I recently got a message from one of my relatively distant relatives pointing out what might be an error in my family tree. Has this ever happened to you? I was glad to have her input, and I think that the exchange of messages helped both of us learn something about our ancestors.
A while back, I actually wrote a post on this topic:
If you scroll down, you can read more about these posts and other posts included with this week's newsletter. Just click on the title or the image to go to my site to read the complete article. Plus, you can always check back during the week for new posts.
If you aren’t doing these five things, then you are missing out on a ton of information that you can learn from your DNA match list. You might check your match list regularly – maybe even every day, but if you are just scrolling through, looking for a something interesting, hoping that something will catch your eye, well… how can I put this delicately? Let’s just say that you could be using your time more wisely.
If you have ever searched a family tree online, you have probably seen mistakes. You might be wondering if it is appropriate to contact the person who posted the tree to let them know that they have posted incorrect information, and ask them to correct it. As it turns out, this is a very controversial topic and everyone has their own very strong opinion about how to proceed. In this post, I’ll let you know what I do when I see mistakes in a 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.
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 specifically how a beginner can leverage the knowledge gained from a DNA match list to build a family tree.
If you have asked around about DNA testing for ancestry purposes, you may have heard someone explain that DNA results – and especially DNA matches – can be helpful for family tree research. What if you already have a big family tree? Can DNA matches still be helpful?
