DNA Resources

DNA testing has become an essential part of family history research because it gives information that traditional methods cannot provide. It can do many things, including fill in the gaps, validate what you have already done and reveal relatives and origins that would never be found using paper records alone.

The Hobart Branch has a DNA Interest Group which has met monthly since 2015. See details here:

We also provide members with the resources to help newcomers decide whether DNA testing is for them (it usually is), who with and how to get started.

Convenor Ros Escott has a long-standing interest in using DNA to support family history research. She has been Convenor of the Hobart Branch’s DNA Interest Group since its inception in 2015, as well as being the current Branch President. She is also an active management member of several other history and community centred organisations. In her ‘spare time’ she has helped many people with their DNA mysteries, often identifying parents of adopted children or orphans.

Using DNA to Solve Family History Mysteries

In August 2022 Ros gave an entertaining and informative presentation as part of National Family History Month. She talked about her approach to using DNA to solve family history mysteries with a couple of real examples. While now a little dated, it is still relevant and very useful background.

It is highly recommended and may be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z55xePO1tb4&t=11s

When DNA suggests Tasmanian Aboriginal Ancestry

In 2024, using an Ancestry DNA test, she helped a local woman to identify the parents of her grandfather who was abandoned in Launceston as an infant. After the mystery was solved she asked Ros why Ancestry showed her as having aboriginal ancestry.

Conventional wisdom says that autosomal DNA cannot be used to trace distant Tasmanian Aboriginal Ancestry. That may not always be so because in this presentation Ros will show us how she traced one woman’s family history back to the only possible source of the small amount of Aboriginal DNA showing in her ethnicity percentages. It’s a fascinating tale set in early Van Diemens Land history.

Basic Steps

Assistant Convenor, Andrew, has developed a series of short talks designed to give raw beginners the knowledge and skills to start making effective use of their test results.