The i4GG Conference in San Diego is over for this year ~ here’s a quick take away–What a GREAT 2 days!!

Screenshots from i4GG website used with permission

I was fortunate to be able to attend my second i4GG Conference this past weekend.  What does i4GG stand for?  Institute for Genetic Genealogy.

This was the second year for the conference.  It is put on by CeCe Moore and her group DNA Detectives.  It was a sold out two day event held at the Sheraton Hotel in Mission Valley, here in San Diego, CA.

Each day there were 10 classes to choose from.  The classes are geared for Beginner/ Intermediate or Advanced or a combination of two.  And some are for all levels
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I’ve placed a red X next to the classes I attended.

Here are the classes offered on Saturday

X Opening Keynote, CeCe Moore
X The Limitations of Cousin Matching, Blaine Bettinger – Beginner/Intermediate
What’s New at Gedmatch – 2017, Kitty Cooper – Beginner/Intermediate
X Creating and Utilizing Genetic Networks In Your Research CeCe Moore – Intermediate
X Power Tools for the Genetic Genealogist, Angie Bush – Sponsored by AncestryProGenealogists – Intermediate/Advanced
X Science the Heck out of Your DNA: Using Hypotheses and Probability to Solve Genealogical Questions, Leah Larkin – Intermediate/Advanced
Furthering Your Research With Living DNA, Katie Welka – Living DNA – All Levels
X Tips and Tricks from the Genetic Genealogy Trenches, Carol Isbister Rolnick – Beginner/Intermediate
Your (very) Extended Family Tree, Oron Navon – MyHeritageDNA – All levels
Lineage Societies and DNA, Katherine Borges – All levels
Examining Your Matches at the “Big 3,” Michelle Trostler – Beginning

I learn something from each and every class that I attend.  Maybe it will be just that one thing you learn that allows you to advance your research or break down that brick wall.

For me on this day, it was the class about Creating and Utilizing Genetic Networks by CeCe Moore and Tips and Tricks from Genetic Genealogy Trenches by Carol Isbister Rolnick that hit home and gave me new ideas.  Not to take away from the other classes, they were good too.  But, what we learn will always depend on where we are in our particular journey.

I went home tired after the first day with my head full of new ideas.  But, I went right back for the Sunday sessions.

Here are the list of classes offered on Sunday 

Identifying the Man Known as Paul Fronczak through DNA Detective Work, CeCe Moore, Carol Rolnick and Michelle Trostler – All levels
What’s New at Family Tree DNA?, Jim Brewster – Family Tree DNA – All levels
DNA Successes In–And Despite Of—Endogamy, Lara Diamond – Intermediate
How DNA Testing Works: The Science Behind Your DNA Results, Ben Wilson – AncestryDNA – All levels
X Using DNAGedcom’s GWorks, Rob Warthen – DNAGedcom – All levels
Tracing Your DNA Across the Ages with 23andMe, Hilary Vance – 23andMe – All levels
X Breaking Down Genealogical Brick Walls with AncestryDNA, CeCe Moore – All levels
Jewish DNA: Beyond Ashkenazi, Schelly Talalay Dardashti – All levels
X Visual Phasing How-To, Blaine Bettinger – Intermediate/Advanced
The Priest and the Choir Girl: Searching for Family in an Endogamous Population, Kathleen Fernandes – Advanced
Closing Keynote - Genetic Genealogy Year in Review 2017, Blaine Bettinger

The three classes I attended on Sunday were just as good as Saturday. 
With one exception being the Visual Phasing-How To by Blaine Bettinger. That class wasn’t just good, it blew my mind.  Why?

Because this particular procedure allows us to use DNA from a set of 3 siblings (even half siblings can be used in some cases) to extract those sections on the chromosomes that belong to our individual/paternal or maternal GRANDPARENT(s)!

Yes, I said GRANDPARENTS.  How many of you, like me, have no way to test your grandparents?  Many of us don’t even have parents we can test.  In my case, I was fortunate enough to be able to test my Mom, who lived to be 91.  But, my Dad has been gone for decades.
 
If we can extract or determine what portions of our DNA belonged to our grandparent or grandparents, then we are getting two more generations back, allowing many more possible matches.

I certainly haven’t tried this out yet and cannot explain it.  I’ll leave that to the professionals.  But, if you’re interested I would encourage you to purchase the video presentations that will be available from this conference.  There are so many that will be helpful to you.  Here again is a link to the Institute for Genetic Genealogy website. I don’t know when the videos will be available.  Last year it took a couple of months.

Please note:  I get no remuneration or benefit from mentioning the i4GG website or conference.  I’m just an excited blogger sharing information with my readers.

I can’t wait to get started so I’ll end here.  If I have news to share (new finds) from all of this, you’ll be hearing from me.  Now go and test all those family members near and far.

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Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
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