The Phillips DNA Project

The first of a four part series called "Faces of America" premiered on PBS last night.  Here is a link to the first episode in case you missed it: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/video/episode-1-our-american-stories/190/.

The first episode did not contain much on the subject of DNA.  We will apparently have to wait until the fourth episode on March 3rd to hear about combining the documented stories of some of the guests with DNA evidence.  Here is a synopsis of each episode:

Part One, February 10 - The Promise of America: Explores the dynamic and shifting relationship America had with her new immigrants in the 20th century.  Discover the bouyant American optimism that shaped the American road to success.

Part Two, February 17 - Becoming American: Explores the many journeys to becoming American that defined the "Century of Immigration" (1820s-1924) and transformed the United States from a sleepy agrarian country into a booming industrial power.

Part Three, February 24 - Making America: Tells the story of the peopling of the New World, how land came to define the settling and identity of America and how the guests' ancestors were part of this history.

Part Four, March 3 - The Record Within: Combining the documented stories of some of the guests' last known ancestors with DNA evidence, the series travels backward through time to reveal both distant relatives and surprising shared ancestral connections.