Would you like an efficient method to find clusters of DNA matches relevant to your research subject? In this series, I’m sharing the steps to create a network graph using the free, open source Gephi application, available for Windows or Mac. I use Gephi to create network graphs of my AncestryDNA matches, but you can use matches from other companies as well. Throughout this series, I will be using my own matches from AncestryDNA, but...
I am sure I am not alone in finding that I constantly have more to learn when it comes to using DNA in my genealogy research. For example, I have defined many situations in my DNA research as pedigree collapse. However, after reading Diana’s post Endogamy, Pedigree Collapse, and Multiple Relationships: What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter? I realized that almost always, when I used the term pedigree collapse, I was actually describing...
Do you have DNA matches that seem to belong in multiple genetic networks? Are you nervous that you’re seeing pedigree collapse or endogamy? Before you despair, realize that this phenomenon could be due to DNA matches sharing more than one common ancestral couple with each other, or what’s often called “multiple relationships.” In Diana’s post, Endogamy, Pedigree Collapse, and Multiple Relationships: What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter, she talked briefly about multiple relationships...
If calculating coverage of your research subject sounds challenging, try using this coverage calculator! In my two previous posts about coverage, we talked about the concept of achieving better coverage of your research subject through gaining access to additional test results of their descendants. I talked about Paul Woodbury’s coverage formula and applied it to the Daniel Arnold case and Barsheba Tharp case. Read those posts here: Find More Ancestors with Autosomal DNA by Increasing...
Would you like an efficient method to find clusters of DNA matches relevant to your research subject? In this series, I’m sharing the steps to create a network graph using the free, open source Gephi application, available for Windows or Mac. I use Gephi to create network graphs of my AncestryDNA matches, but you can use matches from other companies as well. Throughout this series, I will be using my own matches from AncestryDNA, but...
You may have heard the terms endogamy, pedigree collapse, or multiple relationships as you’ve been learning how to use DNA with genealogy. What does your match list look like if you have any of these scenarios? What do your cluster results look like? How do you work with those DNA matches? What does this mean for your research and analysis? This article will help you understand each term and give you examples to digest. I’ll...
In my last post about autosomal DNA coverage, “Find More Ancestors with Autosomal DNA by Increasing Coverage,” I discussed how testing multiple descendants of your research subject can help you find more relevant matches. I shared some examples of applying Paul Woodbury’s coverage formula and the Daniel Arnold project I’ve been working on. Today I have an example of how expanding the coverage of Barsheba Tharp helped solve the identity of her mother. Barsheba Tharp...
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...
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...
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...
