Genealogy librarian to present County Line program
Deb Kitko
Anyone who has ever attempted researching their family genealogy knows just how rewarding — and frustrating — it can be.
Wayne County Public Library genealogy librarian Deb Kitko will give a presentation that will help those seeking to take advantage of the latest in DNA advances on Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. at the historical Shreve Presbyterian Church at 343 N. Market St. in Shreve. The event is sponsored by the County Line Historical Society of Wayne and Holmes Counties.
Kitko, who is a certified genealogy librarian with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, will help researchers decide which DNA test is right for them.
“Sometimes people go blindly with whatever’s the latest trend,” Kitko said.
Kitko said different types of DNA testing provided by a number of companies are now available.
Such wizardry is known as DNA sequencing. It allows scientists to figure out the order of the “letters” in a DNA molecule. Those letters — called nucleotides — are the chemicals that make up DNA.
There are many companies that will test DNA — for you and even your cat or dog.
But Kitko said, “All DNA tests are not created equal. What you learn about your genetic makeup and ancestry depends on the company you choose and the level of testing it does.”
Kitko said there are three main types of tests. “These are Y-DNA testing, autosomal DNA testing and mitochondrial DNA testing (mtDNA testing),” she said.
Kitko said Y-DNA tests look at one of the chromosomes in the 23rd pair, the Y chromosome. Autosomal DNA tests measure 22 pairs of chromosomes called the autosomes. And mtDNA tests consider a tiny snippet of DNA stored in a completely different place in the cell, the mitochondria.
“Y-DNA testing can be used by people with a Y chromosome to research their ancestry through their male line,” Kitko said. “But only around half the population, typically biological males, have one, so this is limited.”
To trace a person’s matrilineal (mother’s female) ancestry, Kitko said, “Mitochondrial DNA testing is the method to do this. Mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, are passed down from your biological mother’s egg — your biological father didn’t share any of his mitochondria with you. That’s why you can only trace your biological mom’s female line using mtDNA testing.”
Kitko said the most common form of test is autosomal DNA testing. “This is not really gender-related. It’s used mainly to identify cousins,” she said.
One of the popular testing companies, Ancestry.com, uses this to analyze most of your DNA that comes from your parents — the 22 pairs of chromosomes that make up your autosomes. The information in these chromosomes can help find recent and distant relatives, as well as find where your ancestors lived 500-1,000 or more years ago. Ancestry claims autosomal DNA testing is much more information-rich than either Y-DNA or mtDNA tests because it can reveal more about your ethnicity and who you are related to.”
According to Ancestry’s website, autosomal DNA testing evaluates your genetic code at about 700,000 different locations or markers across your autosomal chromosomes, focusing on locations that differ between families and ethnic groups. It says this information can help you identify which of the more than 350 regions across the globe your ancestors may have lived in.
In her presentation Kitko said she will give explanations of why sometimes results may not be what the researcher anticipated. “There are a lot of reasons things like this can happen,” she said. “There can be lots of genetic factors, or sometimes you might find out your family story just might not be true.”
Kitko, who has years of continuing education and professional development since earning her master’s in library science from Kent State University in 1998, said her work in genealogy is her dream job.
“I enjoy meeting people and giving them an opportunity to expand their horizons. Maybe they have just hit a brick wall in their research, and there’s nothing more exciting for a librarian than seeing their eyes light up with discovery,” Kitko said.