What lies ahead for genealogy and family history in 2020? Taking a look back at 2019 can be helpful in predicting where we might be headed in 2020. The most viewed blog posts on Family Locket for 2019 included those on DNA, Organization, and Productivity. If you missed any of these, I invite you to do some browsing and see if there is something that could help you in your research for 2020. Below are the posts and a teaser for each one. "Before We Were Yours" and a True Life Adoption Story from the Tennessee Children's Home Society As...
Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Dana Leeds about her method of color clustering DNA Matches. This is called the Leeds Method. When she first shared her method last year, it became an instant success. The Autocluster reports created at Genetic Affairs and the Collins Leeds method are both based on the Leeds Method of color clustering. Listen in to hear all about the Leeds Method and Dana's experience doing the Research Like a Pro study group. Links Genetic Genealogy Tips and Techniques Facebook group Genetic Affairs - AutoCluster tool based on the Leeds Method...
How do you give credibility to your research that includes DNA evidence? The same way that you give credibility to research using evidence from traditional genealogy sources such as census and probate - with a source citation. Creating a source citation for the DNA matches, ethnicity reports, chromosome browsers, cluster reports, etc. that you use in your research project will back up the conclusions that you've drawn from your DNA analysis. Traditional Genealogy Source Citations When I wrote my report on Benjamin Cox, I used both traditional research and DNA analysis in discussing his hypothesized father-daughter relationship to my confirmed...
Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to incorporate DNA information into the timeline and analysis part of a research project. The timeline and analysis portion of the Research Like a Pro process is at the beginning. It helps you determine your starting point, because you look at all the sources you already have. After you test your DNA, you have an additional source that will help you in your family history research, that can be included in this phase. In the context of using DNA in genealogical research, you are a source that gives information –...
What should your research plan look like if you want to test a hypothesis with DNA evidence? Each project is unique, but all can follow the same guiding principles. In the Research Like a Pro with DNA process, we have already discussed the following steps: Step 1 Take a DNA Test: Which DNA Test Should I Take? and DNA-Recommended Testing Strategy Step 2 Assess: Understanding and Using Your DNA Results – 4 Simple Steps Step 3 Organize: Seeing the Big Picture: 3 Ways to Chart Your DNA Matches Step 4 Research Objective: What Do You Want to Know? 3 Steps...
What if you could find an automated program that would help you... - Look through your DNA matches trees to find shared ancestors - Identify triangulated groups, and - See DNA segments that you share in common with your matches Would you be interested? DNA Gedcom tools can do all of that! Rob Warthen, who founded DNAGedcom in 2013, was looking for a faster, better, more understandable way to interpret DNA test results. He and a team of super smart generous volunteers created the tools in DNAGedcom that can help all of us work with our DNA results and find...
Have you ever tried to explain your pursuit of DNA matches, and found it hard put into words? Have you ever wanted to see an image of your DNA and how it connects you to your ancestors? Chromosome mapping will help you come up with an answer! The goal in using DNA in our genealogy research is to learn which segments of our DNA we inherited from specific ancestors and use them to learn more about our parents, grandparents, and so on, back in time. Autosomal DNA is an extremely powerful tool that can help us confirm known ancestors and...
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...
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...
Today's episode of Research Like a Pro is about organizing your DNA matches by creating diagrams. Charting your DNA matches in a pedigree showing most recent common ancestor can help you visualize your DNA results like never before. We'll talk about two online charting options, charting using Ancestry.com's trees, and also an offline method. There are many more. Join us as we talk with Robin Wirthlin about how to chart your DNA matches! 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 Project...
