Because DNA is a more recent and still often misunderstood addition to the genealogical toolbox, this special section showcases select resources by BCG associates. Issues of National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), NGS Magazine, and The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record are available online to members or in genealogy libraries.
To subscribe to OnBoard or order back-issues, contact office@bcgcertification.org.
See also DNA Frequently Asked Questions.
Books | Commentary & Citations| Magazine Articles | Journal Articles | Webinars
Books
Bettinger, Blaine T., and Debbie Parker Wayne. Genetic Genealogy in Practice. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2016.
Wayne, Debbie Parker. Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies. Cushing, Texas: Wayne Research, 2019.
Commentary and citations
Byrne, Melinde Lutz and Thomas W. Jones. “Editors’ Corner: DNA Standards.” NGSQ 101 (December 2013): 293.
______. “Genealogical Scholarship and DNA Test Results.” NGSQ 102 (September 2014): 163.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. “QuickLesson 21: Citing DNA Evidence; Five Ground Rules.” Evidence Explained blog post, 29 June 2015.
______. QuickSheet: Citing Genetic Sources for History Research Evidence Style. Laminated folder. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2015.
Magazine articles
Wayne, Debbie Parker. “Genetic Genealogy Journey.” NGS Magazine (2013–2017).
- “Using mitochondrial DNA for Genealogy.” NGS Magazine 39 (October–December 2013): 26–30.
- “Using Y-DNA for Genealogy.” NGS Magazine 40 (January–March 2014): 20–24.
- “Using autosomal DNA for Genealogy.” NGS Magazine 40 (April–June 2014): 50–54.
- “Using X-DNA for Genealogy.” NGS Magazine 40 (July–September 2014): 57–61.
- “First Look at Shared Genealogy of DNA Matches.” NGS Magazine 40 (October–December 2014): 58–61.
- “Logging and Analyzing atDNA Matches.”NGS Magazine 41 (January–March 2015): 58–61.
- “Genetic Genealogy Standards.” NGS Magazine 41 (April–June 2015): 59–61.
- “Why is my cousin not on my DNA match list?” NGS Magazine 41 (July–September 2015): 59–61.
- “Tips for Initial Contact with a Match.” NGS Magazine 41 (October–December 2015): 39–41.
- “What We Don’t Know.” NGS Magazine 42 (January–March 2016): 41–42.
- “Just Fishing or Targeted Testing.” NGS Magazine 42 (April–June 2016): 40–43.
- “Targeted Testing for Autosomal DNA.” NGS Magazine 42 (July–September 2016): 38–41.
- “Triangulating Autosomal DNA.” NGS Magazine 42 (October–December 2016): 39–42.
- “DNA Projects.” NGS Magazine 43 (January–March 2017): 51–54.
Henningfield, Melinda Daffin. “Standard 52: Using DNA as Genealogical Evidence.” OnBoard 26 (September 2020): 17‒19
Hobbs, Patricia Lee. “Planning Research When Using DNA Evidence.” OnBoard 24 (September 2018): 21–23.
Russell, Judy G. “DNA and the Reasonably Exhaustive Search.” OnBoard 20 (January 2014): 1–2, 7.
Stanbary, Karen and the BCG DNA Committee. “The Truth About Pedigree Evaluation.” OnBoard 28 (September 2022): 17–18.
_______. “Mitigation of Incomplete Pedigrees to Identify the Source of Shared Autosomal DNA.” OnBoard (September 2023): 20–21.
Taplin, Cari. “New DNA-Related Standards Offer Guidance,” NGS Magazine 46 (January–March 2020): 48–51.
Scholarly journal articles on DNA, 2001 to present, by BCG associates
National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) methodology-based articles and New York Genealogical and Biographical Record articles by BCG associates use DNA information as a component of genealogical proof. Articles are available online to members or in genealogy libraries. The list is arranged chronologically, newest to oldest.
Hobbs, Patricia Lee and Barbara J. Garrison, “DNA Merges Families of Stephen Stilwell of Dutchess County, New York; Cornwall, Upper Canada; and Coshocton County, Ohio.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 112 (March 2024): 5–30.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. “Identifying a Teenage Mother in Rural Pre-1850 America: The FNA Suggests and atDNA Confirms Shadrack Odom’s First Wife.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 111 (December 2023): 245–274.
Jones, Thomas W. “The Recordless Marriage of Virginia Jones from Caroline County, Virginia, and Henry Brooks of Covington County, Alabama.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 111 (September 2023): 165–183.
Desmarais, Catherine. “Was Nancy a Northamer? DNA Helps Identify a Revolutionary War Militiaman’s Daughter.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 111 (June 2023): 129–145.
Stanbary, Karen. “A Charming Scoundrel and a Tragic Victim—Charles Mapes and Maggie McBurney of Rock Islan County, llinois: Biological Parents of Myrtle Eva (Poorter) Dewein.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 111 (June 2023): 85—110.
Posz, Darcie Hind. “Lost Sons: DNA Confirms the Parents of Robert Bradford Murray of Andrew and Worth Counties, Missouri.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 110 (December 2022): 245–63.
Raymont, Ann. “A Father for Walter Griffith of Tuscarawas County, Ohio.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 108 (September 2020): 165‒182.
Garrett-Nelson, LaBrenda. “Parents for Isaac Garrett of Laurens County, South Carolina: DNA Corroborates Oral Tradition.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 108 (June 2020): 85–112. NGSQ Award of Excellence, 2021.
