to see what DNA can do for you.

In her Thursday lecture, Karen discusses a deep dive in to the written records combined with DNA to reconstruct a forgotten family.  On Friday her talk focuses on  a visualization technique that helps one make sense of DNA results in order to eliminate lines that are not related to a DNA match and narrow your focus to the possible lines that lead to a common ancestor.  You’ll note that neither of her talks is in the DNA track.  This reflects the fact that the use of DNA has become more mainstream and is frequently being integrated in to more traditional record based research.

In addition to Stanbary’s lectures, the program includes eight lectures in the DNA track that cover everything from how to approach contacting a DNA match, to how to organize and make sense of the large number of DNA matches you may get, to case studies of problems solved using DNA.  You can see the full list of DNA talks in this previous blog post.

Remember that registration for the in-person NGS 2022 Family History Conference has been extended to May 13 and full refunds, minus a $50 processing fee, are available until May 1.