Happy DNA Day, when we celebrate two groundbreaking events in science: the 1953 publication by James Watson & Watson Crick describing DNA's double-helix—based on crystallography work by Rosalind Franklin—and the completion of the Human Genome Project 50 years later. (Image: Stubot via Flickr)

None of my direct ancestors are in the #1926Census of Ireland (they had all died or moved north), but I'm still really happy to see it released! www.irishnews.com/news/ireland...

Thank you for asking. The answer is 'No'. Actually why are you asking? (passenger and crew list for a ship arriving in NYC, 1911)

I enjoyed chatting to Andrew Koch for the Family Tree Magazine podcast last week. And it's up already! If you don't already know it, it's a great podcast. familytreemagazine.com/podcasts/mak...

DNA Painter newsletter will be coming out on Monday March 30th with my RootsTech recap. Sign up at dnapainter.com/mailinglist if you're not already on the list. Thanks!

In half term I had an evening out in my old home town. Here's a picture of me standing on the Suspension Bridge not far from where I grew up. I just found a photo on my computer from when the bridge was being built and thought it was interesting to see them together.

I'm extending the RootsTech 2026 show special until March 14th, so you still have a few days to get $10 off a subscription (or if you're an existing subscriber, $10 off your next payment). Thanks!

Talking with Jonny Perl, the creator of DNA Painter. #genealogy #RootsTech @dnapainter.bsky.social

One of the most gratifying things this year for me has been the innovative strides that DNA Painter has taken in the beauty sphere...

Hi all. It's a beautiful day in Salt Lake City and I'm looking forward to RootsTech 2026. I have a show special: $10 off your next DNA Painter subscription payment if you follow this link: dnapainter.com/subscribe/d/.... ** This applies to both new and existing subscribers! ** Please repost!

“Historians call this passageway a masterwork of deliberate concealment, designed to be absolutely invisible to slave catchers or city marshals during the 19th-century”

Seriously, did no one ever ask her?

Wishing everyone all the best for 2026. Here is my 2025 recap... dnapainter.com/blog/genealo...

Philadephia death certificate designers of the 1890s: what were you thinking of? Arrgh!

I had a long drive yesterday. I wanted some music, so I asked Siri: Please play "By the time I get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell Siri replied: "I'm going to need you to turn on location services for that" !!!

It would really have been helpful if deaths recorded in the parish records at St. Faith's in Havant had mentioned the age of the person. I get that it might have taken two or three more penstrokes, but come on!

Ancestry Regions update: Denmark is the new Netherlands it seems!

Bit late for #AncestryHour but: I found digitized Hampshire wills at Ancestry and excitedly researched them yesterday. Felt a bit familiar but I wasn't sure. I then reviewed my notes and found I had ordered paper copies and done the same research except perhaps more thoroughly back in 2016. Oh dear!

The prize for targeted email goes to...

I launched a new colour palette in Ancestral Trees. Those who have used public transport in London, UK might find it familar! To apply, click 'Palettes' in on your tree page and click on the palette of your choice. To read more about Ancestral Trees you can visit dnapainter.com/blog/eight-w...

Still a little bit of space in tomorrow's workshop. Please RT! #Speirgorm #Fingal #FamilyHistory #Genealogy #DNATesting #AncestryHour #GenHour

My latest blog post is already slightly out of date because I seem to be addicted to adding new features to the matrix tool. But here it is! dnapainter.com/blog/matrix-...

Last night's webinar is now available to view free at Family Tree Webinars. familytreewebinars.com/webinar/shar...

I have released a new feature at DNA Painter. You can read more below, including a link to a free webinar about it tomorrow (Friday May 30th). Hope you enjoy!

Hi all. Tomorrow is DNA Day, commemorating the first paper on the structure of DNA, published on April 25th, 1953. To celebrate, I'm offering $10 off a new DNA Painter subscription until April 28th when you sign up via the link below. Thanks! dnapainter.com/subscribe/d/...

