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Everyone says that doing a DNA test is the best thing that you can do if you are interested in genealogy and family tree research, and it’s true – it is extremely helpful. If you’ve done the Ancestry DNA test, however, you might be overwhelmed with your DNA match list. In this post, I’ll discuss DNA matches and genealogy, and specially how a beginner can leverage the knowledge gained from a DNA match list to build a family tree.
While ethnicity estimates are fun and can occasionally reveal something previously unknown about our heritage, when it comes to building a family tree, our DNA match list is the most valuable tool that we have at our disposal. You’ve heard all of the experts say that the best way to build a family tree is by using your DNA matches, but how, exactly, is it done? In this post, I’ll explain exactly how your DNA matches can help you build your family tree.
I have a confession to make: I used to be a name collector. When it came to family tree research, I only used my DNA matches to see if I could get one more generation back in my family tree. I was always looking for the parents of my ancestors – never the siblings. On the rare occasion that I added a sibling of an ancestor to my tree, I almost never bothered to find out who they married, or the names of their children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren.
I know that this sounds like a crazy idea. You have enough work on your hands trying to build your own family tree, so why should you spend any time at all trying to find other people’s ancestors? Believe it or not, this is a very useful strategy for family tree research, even though it might seem counter-intuitive. In this post, I will explain how to build a quick family tree for your match, and how this can help you figure out how you are related.
Have you heard someone mention a “quick and dirty” family tree? Are you wondering how building a quick and dirty family tree can help you identify your genetic matches, or your DNA matches? In this post, I’ll explain to you what a quick and dirty family tree is, and how to use the tree to figure out how your DNA matches are related to you.
Are you stuck trying to figure out how you are related to your DNA match? Maybe your DNA match has no posted family tree, and you just can’t see any way that you can figure out your connection without more information. In this post, you’ll find a checklist with the best ways to find the information that you need to figure out how you might be related to the DNA match in question.
Have you tried out Genesis Gedmatch? One of the most popular tools on the site is the One-to-Many Comparison where you receive a long list of DNA matches. Who are these people and what is your connection to them? In this post, I’ll give you some different strategies to help you determine how you and your Gedmatch Genesis DNA matches are related.
