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Learning about the Links Between DNA and Family History

Shellee Morehead, PhD, will be lecturing on DNA testing in genealogy this Saturday at 1 p.m. at the United Congregational Church.

Family tree researchers and story keepers should be sure to stop by the , featuring Shellee Morehead, PhD, and presented by the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut on Saturday, October 15 at 1 p.m. in the . 

Morehead, who has her doctorate in evolutionary ecology and is an independent genealogy consultant, said that the lecture will address the basics of using DNA results to understand ancestral history, a trend that she says is growing in popularity.

"Over the past several years, primarily due to the popularity of the prime time show "Who Do You Think You Are?" and the mass marketing campaigns of Ancestry.com, I think there has been a greater interest in researching one's family history, " she said. According to her Web site, Morehead has recently finished filming an episode of the "Who Do You Think You Are?" show for Danish television.

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Morehead said that her lecture will illuminate how DNA tests can answer family history questions and how to get the most out of a commerical DNA testing company.

"You can answer certain genealogical questions using mitochondrial DNA," Morehead said, adding that DNA analysis also reveals larger patterns of human migration throughout history, including how an individual's family fit into the great global movements.

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In fact, Morehead said that the DNA databases have grown enough that some individuals can trace in what town or areas there ancestors lived before immigrating to America.

"What happens amongst French-Canadians and other ethnic groups is that those people are often from the same places in Europe," Morehead explained. "By looking at hometowns in Europe and comparing people's DNA, you can see how families and whole villages moved from Europe to the U.S."

Ivan Robinson, a member of the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut, said that his group sponsored the lecture as a part of their annual meeting partially because French-Canadians have a unique genetic history.

Robinson explained that today's descendents of French-Canadians are almost exclusively descended from a small group of men and women who became cut off from Europe and incoming immigrants after the English conquest of Canada in 1760.

The result is a close-knit community with a ton of connections.

"You can sit around a table with strangers and you find you're related to all of them," he said.

Ancestors are not the only thing the group shares, as Morehead explained that DNA analysis can also reveal ethnic vulnerabilities to certain diseases or medical issues, such as an adverse reaction to anesthesia which she said is prevalent in French-Canadian descendents. 

"DNA testing is important in the medical respect to understand what sort of diseases you might be prone to," she said.

Those who are interested are welcome to attend the free lecture at 1 p.m. at the United Congregational Church. For more information on Morehead and her work, visit her Web site or her two blogs, Roots in Rhode Island and Learn something new everyday: A Luddite's Blog.

Information on the French-Canadian Genealogical Society is also available on the group's Web site. The organization is based out of the Old Tolland County Courthouse and has hours Sunday from 1-4 p.m., Monday and Wednesday from 1-5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Robinson said that it costs $5 for a day of research in the group's library.

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