Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to use timelines to help you get started with your research project. As you gather all the sources about your objective that you already have and put them in a timeline, you’ll notice holes, make connections, have ideas for your research plan, and may even discover that you already have the answer. We talk about different ways to make timelines and recommend our favorite method. We also discuss Diana’s case study of separating two Swedish men of the same name in Massachusetts and how a timeline was invaluable for coming...
Have you wondered how to apply traditional research techniques to your DNA analysis? By breaking my DNA matches into clusters, my search was narrowed to a single family with six sons. In this post, I will explain how to use the process of elimination with genetic genealogy and traditional research to narrow your search even more and get you closer to breaking through your brick wall. You can read my previous posts where I start from the beginning of the research process here: post 1, post 2, post 3. 1. Research Descendants: Usually when we do genealogy, we focus...
When using DNA test results as evidence in genealogy, it’s important to understand contextual information about DNA inheritance patterns and amounts of DNA shared between relatives. This contextual information can turn raw DNA data into genealogical evidence. In this post I will share several charts that give meaning to the data in our DNA test results. The charts I’m sharing are freely available online. Another excellent source for inheritance charts is the book Genetic Genealogy in Practice by Blaine T. Bettinger and Debbie Parker Wayne. The charts in the book are well done and helpful for understanding the inheritance of autosomal...
Censuses and vital records are the backbones of genealogical research. Finding ancestors on every census and discovering their vital records can help a researcher begin to identify an ancestor and the familial relationships for that ancestor. Land and probate records are also valuable sources. But what happens when a search of these records doesn’t yield many results? Additional (and often less-used) records can then be examined with the goal of finding clues that will lead to more information about the ancestor. I recently finished a project where I relied heavily on city directories to help find new avenues of research. ...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to focus your DNA research with an objective. If you feel overwhelmed by all the matches and all the test results you have, perhaps focusing on one research question could help. Maybe you want to confirm a relationship or focus on a brick wall ancestor. We discuss how to create an objective with genetic genealogist Robin Wirthlin. Links What Do You Want to Know? 3 Steps to Focus Your DNA Research by Robin at Family Locket Creating an Objective for a DNA Research Projectby Diana af Family Locket Relevant previous...
Have you heard the term “segment triangulation” associated with DNA and wondered what that meant? Perhaps you wondered if this could help you confirm an ancestor that you’ve researched? Which DNA testing and third party companies offer this tool? In this article, I’ll define the term and show how the process can help you in your genealogy journey of discovering your genetic family tree. Pedigree Triangulation I previously wrote about pedigree triangulation and used the following visual from the ISOGG Wiki page to explain the concept. You and your DNA match both received DNA from your Most Common Recent Ancestor (MRCA)....
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to prepare for a visit to a library or archive. These repositories hold valuable records for genealogists – but many of us have not visited one before. Today we’ll talk with Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, about how to make the most of your visit to any library or archive. Links A Genealogist in the Archives Blog http://agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com/ Melissa Barker’s Legacy Family Tree Webinar Presenter Page for Webinar and QuickGuides https://familytreewebinars.com/melissabarker The Archive Lady on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheArchiveLady/ Melissa Barker on Twitter https://twitter.com/TNArchivist Melissa Barker, Certified Archives...
For most of us, the goal of genetic genealogy is to identify how our DNA matches are related to us. We want to determine our common ancestor or identify an ancestor who was previously unknown to us. Chromosome browsers help us do that. By determining that an autosomal DNA segment was inherited from a certain ancestor, we can use that segment information in the future to identify matches whose connection to us is unknown. Chromosome browsers also help us triangulate segments of DNA data shared with 2 or more genetic matches. When segment triangulation is achieved, we are able to...
What is the FAN Club and how do you use it in your research? When working on family history, we tend to forget about all the people that our ancestors interacted with beyond their household. Just like you interact with many people beyond your household, so did our ancestors! To aid in researching our ancestors and those that they knew, Elizabeth Shown Mills developed the FAN club principle. She defined the FAN club as the friends, associates, and neighbors of your family. Later genealogists have expanded the FAN club to include family members, particularly those living in other households and...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about finding records in archives. Maybe you have already exhausted all the online records and are ready to find those additional records that haven’t been digitized yet. In repositories like courthouses and archives, you may be able to find unique and relatively unknown records. Join us as we talk with Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, about how to find records like manuscript collections, voting records, photographs, school records, loose records, and more. Links A Genealogist in the Archives Blog http://agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com/ Melissa Barker’s Legacy Family Tree Webinar Presenter Page for Webinar and QuickGuides...
