Genealogy Club: Genetic Genealogy: A Crash Course

Join our Genealogy Club this month for a special presentation: Genetic Genealogy: A Crash Course with genetic genealogist Chelsea Hanrahan! Whether you're a club member or just curious about genetic genealogy, Chelsea will share about her interest and experience with investigative genetic genealogy. She has been a volunteer investigative genetic genealogist with the DNA Doe Project since 2022 and has been able to use her skills to help solve cases of unidentified John and Jane Does for law enforcement. This presentation will go into some of the basics of investigative genetic genealogy, what genetic genealogists do, and will review some of the cases that have been solved by the DNA Doe Project with this incredible new tool. About Chelsea Hanrahan: Chelsea Hanrahan is a faculty member and the Director of the H. Raymond Danforth Library at New England College. She ahs a Masters Degree in Library Science from Indiana University and a BA in History from the University of New Hampshire. In 2021, Chelsea began using her research skills and lifelong interests in genealogical research and crime in a new area; investigative genetic genealogy. She has been a volunteer investigative genetic genealogist with the DNA Doe Project since 2022 and has been able to use her skills to help solve cases of unidentified John and Jane Does for law enforcement. Seeing how the resolution of these cases often led to more questions and more connections with unsolved crimes, she began using an array of sources to help research cold cases and advocate for families of victims -- focusing on those cases taking place in New England that did not receive significant media attention at the time. In addition to her investigative genetic genealogy work, Chelsea is a researcher for the New England based podcase "Murder, She Told," works with the FAIR Lab in UNH to provide support to scientific researchers, and also does outreach work and speaking engagement to help educate the public on the use of genetic genealogy.