Castle Garden in New York, 1840 (precursor to Ellis Island) - Library of Congress Genetic genealogy. This phrase is simultaneously overwhelming and magical for me. My angst comes from not enough time to devote to learn, grow my understanding, and fully digest all that this field has for newbie genealogists like me (hello, life...I need about 4 extra hours in my day strategically placed after children are asleep at night). Excitement comes from the obvious: discovering what I don't know I don't know. I was recently asked to give a short talk about my foray into DNA research at our weekly meeting for amateur family researchers in our community. Talk about angst! Overwhelming! Wanting to shout from the rooftops, "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing!" No shouting was involved (thank goodness) - just a bit of sharing. Both my husband, my mother, and I have tested with AncestryDNA . My dear husband has also tested with 23andMe ....