A DNA match may be the key to your ancestry research, but what if they don’t have a visible family tree and don’t respond to your messages? At the Martin County Genealogical Society’s January 2026 meeting, Genetic Genealogist Kate Penney Howard will present “Squeezing All the Facts Out of Your DNA Matches,” giving genealogists of every skill level tools to crack that difficult case. She will offer strategies for logically approaching your search, what you can glean from your match’s profile, how free and paid resources can help you and a research template that will help ensure you leave no stone unturned.
Kate Penney Howard specializes in breaking down challenging research barriers with DNA. She brings decades of experience in family research and hundreds of successfully solved genetic genealogy cases. Addressing historical injustices and dispelling common myths, Kate helps clients uncover ancestral mysteries and provides them with more complete family medical histories. Her speaking engagements include RootsTech, Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies, East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference, the International Congress on Medieval Studies, the Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe, the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium and the Foundation for East European Family History Studies. Kate earned a Master of Divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Ind., in 2011 and serves as a pastor in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Free and open to the public, the meeting will be at the Blake Library, 2351 S.E. Monterey Road in Stuart, from 1 to 3 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16. The meeting begins with social time followed by a short business meeting, and the presentation is at 2 p.m. The meeting will be available on Zoom; registration required. For details, go to mcgsfl.org/events.
The Martin County Genealogical Society offers a variety of services at the Genealogy Room in the Blake Library including an extensive research library, access to several genealogy websites and assistance from MCGS volunteers. For more information about membership, activities and services go to mcgsfl.org.
Kate Penney Howard
