From Dead Ends to Discoveries: Overcoming Roadblocks in Genealogy Research

Join an hour-long conversation with a special panel discussing research processes to solve family mysteries – specifically challenges related to trying to identify unknown parentage. The discussion will touch upon issues related to research considerations and utilizing DNA testing empathetically and effectively.

The event will be pre-recorded and attendees will have the opportunity to connect with other genealogy enthusiasts in the live chat.

Moderator

Taneya Y. Koonce | Executive Board Member, Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society

Taneya Koonce is an enthusiastic genealogist with a long-standing passion for exploring family history and more than 20 years of professional expertise in information science, research, and information organization. Taneya volunteers extensively in the genealogy community, with current leadership roles in the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society and the USGenWeb Project. Through her Facebook community for family history enthusiasts, the Academy of Legacy Leaders™, she fosters education, inspiration, and camaraderie for family history activities. Taneya also aids genealogy researchers with strategies to organize their family history materials, via her online Facebook group, Organize Your Digital Memories.

Panelists

Lisa Fanning | Board Member, National Genealogical Society

Lisa Fanning is a lifelong genealogist who has spent the past 28 years uncovering her family’s rich American history dating back to the 1600s. Her research has focused on the exploration of enslavement and migration in the Southern and Midwestern regions, as well as in Tri-Racial Isolate communities in North Carolina. She is also a genetic genealogist who volunteers for the DNA Doe Project, Tulsa Race Massacre DNA Identification Project, and Search Squad. Lisa serves on the Board of Directors of the National Genealogical Society and the Society of the First African Families of English America. She is also the DNA Coordinator for the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI). Recently, she served as a genealogy consultant on Before the Bulldozers, an immersive audio and augmented reality walking tour in historic Southwest Washington, D.C. Lisa is also an award-winning artist who holds a BA in French and an MA in Intercultural Communication.

CeCe Moore | Lead Genetic Genealogist, Finding Your Roots

CeCe Moore is the lead genetic genealogist for Finding Your Roots and has been a core production member with the series for over a decade. CeCe is a pioneer in the use of autosomal DNA to resolve unknown parentage, family mysteries and criminal cases. Often referred to as “the face of genetic genealogy,” her work has been featured on hundreds of television broadcasts and in thousands of articles around the world.

Nick Sheedy | Lead Genealogist, Finding Your Roots

Nick Sheedy has more than 25 years of experience conducting genealogical research. He has worked on a wide variety of projects, including general family histories, slave research, unknown parentage, probate cases, and large population studies for genetic medical research. This experience has offered unparalleled opportunities to increase the depth and breadth of his genealogical research skills. Nick’s specialties include African American and slave-era research, the early American colonial, frontier, western fur trade, and gold rush eras, and Quaker genealogy. After eight years as the Associate Genealogist for the PBS television show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Nick became Lead Genealogist in February, 2020. He works with an amazing team of genealogists, historians, researchers and producers who create one of the most popular shows on public television.