08 December 2006

Old genealogy dogs learning new tricks

A few months ago, on a Skypecast, Dick Eastman expressed skepticism about the benefits of DNA for genealogy. Later on his blog he reviewed a draft of the new book Saxons, Vikings and Celts, by Bryan Sykes. I detected a change in attitude then. Now he has come around and is initiating an Eastman surname project.

He isn't the only one. Two friends in their 70s, people who've been working on family history for many years, recently consulted me about getting their own DNA analysis, one through the Genographic Project, the other through a Family Tree DNA regional project. Another friend asked about books on DNA and genealogy, a great Christmas gift for a genealogist.

It's learning new tricks that keeps us old genealogy dogs going.