If you would REALLY like to know your family history, you may be interested to know about a new way to uncover your family history's roots. People are turning to DNA to uncover just who they are, and where their ancestors really came from.

The Villages Daily Sun

Drew Smith, information literacy librarian at the University of South Florida in Tampa, presented “Family History in Your Cells: Using DNA for Genealogical Research.”

“DNA is something we all carry around in our bodies and is evidence of ancestry,” Smith said. “It’s a recipe book. And just like a recipe book, it is passed down from one generation to the next.”

DNA test results can, for example, help a person find a link with the DNA of another genealogist to determine their most recent common ancestor within generations.

That in turn could be useful in locating a surname and uprooting more family history.

“The more people that do DNA studies,” Smith said, “the more valuable it is, because there is something to compare it to.”

Of course, you may uncover things about your family history you had never dreamt you would find, but if you are willing to unlock the skeletons in your genealogical closet, DNA testing may give you clues you didn't know existed.