At the October 12, 2019 El Redondo chapter meeting, associate member Kathleen Spearman, (Point Vicente Chapter), discussed the history of genetic testing and the services and interactions of Family Tree DNA, 23 & Me, Ancestry DNA, My Heritage, and LivingDNA.

She explained the roles of genetic genealogists Barbara Rae-Venter and Bennett Greenspan and how the recent surge in numbers tested (5 1/2 million persons as of 2 1/2 years ago) has allowed genetic genealogists to assist law enforcement agencies in solving some of the 200,000 unsolved murders since 1960.

The genetic genealogist uses reverse genealogy to find “persons of interest.” This method was used to solve the infamous Golden State Killer Case. Several of our El Redondo Daughters have already discovered their “cousinship” in sharing an 8th great-grandfather from the Revolutionary War era. This was from the usual method of tracing the family trees with verifying documents. Imagine the connections to be found several generations hence from our own DNA testing!

Photo: Kathleen Spearman explains the role of the genetic genealogist