#AncestryHour I really thought I was about to crack a brick wall this week but it didn't work out. I did write up my DNA match interpretation process though. If you're interested you can read more at dnapainter.com/blog/dna-dia...

I'm not really in a programming mood so I did some DNA match research. I had high hopes!

Is the US newspaper collection now gone from @findmypast.bsky.social ?

Thanks Phil; nice to see it in action!

I just tried Places. I'm really impressed! I wrote a short piece for my Substack with a copy of my ancestral map. Great job! billmooreny.substack.com/p/jonny-perl...

Hi all. The next DNA Painter newsletter will be out very soon. It will include updates from across the world of genealogy and DNA, including the latest company innovations from Rootstech 2025. Please sign up via dnapainter.com/mailinglist if you're not already on the list. Thanks!

Hi all. Today is the last day of the DNA Painter RootsTech promotion. If you have been considering subscribing, today would be a great day. Thank you! dnapainter.com/subscribe/d/...

JFC. What's next? Reburing them in a potter's field somewhere far away? You can erase mention of them, but you cannot erase their existence or contributions. Another reason to research and tell your family stories. Because scared, petty people want to revise history. #genealogy #familyhistory

Here's my brief RootsTech 2025 recap. Also, the $10 off DNA Painter show special is extended until Monday March 17th. dnapainter.com/blog/show-sp...

At DNA Painter, an ancestral tree showcases just one individual’s direct line: this person and all their known direct ancestors. You can now also incorporate images and an interactive map. The process is very quick and you can import a GEDCOM file. Here's a quick beginner guide

Places is a new tab within ancestral trees at DNA Painter. It creates a beautiful, customizable map based on the birth locations in your ancestral tree. You can filter by generation, DNA inheritance path, or great-grandparent line. dnapainter.com/blog/introdu... I hope you like it!

DNA Painter is in Salt Lake City for this year's RootsTech. To celebrate I'm once again running a show special. This is valid until Friday March 14th. Get $10 off a new subscription now, or add the coupon to your account to get $10 off your next payment. For more info please go to

It's now five years since I first integrated Y- and mitochondrial haplogroups into ancestral trees at DNA Painter. If you're curious about how this works, check out my blog post:

In case you missed it: back in December I released several new features within Ancestral Trees at DNA Painter. This is the part of the site where you can upload and optionally share your direct line. Listen out for further developments next week!

Hope to see you next week at RootsTech 2025! Here's a short post with all the details of DNA Painter's involvement this year.

The DNA Painter newsletter will be heading out very soon, with updates from across the world of DNA and genealogy. Please sign up via https://buff.ly/4gNVkaZ if you’re not already on the list. #dnapainter #DNAnewsletter #geneticgenealogy #ancestry #familytree #family #ancestors #freenewsletter

DNA Painter will be exhibiting at RootsTech 2025 from March 6-8th in Salt Lake City and online. We look forward to meeting you and showing you what we've been doing!

If you have a burning mystery in your family tree, or a mystery match you’ve been wondering about, you might find WATO helpful. What are the Odds? (WATO) and the newer WATO plus were designed to help you tackle these types of challenges. You can read more in my latest blog post.

Indeed, there are some seminal posts in Blaine's blog, such as thegeneticgenealogist.com/2009/11/10/q... (Check the date it was posted too!)

I had a good chat on the Armchair Genealogy podcast the other day. Have a listen if you feel like it! share.transistor.fm/s/42ad9cdd

Just logged into 23andMe for the first time in a while. I gather the HybridIBD update (blog.23andme.com/articles/upd...) is rolling out although I can't see any obvious differences. Overall it's just slightly dispiriting to see new matches but not be able to do the things you used to be able to do!

Wishing everyone all the best for 2025. Here's a quick summary of new features at DNA Painter this past year.

What an amazing resource familytreewebinars is...

Hi all. I released some new features for ancestral trees at DNA Painter that I hope all genealogists will enjoy using. Please read more below.

Amazing and highly recommended webinar from @pkwilliams823.bsky.social at familytreewebinars.com/webinar/dna-... (free until Dec 11th)