Two years ago genealogy DNA studies seems like  science fiction. Last year such studies were uncommonly rare. This year there is nothing uncommon about them. Genetics is (they say) the next Really Big Thing in genealogy.

Throughout all recorded history (which goes back a few years) the only route to genealogy was through the written historical record. Today we have a new tool: DNA.

All most of us know about using DNA to establish lineage came in a PBS TV special a few years ago that documented attempts to prove or disapprove that Thomas Jefferson fathered the children of his slave Sally Hennings.

(There's more on that 1998 DNA study here for those who would like a refresher. And the Jefferson family historian's side of the same story is at Jefferson-Hennings study.)

As those links explain (ready for a couple of big words?) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) passed from mother to daughter can prove maternal ancestry. Y-chromosome DNA passed from father to son can prove paternal ancestry. 

Good news! You don't have to understand the last paragraph. Just remember there are two ancestry tests, one for each gender.

Why would you care? Other than solving historical mysteries such as who is buried in the tomb of the unknown soldier, what does genetic genealogy mean to you?

Today a little, tomorrow much more. This technology is still in its infancy and is consequently expensive. Better later for less is what to expect for the foreseeable future..

Today its most popular use is in Surname Projects, which try to prove or disprove that various family groups with the same (or similar) surname have a common ancestor and are therefore related.

(There are  links to various Surname Projects on our New Technologies Links page if you'd like to learn more.)

Intrigued by the 1998 DNA study, genealogist Bennett Greenspan founded  Family Tree DNA, a company that provides DNA testing to genealogists. Y-chromosome (male) testing is available from $149(US). Mitochondrial DNA (female) testing starts at $219(US).

Success stories and more about both types of DNA tests at the Family Tree DNA web site. There are additional links to other DNA in Genealogy web sites here.

Legacy 4.0 is the only genealogy program that currently provides a genetic genealogy feature. Others will in the next release. Meanwhile genetic data will have to be stored in free form Notes (Bibliography).