Episode 357 - Author Libby Copeland On Four Landmark Events In DNA In 2020

Extreme Genes

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org. The guys begin with discussion of an ancestral discovery David made this past week… one he could have had years ago had he paid attention to a communication sent to him in 2012! Then Fisher and David talk about a man who was given up as a foundling 83 years ago. Thanks to a genetic genealogist who wanted to help, he now knows who his birth parents were. Next, Smithsonian is running a great article on another pandemic Christmas… the Christmas of 1918. Genetic genealogy has again proven its worth in identifying a “Jane Doe” murder victim from 2000. Hear some of the details. Next, it’s nice to hear of a man who has decided to help lower income people learn about their past. Hear who and why this man is backing this ambitious project. Finally, in Wethersfield, Connecticut, a recent dig has revealed artifacts that may change Connecticut history books.

Then, Libby Copeland joins Fisher for a two part visit discussing four landmark events in DNA that all occurred in the past year, and where we might be going from here. She is the author behind The Lost Family, How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are.

David comes back next for another round of Ask Us Anything. The guys begin with a question about ancestral signatures and their use in genealogy, as well as how to handle family scandals when writing up a family history.

That’s all this week on Extreme Genes, America’s Family History Show!