DNA Special Interest Group - 02 Mar 2024

DNA Special Interest Group - 02 Mar 2024

Today's Topic: Insights from MtDNA Case Studies

by Michelle Bray Wilson

Mitochondrial work is often treated as the downtrodden stepchild of DNA. Yet due to its extraordinary reach, MtDNA can yield insights not possible with other technologies. We will briefly explore MtDNA organization and inheritance, and then dive into four Mt case studies: one leading to Fort de Chartres, the first European settlement in Illinois, another focused on a Metis family from Montana, a third showing how MtDNA can assist autosomal analysis, and a fourth exploring a woman purported to be from the Ontario Metis of Drummond Island. 

This hybrid 50-minute talk will be followed by a short break and a live-only, 1-hour workshop.

Michelle Bray Wilson has been active in the genealogy community for more than a dozen years. She speaks throughout the Midwest, most frequently on genetic genealogy, French Canada, ancient ancestry, and creating family history books. She is a former president of CAGGNI, the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois, and served many years as Registrar at a local DAR chapter.

About the DNA Special Interest Group: Normally a members-only group that focuses on learning methods for analyzing DNA test results, this session is being opened to non-members, one in a series CAGGNI hopes to offer in 2024.