𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀? 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? This class will help you build a clear, practical strategy for answering research questions with DNA. 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗤&𝗔 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗢𝗡𝗘. August 11 @ 5 PM PDT | August 12 @ 10 AM PDT | 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: bit.ly/DNAGeekTixBS

Was Michel Deville (1738–1793) Maltese? In April 1768, one Michel (Miguel) Deville wed Marguerite "Kasteberg" or "Kastzeberg" in St Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Spanish Louisiana.  The sacramental record from the cathedral is heavily damaged, but suggests Michel was from "Port Royal."  His bride…

Was Michel Deville (1738–1793) Maltese?

In April 1768, one Michel (Miguel) Deville wed Marguerite "Kasteberg" or "Kastzeberg" in St Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Spanish Louisiana.  The sacramental record from the cathedral is heavily damaged, but suggests Michel was from "Port Royal."  His bride was of German and French extraction. A few months later, Deville was awarded a large land grant—more than 300 acres—in what is now Alexandria, Louisiana. 

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𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀? 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? This class will help you build a clear, practical strategy for answering research questions with DNA. 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗤&𝗔 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗢𝗡𝗘. August 11 @ 5 PM PDT | August 12 @ 10 AM PDT | 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: bit.ly/DNAGeekTixBS

AncestryDNA Updates Their Relationship Predictions AncestryDNA has just updated some of their DNA-based relationship predictions! Previously, the most likely relationship(s) for a DNA match was determined mainly by how much DNA (in centimorgans) that person shared with you.  The graph offers a…

AncestryDNA Updates Their Relationship Predictions

AncestryDNA has just updated some of their DNA-based relationship predictions! Previously, the most likely relationship(s) for a DNA match was determined mainly by how much DNA (in centimorgans) that person shared with you.  The graph offers a visual synopsis of which relationship groups (represented by colored lines) are most likely (have the highest probability on the horizontal axis) for different centimorgan amounts (vertical axis).

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𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐃𝐍𝐀: 𝐀 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 BanyanDNA is like no other tool! It can help you solve mysteries and find errors in your tree, plus it's customized to the complexities of your family. Learn to use it now! bit.ly/DNAGeekTixFB

𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬! Are Ancestry's Pro Tools worth the money? Join me to learn how they can enhance your genealogy research, even if you're on a tight budget. bit.ly/DNAGeekTixFB

𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐲? Are you from a tight-knit community, like Ashkenazim, Cajuns, Polynesians, or similar? Learn best practices for genetic genealogy despite the special challenges we face. bit.ly/DNAGeekTixFB

𝗜𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁? Join us for a live demonstration to see what each tool does, where it shines, and where it falls short. 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗤&𝗔 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗢𝗡𝗘. July 14 @ 5 PM PDT | July 15 @ 10 AM PDT | 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: bit.ly/DNAGeekTixFBB

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 DNA is the ultimate truth-teller. Have you discovered the unexpected in your family tree? Tell us about it in the comments! thednageek.com/mpes-probabi... [Image by Geralt via Pixabay]

𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬! Are Ancestry's Pro Tools worth the money? Join me to learn how they can enhance your genealogy research, even if you're on a tight budget. bit.ly/DNAGeekTixFB

Interesting This post is not about an individual.  It's about business.  But before we talk business, I need to talk about one individual.  For that, I am sorry. Yesterday, a colleague alerted me to an announcement on LinkedIn, the professional networking site.  Misty Gillis, an experienced…

Interesting

This post is not about an individual.  It's about business.  But before we talk business, I need to talk about one individual.  For that, I am sorry. Yesterday, a colleague alerted me to an announcement on LinkedIn, the professional networking site.  Misty Gillis, an experienced forensic genetic genealogist with more than 50 investigative leads to her credit, is leaving her part-time job at Parabon after little more than two years.

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𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝? DNA has power to solve family mysteries, but getting started is daunting. Which tests? Which tools? Which subscriptions? Learn the best strategy to tackle your brick walls! bit.ly/DNAGeekTixFB

𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬! Are Ancestry's Pro Tools worth the money? Join me to learn how they can enhance your genealogy research, even if you're on a tight budget. bit.ly/DNAGeekTixFB

Forensic genetic genealogy has solved 1000s of criminal & Doe cases since 2018. The field has matured through success & misstep, with more civilian privacy protections & increasing corporatization. Read Barbara Rae-Venter's memoir for an inside view from an indisputable pioneer.

