In this second post in our series on Ancestry DNA , we’ll look at how to save, record, and analyze your own 2026 Ancestral Regions results, with my father, Ellis Guiles, as the example (Figure 1). Five steps take you from saving your results to recording what you find. If you tested before the update, you can also review your previous results. Ancestry changed its method (Part 1), so a changed percentage does not...
Every few years, AncestryDNA customers open their results and find that their ancestral regions have changed, even though their DNA hasn’t. The 2026 update is one of the biggest yet. Ancestry now reports 302 ancestral regions, up from 146 in 2025, and it rebuilt much of the method behind the estimates: a reference panel of more than 295,000 samples, a new way of comparing your DNA to that panel, and an AI transformer in...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about chapter 7 of Research Like a Pro with DNA. We discuss ethnicity estimates and how they can help with your genealogy research. We review the ethnicity estimates from each testing company and GEDmatch. We also discuss locality research and three small case studies showing how ethnicity and location were instrumental in solving the case. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is Research Like A Pro. Episode 244 RLP...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is an interview with Roberta Estes, author of DNA for Native American Genealogy. We talk with Roberta about strategies for discovering if the myths in your family about Native American heritage are true. We talk about federal recognition of tribes, documentary research, Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA testing, and using ethnicity paintings of autosomal DNA segments to help isolate Native American DNA. Transcript Nicole (0s): This is Research Like...
Have you heard about the latest Ethnicity Estimate tool called SideView™? AncestryDNA launched this new feature on 13 April 2022, and it has features that I think you will really like! SideView™ uses your DNA matches to help assign ethnicity estimates to two profiles representing your father and your mother. This is exciting news! This new feature, found in the “Ethnicity Estimates” section of AncestryDNA, shows you the ethnicities you inherited from each side of...
As genealogists, we formulate a hypothesis about our ancestors to make progress in our research. That hypothesis is a lens, a way of organizing the myriad of facts we discover, which we hope will lead us to locate further records, helping us prove or disprove our hypothesis. I like to try to use the same idea to try and understand the history of an ancestor’s time. I want to avoid getting too bogged down in...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s Dillard project. For the RLP with DNA study group, she is exploring the possibility that a cluster of DNA matches from her second cousin’s network graph are related through Cynthia Dillard’s parents. The MRCA of the cluster appears to be Elijah Dillard. In this assignment, Diana studied Elijah Dillard’s timeline and chose two places to learn more about and create a locality guide – Macon...
Can DNA help us discover an unknown 4th great-grandfather? In the hopes that it can, I’m returning to my brick wall of identifying Cynthia (Dillard) Royston’s father. The Research Like a Pro with DNA study group is a perfect way to tackle a persistent research question. The structure of the assignments helps me stay on track and the process keeps me moving forward. I’ll be sharing my progress in this series. Will I finally be...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about using DNA evidence to help further research on 19th century German ancestors. Heidi Mathis returns to discuss her experiences using ethnicity estimates from AncestryDNA, segment data, and MyHeritage filtering of matches. She discusses some of the challenges for using German DNA, including less clear ethnicity estimates for those with German ancestry and a smaller number of Germans who have tested. Transcript Nicole (1s): This is...
In recent years DNA has become an amazing tool for helping solve our genealogical brick walls. For example in Part 5 of this series the fact that Burkhard Schlag’s descendants were fairly close DNA matches to his FAN club’s (i.e. nieces and nephews) descendant’s, provided important clues for tracing Burkhard’s parents. However using DNA with recent German ancestors may be more challenging than with some other communities. Germans may have an advantage with their church...
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