Allison Kotter is sharing her experience with the Research Like a Pro with DNA online course. Here’s her first post! – Nicole After doing traditional genealogy work as a hobby for years, I began learning the Research Like a Pro process to elevate my work to the professional level. As I started listening to the podcast, I noticed that research with DNA was mentioned a lot! Like a lot of you, I found the whole idea of using DNA to do my genealogy work very overwhelming, because I had no idea how to even start with it. So, when I...
Clustering your DNA matches can help you make sense of that long list of unknown DNA matches. Although there are programs that now automate clustering, you might want to try it yourself. What are the advantages of creating genetic clusters manually? You might enjoy working with each match and discovering your shared ancestral lines. Each testing company website enables you to view people that share DNA with you and with your DNA match. Shared DNA match lists and in common with (ICW) lists can help you learn which side of the family your DNA Matches are related to you. A...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about using 23andMe DNA matches with Ancestry’s tree-building capabilities to make connections and discoveries. 23andMe provides haplogroups and X-DNA matches for autosomal testing which can help in identifying whether a DNA match is on the maternal or the paternal line. Join us as we discuss Fran Shockley’s organizational method for adding 23andMe match info to Ancestry trees. Links Combining the DNA Power of 23andMe with the Tree Building Power of Ancestry by Fran Shockley, guest post at Family Locket Family Story Sleuth – Fran’s Facebook page RLP 139: Adding DNA Matches to...
DNA Day is coming up on Sunday, 25 April 2021. This day celebrates the anniversary of the Human Genome Project completion and the day the journal article was published by Watson and Crick that described the structure of DNA. Find a list of some fun and educational activities and resources to learn more about DNA on the CDC Genomics and Precision Health web page https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/events/dna_day.htm The DNA Day Escape Room Challenge looks like fun! The National Human Genome Research Institute has another list of activities. https://www.genome.gov/dna-day/events https://www.genome.gov/dna-day/get-activity-ideas Find more activities to celebrate DNA Day: https://www.genome.gov/dna-day/celebrate Some of my...
If the descriptive relationship terms full or half are unfamiliar to you or find it a challenge to describe relationships, this blog post may help you. Figuring out the exact relationship you share with a DNA match can be challenging at times. When the relationship is a “half” relationship, it can be even more tricky. The amount of shared DNA between two matches doesn’t directly indicate whether a relationship is full or half. Traditional documentary research is needed to definitively discern if a relationship is full or half. It’s all about the common ancestor It is essential to understand and...
Do you have your DNA results on 23andMe and would like to use Ancestry’s tree-building capabilities to make connections and discoveries? If so, this article will provide ideas of how to work with the matches to get the best results for your DNA analysis. 23andMe provides haplogroups and X-DNA matches for autosomal testing which can help in identifying whether a DNA match is on the maternal or the paternal line. Fran Shockley, the Family Story Sleuth offers her organizational method in this guest post. Enjoy! By Fran Shockley I just finished listening to The Research Like a Pro Podcast Episode...
We have all heard of someone being a first cousin once removed or another relationship “once removed,” and sometimes it gets confusing, and you may think, “…Ummm, we are cousins, that’s all that matters.” If you are at an extended family reunion, that pretty much IS all that matters! If you are invited, you know that you are attending with people descended from the same parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. Perhaps you’re lucky to have a family that organizes extended family reunion events, there may be descendants at the party who share even more distant grandparents with you. The challenge is...
You know how it is – you look in your DNA match list and see an entry for someone you don’t know. There are a few steps you can take to discover the relationship you share. The amount of DNA you and your match share is listed in centimorgans (cM). The cM amount can point you in the right direction to discern your relationship. The DNA company estimates a relationship, but you need to figure out where the person fits in your family tree. If you can correctly place a DNA match in your family tree and determine which ancestor...
If you could name one goal for your family history research, what would it be? Would DNA help you achieve your goal? If so, there is an essential tool that will help you progress toward it. In your DNA match list, you’ll see an estimated relationship and the amount of DNA you share with each relative. If you build a family tree based on just the predicted relationships, it will be difficult, and possibly incorrect. You need a tool to help you discern not only possible relationships, but also the probable likelihood of specific relationships you share with your DNA...
Many people want to incorporate their DNA test results in their family history research, and there is so much to learn with new tools continually developing. I think a lot about how to simplify the explanations about DNA and the process of using DNA results to find and confirm ancestors. My goal is to help people navigate the process and find success in their research. I created this DNA Tools Bell Curve graphic to briefly illustrate a process or methodology to incorporate DNA into your family history research, moving from the simplest tools on the left to the most complex...
