bibliography books on genetics and dna proper use of dna in

BIBLIOGRAPHY Books on Genetics and DNA

Proper Use of DNA in Genealogical Research

©National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, January 2014 1

General Resources – Basic Level (in order of relevance)

Olson, Steve (2002). Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

- General, broadly relevant to genetic genealogy, "If you only read one book in this area, this should be the one that you start with."

Pomery, Chris (2004). DNA and Family History: How Genetic Testing Can Advance Your Genealogical Research. Dundurn Group.

- Basic, highly relevant to genetic genealogy.

Smolenyak Smolenyak, Megan & Ann Turner (2004). Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree. Rodale Press.

- Basic, highly relevant to genetic genealogy.

Carmichael, Terrence and Alexander Kuklin (2000). How to DNA Test Our Family Relationships. DNA Press.

- Basic, highly relevant, not completely up to date.

Hart, Anne (2004). How to Interpret Family History and Ancestry DNA Test Results for Beginners. Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse Publishers.

- Basic, relevant to genetic genealogy.

Kerchner, Charles F. (2004; 2013). Genetic Genealogy DNA Testing Dictionary. C. F. Kerchner & Associates, Inc.

- Basic, relevant to genetic genealogy

Rudgley, Richard (2002). Barbarians: Secrets of the Dark Ages. London, UK: Channel 4 Books. - General, broadly relevant to genetic genealogy.

Wells, Spencer (2002). The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

- General, broadly relevant to genetic genealogy.

Bodmer, Walter and Robin McKie (1994). The Book of Man: The Quest to Discover Our Genetic Heritage. London, UK: Little, Brown and Co.

- General, but not up-to-date on post-1994 developments.




Hart, Anne (2000). How To Interpret Your DNA Test Results For Family History and Ancestry: Scientists Speak Out On Genealogy Joining Genetics. Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse Publishers. - General, except for mtDNA part, somewhat out of date.

Sykes, Bryan (2001). The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science that Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. - General, not up-to-date on post 2001 events, but possibly the best general book about genetic genealogy.

Jones, Steve (2003). Y: The Descent of Men. Boston/New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. - General, not all that relevant to genetic genealogy.

Scientific American (2002). Understanding the Genome. New York: Warner Books, Inc. - General, not all that relevant to genetic genealogy

General Resources – Advanced Level (in order of relevance)

Sykes, Bryan (2003). Adam’s Curse: A Future Without Men. London/New York: Bantam Press - Advanced, but specific for Y-DNA information, "a must read for men who are considering or who have completed a DNA test."

Fitzpatrick, Colleen, and Andrew Yeiser (2005). DNA & Genealogy, Rice Book Press. - Basic to advanced, extremely relevant, and reasonably up to date.

Lewis, Jan Ellen and Peter S. Onuf, Eds. (1999). Sally Hemings & Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory, and Civic Culture. Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia Press. - Advanced, relevant to genetic genealogy.

Cavalli-Sforza, L. Luca, Paolo Menozzi, & Alberto Piazza (1994). The History and Geography of Human Genes. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. - Advanced, but relevant for putting DNA profiles into a broader historical context and answering inquiries about earliest origins related to the work of the National Geographic’s Genographic Project."




Mithen, Steven (2003). After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,000-5,000 BC. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. - General, broadly relevant to genetic genealogy.

Oppenheimer, Stephen (2003). Out of Eden: The Peopling of the World. London, UK: Constable & Robinson, Ltd. - General, broadly relevant to genetic genealogy.

Watson, James D. and Andrew Berry (2003). DNA: The Secret of Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. - General, broadly relevant

Davies, Kevin (2001). Cracking the Genome: Inside the Race To Unlock Human DNA. New York: The Free Press. - General, not too out of date

Cavalli-Sforza, Luigi Luca (2000). Genes, Peoples, and Languages. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. - Advanced, not all relevant to genetic genealogy.

Hall, Barry G. (2004). Phylogenetic Trees Made Easy: A How-To Manual, 2nd Edition. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc. - Advanced, not all relevant to genetic genealogy.

Hawley, R. Scott and Catherine A. Mori (1999). The Human Genome: A User’s Guide. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. - Advanced, not up-to-date on post 1999 developments.

Note: Some reviews abstracted in part from Craig A. Everett, Ph.D., Genetic Genealogy Annotated Bibliography , http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/GGAB.pdf, 2013. Using DNA Evidence to Draw Genealogical Conclusions – Examples

Thomas H. Roderick, “Umbilical Lines and the mtDNA Project,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 82 (June 1992): 144-145

Donn Devine “Sorting Relationships among families with the Same Surname: An Irish-American DNA Study,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 93 (December 2005): 283-293. Updated in National Genealogical Society Quarterly 95 (September 2007): 196




Anita A. Lustenberger, “David Meriwether: Descendant of Nicholas Meriweather? A DNA Study,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 93 (December 2005): 269-282

Judy Kella Fox, “Documents and DNA Identify a Little-Known Lee Family in Virginia,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 99 (June 2011): 85-96

Pamela Stone Eagleson, “Parents for Robert Walker of Rockingham County, North Carolina and Orange County, Indiana,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 101 (September 2013):189-200

Debbie Parker Wayne, “Using mitochondrial DNA for Genealogy,” National Genealogical Society Magazine volume 39 number 4, (October-December 2013): 26

The entire National Genealogical Society Quarterly 93 of December 2005 is devoted the DNA.

Genetic Genealogy on the Web

Your Genetic Genealogist (by Cece Moore) at http://www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com/

The Legal Genealogist (by Judy Russell) at http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/ - while not solely devoted to Genetic Genealogy does include a number of posts regarding the subject

Each DNA testing company has a website that provides some background science, information on the testing procedures and sometimes assistance with interpreting your results.