The "Accidental Admin" - Receives an Unexpected Education

When Family Tree DNA announced the 1st International Conference on Genetic Genealogy in the Summer of 2004, I mulled over whether or not to attend.

Little did I know that it would be another "life-changing" decision.

Around September 1st, I made up my mind to go. I was hoping that the conference would have something on mtDNA, which I knew very little about. I e-mailed Doug Miller, because he's the Admin of the Land DNA Project, and asked him if he was going to attend. He replied that he was, so we planned to meet when we arrived at the hotel in Houston. (He told me later that he decided to attend, just because I was.)

On October 2nd, I gave a DNA presentation to about 30 people at a Daughters of the American Revolution chapter meeting. In hindsight, I cringe when I think of what my peers would have thought of my simplistic speech. But at the same time, I must have done okay because I was recommended to give a presentation to the local genealogical society.