You may have wondered, “What are DNA SNPs, and how do they help us find our ancestors?” Sometimes it feels like a strange new world when you venture into using DNA in your family history research. Some terms may be new to you, and it’s a challenge to absorb all of the new information and keep up with technological advances in the world of genetic genealogy. I made a new video explaining SNPs – which are single nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA. You can watch it on the Family Locket YouTube channel by either going directly to YouTube and typing in “Family...
What is the value of taking an immersive DNA course from an expert in the field? New perspectives, information, and practical applications to genetic genealogy. I completed the Advanced DNA Evidence course coordinated by Blaine Bettinger as part of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. The course exceeded my expectations, and I took copious notes on the latest and greatest advances in DNA as it relates to proving and confirming our ancestors. I highly recommend the course to anyone interested in learning more about the science of genetic genealogy from someone who can explain it in layman’s terms. Blaine will...
When using DNA test results to find evidence for a research subject’s parent, the typical method is to find DNA matches who are descendants of the hypothesized parent. You will only be able to find these matches if you actually inherited DNA from that ancestor. The more distant the ancestor, the less likely that you inherited very much DNA from that person. You are expected to inherit about: 1/4 of a grandparent’s DNA (25%) 1/8 of a great-grandparent’s DNA (12.5%) 1/16 of a 2nd-great-grandparent’s DNA (6.25%) 1/32 of a 3rd-great grandparent’s DNA (3.125%) 1/64 of a 4th-great-grandparent’s DNA (1.5626%) 1/128...
Father’s Day is on Sunday, 19 June 2022, in the United States, you may be interested in giving a gift to a father in your life, and I have a fun idea for you! Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) has Y-DNA kits on sale right now. You can save money on each of the three Y-DNA kits that FTDNA has available. You may have questions about Y-DNA, and hopefully, I can answer some of them in this blog post. What is Y-DNA? The DNA in the Y-chromosome is called Y-DNA. Human males are born with an X and a Y-chromosome and...
Have you heard about the latest Ethnicity Estimate tool called SideView™? AncestryDNA launched this new feature on 13 April 2022, and it has features that I think you will really like! SideView™ uses your DNA matches to help assign ethnicity estimates to two profiles representing your father and your mother. This is exciting news! This new feature, found in the “Ethnicity Estimates” section of AncestryDNA, shows you the ethnicities you inherited from each side of your family. The SideView report displays images representing the DNA from specific countries or regions that both of your parents inherited from many generations of...
Have you been wanting to use DNA evidence to help solve a genealogical research question? Maybe you have learned about the types of DNA but haven’t tried researching matches and incorporating DNA evidence into a report. The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) is offering a course this summer that will help you do exactly that. Intermediate DNA: Planning for and Conducting Research Using DNA and Documentary Sources is a unique course. You will bring your own genealogical question and work on it throughout the week. The course is coordinated by Karen Stanbary and includes the following faculty members:...
Have you ever used the MyHeritage chromosome browser to view triangulated segments? It’s a wonderful tool. A member of the Research Like a Pro with DNA study group asked a great question about his experience using it. He said, I’ve compared the DNA of 3 people with my mom: Bob, my mom’s 1st cousin on her dad’s side two DNA cousins I’m researching, Jane and Jill (names changed) Bob triangulates with Jane on chromosome 15. Jane triangulates with Jill on the same segment on chromosome 15. Bob does NOT triangulate with Jill on chromosome 15. Shouldn’t Jill and Bob...
Segments of DNA that reportedly match can sometimes be pseudosegments, or false segments. These pseudosegments were not inherited from a common ancestor. In this Research Like a Pro with DNA Q&A video, I discuss pseudosegments and share an example of finding a probable pseudosegment with a match at MyHeritage. When creating triangulated groups with MyHeritage matches following Jim Bartlett’s methodology, you can sort overlapping segments into two groups, one for maternal and one for paternal. If a small segment doesn’t triangulate with either group, it could be a pseudosegment. It’s important to note that you can’t always be certain whether...
DNA Day is celebrated annually on April 25th to commemorate the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953 by James Watson and Francis Crick. To celebrate, I am sharing ten posts / series at Family Locket that feature the use of DNA evidence to help solve genealogical research objectives. Enjoy these research projects! 1 – Colonial Pennsylvania 5th-Great-Grandparent In part nine of our Pennsylvania Germans series, Heidi Mathis shared how autosomal DNA (atDNA), genetic networks, and AncestryDNA Thrulines helped her identify her 5th-great-grandfather in colonial Pennsylvania. 2 – Immigrant Ancestor’s...
Do you have a parent-child link that you haven’t personally researched but has been a long-standing fact in the family? If so, you may want to use DNA evidence and revisit the documentary research to prove that link. If you’ve tested your autosomal DNA at Ancestry and attached a family tree, Ancestry Thrulines will generate hypothetical placements for your DNA matches. These are great clues but it’s up to you to verify that placement. As part of the Research Like a Pro with DNA 4 Study Group, I’m tackling my paternal Shults line and seeking to verify Martin S. Shults...
