Genetic genealogy maven Gil Bardige's lecture aims to clear up confusion about DNA test results for the Aug. 27, 2023, JGSI meeting

“Help! I got my DNA Results and I’m Confused!” will be the topic of genealogist Gil Bardige for the Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023, Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois hybrid meeting. His online talk will begin at 2 p.m. CDT via Zoom and at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Illinois.

The JGSI meeting facilities at Temple Beth-El will open at 12:45 p.m. CDT to accommodate those who want to use genealogy library materials, get help with genealogy websites or ask genealogical questions before the main program begins at 2 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome; however, registration is strongly encouraged.

Click the registration button at the left to receive the Zoom link.

Did you get your autosomal DNA results from any or all of the four major testing companies? Do you, have tens of thousands of matches that they say you are close relatives, only to find that they don’t share a surname or town in common? Confused? Frustrated? You are not alone.

With his talk, Gil plans to help you understanding your results of ethnicity and matches; how to prioritize them, and reduce the thousands of matches to numbers you can research and maybe find keys to expanding your genealogy family tree.

This webinar is for beginners and others who are just stuck or don’t know what to do next. Maybe you need a restart? Gil will share his processes and techniques to prioritize matches to get organized and feel like you can accomplish something and know what to do next. In the end, you will be able to say, “Now I understand, I get it, I know what to do.”

Gil Bardige, born and raised in Chicago, lives in the Columbus, Ohio, area. A graduate of the New York Institute of Technology, Gil retired in 2019 after a long career in air conditioning and refrigeration, most recently as a National Business Development Leader for Trane Technologies.

At the urging of his mother, Gil began his genealogy adventure in 1979 with 54 people in his tree. Today his family tree has more than 2,300 people tracing four branches back to his fifth great grandfathers, born about 1740. His family arrived in Chicago in the early 1900s.

For more than 15 years, Gil has expanded his knowledge base to genetic genealogy, testing at each of the four major DNA companies, and currently manages three Y-DNA projects at Family Tree DNA as a volunteer administrator. He loves to help people manage their expectations and begin to remove confusion from the DNA results whether it’s Y-DNA, mtDNA, or Autosomal DNA. He had spoken at dozens of local events and international conferences, including at IAJGS conferences in Orlando, Cleveland, Virtual San Diego, and Virtual Philadelphia x2.

Gil is the chair of the Genealogy Committee of the Columbus Jewish Historical Society (JGS). He co-hosts live genetic genealogy Q&A sessions for JGS Illinois and JGS Toronto. Gil developed and hosts the monthly CJHS Kvell & Kvetch genealogy Q&A in Columbus. He manages the mentoring program for IAJGS and co-hosts the Apple Users and Jewish Genealogy Facebook page and monthly virtual BoF (Birds of a Feather) meeting.

Gil is a firm believer that you can use DNA results as a tool in your genealogical research as it generates clues that can help people confirm/deny relationships. His speaking style is high energy (you won’t be bored) and he loves to take questions. People have said of his presentations, “Thank you, Gil, I am no longer confused!”

JGSI hybrid event participants may register for both online and in-person events if they are undecided. In-person attendance will be limited.

Please keep in mind that JGSI will maintain certain procedures for our in-person meetings. These include:

• We request all attendees to in-person meetings be vaccinated.
•  Face masks are strongly recommended.
• Water and snacks will be provided.
• Seating will be set up to allow for social distancing.
• And MOST IMPORTANT, if you are sick or not feeling well or recently tested positive for COVID, please do not come into TBE.

At each in-person JGSI monthly meeting, the JGSI “help desk” will operated from 12:45 to 1:50 p.m. Member volunteers will access online databases and answer genealogical questions one-on-one for members and visitors as time allows.

The JGSI library has more than 800 volumes of interest to Jewish family historians. All are available for perusing from 12:45 to 1:50 p.m. at each regular monthly meeting.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping members collect, preserve, and perpetuate the records and history of their ancestors. JGSI is a resource for the worldwide Jewish community to research their Chicago-area roots. The JGSI motto is “Members Helping Members Since 1981.” The group has more than 300 members and is affiliated with the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.

JGSI members have access to useful and informative online family history research resources, including a members’ forum, more than 70 video recordings of past speakers’ presentations, monthly JGSI E-News, quarterly Morasha JGSI newsletter, and much more. Members as well as non-members can look for their ancestors on the free searchable JGSI Jewish Chicago Database.

For more information, see https://jgsi.org or phone 312-666-0100.