DNA – Page 2 – Family Locket

A Newbie’s Experience at SLIG – the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy

Feb 14, 2018

Have you heard of SLIG - the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy? I recently attended and want to share my experience today. I had heard of SLIG and other institutes but had never attended. Because registration is several months prior, in the summer of 2017, I decided to attend my first institute. Browsing the course titles, I decided "A Practical Approach: Establishing Genealogical Proof with DNA" would be the most beneficial for my research. Knowing this would probably sell out quickly, I registered within minutes to secure my spot. The course leader, Karen Stanbary, sent a welcome email in the...

Ancestry DNA Matches: Three Tools You May Not be Using

Nov 22, 2017

Are you taking advantage of the tools Ancestry DNA has provided to discover and track your cousin matches? If not, read on and discover three tools on the website that are often overlooked and can greatly aid your DNA research. Tool #1: Add a note To illustrate I'm using my first cousin's DNA match (with permission) to show you how effective and easy this can be. The screenshot below shows the information displayed on my cousin match page. Notice that I have clicked on the star to turn it gold, signalling it as a "favorite." For me this means...

How to Use a Surname Search to Sift Through DNA Results

Oct 4, 2017

What are you doing with your Ancestry DNA matches? Are they just sitting there waiting for some action? If you haven't yet explored the surname search capabilities of the website you're missing out on a valuable tool. Let's take a look at how a simple surname search works and discover what it can do for you. Because a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm going to guide you through this process with screenshots of my own search in my DNA results for the surname "Cline." My 4th great grandmother is Clemsy Cline, born 1818 in Alabama, lived in Missouri...

3 Tips for Connecting with your DNA Cousins

Jul 17, 2017

What happens when you discover a new cousin through DNA? You may find exciting family photos and information. You might even be able to meet that individual who shares your family history. I had the pleasure of meeting my cousin, Patty Hoskins, last month. We connected through Ancestry DNA and today I'm sharing 3 tips to help you connect with your DNA cousins. Tip # 1 Reach out to your DNA matches. If you've tested with AncestryDNA, you'll see the option to "send message" to your cousin once you click on "view match" from the AncestryDNA results page. The other DNA...

“The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me” – June Book Selection

Jun 17, 2017

What would you do if you discovered a huge family secret when you were ten years old that shook your world? Paul Joseph Fronczak learned from old news clippings that he had been abandoned in front of a New Jersey store as a toddler. FBI agents determined he was the missing child of a Chicago couple whose infant had been kidnapped from the hospital two years earlier. Reunited with his supposed parents, Paul grew up wondering if he really was the son of Chester and Dora Fronczak. Fast forward forty years, when Paul's own child was born. What was the...

3 Tips for Making the Most of Your Ancestry DNA results

Apr 25, 2017

Have you taken the Ancestry DNA test and now you're wondering what to do with your results? Besides viewing your ethnicity estimate, what else can you do to get the most bang for your buck? Today I'll give you three tips that will get you started on your DNA adventure. TIP #1 Download your Raw Ancestry DNA and Upload to Other Websites Now that you've tested with Ancestry DNA, you can take advantage of your results by downloading your raw DNA and uploading it to four other DNA websites: FamilyTree DNA, MyHeritage, GedMatch, and Living DNA. Why would you want...