Henningfield, Melinda. “A Family for Mary (Jones) Hobbs Clark of Carroll County, Arkansas.” NGSQ 107 (March 2019): 5–30. NGSQ Award of Excellence, 2020.
Posz, Darcie Hind. “Reexamining the Parentage of Anderson Boon of Lincoln, Marshall, and Obion Counties, Tennessee.” NGSQ 107 (September 2019): 201–217.
Morelli, Jill. “DNA Helps Identify ‘Molly” (Frisch/Lancour) Morelli’s Father.” NGSQ 106 (December 2018): 293–306.
Green, Shannon. “Connecting William W. Hawkins of Newark, New Jersey, and William Wallace Hawkins of New York City.” The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 148 (October 2017):265–277.
Hobbs, Patricia Lee. “DNA Identifies a Father for Rachel, Wife of James Lee of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.” NGSQ 105 (March 2017): 43–56.
Fein, Mara. “A Family for Melville Adolphus Fawcett.” NGSQ 104 (June 2016): 107–124.
Stanbary, Karen. “Rafael Arriaga, a Mexican Father in Michigan: Autosomal DNA Helps Identify Paternity.” NGSQ 104 (June 2016): 85–98. NGSQ Award of Excellence, 2016.
Jones, Thomas W. “Too Few Sources to Solve a Family Mystery? Some Greenfields in Central and Western New York.” NGSQ 103 (June 2015): 85–110.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. “Testing the FAN Principle Against DNA: Zilphy (Watts) Price Cooksey Cooksey of Georgia and Mississippi.” NGSQ 102 (June 2014): 129–152.
Eagleson, Pamela Stone. “Parents for Robert Walker of Rockingham County, North Carolina, and Orange County, Indiana.” NGSQ 102 (September 2013): 189–199.
Fox, Judy Kellar. “Documents and DNA Identify a Little-Known Lee Family in Virginia.” NGSQ 99 (June 2011): 85–96.
Jackson, B. Darrell. “George Craig of Howard County, Missouri: Genetic and Documentary Evidence of His Ancestry.” NGSQ 99 (March 2011): 59–72.
Ouimette, David S. “Proving the Parentage of John Bettis: Immigrant Ancestor of Bettis Families in Vermont.” NGSQ 98 (September 2010): 189–210. NGSQ Award of Excellence, 2010
Moneta, Daniela. “Virginia Pughs and North Carolina Wests: A Genetic Link from Slavery in Kentucky.” NGSQ 97 (September 2009): 179–194.
Moneta, Daniela. “Identifying the Children of David Pugh and Nancy Minton of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.” NGSQ 96 (March 2008): 13–22. NGSQ Award of Excellence, 2008.
Devine, Donn. “Sorting Relationships among Families with the Same Surname: An Irish-American DNA Study.” NGSQ 93 (December 2005): 283–293.
Lustenberger, Anita A. “David Meriwether: Descendant of Nicholas Merither? A DNA Study.” NGSQ 93 (December 2005): 269–282.
Leary, Helen F. M. “Sally Hemings’s Children: A Genealogical Analysis of the Evidence.” NGSQ 89 (September 2001): 165–207. (Special Issue: Jefferson-Hemings)
Webinars
Garrett-Nelson, LaBrenda. “DNA Corroborates Oral Tradition About the Parents of a Freedman.” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2020.
Henningfield, Melinda. “How to Write a Case Study that Meets the New Standards for DNA.” Reisinger Lecture. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2019.
Hobbs, Patricia Lee. “Better Together: Making Your Case with Documents and DNA.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2018.
Johnson, Melissa. “Reconstructing the Murphy Family Using DNA & Documentary Evidence.” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2020.
Jones, Thomas W. “Systematically Using Autosomal DNA to Solve a Family Mystery.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2017.
McGhie, Angela Packer. “Using DNA Test Results to Confirm a Pedigree.” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2020.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. “FAN + GPS + DNA: The Problem Solver’s Great Trifecta.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2016.
Morehead, Shellee. “My 20-Year Mystery—Finding Family Origins with Y-DNA.” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2021.
Morelli, Jill. “Finding a Father for Molly—Using DNA.” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2020.
Ouimette, David. “Proving Parentage Two Centuries Later Using DNA Evidence.” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2022.
Rencher, David. “Identifying Unnamed Free-Born African Americans—A DNA Case Study.” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2022.
Stanbary, Karen. “Details of New and Modified DNA-Related Standards.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2019.
_______. “DNA Analysis Methodology: Defeat the Genealogy Gremlin with Pedigree Evaluation, Mitigation, and Reasoning.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2023.
_______. “Follow the Trails of Records and DNA from Ireland to Oregon (1810–1860).” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2023.
_______. “Ruling Out instead of Ruling In: DNA and the GPS in Action.” BCG-sponsored webinar, 2021.
______. “Techniques for Integrating Documentary and Genetic Information in a Research Report.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2020.
______. “Weaving DNA Test Results into a Proof Argument.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2017.
Wayne, Debbie Parker. “MAXY DNA: Correlating mt-at-X-Y DNA with the GPS.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2017.
Zinck, Jennifer. “Finding Fayette’s Father: Autosomal DNA Reveals Misattributed Parentage.” BCG-sponsored webinar. Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 2022.