Genetics and Genealogy Part I Researchers are using a continent in which there is little to no written record regarding births, marriages, deaths, etc. to test the genetic diversity of a land. As it turns out, Africa has one of the highest rate of genetic diversity found. This means that when African-Americans are trying to trace their family trees there are limits and roadblocks that they'll face. Besides the obvious road block of trying to trace a line that might have been taking from their homes for the purpose of slave trading to immigrants who chose to come to the United States, there are also few records with which to crosscheck their information. The genetic study found 121 distinct family lines in Africa. That means that you might be able to find the region with a genetic test, but it would take several more genetic markers and time to trace the exact tribe or ethnic group from which your family derived.