Many people enjoy researching their family history. However, have we stopped to ask ourselves if some of the things that we are doing within our family tree research are ethical? Have you asked people's permission to include them on your tree? What will you do if you discover secrets and lies? Should you tell your grandmother that her mother was six months pregnant when she got married? How do you approach people on your DNA testing site about matching and potentially collaborating? If you were adopted, would you try and trace your biological mother? If you have a Caribbean ancestor, how would you feel if your DNA ethnicity came back as Ghanaian? A variety of ethical dilemmas will be described and discussed, and adoption, DNA testing, and ethnicity will be discussed in detail. A brief overview of the history of genealogy, and its recent move towards professionalising will be addressed. What is the potential future of genealogy? Will computers fill out our tree for us? Should babies be DNA tested at birth? Will people in the future be able to marry their robot? With more than 700 references, this book will also aid further investigation into the topics.

This important book examines the motives that drive family historians and explores whether those who research their ancestral pedigrees have distinct personalities, demographics or family characteristics. It describes genealogists’ experiences as they chart their family trees including their insights, dilemmas and the fascinating, sometimes disturbing and often surprising, outcomes of their searches. Drawing on theory and research from psychology and other humanities disciplines, as well as from the authors’ extensive survey data collected from over 800 amateur genealogists, the authors present the experiences of family historians, including personal insights, relationship changes, mental health benefits and ethical dilemmas. The book emphasises the motivation behind this exploration, including the need to acknowledge and tell ancestral stories, the spiritual and health-related aspects of genealogical research, the addictiveness of the detective work, the lifelong learning opportunities and the passionate desire to find lost relatives. With its focus on the role of family history in shaping personal identity and contemporary culture, this is fascinating reading for anyone studying genealogy and family history, professional genealogists and those researching their own history.

DNA testing can serve as a powerful tool that unlocks the hidden information within our bodies for family history research. This book explains how genetic genealogy works and answers the questions of genealogists and individuals seeking information on their family trees. Now that DNA testing for genealogical purposes has existed for nearly a decade and a half—and been refined and improved during that time—it has established its value among family history researchers. It is now becoming accepted as another tool in the kit of well-rounded genealogists. This book covers this fast-growing application of genetics, empowering genealogists to apply this information to further their research. It will also enable general readers to understand how genetic information can be applied to verify or refute documentary research—and to break down frustrating walls that block the discovery of ancestors. The book describes the three major categories of DNA testing for family history research: Y-chromosome tests for investigating paternal (surname) lines, mitochondrial tests for investigating maternal (umbilical) lines, and autosomal tests for exploring close relationships. Expert genealogist David Dowell provides guidance on deciding which test to take and identifying which members of your family should be tested to answer your most important genealogical questions. Readers will also learn how to interpret the results of tests and methods for further analysis to get additional value from them.

“A fascinating exploration of the mysteries ignited by DNA genealogy testing—from the intensely personal and concrete to the existential and unsolvable.” —Tana French, New York Times–bestselling author You swab your cheek or spit in a vial, then send it away to a lab somewhere. Weeks later you get a report that might tell you where your ancestors came from or if you carry certain genetic risks. Or, the report could reveal a long-buried family secret that upends your entire sense of identity. Soon a lark becomes an obsession, a relentless drive to find answers to questions at the core of your being, like “Who am I?” and “Where did I come from?” Welcome to the age of home genetic testing. In The Lost Family, journalist Libby Copeland investigates what happens when we embark on a vast social experiment with little understanding of the ramifications. She explores the culture of genealogy buffs, the science of DNA, and the business of companies like Ancestry and 23andMe, all while tracing the story of one woman, her unusual results, and a relentless methodical drive for answers that becomes a thoroughly modern genetic detective story. Gripping and masterfully told, The Lost Family is a spectacular book on a big, timely subject. “An urgently necessary, powerful book that addresses one of the most complex social and bioethical issues of our time.” —Dani Shapiro, New York Times–bestselling author “Before you spit in that vial, read this book.” —The New York Times Book Review “Impeccably researched . . . up-to-the-minute science meets the philosophy of identity in a poignant, engaging debut.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

By using a creative approach that focuses on a single extended family as a case example to illustrate each chapter's key point, the authors elucidate ethical issues arising in the genetics clinic and laboratory surrounding many timely issues.

Raising hopes for disease treatment and prevention, but also the specter of discrimination and "designer genes," genetic testing is potentially one of the most socially explosive developments of our time. This book presents a current assessment of this rapidly evolving field, offering principles for actions and research and recommendations on key issues in genetic testing and screening. Advantages of early genetic knowledge are balanced with issues associated with such knowledge: availability of treatment, privacy and discrimination, personal decision-making, public health objectives, cost, and more. Among the important issues covered: Quality control in genetic testing. Appropriate roles for public agencies, private health practitioners, and laboratories. Value-neutral education and counseling for persons considering testing. Use of test results in insurance, employment, and other settings.

Historically, family history research and compiling pedigrees was needed for landed gentry, but is now a popular hobby. Why the sudden interest? This book will look at psychological explanations as to why we are interested in our family tree and our ancestors' pasts. We will look at the psychology of contextualising ourselves, tribal territoriality, kinship, experiencing genealogical voids from separation, the notion of homelands, romanticised heritages, cultural dejavu, race memory, becoming obsessed with searching, and putting all the pieces in our jigsaw. Why do we avidly research distant ancestors that we share so little DNA with, and feel less connection to second cousins? We will discuss the role of gender and culture in devising a tree, and how we develop an apparently seamless narrative based on fragmented information we have gleaned from various sources. Do you like your name? What are the naming patterns in your community? Has social media made us lonely, and we hoard people? How do we feel about death and dying? What do you want on your gravestone? Are we searching for who they were, or who we are?