Did you get your autosomal DNA results from any or all of the 4 testing companies? Do you, have tens of thousands of matches that they tell you are close relatives, only to find that they don’t share a surname or town in common? Confused? Frustrated? You are not alone. So, take a deep breath and join us in understanding your results of ethnicity and matches; how to prioritize them, and reduce the thousands of matches to numbers you can research and 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 2024 updated 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 was born and raised in Chicago and currently 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 “instruction” of his mother, Gil began his genealogy adventure in 1979 with 54 people in his tree. Today his family tree includes over 3,000 people on four branches, going back to his fifth great grandfathers, born in about 1740. His family arrived in Chicago in the early 1900s. For over 17 years, Gil has expanded his knowledge base to genetic genealogy, testing at each of the four major DNA companies, and he 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 in Orlando, Cleveland, Virtual San Diego, Virtual Philadelphia, and most recently in London. Gil has found nearly a dozen unknown cousins through DNA. Gil is the Chair of the Genealogy Committee of the Columbus Jewish Historical Society (JGS). He co-hosts live Genetic Genealogy Q&A sessions at JGS Illinois and JGS Toronto. Gil developed and hosts the monthly Kvel & Kvetch genealogy Q&A in Columbus. Gil has managed 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!”