A Hardeman County author who wrote about the emotional side of DNA testing will lead a genealogy workshop and book signing at the Bolivar-Hardeman County Library on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 10:30 a.m. At the Bolivar genealogy workshop, attendees can ask questions, and copies of the author’s book will be available for purchase and signing.
Casey Fordyce, a corporate vice president who now lives in Hardeman County, is the author of D.N.A. Discovering a New Archetype, her debut book. It explores what happens when a home DNA test reveals something unexpected about a person’s family, and how people make sense of it afterward.
What to Expect at the Genealogy Workshop
When: Saturday, Nov. 7, 10:30 a.m.
Where: Bolivar-Hardeman County Library, Bolivar, Tennessee
What: a genealogy workshop with time for questions, followed by a book signing
Books: copies will be sold at the event; the book is also available through Amazon
The session is a good fit for anyone who has taken a consumer DNA test, is building a family tree, or is curious about how genetic genealogy has changed the way families learn their history. Home DNA kits have become common gifts, and the results sometimes reveal unknown relatives, adoptions or questions about parentage that families never expected to face.
A Story That Began Far From Tennessee
Fordyce holds degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Massachusetts. She told Hatchie Press that her own story “began far from Tennessee,” and that experience shaped the book.
Her central point is that a DNA result can challenge the way people see themselves. “Most of us develop an understanding of who we are based on the family narrative we are given,” she said.
She also stresses patience for anyone working through a surprise result. “There is no deadline for processing a discovery like this,” Fordyce said. She added that genetics is only part of the picture, because experience shapes how that blueprint is expressed.
Part of a Busy Season at the Library
The workshop adds to a full fall calendar of community events in Bolivar. The Bolivar Book Swap returns on Nov. 6, and the same weekend brings the Last Chance for Love play at Bolivar Central High School.
Readers in Middleton and southern Hardeman County who want to trace their roots, or who have questions about a DNA match, can bring them to Saturday’s session. More information is available from the Bolivar-Hardeman County Library.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