Book Review: I Know Who You Are, by Barbara Rae-Venter

Do you have even a passing interest in the power of genetic genealogy to solve crimes?  Are you concerned about the ethical and privacy implications?  Then you should read Barbara Rae-Venter’…

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Are you Cajun? Did you know we are eligible for Canadian citizenship under a new law passed in December? In fact, we are already Canadian citizens by descent! There is no generational limit. tixoom.app/thednageek/Q...

Cajun to Canadian

On Jun 18, 2026 - get a ticket now!

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𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬! Are Ancestry's Pro Tools worth the money? Join me to learn how they can enhance your genealogy research, even if you're on a tight budget. bit.ly/DNAGeekTixFB

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 Pride Month is the perfect time to retell Emily's story of one of the greatest gifts a friend can give. thednageek.com/emily/

Emily

Emily’s is a true story, but some given names and surnames have been changed to protect privacy. When Emily’s DNA results first came back, the suspicions began to churn.  Her birth in 1…

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Wondering how someone fits into a family tree? Don't guess! Use WATO instead. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 now to gain practical skills: • Evaluate DNA evidence • Compare possible relationships • Choose the best research path 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 with 𝗤&𝗔 • $20 • 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: bit.ly/DNAGeekTixBS

THROWBACK THURSDAY! "Midge" is one of my most difficult unknown-father cases ever. She’s got great matches, but there are so many Smiths, so many interrelationships, and so many MPEs that I've been stuck for six years.

Struggles with Smithville

When Daddy was from Smithville, where half the town are Smiths, they’re all related, and the local pastime appears to be extramarital sex.

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Okay, this is insane. AncestryDNA tests are on sale for the lowest price ever: only $29! You can also get a 3-month trial of their World Explorer membership for only $1 extra or the All Access membership for $10 more. (Sale ends May 11; shipping not included.) www.ancestry.com/dna/

It's almost that time! My FREE monthly newsletter—with the latest developments in the field of genealogy and updates on DNA class offerings—is about to drop. Real content from a real person! Sign up now so you don't miss out. bit.ly/Geekmail (Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

Happy DNA Day, when we celebrate two groundbreaking events in science: the 1953 publication by James Watson & Watson Crick describing DNA's double-helix—based on crystallography work by Rosalind Franklin—and the completion of the Human Genome Project 50 years later. (Image: Stubot via Flickr)

THROWBACK THURSDAY! Saturday is DNA Day, the anniversary of two groundbreaking events in science history: the publication of DNA's physical structure and the completion of the human genome project. This is a good time to review some DNA basics. thednageek.com/dna-basics-w...

DNA Basics: What is DNA?

Have you ever wondered what DNA does when it’s not helping you with your family history? Understanding its day job can give us insights into how DNA behaves in our genetic genealogy studies. …

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It's crazy to think this photo is 50 years old! Two alligators got into the family swimming hole. This was the first time I ate gator. They were protected at the time and we had to ask around for someone who still had a recipe. I make a mean gator soup today!

OMG I think I just solved Smithville! If you need me, I'll be dancing like a K-pop singer in my Sunday sweats! Deets to come. Here's some background: thednageek.com/struggles-wi...

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰? Most of the DNA we use in genetic genealogy is not genes!

THROWBACK THURSDAY: DNA Day is just around the corner! This is a good time to brush up on some of the basics, like are you an equal mix of Mom and Dad? As with many things involving DNA, the answer is both 𝘺𝘦𝘴 and 𝘯𝘰. Find out why: thednageek.com/dna-basics-a...

DNA Basics: Are You an Equal Mix of Mom and Dad?

Do you inherit exactly half of your DNA from each parent?  As with so many questions in genealogy and in life, the answer is: it depends.  It depends on your genetic sex and whether you consider mi…

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I don't normally brag, but every rule has an exception: I have The Best Students! Today I wrapped up two classes on BanyanDNA, a tool for genetic genealogy & complex pedigrees. Both groups were actively engaged throughout, asked great questions, and boosted the class level with their participation.

What's the wildest reaction you've seen from a birth parent? Mandy was adopted, and we quickly figured out who her biological father was. Mandy had solid DNA matches to both sides of his tree, and he was an only child. No doubt.

I was too late. Gina had already reached out to her half-sister match. Alicia (both names are pseudonyms) was initially receptive, until Gina insisted that Alicia's father wasn't her father when it was her own father who was misidentified. Her insistence threw Alicia's family into turmoil.