By
By
Speakers

Donna Rutherford

Bonus webinars DNA Testing Genetic Genealogy Ireland Places and Ethnicities England

I’m a New Zealander with English, Scottish and Irish ancestry. Many of my family were New Zealand pioneers. At the beginning of 2015 I decided to take an Ancestry DNA test. Once I got the results I spent all my spare time immersing myself in YouTube videos, blogs and facebook groups learning about DNA for Genealogy. It basically changed my life, as I then set about testing on other sites and testing all my family. Since then I’ve become co-owner and admin of a DNA facebook group where I’ve been helping people with questions about their own results. Last year I became co-admin in a Y DNA project (the Rutherford project). I now manage Big Y tests, MtDNA and many many autosomal kits. I specialise in trying to make the complex side of DNA testing easy to understand for people who are new to genetic genealogy.

Donna's Upcoming Live Webinars (1)

Places and Ethnicities
Researching in Warwickshire
Donna Rutherford
Fri, July 10 2026: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Researching in Warwickshire
Fri, July 10 2026: 18:00 UTC
Explore the essential resources for tracing ancestors in Warwickshire. This session introduces the major archives for the historic county, how to navigate their catalogues effectively, and where to find key collections online—both on the major commercial sites and the local, Warwickshire-specific platforms that many researchers overlook. We will also look at the county’s shifting boundaries, industrial history, and major historical developments that can affect where records are held. Finally, we’ll identify the best places to seek further help, including local societies and specialist collections. By the end of the talk, you will have a clear roadmap for beginning or advancing your Warwickshire research. This talk assumes you have already watched ‘Introduction to County Research in England’.
Places and Ethnicities
Researching in Warwickshire
Donna Rutherford
Explore the essential resources for tracing ancestors in Warwickshire. This session introduces the major archives for the historic county, how to navigate their catalogues effectively, and where to find key collections online—both on the major commercial sites and the local, Warwickshire-specific platforms that many researchers overlook. We will also look at the county’s shifting boundaries, industrial history, and major historical developments that can affect where records are held. Finally, we’ll identify the best places to seek further help, including local societies and specialist collections. By the end of the talk, you will have a clear roadmap for beginning or advancing your Warwickshire research. This talk assumes you have already watched ‘Introduction to County Research in England’.
Fri, July 10 2026: 18:00 UTC
Register for free

Donna's Webinars (4)

1:25:15
DNA Testing
Demystifying Haplogroups
Donna Rutherford
1.2K views
CC
Demystifying Haplogroups
To introduce the concept of haplogroups to beginners, explaining what they are, how they are inherited, and what they reveal about ancient ancestry and human migration patterns. The session aims to demystify the complex terminology and provide practical insights into how haplogroups can be used in genetic genealogy and guide participants to find their own haplogroup.
DNA Testing
Demystifying Haplogroups
CC
Donna Rutherford
1.2K views
To introduce the concept of haplogroups to beginners, explaining what they are, how they are inherited, and what they reveal about ancient ancestry and human migration patterns. The session aims to demystify the complex terminology and provide practical insights into how haplogroups can be used in genetic genealogy and guide participants to find their own haplogroup.
Wed, May 7 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
1:31:50
DNA Testing
The Power of Siblings – the DNA Tests of Five Brothers
Donna Rutherford
2.0K views
CC
The Power of Siblings – the DNA Tests of Five Brothers
This presentation takes the viewer through the results of 5 full brothers who have done a DNA test. It covers the comparison of their ethnicity estimates through to the various differences in their DNA matches including the variance in the sharing amounts. It helps people understand why testing siblings can really enhance their genetic genealogy, even more so if they can not test a parent or parents. The talk will also include a look at some advanced sibling topics, such as utilising X DNA results to establish if two females have the same father, through to advanced tools like visual phasing and creating lazarus kits.
DNA Testing
The Power of Siblings – the DNA Tests of Five Brothers
CC
Donna Rutherford
2.0K views
This presentation takes the viewer through the results of 5 full brothers who have done a DNA test. It covers the comparison of their ethnicity estimates through to the various differences in their DNA matches including the variance in the sharing amounts. It helps people understand why testing siblings can really enhance their genetic genealogy, even more so if they can not test a parent or parents. The talk will also include a look at some advanced sibling topics, such as utilising X DNA results to establish if two females have the same father, through to advanced tools like visual phasing and creating lazarus kits.
Wed, August 7 2024: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
53:46
Bonus webinarsDNA Testing
Introducing Y-DNA for autosomal DNA testers
Donna Rutherford
1.9K views
Introducing Y-DNA for autosomal DNA testers
Many DNA testers have started with autosomal DNA testing. For these people Y-DNA is still a mystery. This talk is aimed at those already using genetic genealogy but are curious about Y-DNA testing. I will explain the Y-DNA test and results in basic terms to help those starting out.
Bonus webinarsDNA Testing
Introducing Y-DNA for autosomal DNA testers
Donna Rutherford
1.9K views
Many DNA testers have started with autosomal DNA testing. For these people Y-DNA is still a mystery. This talk is aimed at those already using genetic genealogy but are curious about Y-DNA testing. I will explain the Y-DNA test and results in basic terms to help those starting out.
Sat, February 15 2020: 0:00 UTC
Login to register (for webinar members)
Login to register (for webinar members)
55:21
Bonus webinarsDNA Testing
Managing Your DNA Matches
Donna Rutherford
1.8K views
CC
Managing Your DNA Matches
This talk will look at the increasing database sizes, how we can upload to other sites for more matches, and then how to manage all our information.
Bonus webinarsDNA Testing
Managing Your DNA Matches
CC
Donna Rutherford
1.8K views
This talk will look at the increasing database sizes, how we can upload to other sites for more matches, and then how to manage all our information.
Sat, February 16 2019: 0:00 UTC
Login to register (for webinar members)
Login to register (for webinar members)